Mom's New Teeth, Visit to Crystal Beach, Christmas Plans

 

Mom's has been in need of having her teeth done for a number of months now.  But with all her illnesses, it has been hard to schedule it.  While we were still in California, I took her to one, perhaps two dental appointments.  Today they finally got everything done.  A permanent upper bridge, and a few teeth added to her lower removable bridge.  After 93 years, her teeth have sure been through the ringer.  She has been a trooper as far as I am concern in going so long with missing teeth in the front of her mouth.  You can see by the grin that she is a happy camper.  Of course, it all is not good news...she has another UTI which they put her on an antibiotic for even before the full results of the test came back.

Longtime followers of my blog know that when in Florida, one of my favorite spots to go while Marcia is at Bible Study with the other ladies at church is Crystal Beach.  We had a storm blow through our area last weekend...wind gust of around 50 mph.  Monday is Bible Study day, so it was still brisk and windy while Indy and I went to Crystal Beach. 

Here is a different angle of the pedestrian pier.

Here is Indy's view of the Pedestrian Pier with a person walking out along the pier.

Just a mile north of Crystal Beach is another area that includes Wall Springs Park.  There are some wonderful old homes in this area too.

As for Marcia and I, we are going to enjoy Christmas Eve together.  Have a Rib Eye roast which we will have for dinner (and a number of dinners/meals in the future).  On Christmas Day we will go over to her brother Mike and sister-in-law Sandy's house.  It should be a relaxing long weekend.

A tradition they have along the coast is Boat Christmas Parades.  I have never seen one (don't like to drive at night anymore), but the news typically covers a few of them and they look real neat.  Another Florida tradition is Golf Cart Christmas Parades.  So many retirement communities allow Golf Carts, and again, a few of these are covered by the local news too.  As for our Condo...they HOA has a nice display down by the pool, but residents cannot put anything outside.  Some light up the inside windows, and some open the drapes to their spare bedroom and put up a display in the bedroom.  One new lady has a large snowman outside her front door, and I am counting the days before she has to take it down.  She seems to have some bucks, so she might just pay the fine they will impose after 3 days.  Will know tomorrow since today is the third day.

Heard We Were Headed for a Tsunami

 Nope, this is not a political post...I really stay away from those the best I can.

Yep, I am talking about another round of bad weather.  "Nichole" is currently a "Subtropical Storm", and it may just stay as a Subtropical Storm.  Then again, the current forecast calls for it to be a Hurricane by Wednesday evening.  It is suppose to hit land between Jupiter and Port St Lucie Thursday, then travel northwest to Springhill on the Gulf side.  (Springhill is where the Cracker Barrel is 22 miles north of us where we visited relatives recently.)  Maximum winds as it passes through the west coast would be around 40-50 mph.

Last nights weather forecast said that yes, we need to watch this storm, but that it should not be that much of a concern.  Like tropical storms, a subtropical storm has a well-defined center and a closed circulation. However, the area of maximum winds within the circulation is farther away from the center and there is less symmetry.  These storms generally produce less rain than a typical tropical system.

Indy and I went back to Crystal Beach last Monday and again today while Marcia attended her Bible Study at the church.  Both times I remembered to take my camera!

Crystal Beach is a nice little area to visit being easy to catch some nice camera shots there.  It is not crowded at all, and it gives Indy a place to get out and sniff, sniff, sniff...especially since the Dog Park is still off limits, and will be for awhile.

It is an active area for Kayaking, for Bicycle Riding, for Walking Dogs, etc.  

The fishing must be pretty good too, got this picture today and didn't have to wait very long to catch him catching a fish!  Not sure what he is fishing for, but he did catch something.  

There are also many birds, few of which I know the names of.  Yes, I could look them up, but give it just a few hours and I will forget the name.  I know that the one on the left I have looked up a half dozen times!  The one on the right I think I looked up once, maybe twice.  Can't remember their names, and not going to look them up again today!

Will be keeping an eye on the weather with the hope that it passes well north of Tampa so that it far away from Fort Meyer...those folks have had enough bad weather to deal with, and the cleanup is still going on, and will for a long time.

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.

Hurricane Passes 200 Miles to our West

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

Around 6:30 Tuesday night I went to one of our favorite gulf picture taking locations, Crystal Beach Florida.  This is looking out to the west…the group of islands out there is Honeymoon Island State Park…beyond that is the Gulf, and those clouds out there are part of Hurricane Michael.

The flag at Crystal Beach, which is a community within Palm Harbor…not really a ‘Beach’ as one would think of Clearwater Beach, or other real beaches in our area…but the flag was flying due west, but it was a light wind…had I got the picture just 15 seconds earlier, the flag was still. 

Last night we have a few downpours, had a constant 10-15 mph wind with a few gusts up in the 20’s to 30’s, and just a few downpours which lasted for very short periods of time…as shown in the picture above.

    

Marcia and I went back around 11 am today to see the difference between last night and today.  Around 1:15 it will be high tide, and they are expecting another foot or so from what it was when we went by.  Above you can see that the pole on the far left with a bird on it does not show up in the picture to the right…and in the picture to the right where a bird looks to be standing on water, it was standing on the pole which is clearly above water in the picture to the left.

