Spring Training 2022 - Day 50

 The baseball game today was the first of 4 games that were added to spring training after the labor dispute was resolved.  Normally by the end of March, spring training would be over.  The players would break camp and the season would start around April 1st or 2nd.

The impact on the crowd was noticeable today.  There were only 3,400 people in attendance. Normally there would be at least 5,000 and, on some days, almost 9,000.  For a lot of the regular out-of-town season ticket holders, their lodging reservations, made in advance, were only good through the end of March.  Many familiar faces were gone today.

It also wasn't much of a game for the Phillies.  They lost 7-1 to the Detroit Tigers and looked half asleep compared to the other day.  Except for a few roster decisions still to be made, the roster is about set. I am sure most of the players are ready to break camp and get on with the season. 

We had dinner in the RV after the game.  And I am catching up on the blog.

The end of our stay here is rapidly approaching, and it doesn't look like we are getting to do all the other things we wanted to do while here.  But. life is what happens when you are making other plans.

Phillies - Detroit Tigers

Last game with the NY Yankees tomorrow,

Spring Training 2022 - Day 49

 Another off day.  I spent most of the day after getting up late to start planning our return trip and making reservations at the RV parks on the way.  I cooked out a stuffed flank steak that went well with some deli salad for dinner.

The last baseball game is on Tuesday, April 5th and we will be leaving on April 8th.  It will not be a straight shot home as we have some other things we are planning to do while keeping an eye on the weather and planning for some "hunker down " stops if needed.  We have experienced April weather around here and in "drive over" country along the route. It is not to be trifled with and we will be prepared to wait out whatever may be needed.

When we leave, we are heading over to the Florida East coast to spend a few days in the Cape Canaveral area, touring the Kennedy Space Center and staying at what used to be Patrick AFB and is now Patrick Space Force Base. Maybe we will get lucky and see a space launch.

Our next stop will be Savanah GA. We will spend a couple of nights there.  After that it is over to Alabama to visit an old high school friend whose husband just passed.  From there it is up to Omaha after a couple of nights in Nashville to spend a few days with our youngest son and his family.

After Omaha, it is "going home mode" - overnight stops along I-80 until we get home.  Our ETA right now is Wednesday, April 27th, depending on weather and any unknown factors that may crop-up along the way.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 48

 More baseball today.  the Phillies played the Baltimore Orioles and won handily.  The difference in spring training this year is that since it has been compressed, the teams are playing more of their regular players and keeping them in the game longer.  Top minor league prospects with a chance of making the team and free agents invited to spring training also get a fair amount of playing time. but maybe not as much in previous years.  

It is a tough profession to reach the top levels and the dream continues for many who will never make it.  The pyramid narrows quickly.  The large input of Hispanic players from the Carribeen, many very talented, is a ticket out of relative poverty for many and their families and their progress is followed very closely in countries such as Dominicia, Venezuela, Cuba,  and also in Puerto Rico. 

There are 4 spring training games left.  The regular season starts on April 8th and they will play the full 162 game schedule.  Due to the late start, the teams will play a larger number of double headers to make up for the delayed 1st week of the season.

Phillies - Baltimore

Spring Training 2022 - Day 47

 Sunday.  Time again for laundry.  Didn't do too much else.  Leftovers for dinner and early to bed.  The weather remains great and the hot-and humid season has yet to kick in.

Seems like we are getting too used to leisure time, even on vacation. We will have to do our taxes before we head home.  Not looking forward to that but they know who we are and where we live so it will have to worked into the schedule.

Manana however has too much of a sense of urgency. 

Spring Training 2022 - Day 46

We went over to downtown Oldsmar today for Oldsmar Days.  This is a three-day event with carnival rides, food trucks/booths, entertainment and merchant and community organization booths, all in a city park by the waterfront.

The highlight for us is the community parade on Saturday featuring the parade of vintage Oldsmobiles by members of the Olds Club of Florida, who bring their cars, parade them, and put them on display in the park after the parade.

