Spring Training 2019 - Day 56

We decided not to drive over to Savannah today and slept in instead.  The weather was cloudy with a forecast of afternoon showers and we felt we wouldn't have enough time for a visit along with the driving time to and from on a weekend. We'll do it another time.

We did need a few groceries so we went to a nearby Whole Foods market.  We had a great lunch there first, had a mocha and shopped - all organic of course.

On the way back to the RV we stopped at a public beach (Burkes Beach) where you don't have to live in a compound or know someone who does to get there.  The people on the beach appeared to be locals who don't live in the plantations as well as a few tourists.

Pictures - Burkes Beach

We then stopped at a Publix market to get a few non-organic things we couldn't find at Whole Foods.

We went over to Anita Bowser's again for dinner.  Anita's two granddaughters and two friends came in today for a visit and we had another great dinner of pizza, salad and home baked cookies for desert.

We had a good time here but it is time to move on to  Charleston, SC tomorrow for three nights.  We will be staying at the Charleston Naval Weapons Storage Facility RV park that is part of Joint Base Charleston along with Charleston AFB.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 55

We looked around Hilton Head Island today.

It is an interesting place, bigger and different than we had thought.  We were expecting a typical beach town/community but it is much more than that - sort of like Palm Springs by the ocean.  The island is heavily wooded with lots of oaks, palm trees, palmettos and lush, well kept vegetation.  The island is essentially divided into "plantations" which are gated community developments with lots of large high-end homes, all the same color and architectural style - and expensive.  There also a large number of "villas" inside some of the plantations.  These are condominiums, apartments and some smaller houses.  It appears they are mostly rented to people on vacation as we saw a lot of families that were apparently here on spring break.  We also saw a few "heritage" buildings here and there, some occupied and some not, left over from the old days.

The commercial establishment system is also different.  Most of the businesses, restaurants and shops we have seen do not have their individual logos/brands displayed on road side and location signs.  All the signage is the same grey/dark tan color and tastefully done on wooden signs.  Some of the commercial facilities are also inside the plantations and you have to pay to get in or get a pass from someone who lives there. Others are along the public roadways but there is not a low-end strip mall, motel/hotel, or beach shop or restaurant in sight.  The whole island is a high-end recreational location with a lot of expensive homes in enclosed communities and controlled commercial activities.  There are some public beaches and beach access, but a lot of beach access, at least from the road, is restricted to people who reside or are guests in the plantations.  We are not sure where all the service help live, but it definitely isn't on the island.  

We decided to visit the south end of the island where there is a marina and a lighthouse.  All this is inside the Sea Pines Plantation, the first plantation to be developed on the island and one of the largest.  We had to pay $1.25 on a toll road and $8.00 to get into the plantation.  The upper part we drove through was mostly high-end homes all the same color and very nice.  All the mailboxes were all the same color with a resident name sign on each box.  There didn't seem to be a lot of activity except for tourists on the bike path adjoining the road.  The south end beach was mostly villas with a lot of obvious tourists staying there.

We had a great lunch at the Salty Dog Café, the restaurant at the marina. There are also a few shops in the adjoining village.

Pictures - Salty Dog Café

After lunch, we travelled over to Harbor Town, another commercial/marina village that includes a lighthouse.  All this was still within the Sea Pines Plantation.  We walked around the area a little.  The light house is not an operational light house, but you can climb the stairs to the observation deck at the top ($5.00).  Curiously, the red bands around the lighthouse exterior were done in plaid.  We found out later they do that every year in recognition of a major upcoming PGA golf tournament on the island. 

Pictures Harbour Town

Later we went out for dinner with Anita Bowser, our friend from the Air Force.  We had another great meal at a restaurant, inside a plantation where Anita had a pass to get in.

After dinner, we drove over to a beach access pathway in another plantation to have a short look at the Atlantic Ocean and a glimpse of the end of the sunset.

Pictures - Beach Sunset

It was a long but enjoyable day in a different beach environment than the ones we are used to visiting.

The plan is to visit Savannah tomorrow, but we may just stay here and continue our island visit instead.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 54

We left the R.V. park about 10:30 am for the 200 mile trip up I-95, through/around  to Hilton Head, SC.  The trip was uneventful and we arrived at our destination, Hilton Head RV Resort and Marina, a very nice RV park on Hilton Head Island.

