We leave tomorrow morning for our March locale. Last Sunday was the stereotypical Florida --- crowds on all the sunny beaches. Even the fishing docks were crowded, with legs and wings.
Then the clouds came, and so did a daytrip to Tarpon Springs. It's a historic sponging port with a Greek heritage from the 1880's til today. Every variation on sponge you can think of, plus whiffs of baklava and mousaka in the air. Opa! In the nearby bays 500 pound manatees are spending the winter with their 100 pound newborns. They're mammals so they need warm waters, and regular surfacing to breathe. But just try to get a picture of these sea-cows; a grunt and a snort and they're submerged again!
From then til today the weather has been very un-Florida: fog, rain, cold, and wind. Bundled-up beach walks are still popular with the snowbirds. You'll see a great white shark chomping down on a kayak, and then a little hammerhead shark getting chomped on in turn. Shells covered in barnacles and sea goo. All the varieties of sponge learned about in Tarpon Springs. But so damp that the shore birds are on lawns drying out!
The most common activity in this weather was walking ---- e.g. a new high of 21,792 steps one windy day. But the most common grief was no hot shower in the apartment the last 2 weeks! The "instant" heater was replaced yesterday but is still wonky. Pouring rain outside, but who wants to rinse off in that? So we're leaving MAD (Madeira Beach) a little angry and RED (Redington Beach) not sunburnt...
From then til today the weather has been very un-Florida: fog, rain, cold, and wind. Bundled-up beach walks are still popular with the snowbirds. You'll see a great white shark chomping down on a kayak, and then a little hammerhead shark getting chomped on in turn. Shells covered in barnacles and sea goo. All the varieties of sponge learned about in Tarpon Springs. But so damp that the shore birds are on lawns drying out!
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