It is a neat community event.  We have been to one several years ago and wanted to go again.  Little has changed.  The parade was a real "down home" event with people in the parade throwing Mardi Gras beads and trinkets.  This parade also had a number of "tricked out" Jeeps from a local Jeep club. Of course, all the local and regional politicians were represented, riding in convertibles, waving, smiling and sometimes throwing beads. 

After the parade, we had some authentic Southern BBQ from a food booth, listened to the band playing retro 70's rock music, checked out the Oldsmobiles on display in the park then returned to the RV in mid- afternoon.

Oldsmar Days

So why Oldsmobiles in Oldsmar?  Well, in 1916, Ransom E. Olds, the automobile pioneer who founded the "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" in 1897, purchased the land, now Oldsmar, to build a planned community halfway between Tampa and St. Petersburg.  The area evolved over the years and is now a fairly quite small city of about 13,000 residents.  It is an interesting story.  Here is some more information about Oldsmar and the history of the Oldsmobile auto.

Oldsmar History

The Oldsmobile

Spring Training 2022 - Day 45

 It rained pretty much through the night, off-and-on, but when we woke up this morning, the front had finally passed through.  The skies had cleared, and it was a little windy and cooler.  The forecast through the weekend is for sunny skies, temperatures in the 70's, and low humidity.  This weather is also unusual for this time of year and is more typical of a Fall weather pattern.

It was our 4th baseball game today.  We always check the weather before going to the game, especially the wind direction and velocity.  If the wind is out of the North/Northwest, it blows right through the open upper deck where we sit, and regardless of the temperature, it is usually cooler in our seats than down below.  Consequently, we dress accordingly in layers that can be added/removed as needed.  The wind today was out of the Northwest at about 10 mph.  Not bad but we needed an extra layer.  The temperature was mid-70's.

The NY Yankees played the Phillies today.  They are always a good team, and a lot of Yankee fans always attend.  Their home field is in Tampa, they train in nearby Port Charlotte, and a lot of New Yorkers winter/live in the area.  The Phillies won 6-5.  Actually, they have won each of the 4 home games we have seen.  Could this be our year?

Phillies - Yankees

We have a busy weekend planned. No baseball until Monday and there are a lot of other things going on in the area.  We'll see how much we can do, based on energy levels and available time.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 44

 It was a somewhat unusual day today as it rained pretty much continuously from about 4:30 am through then day and was still raining when we went to bed.  A front had more-or-less stalled and provided a lot of much needed rain to the area.  No thunderstorms and high winds, just heavy rain.  Most rain this time of year and into the summer comes from tropical thunderstorms, quick frontal passages with potentially severe weather.  On average, this area gets more severe weather (e.g., tornados) than the Midwest "tornado alley". This storm, for this time of year, was different.

There was no baseball game today, so we just hung out in the RV and didn't do much of anything.  I did make a quick trip to the store for a few things.

It was dinner in the RV and early to bed.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 43

 Baseball today. In the past, we would normally go over to the ball field when the gates opened at 10:30 am.  We were able to watch batting and fielding practice by both teams, walk around the perimeter of the field, then have a leisurely ballpark lunch and relax before the game started at 1:05 pm.

This year, the gates are not opening until 11:30 am which compresses fan pregame activities somewhat.  Normally, the Phillies go first with batting and fielding practice that starts well before the 11:30 am gate opening.  Actually, they are done by then and the visiting team is on the field doing their thing by 11:30 am.  So, you can no longer watch the home team Phillies warm up. I guess the later opening time is a money saver for paying all the workers, but not real fan friendly for the avid fans.  There is an exception, however.  When the Phillies play the Toronto Blue Jays, since their home field is in nearby Dunedin, they do their warmup hitting and fielding at their home park before taking the short bus ride to the Phillies Park. Consequently, the Phillies delay their warmup activities a little.  So today, since the Phillies were playing Toronto, we got to see some of the Phillies warm up activities.  Not really too exciting, but part of the scene and we were able to see some of it today.