We had dinner at Anita Bowser's house on the island.  She is a long-time friend from the Air Force.   We were  stationed with Jim and Anita at Mt. Home, ID and at Offutt AFB, NE.  Jim died two years ago, but Anita has kept their second home at Hilton Head they built over twenty years ago.  We had a great meal at their beautiful home and caught up on old times.

We are going to explore the island a little tomorrow and go out to dinner with Anita tomorrow night.  Sunday, the plan is take a side trip to Savanah before leaving for Charleston, SC on Monday.

Pictures - RV Park

Spring Training 2019 - Day 53

We slept in a little then decided to do a little sightseeing.  

St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is one of the oldest surviving towns in America.  It was a struggling Spanish outpost in Spain's American empire.  The town now is now a popular tourist attraction and vacation destination.  It still has a lot of "old world charm" however with many historic buildings, restaurants, and things to do.  We visited St. Augustine about 5 years ago and felt it was worth a return trip.

Our first stop was Anastasia State park on Anastasia Island just off the Atlantic Coast in St Augustine.  It is  essentially a beach park with 4 miles of beaches, hiking trails and a campground with 139 sites with water and electric hook ups.  The park is also the site of a quarry where Native Americans and then Spanish slaves and prisoners hewed out building blocks of soft shellstone called Coquina with hand tools for over 300 years. The blocks were used to construct many of the structures and fortifications in St Augustine that are still standing today.

The weather was partly cloudy with fairly strong winds today.  It was not a good day for a beach walk but we did see the beach from a boardwalk overlook.  The water was also rough and the waves actually looked more like the Pacific coast than the Atlantic.  t looks like a nice beach, that even despite the wind there were a few beach goers and fisherman out there.

Pictures - Anastasia State Park

After checking out the campground in the park (not designed for medium to large RVs) we drove down to the south end of the island to visit the Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Fort Matanzas is a small fort built by the Spanish in 1742 to protect the "back door" to St. Augustine, Matanzas Inlet, 14 miles south of St. Augustine that allowed access to the Matanzas River.  Over its long history, it was occupied by the Spanish, the British, Spain again and finally the United States.  It fell into disrepair after it was finally abandoned but was restored in the 1920s and designated as a national monument.

The restored fort is actually just across the inlet on Rattlesnake Island a small island just across the inlet.  Access to the fort is by a small boat (35 people) operated by the national park service.  Yo get a boarding pass at the visitor center and are accompanied by a park service ranger for a 45 minute - one hour tour of the fort.  It was an interesting visit and another glimpse of early Florida history.

Pictures - Fort Matanzas National Monument

It was then time for dinner so we travelled back into old St. Augustine to one of our favorite Florida Restaurants, the Columbia Restaurant.  We first stumbled on the Columbia on our first visit to St. Augustine five years ago.  The first Columbia was founded in Ybor City, now a Tampa suburb, in 1905.  There are now 2 or 3 Columbia restaurants in the Tampa Bay Clearwater area and one here in St. Augustine.  We had another great Spanish/Cuban meal in an excellent setting.

Pictures - St. Augustine - Columbia Restaurant

After another long but interesting day, it was back to the RV park to rest up for our trip to Hilton Head, SC tomorrow.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 52

We left Oldsmar about 10:45 am after getting gas and a truck stop mocha.  Our delayed departure was due to some rain that was moving through the area.  The bad news was that behind the rain it was very windy.  

The drive to St. Augustine on the east coast of Florida was only 200 miles but it turned  into a relatively hard drive.  It wasn't rush hour but we had to drive through downtown Tampa (never easy) and Orlando that had a lot of road construction going on in the area on.  All the traffic, construction and high winds made the drive seem longer than it actually was but we arrived at our RV park about 3:30 pm

Anyway, we are here for two nights.  The weather is overcast and cool but is expected to be warmer tomorrow.  Our plan is to do some sightseeing in St. Augustine.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 51

It was a busy day today.

We had the RV washed, did the laundry and got everything packed up and ready to go for our departure tomorrow.

After a long day, we went out to dinner at Cody's Roadhouse and retired early.

