Mom's Wild Adventure, Florida Sunset

  

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.