It was a good game.  The Phillies won 8-7 and played a lot of their regular players who will be on the team when the season opens.  The weather was very windy and partly cloudy.  Not a cold wind and at our backs.  We sit in the upper deck suite section along the first base line and are really shaded and protected unless there is a North wind.  This usually happens in early spring training towards the end of February.  It can be really cold then and heavy clothing is needed. We are now almost into the summer weather pattern down here of hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms and potential severe weather,  There is another frontal passage tomorrow and rain is expected.  No game tomorrow; the next one is Friday against the NY Yankees.

Phillies - Blue Jays Pictures

Spring Training 2022 - Day 42

The Phillies played the Detroit Tigers today.  It was an interesting lineup.  There were a series of relief pitchers for the Phillies who each pitched one inning into the later innings when several minor league pitchers took over to finish the game.  The initial relief pitchers were mostly established pitchers who will be on the team. The majority of the starting position players were the best Phillies prospects, maybe a year or sooner away from the big league.  The last couple of innings were played by minor leaguers who will not be on the major league roster this year but who are getting valuable experience in game situations against a high level of competition. Everyone played pretty well, and they won 7-2.  Weather remains warm and sunny.

Phillies - Tigers 

It was dinner in the RV tonight and resting up for more baseball tomorrow. The Toronto Blue jays again.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 41

 Monday.  No baseball today so we decided to head up to Tarpon Springs, about 12 miles north of here for some Greek food.  We also stopped at the Camping World near there for a few RV things.

Tarpon Springs is an interesting town.  It has been the center of the sponge harvesting industry in the U.S. and is now a major tourist attraction in the area.  During the heyday of the sponge harvesting a large number of Greek immigrants, familiar with sponge diving in the Greece Islands, arrived there.  Now, it still has the highest number of Greek heritage residents of any town in the U.S.  Even with the ups-and-downs of the sponge market there is still a commercial sponge harvesting presence in the town as well as lots of local shops selling sponges of various sizes.

Here is some background information about sponge harvesting in Tarpon Springs.

Tarpon Springs History

The main tourist street, Dodecanese Blvd. named after a group of 15 Greek islands in the Agean Sea, is along the waterfront, and the center of lots of tourist shops, Greek restaurants and tourist opportunities. Examples include the Spongarama Museum and a boat tour out into the bay (sponge harvest area) where a local goes down into the water in a diving suit and retrieves a sponge or two to show the tourists how it is done. It is all a bit overdone, but the Greek food is excellent and authentic. We have gone there every time we have been here. Our favorite restaurant is Dimitri's by the Water. Once again, we had an excellent late lunch/early dinner. hummus and pita bread for an appetizer, Judy had Greek lemon chicken soup and a grouper sandwich. I had an authentic Gyro sandwich and a Greek beer.

Tarpon Springs Pictures

Afterwards, we went down the street to the bakery, bought some baklava to take home and headed back to the RV, stopping at an ice cream shop in Palm Harbor.  It is the original ice cream shop of the one in Dunedin, we always go to.

Baseball starts getting serious now.  Three games this week, starting tomorrow.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 40

 Laundry day again.  Time is flying by.  We did get an early start and all the machines were working.

After relaxing in the RV, we went out for a late lunch/early dinner at Cody's Road House nearby.  The restaurant  is a small regional chain with about 10 other locations in North Central Florida.  It is a casual place with sort of  Route 66 theme with auto memorabilia e.g. road signs, license plates, gas station signs etc. You get free peanuts on the way in and are encouraged to drop the shells on the floor.  It has a varied menu and is always crowded.

After dinner it was another early end to the evening.  The weather remains great, low 80s and sunny.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 39

 Baseball is really back.

After a stop at the local Bank of America branch this morning, we traveled over to the Phillies spring training site, Bay Care Ballpark.  We arrived after 12:00 pm, a little later than we have in past years.   We usually arrived when the park opened at 11:00 am and walked around the park perimeter and watched batting/fielding warm-ups.  We would then have a ballpark food lunch and relax in our seats before the game started at 1:05 pm. We didn't arrive yesterday however until after 12:00 pm and skipped the walk around and lunch.