We drive to St. Augustine tomorrow, our first stop on the way home.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 50

We finished up spring training baseball today with a win over the Tampa Bay Rays. A minor league player, brought up to close out the game when the regulars left after 4 innings, hit a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning to win the game 3-2.  The Phillies team flew to Philadelphia after the game and will open the 161 game season on Thursday at home against the Atlanta Braves.  The new adventure begins.

This was another great spring training experience.  It is not just the games but the whole atmosphere of Phillies baseball and the presence of long- suffering Phillies fans, perhaps the most knowledgeable (and critical) fans in baseball who gather for the annual "optimism festival" with renewed hope for the new season.  There are lots of people here who either live in the area or come down for the games.  Everyone is eager to talk about the Phillies, and the stadium staff we interact with on a daily game basis are the best.  Many came from someplace else to retire here and work both part time and throughout the summer at  the Phillies Class A team, the Clearwater Threshers games.

Pictures - Day 50

The hope for a successful season this year has been elevated due to an infusion of new talent and the marquee eaddition of superstar Bryce Harper.  Here is what the Phillies manager, Gabe Kapler had to say about the new season:

"It’s easy to say that we got to where we want to be, but spring training is for optimism,” Kapler said. “What I want to convey is that we have a lot of work to do. We are prepared to do that work. We’ve made personnel changes that really brought our group together. We’re not all the way there yet, but we made a ton of progress this spring training.”

So it all begins and we'll see what happens.

We cooked steaks outside out to mark the end of spring training. We start breaking camp tomorrow and will leave on Wednesday for our first stop on the way home, St. Augustine, FL.

Pictures - Day 50 - Bay Bayou RV Resort

Spring Training 2019 - Day 49

It was a great day for spring training baseball.  The weather was perfect -  high 70s, sunny and no wind. And the Phillies won 11-5.

It was back to the RV for take out pizza for dinner.  Things are winding down with the last game tomorrow.  Tuesday is a get ready day and we leave on Wednesday for St. Augustine, FL, our first stop on the journey home.

Pictures - Day 49  

Spring Training 2019 - Day 48

We went to the beach today, travelling over to Honeymoon Island and taking the ferry to Caladesi Island.

Caladesi Island is a barrier island just off shore from Honeymoon Island.  It used to be connected to Honeymoon Island but a hurricane in the 1920s created a new channel and a new island. We have been to Caladesi several times in the past and it is always been a fun experience.

The ferry from Honeymoon to Caladesi is small (about 50 people) and the ride is only about 15 minutes long.  This is the only way to get to the island except by your own boat and maybe walking across from Clearwater Beach at low tide.

We rented a umbrella and two beach chairs and just relaxed and enjoyed the sunny weather and mid-70s temperature. We had a hot dog from the beach snack bar for lunch and I walked the 1.3 miles along the beach from where we were to the north end of the island to the channel separating the two islands, now called Hurricane Pass.  There were lots of sea birds and I also found a few more shells to add to our collection along the beach and back, not that we need more shells.

After we returned to Honeymoon Island about 4:00 pm we stopped at Frenchy's just over the causeway separating Honeymoon Island and the mainland for another great beach dinner before returning to the RV for an early end to the day.  It was an excellent adventure and great to get to the beach before we leave.

More baseball tomorrow - two games to go.

Pictures - Day 48

Spring Training 2019 - Day 47

We slept in today.   I then cooked bacon outside and Judy made a egg, bacon, potato, and pepper/onion scramble for breakfast that we ate outside.

After breakfast, I got a few things from the store and prepared to smoke ribs in our portable electric smoker.  We slow cooked them and had a delicious dinner of ribs, mac and cheese salad and smokehouse beans.

We are planning to go to the beach tomorrow.  Time is running out and we are going to Caladesi Island, our favorite Florida beach.  Right now it looks like a pretty good beach day.

Two games to go - Sunday and Monday, Tuesday to get ready and Wednesday to go.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 46

The Phillies won today, hit[ng a bunch of home runs and winning 13-6.  It was clear and breezy with the temperature in the low 70's.  People wore shirt sleeves in the lower decks and sweatshirts in the upper deck where we sit.

Back at the RV, we mixed-up a pitcher of Sangria, had bruscheta for an appetizer and leftover linguini for dinner.

