Well, not everyone enjoyed the sunset on Thursday...nothing like ending your day having your boat towed back to the docks.
Now this guy may or may not have caught any fish...but he did catch a good sunset.
And these folks grabbed front row seats...
And here it comes...I will let the pictures tell the story...
On Saturday I got a text from sister Patti, and it shows mom at a beach! WHAT??? Apparently they (Patti and Mom) headed over to Half Moon Bay, 25 miles south of San Francisco. BUT, before they got there, they stopped for lunch in the San Jose area where Patti's daughter Ashley lives. THAT alone would make the trip worthwhile in mom's book...going to the beach is like frosting on a very good cake! That is mom and Ashley in the above picture.
It is called Half Moon Bay because of its crescent shape. It is also a favorite surfboarding area due to the large waves that come in at certain times of the year (November through March). Mom said that they did not go down to the water because it was just too windy and cold...but that she really enjoyed her day. When I talked to her around 9 am Sunday morning she was so worn out that she was still in bed, but awake. Well, the worn out part must have worn off because Patti texted Sunday night (evening their time) that mom had gone on an outing with others from the facility that day!
Saturday evening I decided to head out in search of a Florida Sunset. Anclote River Park is 4 driving miles from the condo, only 3 as the crow flies. The park sits on about 3 acres, and it has a beach that is around 250 feet long. There is an outdoor bar and restaurant, and the County has plans which include the renting of paddle boats and more food choices. There is a boat dock to launch/retrieve boats. There is no parking fee for vehicles, but there is for boat trailers. The park sits right where the Anclote River and the Gulf of Mexico meet...on the south side of the river is Tarpon Springs, which is in Pinellas County.
From Anclote River Park I followed the coastline north up to Eagle Point Park. Did not see anywhere that I wanted to get a sunset picture from despite pulling into another three parks. I continued back to Highway 19 and turned south towards the condo. That is a 14 mile loop, very little traffic, and each park needs to be checked out more when I have more time.
Especially this Dog Park which is at Anclote Gulf Park. However, Indy is currently banned, as of this past weekend, from Dog Parks. The Pasco Dog Shelter announced Friday that it is suspending dog adoptions, intakes, surgeries and rescue transfers for 14 days due to a highly contagious respiratory virus at the shelter, something called Canine Pneumovirus. This is like a heavy-duty version of Kennel Cough, and dogs are dying from it. There is no vaccine yet, and the best advice is to keep your dog away from other dogs. So we are keeping her away from the doggie park until further notice. We have been going to the Tarpon Springs Dog Park a couple of times a week, and last time there were 15 dogs at the park. Thank goodness none of them looked sick...but we just don't want to chance it.
As I got closer to the condo, I decided to take a right on Alt-19 towards Tarpon Springs. I got this picture as I crossed over the Anclote River. A few years ago I parked the car and walked the bridge to get a nice sunset...and I also got bitten up by mosquitos, so that was not an option this time. I turned right into the area they call "The Sponge Docks", but being Saturday they had much of the street shutdown for an outdoor event, and I could not get to where I thought a nice sunset would take place. But, as they say, "Tomorrow is another day...another sunset."
When I got home Saturday evening, Marcia suggested that I should go back to Crystal Beach the next time I went out. So, that is exactly what I did on Sunday and got the above picture, and the two below. I have taken many pictures at Crystal Beach, and have been there for a few sunsets. By far, it is the best, closest place for good sunsets without having to walk amongst the mosquitos.
It might be hard to see it, but there are three ladies in the pictures above watching the sunset. Two had lawn chairs, the other is on a rock to the left of them.
Yep, another good Florida sunset...
Note: On Mondays when Marcia attends Bible Study, Indy and I got to Crystal Beach for a good hour or more waiting for Bible Study to end at noon. I am going to try and remember to take my camera on Mondays, so you will see more from Crystal Beach...maybe even go back to get another sunset or two.
With everything getting back to normal in our part of Florida, it was time to get some major work done on the motorhome. As we were coming out of Colorado this summer, our front breaks started squealing. I decided to make it home since the HHR was not operable at the time, and did not want to get stuck in a situation where we had no transportation and the motorhome in the shop for a day or two. We did make it home...but the evacuation due to the hurricane was very dicey as the breaks were metal to metal by that time.
Not knowing where to take the motorhome around here, although there were many of the 'national' chains to choose from, I went to the local Napa Auto nearby and asked them. I found that the folks at Napa always are so helpful, not just here but in Sacramento too. The head guy did not hesitate in his recommendation...."Wrey's Auto Service", and the other two guys shook their head in approval.
The picture above is one I found on the Internet which depicts Wrey's Auto. I left Napa and went over to talk to them. Garvin, the owner/manager, immediately gave me his attention. Impressed that I had the VIN # of the motorhome, he knew exactly what he was dealing with. He asked his son, Jason what day he wanted me to bring it in, and Monday was the day.
Now with the HHR we used Joe's Auto/Curtis Transmission, and they are good...but to get the motorhome in there is near impossible. At Wrey's, it was a piece of cake. The shop is situated behind a Marine Sales/Repair shop on Wrey Road, just off Grand Blvd. There are a few different businesses back there, including a Septic Service. But once you are off Grand, there is little traffic to deal with, although I wouldn't want to bring a Class A motorhome back in there...but I am sure there have been some.
Bottom line, they replaced the rotors, the calipers, new break pads, re-packed the bearings, and new brake lines. After nearly 20 years, the left front brake line had swollen, and was not releasing the caliper as it should.
Yesterday we drove up to Spring Hill, about 25 miles, to visit with our friend Ginger who lives about 28 miles north of there. The brakes worked like a charm, and suddenly the motorhome is not as loud as it was.
Gas is still the cheapest at Sam's, running $3.159 as of Friday. There is a Wawa near us which is easy to get in and out of with the motorhome, and it was $3.399. I remember in March 2020 paying $1.999 per gallon! Times they are a changing...will the madness ever end.
Quick Hurricane Update
Around 2.7 million customers (representing about 7 million people) lost electricity due to the Hurricane. Within 7 days, 2.4 million customers had their service restored! As of today, around 13,000 are still without power...and many of those places need major repairs or total replacement before it can be restored. Pine Island Bridge was reopened, though only for emergency travel, within 5 days. The Sanibel Causeway reopened three days ago for emergency travel. Both of these bridges/causeways lost access roads to them, totally demolished. Just under 100 people died in Florida due to the storm. For the most part, we have heard nothing buy praise by Floridians for the hurricane relief...a great tribute to the state, feds and private businesses. No pictures provided...I am sure everyone has seen the destruction on TV and all over the Internet. Thank goodness, no sign of any more storms so far headed our way.