At the end of July we were able to squeeze in a little mini-vacation with our friends from DC, Glynnis and Nathan. All of us were sorely overdue for a vacation so we were all looking forward to some fun in the Florida sun.
They arrived on a Thursday morning in time for us to pick up supplies for the week before heading into downtown St Pete to take in the sights. We got some iced teas at our favorite tea place, Hooker Tea, and sipped them while strolling down the street. We eventually made it to Ceviche, a great Spanish tapas place for a late lunch and early drinks - our favorite being the Sangria they make with cava, the Spanish sparkling white wine. I usually hate sangria (and wine), but these are divine and impossible to resist.
After a lovely meal we strolled back to the car in time to meet Wade at home after work. That night we made some more sangria while Nathan made us savory plantains. Salty sweet goodness topped with sharp cheddar cheese - magical. Also perfect drinking food. :)
On Friday, Wade took the day off too and we drove the 1:15hr up to the world famous (seriously) Weeki Wachee Springs State Park to see the mermaid show and swim in the cool freshwater springs. We missed the main show, but got to see a practice show which was pretty funny. Glynnis and I were half-expecting the mermaids to be swimming around the spring as if they were in a public aquarium display or something, but instead they put on performances and shows of The Little Mermaid. We also discovered that the main spring was really crowded and not exactly what we had in mind, so after asking around we figured out where we might be able to get in the river at the local county park. So we headed up to Rogers Park, had a picnic lunch, people watched (it was the local swimmin' hole after all), and finally rented some kayaks to paddle up river to look for a quieter place to swim. And right here is the exact moment I will forever shoot myself for not taking the camera.
We paddled up river - the put in was only about 2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico - so we were against the current a bit as the tide seemed to be slacking or going out with the river. After a little ways up river we came to a cove of sorts and stashed the kayaks to get in for a swim. We used our life preservers as floaties and broke out the trusty Tervis Tumblers and frosty beverages to enjoy cooling off in the river. We watched a parade of people, young and old, go by in the river and the guys debated using the nearby rope swing (there was lots of rope swinging and tree-jumping to be had in the river). Despite the cooling and blissful relaxation, we finally wondered what else lay up river and decided to find out. Apparently just in time because a few small boats of people stopped in the cove to see the small cave at the bottom. Apparently we were floating above a hidden 140ft deep sinkhole known as Hospital Hole! We shoved on and enjoyed the scenery but definitely felt like we were baking in the sun. Eventually, the river started to clear as we left the Gulf tidal influence behind, and the water started getting even cooler. We explored a little side channel and marveled at the huge mullet in the river, but largely the river seemed too busy to be really "wild". We pulled out again where you could really feel the current of the spring outflow and swam in the 72 degree water - chilly, but so very refreshing. Finally, as we were turning around to head back a girl paddling up stream announced "The manatees are coming!" as if she were a parade marshall. The whole afternoon we'd seen signs about manatees on all the docks and had heard from folks this was a place to see them, but we hadn't had any luck at all. So we slowly drifted down river with the current until Glynnis and Nathan suddenly turned around and excitedly, but quietly, signaled "Manatees!!". The four of us were treated to watching a mother and baby manatee (no bigger than one of our dogs) feeding on a shallow bank in the clear river. We gave them some space, but stuck around to watch for a while - this was the first time Nathan had seen manatees in the wild before. Once the baby realized we were sticking around, he zoomed over to check us out, snuffling the air around us and nuzzling the kayak. We were beside ourselves with an intense desire to pet him and get in the water to swim, but it's a federal/state offense to disturb endangered manatees, so we had to keep ourselves in check. (The more people interact with manatees, the more comfortable they get with people - and boats. Which means manatees lose their fear of people, or worse are attracted to people for food, and become more likely to get hit and killed by boats.) The baby manatee took turns checking us out and checking out Glynnis and Nathan, then he would come along and bump up against or rub on the kayak like he was trying to play with us. It was amazing how playful and curious the baby was, even when we tried to retreat from him. Eventually his mom was ready to move up river, so we continued the other way, passing more manatees and people trailing them.
We had a perfect day in the cool water and streaming sunshine so after turning in our kayaks, we stopped at the restaurant next door for snacks and drinks . We led Nathan on a culinary tour of Florida with fried spicy pickles, smoked fish dip, and fried gator tail. :) Just before we left, a flotilla of manatees came cruising down the river - a call went up around the park and the restaurant and people came out to watch over a dozen manatees heading back out to the Gulf. We finally got in the car feeling fully satisfied with our day and headed home to grill up some veggies for dinner then crashed into bed early.
Day three saw us heading down to Anna Maria for a beach day. We stopped at our favorite Mexican place on the island, Tortilla Bay, for the best queso before heading out to our usual spot on the beach. We parked at Mom and Larry's house then toted everything down for an afternoon of baking in the Florida sun. And baking we were - it was blazing hot and bright out and the water didn't feel all that much cooler. We took turns with the floaties, relaxing with our trusty Tervis Tumbler mugs again to keep us cool. Nathan and I started a round of paddleball, but eventually gave up when we were so tired we just couldn't keep it up any longer. After a few hours we were all hot enough that we packed up and went back to Mom and Larry's to make more rum punch and float in the pool. Eventually Mom, Larry, Wendi, Aaron, Ashli, and Tyler came back to the house to join us in the pool. We had fun playing paddle ball with everyone in the pool but then had to get cleaned up quickly for a dinner reservation at our favorite sushi place, Ocean Star. There we consumed an absurd amount of sushi, but after baking in the sun all day and playing paddleball we were ready to eat just about everything in sight.
Sunday morning we took Nathan and Glynnis back to the airport and it was sad to see them go - we always have so much fun with them. And it was so great having them come here to visit for fun, since I usually only get to see them when I'm in DC for work.
That afternoon we headed back to the island to spend some more time with family while they were in town. We had a great afternoon hanging around the pool with Mom, Larry, Wendi, Aaron, Ashli, and Tyler.
You can see our pictures here on our Picasa site. Thanks to Glynnis for being better about taking pictures than I was - most of those on the site are hers.