There is no baseball tomorrow or Saturday; we have games on Sunday and Monday.  After that, the Phillies break camp and fly back to Philapelphia for the season opener at home on March 28th against the Atlanta Braves.

We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow (except sleep in) and the plan right now is to go to the beach on Saturday.  We will leave here on Wednesday to begin Phase 3 of our trip.  The first stop will be St. Augustine, FL then up the coast a little before heading west.

Pictures - Day 46

Spring Training 2019 - Day 45

Baseball today.  The rain has moved on, the skies are partly cloudy, it is "cool" (73 degrees) and breezy.

It was cold  at the game - the wind was out of the north as the front moved through.  It was a fast game but the Phillies lost to the Detroit Tigers, 3-1.

There are three more games to go and then we break camp for home on March 27th.

Pictures - Day 45

Spring Training 2019 - Day 44

It was a cool and cloudy rainy day (mostly intermittent showers) so we stayed "home" and actually got a lot done.

First, the laundry.  The laundry room is a couple of sites away from our site  had open washers and dryers so we were able to walk to and from there.

Next, I was able to complete our tax return and submit it electronically.  That is a big headache now out of the way.

And finally, the mobile RV repair guy came and fixed our water pump problem.  Not having water while on the road and not hooked up to RV park water would have been a problem.  It would not have been a "show stopper" but certainly inconvenient. The bad news was we had to have the pump replaced, not a major repair though and probably cheaper than in California.

We then had dinner in the RV and watched another DVD.  We are watching the 10 DVD Ken Burns series "Jazz" again.  We have seen 9 of them to date with one more to go.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 43

Kevin left for his home in Atlanta today and Judy had an eye doctor appointment in Clearwater.  Judy also had her nails done this morning.  I waited at a nearby Starbucks, passing on the opportunity to get a manicure.

After the nail appointment we cam back to the RV for an early lunch then left for Judy's doctor appointment in Clearwater.

She has to get an injection in her right eye every six weeks or so to treat macular degeneration.  Fortunately, her retinal specialist doctor at UCD in Sacramento knows a doctor in Clearwater/Tampa Bay area who he recommended to administer her shot while we were here on vacation.  The doctor here was a student and resident doctor under the supervision and instruction of her doctor at UCD.  He was highly recommended, so Judy was comfortable getting the injection from someone other than her regular doctor.  The process went well, although Judy's vision remained blurry for a few hours. 

It was early afternoon when we left the doctor's office so we decide to head over to Clearwater Beach.  We were already halfway there and rush hour hadn't started yet.  It wasn't exactly a beach day as it was partly cloudy and breezy with the temperature in the low 70's.  We made it over to Clearwater Beach without much traffic, drove south through town and across the causeway over the Clearwater channel that goes out to the Gulf.

Right across the causeway on Sand Key is a large county park, Sand Key Beach Park.  It is a large park with a long beach just south of the Clearwater channel breakwater.  Due to the weather or possibly the lingering aftereffects of St. Patrick's Day revelery, there wasn't much of a spring break crowd on the beach, just a few families and couples.  We took a short walk down to the water and back.  It was a place we haven't been before and a potential location for an extended beach visit if we can fit it in before on a good weather day we leave for home. 

Sand Key Beach

It was then just a short distance down Sand Key to the Columbia Restaurant, one of our favorite restaurants in the Clearwater area.  It is located on the bay side of Sand Key on the water.  It has a Cuban/Spanish theme with great food, atmosphere and service.

The original Columbia Restaurant was opened in 1905 in Ybor City, just north of Tampa.  Ybor was once the center of the Cuban cigar trade in the U.S. and was the staging point for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders before they left for Cuba during the Spanish American War.  There are now five Columbia Restaurants in Florida and we have eaten at four of them.

We had a pitcher of Sangria, Gazpacho and Tapas for an early dinner.  As usual, everything was excellent in a very relaxing atmosphere.

Columbia Restaurant

We were able to get back over the causeway to Clearwater Beach, through town and over the other causeway to Clearwater and back to the RV before most of the rush hour traffic kicked in.