    

These two pictures above clearly show how much higher the water is.  Now compare that to the same trees taken back in December 2016 below…

…the vegetation is much more mature today…but look at how low the water “normally” is!  A vast difference.

   

Here is the fishing pier taken today (left), and the same pier taken back in December 2016.

And this is what happens when you take your lens off in a air conditioned car, step out to take a picture in the 85 degree, 110% humidity … my eyeglasses did the same thing!

Here is an area in Tarpon Springs.  The boat dock, which does not float, has only another foot or so before it is under water.  The sea wall has about two feet before the water comes over it.  Last night there was a fisherman here and I asked him how high it was last night compared to other times.  He said that last year during the hurricane that passed through to the east of Tarpon Springs, that the water level was way, way down…the winds were pushing the water out away from shore, unlike the hurricane Tuesday which was to the west…it all depends upon which way the wind blows.

      

As I write this, the category 4 hurricane has hit the Mexico Beach area of Florida, just to the east of Panama City and Tyndall AFB, and just to the west of Port St. Joe and the Apalachicola River Wildlife area.  Devastation is going to huge…wind and storm surge has never hit this area during our the history of our nation.  The storm will do damage all the way up into Georgia..and in the Carolinas.  By Thursday it will be in the Atlantic…leaving a wake of clean-up…and who knows how many deaths. 

LoveBugs and Thunderstorms

Home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area, FL

Until I got to Arkansas I really did not understand the term “LoveBugs” very well.  I knew, growing up in the 50’s through 70’s, that the VW Beetle was referred to as a “lovebug”, and as a former owner of one, I KNOW it is not from what one can do in the back seat…way too small. (Mom, don’t ask me how I know)

Meet the true Florida LoveBugs (Plecia nearctica) .  These bugs love to, umm, how do you put it…’connect’, and then they stay ‘connected’ for days, flying around, getting into one’s hair, on clothing, covering outside doors and windows, and, of course….

 

…they LOVE motorhomes…and cars…and anything moving.  YES, this is really a motorhome (not ours) covered in lovebugs and other flying things.  Marcia and I saw a motorhome a few years ago up near Tallahassee, a white motorhome, just COVERED in squished lovebugs.  They came up Interstate 75…we came up US-19, and we hardly had any of them.  They LOVE the middle section of Florida, and are very active (if you know what I mean) during Spring and Summer, and I would assume, early Fall (since today is the first day of Fall).  Now I tried to get a picture of them flying…but when I tried I just could not focus.  Anyway, lovebugs are best photographed SQUISHED.

So far, home for seven straight days, and seven days of afternoon thunderstorms.  Now it doesn’t rain at the condo each day…but we hear the thunder and see the lightning, and it has rained half of the days…twice very, very hard.  Yesterday was one of those heavy days.  Around 4 pm, the storms moved in.  It was in the low 90’s, and quickly dropped down to the upper 70’s.  By 5:30, it was gone…and the temps moved back up to the mid-80’s, with puddles of water everywhere.  Talk about a humid evening!  But at least it was a bit cooler.

This is a look to the east along the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs, near the Sponge Docks.  The Anclote is less than 30 miles long, formed from springs and creeks, and runs down into the Gulf of Mexico.  The Sponge Docks are right on the river.

The Sponge Docks are on Dodecanese Boulevard, which means "twelve islands" (even though it represents 15 larger and 150 smaller Islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea, off the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey), of which 26 are inhabited.)  Just ahead of me is one of the many Jolley Trolley cars which run from the city of Clearwater, through Dunedin, Palm Harbor and to the Tarpon Springs sponge docks.  Another route goes from Clearwater Beach, down to St. Petersburg and also over to the city of Clearwater (where you can pick up the northern route to Tarpon Springs).  For $5, you can ride it all day long, and the Trolleys are fairly heavily used.

Along the docks you can typically see some of the Greek spongers and fishermen sitting or working on their boats.  Don’t get too close to any of the sponge boats as they are cleaning the sponges…the smell is a bit difficult to handle.

Near the end of the docks is a popular restaurant called “Rusty Bellies”, and you can see the storm clouds to the west over the restaurant.

Here is Spring Bayou, where each Greek New Year the Archbishop tosses a white cross into the water in celebration of Holy Epiphany, and the young men of the Greek Church (16-18 years of age) jump in to retrieve it.  The crowd is HUGE, this is one celebration which I doubt I will ever witness in person…seeing it on the news is good enough for me.

I finally made it over to the Crystal Beach area in northern Palm Harbor.  This is one of my favorite places to take pictures of the gulf in this area.

Although it was still 45 minutes before sunset, I got the pictures I wanted…and besides, I told Marcia I would only be gone an hour…make that 70 minutes since I decided to go down through the Sponge Dock area.  (During winter it would have taken an extra 20 minutes due to the crowds!)   And NO, it did not rain in our area today.  It is 8:30 pm and it is 84 degrees, 65% humidity…lovely…