The stadium was packed.  It was filled to capacity, almost 9,000 people in seats and on blankets/standing on the outfield berms.  As it was opening day for the home spring training games there was an opening ceremony beforehand.  This year is the 75th anniversary of the Philles doing spring training in Clearwater.  There were a few speeches from the local politicians and the owner (managing partner) of the Phillies organization, introduction of Phillies executives and a number of Phillies player alumni for past glory years.

Since the game was between the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, there were also lot of Blue Jay fans in attendance.  Their spring training site is at Dunedin and spring training usually attracts a lot of Canadian snowbirds.

Before the game starts, players from both teams line up along the base paths and the Canadian and US National Anthems are played, usually performed by a local singer. The early spring training games are normally played by mostly young non-roster players and others trying to make the team.  Since spring training has been compressed this year due to the labor dispute, many of the regular Phillies starting players were in the line-up today.  Most played into the 5th inning and then a lot of minor league players came in and completed the game.  It was a close game, and the Phillies won 3-2.  The weather was perfect, low 80s, sunny and no wind.  Our seats are in the 2nd deck in the shade. Spectators along the field and the berms in the sun got a good dose of sun however and I am sure it felt much warmer there.

After returning to the RV we had take-out pizza for dinner.  It was a long day but enjoyable.

Phillies - Blue Jays

Spring Training 2022 - Day 38

 After a hectic day of partying yesterday, it was time again for some more rest and relaxation.

So, we didn't do much except sleep in, hang around the RV and make a short trip to the store for a few groceries, Dinner was chili dogs and mac and cheese.  All of a sudden it was then time for bed.

Baseball tomorrow.  There will be 9 home games this year rather than 15-16 due to the labor dispute.  Opening day for the season opener has been pushed back a week to April 7th so there will be 2 home spring training games after April 1st this year on April 3rd and April 5th.  Normally, they are all done by the end of March and the season starts shortly after that. Since we are here, we have extended our stay until April 7th, then will be staring home via a route and stops still TBD.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 37

St. Patrick's Day. In past years this was a big day at the ballpark.  The Phillies always played a home game.  The players wore special uniforms -green shirts and white pants, most of the fans were attired in green and everyone was having a good time, watching the game or not.  Alas, not this year.  The first game is Friday in Lakeland, and the first home game is on Saturday.

So, the celebration today for us was to over at Dunedin.  The local Irish pub, Flannagan's, sponsors an annual St. Patrick's Day community gala.  the downtown area and adjoining city park are cordoned off into an open container, people gathering, and entertainment area.  It is very popular and draws a large crowd, mostly all displaying some sort of green clothing and accouterments.  Some more than others.  Between free entertainment continuous from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm and $5.00 beer, it is party time.

We always tried to attend after the game in the past, but this year we got what we thought was an early start.  We arrived around noon and a lot of people were already there.  Actually, the early crowd is mostly elderly people and families and later on into the evening the crowd gets bigger with more younger people out for the evening who are used to staying out late, partying hard and are into social interaction and relationship building. The Irish music later in the evening also has a more contemporary flair to it than Irish folk tunes you hear earlier in the day, and the young people performing Irish step dancing have gone home much earlier.

We started off sharing a Shepards Pie from a food booth for lunch, walked around people watching and checking out the various vendor stalls set up in the area then settled down in the park to listen to and watch the entertainment.  After walking around some more, we had an early dinner at the Al Fresco Cafe, just down the street from the event venue.  It is a favorite restaurant and we had another good meal there.  It was then back to the RV clearing the area as the next wave of party goers were arriving. My guess is we will feel better in the morning than many people who didn't beat us to bed tonight.

St. Patrick's Day in Dunedin

Spring Training 2022 - Day 36

 It rained pretty hard last night but not much wind as another front passed through.  There was some thunder but no lightning, at least not near us.  It was still partly cloudy when we woke up and scattered showers were forecast for the day.