The Phillies are on a two-day road trip to the east coast to play St. Louis and Houston today and tomorrow.  There are four home games left and we break camp a week from Wednesday.  Baseball resumes again on Wednesday, with games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

Tomorrow is laundry day and we have a mobile RV repair guy coming to hopefully fix a problem we are having with the RV water pump that pumps water from the RV tank when we are not hooked up to "city water" in the RV park.  The goal is also to finish up the taxes if we can.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 42

St. Patrick's Day today.  It is a major event down here as it is in many locations, especially in an area with a large vacation crowd of young people along with some older people who should know better but sometimes celebrate to excess.  As veterans of younger experiences we now fall into another category - the early to bed crowd, regardless of the holiday.

The game today against the Yankees is the biggest spring training game of the year.  It was also the largest crowd of the season with over 11,000 people attending. The Phillies wear special green jerseys with their uniform, the crowd wears various combinations of green Philly attire and Irish music was played before and during the game.  Even the Philly Phanatic had a special green costume today.

The pregame ceremonies were highlighted the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Parachute Team landing on the field.  There were three parachutists, each carrying a large flag.  The first was the American Flag, followed by a Phillies Flag, and then a POW Flag in remembrance of Vietnam Era POWS and missing military service members.

My Sister Eileen also attended the game today.  She is a Yankee fan and cheered (politely) as the hated Yankees won the game (again).  Nevertheless, everyone had a good time on a special spring training game day.

After the game, Kevin treated us all to dinner at a nearby restaurant called Bonefish Grill.  It is a great restaurant that is part of a regional chain that features seafood with a special flair, as well as great steaks.  We all had a fantastic meal in a special place. 

After dinner Eileen headed back north to Crystal River and we went back to the hotel/RV well ahead of a lot of others who we were sure were just getting started celebrating their actual or presumed Irish heritage for the day.

Pictures - Day 42

Spring Training 2019 - Day 41

We met Kevin at his hotel and had a Starbucks coffee and a light breakfast before heading for the ballpark to watch the Phillies play the Houston Astros.  It was another packed house with a lot of Houston fans, even though the Astros play their spring training games on the Florida east coast in West Palm Beach.

The game was a "stinker" for the Phillies however as they were routed by the Astros, 11-2. The Astros have a good team and it showed today.  At this time in spring training a lot of free agents and minor leaguers are still being evaluated by the Phillies to see if they will be offered a spot on the roster before the start of the season.  Most will not.

After the game, Kevin mentioned Greek food and we knew just the place.  So after going back to the hotel/RV and resting, we headed up to Tarpon Springs, just north of here along the coast.

Tarpon Springs is along a water outlet to the Gulf and has a long history of sponge diving and commercial sales. Greek sponge divers came to the area in the 1920s and it has remained a predominately Greek community ever since. It is still an active port for local sponge harvesting and has maintained a strong Greek presence in the local area.  

It is also apparently still one of the major sources of sponges in the country.

The sponge dock area has also evolved into a popular tourist attraction with great Greek restaurants, bakeries, curio shops and opportunities for boat tours including a trip into the Gulf in a boat captained by a grizzled old guy with a Greek fisherman's hat (right out of central casting) where a diver in an old fashioned diving suit goes into and under the water and brings back a sponge - every time.  We just came for Greek food this trip however and passed on the tourist attractions.

We had an outstanding meal at Dimitri's on the Water, our favorite Greek restaurant here followed by a short walk along the waterfront.  We then drove back to the hotel/RV to rest up for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow.

Pictures - Day 41

Spring Training 2019 - Day 40

We met Kevin at his hotel and travelled to Lenny's restaurant for breakfast before the baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Once again, it was a great breakfast after the traditional game day wait.  The place was packed with Phillies fans dressed in varied combinations of Phillies gear.

The Phillies won in the 9th inning when the Blue Jay pitcher walked in the winning run.


There was a large crowd at the game today as spring break is now in progress and the games for Saturday and Sunday (St. Patrick's Day) are expected to be sold out.

Kevin wanted to have Italian food for dinner so we decide to go over to Safety Harbor to check out one that looked like it might be O.K.  As it turned out, they were having a Friday night street fair in the town.  It was very crowded and the restaurant we thought would be a good one was not what we were looking for.  So, we headed for another one not too far away that turned out to be great.  The restaurant, Aqua Vitae, had great food in a nice atmosphere.  The food was authentic Italian and there were even real Italians eating there.  It was a local place and certainly worth a return visit.

Pictures - Day 40

Spring Training 2019 - Day 39

It was a little busier day today.  Still no baseball but our son Kevin came down from Atlanta to join us for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

First, it was haircuts for us this morning.  We then went to Walmart for a few things then lunch at Steak and Shake, a regional mostly hamburger restaurant chain.  They have good food at reasonable prices. 

It was then back to the RV for more work on the taxes while waiting for Kevin.

He arrived around 4:30 pm and checked into his hotel just down the road.  We met him at 6:00 pm and traveled over to Frenchy's Causeway for dinner.  Alas, due to the in-progress spring break crowd, there was a 45 minute wait for a table. So, we traveled down the road to Dunedin where we  had dinner at the Bon Appetit Restaurantat the end of the Dunedin pier.

It was then back to the hotel and RV to rest-up for three days of baseball.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 38

Today was the second day of no baseball this week so we decided to hang around the RV and get caught up on a few things I have been putting off.

The first thing to do was plan our return trip and make reservations for stops along the way.  After that, it was time to get started on the taxes, not always easy when we are on the road to get all the required information we didn't have before we left home . This took care of most of the day.

After relaxing awhile in the late afternoon, we went out for dinner at the nearby Cracker Barrel.  It was then time to watch another DVD before bedtime. 

Spring Training 2019 - Day 37

Today was the first of three days without baseball so it was an opportunity to get caught up with planning our return trip and starting on our tax return that we will have to submit while on the road.

We did cook out for dinner as Judy prepared shish kabobs that I cooked on the grill.  We also watched another DVD after dinner.

More work on the taxes tomorrow,

Spring Training 2019 - Day 36

The Phillies played the Tampa Bay Rays today in  almost perfect weather.  It was mid 80's at game time under clear skies, low humidity and a gentle breeze.  Unfortunately, the game was not so perfect as the Phillies lost 8-2.  Not much hitting and shaky pitching today.

My sister Eileen and her friend Karen from Largo were here today.  Eileen had to leave early however, due to her friend Linda's trip to the emergency room after falling in Crystal River.

After a trip to Wallmart for a few things on the way home, we had dinner at the local Cracker Barrel and watched another DVD before going to bed.

We are slowly adjusting to the time change.  Florida has passed legislation to make Daylight Saving Time year-round and is waiting for Federal approval of the change.  The intent is to provide more daylight into the evenings to encourage tourist activity later in the day.

Pictures - Day 36

Spring Training 2019 - Day 35

It was laundry day today.  The Phillies were playing an away game against the Orioles at Sarasota.  They did win 8-5. That was about it.  The temperature is now in the 80's and is expected to remain there  for the rest of the week.

We rested in the RV with the AC on after lunch at the resort pool while waiting for the laundry..

Spring Training 2019 - Day 34

It was a big day at the ball park today.  Bryce Harper, the newly signed superstar, was making his debut and the park was sold out with the largest crowd in recent memory, according to the ushers.

It wasn't much of a game as the Phillies lost after coming back, then losing it in the 9th inning again as the rookies finished up the last few innings.  Bryce Harper batted twice and walked both times as the opposing pitchers didn't give him much to swing at.

After we got back to the RV, we had take-out pizza for dinner and another DVD afterwards.

Day 34 Pictures 

Spring Training 2019 - Day 33

It was a busy but enjoyable day today.  We started off with lunch at Frenchy's Causeway, another Frenchy's restaurant on the way over to Honeymoon Island State Park, just north of Dunedin.

We had another great lunch - soup, their famous fish pretzel, and a shared lime shrimp appetizer.  We also had Pina Coladas to wash it all down.

Frenchy's Causeway

After lunch we traveled a few miles up the road and across the causeway to Honeymoon Island State Park, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico.  The island is named after a resort that was established in the 1950's as a destination resort for "honeymooners".  There was no causeway to the island then and accommodations consisted of a grass hut, minimal amenities and a private beach.  Eventually, the resort was closed, the state took over the mostly undeveloped island as a state park and a causeway was built over to the mainland.  Today the park is a very popular place with several beaches, picnic areas, hiking trails and protected natural areas that are home to a variety of birds and wildlife.