After doing some on-going work to address attempted security breaches on several bank accounts and changing passwords, closing accounts and setting up new ones, it was early afternoon already.  No money was lost but it was a good reminder to set up maximum security procedures and banking alerts for any account with funds.  The criminals are getting more sophisticated as more and more people are using electronic means for financial transactions, social media, and e-mail communication.  The opportunities for personal information exposure and compromise have expanded and the ability to do so has become more sophisticated.

Anyway, we headed over to the Lucky Dill, a NY style restaurant in Palm Harbour.  We have been there many times; the food is authentic NY delicatessen with huge portions and very good.  Their annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is also underway.  Lots of green (even the beer) and live music from a group allegedly direct from Ireland.  After a Reuben and green beer for me and a Knish and Matzo Ball soup for Judy, it was back to the RV.  Another hectic day in the fast lane.

The Lucky Dill

Tomorrow, we will go to Dunedin for their annual St. Patrick's Day celebration,

Spring Training 2022 - Day 35

 The plan today was to get caught up on some paperwork and things.  However, after calling the Phillies Spring Training Office about the tickets for the rescheduled games staring on Saturday, I had to drive over to the park, about 20 minutes away, to pick up the tickets and parking pass.

Baseball is happening at the park and the adjoining practice fields and facilities.  I didn't go over to the practice field complex, but there is also a practice field at the ballpark.  It is used for infield drills as there is no outfield.  A number of pitchers were there practicing fielding ground balls and simulating throwing them home or to first base.

Several sections of the ballpark were also open to the public and a number of fans were in the seats watching outfield drills and batting practice.  It was good to get a taste of live baseball again.

Bay Care Ballpark

After stopping on the way back to the RV for a few groceries, that was about it for the day. Judy cooked a great spaghetti with suasage dinner in the RV and early to bed again.  Relaxation is very tiring.

Rain is expected tomorrow so our plans are flexible.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 34

We had breakfast at a new place this morning, La Peeps, a breakfast/lunch place just down the road from the RV. I think it may be a chain but not sure. Breakfast was good. They had lots of choices, generous portions and quality food.

We were in no hurry and headed down to Pinnellas Park to a county park we have been to before, Sawgrass Lake Park just north of St. Petersburg. This 390-acre park has a mile of elevated boardwalk that winds through a maple swamp and an observation tower provides a panoramic view of Sawgrass Lake.

The Sawgrass Lake project began in 1972 to provide flood protection to the city of Pinellas Park. A water-control structure was built to facilitate drainage canal improvements and to maintain desirable water level fluctuations in Sawgrass Lake and the surrounding swamp. The lake and swamp system also provide natural water treatment to enhance the quality of water draining to Tampa Bay.

We have been here before and had a great nature walk and saw many birds and gators. This visit, there wasn't a lot of wildlife viewing but it was still an enjoyable hike.

Sawgrass Lake Park

As an example of what can be seen at the park, here are a few photos worth seeing again from our visit in 2017.

Sawgrass Lake Park - 2017

After stopping for a cold drink at Starbucks, we headed back to the RV. Still full from a late breakfast and a Starbucks frappuccino , we just had an appetizer (nachos) for dinner and called it a day.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 33

Today was a Rest and Relaxation Day.  It was cold and clear this morning, 44 degrees and still windy.  It warmed up into the 60's later and will gradually move back into the 80s later in the week along with some chances for rain off-and-on.

We didn't do much or go anywhere, just getting caught up with a few things and getting ready for spring training baseball that looks like it actually is going to happen.  The first game for the Phillies will be on March 19th and will play 9 home games ending on April 5th.  Since we are here, we decided to extend our stay a week to see all the games before heading home.  We will now be leaving on April 7th.

A lazy day for sure.  As the saying goes for retirement: "Every day is Saturday, and you have Sunday off."

Spring Training 2022 - Day 32

 Sure enough, the larger cold front came through the area today.  It was very windy and overcast then around 10:00 am it began to rain with thunder and lightning.  By early afternoon, most of the severe weather had moved through although it was still very windy and much cooler.  The RV (and us) did fine.