We have visited the park several times in the past and always enjoy coming back and walking along the Osprey Trail, a nature trail in the park that has lots of osprey nests, a bald eagle nest and a great horned owl nest.  You also normally see a gopher tortoise and maybe an eastern diamondback rattlesnake or two.

Before hiking the trail we stopped at the park nature and visitor center.  They have a great display as well as a native plant garden and a replica of one of the earlier "Honeymoon Shacks" on the grounds.

Pictures Day 33 - Honeymoon Island - Nature Center

We then started our walk on the Osprey Trail. On past hikes, we were part of a guided hike by volunteer docents.  No guide today, so we walked by ourselves.  The trail was not crowded, and we were virtually alone as we walked along the trail.

It is about a mile to the northern point of the trail where it loops around back to the starting point.  Since Judy had her walker we only went about 1/2 mile then turned around.  It wasn't too hot and there was a slight breeze along the mostly shaded trail.

We passed several Osprey nests and saw two tortoises and an armadillo.  The highlight was getting a sighting of the resident great horned owl.  We even got a peek at one of the two chicks in the nest, an exceptionally rare sighting.  We didn't see the bald eagle nest this time as it is at the northern turnaround point.  They said at the nature center that there are two chicks this year  that are about three weeks old.  We didn't see any rattlesnakes this time as we have in the past.

Pictures Day 33 - Honeymoon Island - Osprey Trail  

After a very enjoyable visit to the park, we headed down to Dunedin for a drink, a light dinner and a sunset.  We went to the Bon Appetite, another favorite restaurant at the end of the Dunedin Pier.  It is an outside restaurant and bar associated with an adjoining hotel that also has an inside restaurant.

As the sun set we were treated to one of the best Gulf sunsets we have ever seen.  

Pictures Day 33 - Dunedin Sunset

After that, it was a short walk down the street to the local ice cream shop for an ice cream cone before heading back to the RV and rest up for baseball tomorrow.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 32

It was a much better day for baseball today. High pressure is moving in and it is getting warmer.

The Phillies played the NY Yankees today.  The weather was almost perfect - temperature  in the low 70's and not much wind.  My sister Eileen who now lives full time nearby in Crystal River, and her friend Karen from New Jersey who also now lives here in Largo, joined us for the game.  Eileen is a NY Yankees fan from her long time residence in northern NJ but still roots for the Phillies when they are not playing the Yankees.  Alas, the Yankees won the game 6-0.  

The attendance at the game today was the largest so far - around 9,000.  The game against Toronto on Saturday has been sold out with over 10,000 tickets, including standing room, sold out.  The game will the first game for Bryce Harper, the recently signed "superstar".  Also, from here on the games will feature mostly starting players as rookies and some free agents are reassigned to minor league training camp.  All the training facilities are based here at the complex with 4 large adjoining fields and inside training facilities.  During the summer, the complex is home to the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies Class A minor league team

After the game Eileen joined us for dinner at the Lucky Dill restaurant.  We then drove back to the RV after an enjoyable day, except for the game result.

Pictures - Day 32

Spring Training 2019 - Day 31

No baseball today; the Phillies played the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin.

It was still cool and windy but sunny.  We just stayed around the RV and smoked some ribs  in our portable electric smoker for dinner. After dinner we watched another DVD.

It was a not good day for a lot of outside activity with temperatures in the 60's and windy.  It is all relative however as the weather here is much better that a lot of other places right now.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 30

Florida winter returned today.  A cold front moved through this morning bringing a little rain, wind and colder temperatures.

The game today was with the St. Louis Cardinals, a National League team who trains on the Florida east coast in Jupiter, FL.  This is the first time in 12 years the Cardinals played the Phillies in Spring Training.  Normally the Florida east coast and west coast spring teams only play each other occasionally due to the travel times between the training sites.  This year, the Phillies and Cardinals are playing a home-and-away series,  I am not sure why.

The game temperature was about the coldest we have experienced since we have been coming here.  At game time, the temperature was 58 degrees with a north wind of at least 10-15 mph right in our face where we sit.  We were bundled up but were still cold as the game progressed and the temperature dropped to 56 degrees.

We lasted for 7 innings as the Phillies took a 1-0 lead.  They held on to win in a 2-1 in a well pitched game by both teams.

Dinner tonight is spaghetti in the RV with maybe a DVD movie.  No baseball tomorrow with other activities TBD.

Pictures - Day 30

Spring Training 2019 - Day 29

We drove down to St. Petersburg today to visit the Dali Museum.  We have wanted to do this in the past but never did so.  Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was a Spanish-born artist who popularized Surrealism in art.

The museum is right on the waterfront in St. Petersburg, not far from Tropicana Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.  The museum has an extensive collection of Dali art works that have been donated by a local business man, philanthropist and art collector, and his wife who acquired the art over a long period of time and were friends of Dali. It is perhaps the most extensive collection of Dali art anywhere and covers the whole range of his artistic works from his student pieces through his phases of Anti-Art, Surrealism, Nuclear Mysticism to his later career creations.

Dali's art is not our favorite type of art, but it was very interesting to see all of his various styles/periods and the amazing technical artistic skill and imagination in his work.  Many of his works have images within images that are easy to miss without an explanation of what he was actually doing and expressing.  It is not art that can be casually viewed and understood but requires careful attention to detail and in many cases, an explanation to appreciate his artistic genius.

There was also a special exhibition at the museum of works by Rene Magritte and Dali, perhaps the two most celebrated surrealist artists in the world.

Parking at the museum was restricted by street closures and preparations for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, a formula 1 race car event on a closed course along the waterfront, coming this weekend.  We had to park in a lot at Tropicana Field and take a free shuttle to the museum.

After we arrived, we had a great lunch of Spanish food at the museum café.  When we toured the galleries and left, we headed over to Clearwater Beach for dinner at our favorite beach restaurant, Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, for She Crab Soup, a Grouper sandwich (me) and Grouper egg rolls (Judy).

It was a long but enjoyable day.  Baseball again tomorrow with a forecast of showers and cooler for the next couple of days.

Pictures - Day 29 - Dali Museum

Spring Training 2019 - Day 28

We didn't do much today.  No baseball, so we just relaxed in the RV and got caught up with a few things.  I cleaned out the outside RV bins and sewer and water storage bins and finished up first-of-the month paperwork.

That was about it although we did go out for dinner at Cody's Roadhouse down the road, a peanut shells-on-the-floor restaurant with lots of TV screens showing multiple sporting events and an extensive casual dining menu.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 27

The highlights today were laundry and finishing the RV site set-up.  That is done, so now we will do paperwork tomorrow (bill pay, checkbook, etc.)  We may even go somewhere and do something "touristy".  We'll see.

The Phillies played an away game against Tampa Bay and won again 11-3.  The highlight at the home park in Clearwater was the introduction of Bryce Harper.  Lots of excitement in Philly Land.

Spring Training 2019 - Day 26

It was baseball again under perfect weather.  The Pittsburgh Pirates were in town  and the Phillies won 7-5.  It was a good game and the crowd was all abuzz about the Phillies signing Bryce Harper, the super star free agent.  The Phillies are now considered the favorite by some to win the World Series this year.  We'll see, as it is a long season and a lot can happen between now and then.

We grilled hamburgers out for dinner then went to an ad hoc concert a copule of sites down from us.  A guy who is camping here is apparently a semi-professional performer.  He set up a stage and played guitar music through a speaker system. He was actually pretty good.

No baseball for three days. Tomorrow is laundry day, finishing our site set-up and first-of-the month paperwork.

Day 26 Pictures

Spring Training 2019 - Day 25

The Phillies played the Baltimore Orioles today.  The game ended in a tie as a rookie with no name on his back hit a two run homer with two outs in the 9th inning to tie the game at 5-5.  In spring training, teams do not normally play extra innings if a game is tied after 9 innings.

Day 25 Pictures

After the game we travelled over to Safety Harbor on the way back to the RV park.  Safety Harbor is one of our favorite towns here.  There is a very nice downtown area with lots of good restaurants and ambiance.

We had dinner at a great pizza place with wood-fired pizza in a casual setting.  We eat here whenever we can. After dinner, we had ice cream at a Coldstone Creamery nearby.