We did do laundry between it all. getting that out of the way for another week.

We made a reservation for dinner at an Italian restaurant not too far away.  It is authentic Italian, and the food is excellent.  We have eaten there before.  Judy had linguine with clams and shrimp and I had a pizza.  It is place the locals go and a reservation is essential if you want to go there.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 31

There was a break between cold fronts so we "hit the road" today, travelling down to Largo to visit the George McGough Nature Park.  It is a nice park run by the City of Largo right on the Gulf Coast and the intracoastal waterway.  We have been here several times before and it was worth a return visit.  We were not disappointed after our short hike through the park and tour of the visitors' center.

McGough Nature Park

We also made a stop at the nearby Heritage Village, a, reconstruction of historic Tampa Bay area houses buildings and shops.  It is run by the city/state and is host to events, docent tours, exhibits and other historical reenactment and historical events.  It is a neat place.  We have toured the village several times but wanted to stop and see how things were going.  Half of the village is closed right now for pathway reconstruction and our favorite exhibit of period quilts, is no longer there.  The local quilting club that met at one of village houses and quilted and exhibited their quilts, hasn't been back since COVID closed everything down.  The ladies in the visitors' center thinks the club "timed out" and they were not sure if they were coming back.  Anyway, we said hello to the volunteer ladies.

After the nature walk, we returned home up the coastal parkway through the numerous beach towns along the way, stopping at another favorite restaurant. the Columbia in Clearwater Beach.  We have also been to the original restaurant in Ybor City several times as well as others in Tampa and St. Augustine. 

 

The original Columbia was opened in Ybor City, just north of Tampa in 1905.  The restaurant features Cuban food in an elegant historical setting.  Ybor City was the center of cigar manufacturing in the US and was home to many Cuban immigrants who came to work in the cigar industry.  It was also home to a large Italian community and home base to the Tampa Mafia and its notorious crime bosses, Santo Trafficanti Sr. and Jr.  It is said the Columbia was their favorite restaurant and was often the site of a number of "business lunches".

Trafficanti Crime Family

One of the most popular gambling operations that gave them their start was the Bolita racket, a sort of numbers game where you bet on what number on a ball was picked from a bag of 100 balls.  The game came from Cuba and was very popular with the Cuban workers in the area.  It was a huge money maker and subject to all kinds of corruption.  The game is still played today in the US among Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican groups and interestingly is banned in Cuba.

Bolita

So, after a pitcher of Sangria, gazpacho soup, shared tapas and an exquisite strawberry desert, it was through rush hour traffic back to the RV park.  It was a long day but very enjoyable.  And we beat the incoming weather.  

  

Spring Training 2022 - Day 30

 Our plan for today was to travel over to Plant City, about 20 miles north of Tampa. for the annual Strawberry Festival.  A county/state fair type of event that celebrates and features everything strawberry.  We say we are going to check it out every year but have not yet done so.

Alas, we were trumped by the weather today.  A cold front is approaching and the forecast for today was for isolated thunderstorms and showers this afternoon.  It was overcast this morning and based on the forecast we decided it wasn't going to be the best day for fair going.  So, we decided to stay "home" today.  Maybe tomorrow.  We'll see if the weather cooperates.

Sure enough, we got some rain and wind this afternoon but no thunderstorms.  It will be dinner in the RV tonight and maybe a movie.  Lots of entertainment choices with the ROKU and our movie DVD stash.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 29

 After sleeping in a little and a light breakfast we headed over to Dunedin our favorite coastal town here. It has a Scottish heritage and is home to the spring training field and facilities for the Toronto Blue Jays.  Consequently, there are always a lot of Canadians who visit and winter here.

Our plan today was a late lunch/early dinner at Flannagan's Irish Pub and ice cream at the local ice cream shop.  I had Irish Nachos and a pint of Guinnes (on tap) and Judy had the Irish Taco's. Picture shredded corned beef as the meat ingredient in each.  Another great lunch.

.

Flannagan's is the sponsor of the St. Patrick's Day gala in town every year. The downtown park area and surrounding commercial shops and restaurants are closed off and it all becomes a huge, very crowded event area.  There is continuous entertainment from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm in the park, street vendors, food booths and the beer garden of course.  Flannagan's takes out all the furniture and becomes the epicenter of it all with standing room only and continuous Irish music.

After that we went down the street and had a 2-scoop dish of ice cream with a waffle cone at Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream Shop for dessert.  It was as good as we remembered.

It was an easy 9-mile trip back to the RV.  The weather is a little unsettled and some rain is expected with a cool down into and through the weekend.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 28

We just stayed in the park and didn't do too much of anything.  Getting lazy.  

We did a big breakfast though, cooking an egg, cheese, bacon and potato scramble in the skillet outside.  Skipped lunch, and had a stuffed flank steak, potatoes and salad for dinner.  The steak was one of those grocery, fresh and ready to cook prepared meals.  Easy to prepare and cook and it tasted pretty good.

That was it for the day with another excellent sunset for dessert.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 27

 After doing some odds and ends around the RV and resting (we seem to be doing a lot of that) we headed over to Clearwater Beach for a late lunch/early dinner at a favorite restaurant on the beach, Frenchy's Rockaway Grill.

Once again, it was another great meal in a great setting.  Their She-Crab soup is delicious. Judy and I each had a cup.  I also had a grilled Grouper sandwich w/ Cajun rub and Judy had the shrimp tacos.  We also each had coconut margaritas.

We were too early for the sunset this visit but we beat a lot of the early dinner crowd that was waiting when we left around 5:00 pm.  Despite no spring training baseball, the spring break crowd is in full attendance and the downtown beach area was packed.

Frenchy's Rockaway Grill

After driving back to the RV through the rush hour traffic, it was another early to bed

Spring Training 2022 - Day 26

We decided to do laundry today.  This is never a fun experience but necessary.  It went pretty well however and we called it a day after that.  Life in the fast lane moves a little slower while on vacation.  

We were going to go out to dinner but after resting we decided to just eat in.  Nothing fancy, just hot dogs, beans and salad.

With all the bad news in the world right now, the most visible impact locally is the price of gas.  It is usually lower here than a lot of places but now:  It was $3.49 a gallon on May 1st.  The price today is $4.19.  I hesitate to think what the price is in CA now and what it will be on the way home.

Still no baseball.  We are resigned to the probability of an extended delay in spring training and the regular season.  Minor league players are here however, and their spring training is underway.  They are not players union members and are unaffected by the labor issues and delay. We will probably watch some of that before we leave,

Spring Training 2022 - Day 25

 Didn't do much today.  Slept in and worked on paperwork, some personal, some Rotary.  I also worked on a vexing printer network connectivity problem I can't seem to resolve. I might have to call "Ken" at HP tech support If I can't figure out and fix the problem.

That was about it.  I grilled hamburgers outside for dinner and we watched a little TV before bedtime.  The weather remains hot and sunny.  They set a record high temperature today of 89 degrees.  With the heat, there was some moderate humidity and some wind.  The high humidity comes later as summer approaches.  Pleasant however in the RV with the AC on.

An interesting note regarding Internet and TV connectivity at the RV park here.  Most all larger RV parks now provide free internet connectivity and cable TV as part of the daily fee.  There are exceptions, depending on where you are. A park in the middle of Wyoming for example, may only have limited Internet and no cable TV.  A cell phone "Hotspot" may also not be available, depending on your cellular carrier.   Some of the snowbird seasonal/permanent resident parks only provide TV and Internet service to residents by direct subscription though a cable/internet provider. Service to overnight/short term stays are not available.  We did stay at a snowbird park on the way east where daily internet service was available for a fee through the local Internet provider company. I was able to connect through my Verizon Hotspot instead.

The last time we stayed here it was the traditional model.  Cable TV with expanded channels, and decent Internet provided by the resort.  They have now eliminated cable TV and their previous Internet service and replaced it with high-speed Internet with two different network options.  The higher capacity network can support TVs, Apple TV, ROKU, Amazon TV, and other multimedia devices.  The other network is fine for phones, tablets and lap top computers. So now, if you want to watch regular cable TV programming, you have to do so through one of the streaming apps that can access what you want to watch.  You can, however, now easily stream and download lots of content now being provided through on-line streaming.  And you can also watch what is being provided over the air through your RV TV antenna.  You get about 60 channels over the air in this area.  Of course, many are channels a lot of people would not be interested in watching, unless you are into shopping channels. old black and white western movies, infomercials, soap operas, game shows, etc.  I am sure it is expensive but the cost is offset by eliminating the cost of cable TV for over 150 RV sites.  We have been watching things through our ROKU and it is working fine. Internet connectivity and speed is also great. This could be the future for large upscale RV resorts that have the ability to provide this service model.  

Spring Training 2022 - Day 24

 Well, spring training appears to be getting less likely by the day.  Not a lot of compromise by either the players or the owners.  Money is the issue and there doesn't seem to be much concern for the fans, what impact the lack of an agreement will have on the future of the game and a belief, I guess, that the fans will always be there and come back, attend games, buy overpriced beer, team apparel and trinkets.  And maybe even diehard fans will drive 3,000 miles to watch spring training.  We'll see how it all plays out.

Regardless, there are still plenty of things to do here, many that we have done before and are worth doing again and new things to checkout.  

The highlight today was getting haircuts.  There is a shop close by that we have gone to ever since we started coming here.  Carrie remembers us and does a good job every time.

More relaxation at the RV topped off the day.  The weather remains warm and dry with record high temperatures forecast for the weekend.

I grilled chicken for dinner, and we had fresh local strawberries for dessert.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 23

We traveled over to Clearwater this morning for a late breakfast at Lenny's.  There were actually more people there than we expected, and they were very busy.  Despite the lack of the normal spring training crowd, it didn't appear their business has been impacted too badly.

Our waitress was one of the regulars we remembered from years past.  New Jersey accent, smokers voice, slightly overweight and very nice.  Calls you "hon" and keeps the coffee cups filled up.  I asked her about being closed on Monday and Tuesday.  She said it was because they can't get enough help. This seems to be a recurring theme everywhere we have been this trip.  People either have other employment options or maybe just enjoy not working as they used to before COVID. The waitress said their pay and allowances are comparable and it is all a mystery to her why they can't get enough help.

One thing that did not change was the size of the menu and the quality and quantity of the food. I had the Redneck Benedict, an old favorite.  It is two poached eggs on biscuits and sausage patties covered in gravy with a huge portion of home fries with grilled onions. Not exactly healthy eating, but good. Judy had a Garden Omelet with lots of veggies, the home fries and a dish of fresh fruit on the side.

After breakfast/lunch it was a stop at Walmart and the local Publix grocery store for a few things it was back to the RV.  Didn't do much else for the day and had a light dinner.

The weather remains exceptional.  Temperatures in the high 70s and sunny.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 22

Today was "clean the RV day".  We are setup outside, but it was time to clean the interior of the RV and get things arranged for extended living in the RV.  It took a while and that was all we did today.  The weather remains great - high 70's and sunny.

We are planning another trip to Lenny's for breakfast tomorrow and a little shopping.  Things may be a little slow for now, but it is actually enjoyable not to have a schedule.  I think it is called retirement.

Spring Training 2022 - Day 21

We had a short 30-minute ride from the Yankee Traveler RV Park where we stayed for 4 nights to the Bay Bayou RV Resort where we will be staying through March.

The trip was uneventful, and we set up in a nice site with shade and space.  The remainder of the day was spent getting everything setup outside then resting. After leftover pizza for lunch, we just had tequila and nachos for dinner and early to bed.

We were hoping of resolution of the labor dispute between the baseball players and the league but alas, not yet and spring training and the baseball season has been delayed again.  It is hard to generate sympathy for anyone of them.  But it is what it is.  We may not see any baseball this spring, but plan B is vacation in Florida. Lots of things to do here, and right now the weather is great.