Wildlife in Dunedin

One of our favorite things about living in Dunedin is the variety of birds and Florida wildlife we have around us. This set of photos is focused on our land critters. The gulf wildlife: dolphin, manatees, stingrays are a bit more difficult to catch with the camera.
Mark loves the egrets (tall white birds) and I have to yell at him to stop inviting them into the house. I put a stop to them once they strut into the garage. We've been particularly interested in the Ospreys this month as the chicks are hatching. There are a lot of nests around our neighborhood. While the mother or father are out hunting for food - mostly fish, the 'spouse' is at the nest caring for the babies. The food provider arrives to the nest, remember these are one of the largest birds in the US so they are hard to miss, and feeds the chicks the fresh fish. The City of Dunedin is going to put an online camera in one of the nests so everyone can watch the chicks grow. Not sure I want to watch the fish get torn apart and fed to the babies though.
Meanwhile Mark has become fascinated with the ground bees we watched swarm one evening, ending at our neighbors yard. We have rabbits, lots, hanging around. And gekkos and lizards are as prevalent as mosquitoes around here. In spite of the local alligator news, we haven't seen one in the neighborhood yet. But we do have a black garden snake that slithers by in the evenings.

Hummers

What in the world is going on? Are they giving Hummers away on the west coast of Florida? A day doesn't go by, that I don't see one to eight Hummers on the road. The models range from the original army issue resold to the public, to the new H3. These are $40-60,000 vehicles that get 14 miles to the gallon in the city.

We live in flat land, no battles or skirmishes on the streets, no crossing wild rivers required. So why is it so popular to buy Hummers in this area? Do these folks know something I don't? I know the ocean is rising, expected 3 feet by the end of the century, but how will the Hummer help? What am I missing?

Dirt, Plants and Fertilizer

Mark had a burst of energy this week and tore out the grass/weeds inhabiting 'my' side of the back yard. Understand, Mark has one side (west side), and I have the other side. He has already planted his vegetables, so it was time to get some attention on 'MY' side. Mark kindly removed all grass and the more prevalent weeds from the yard.

We shopped at the Pinellas County Botanical Gardens annual plant sale (see last week's listing for the gardens). Found bromeliads, Ti plants and plumeria - each inexpensively priced compared with Home Depot -our plant price standard. Then, encouraged by the plan success, we ventured over to the Palm Harbor Nursery nearby run by a family from Jamaica...who sounded like they were Irish. They were very interested in Mark since their son, the doctor, had dated a girl from Istanbul for 3 years. What a great selection, and each pot had multiple plants so the cost was reasonable. We walked away with a navel orange tree, bird of paradise, stromanthe.

We enthusiastically prepared the planting areas with organic dirt and potting soil. Then we, with dwindling energy, planted away. Mark ended up on the living room floor moaning about his back. I solved all problems by heading for the gin and tonic. But,in the end, we started the rehab of the backyard!!

Pick a Plant

Spring is in the air, and we are itching to get the backyard past the sandy, weed stage. Especially knowing that hot and humid summer days are around the corner. And when that happens, we wont be itching to be working in the yard.

To generate some ideas, we went to the Florida Botanical Gardens run by Pinellas County. This is a really nice facility that includes botanical gardens, art studios/classrooms and galleries, and a heritage center where visitors can see how early residents lived in Florida.

We enjoyed seeing the variety of plants ranging from spiral palms to colorful bromiliads and ginger plants. The vegetable and herb gardens enlightened us to grow what we wanted....simliar to what we grew in California. When we saw the rose garden we met Sam, who planted the garden in 2000. He assured us that we could grow roses with few problems beyond what we had in California. The aligator warning signs were interesting and reminded us where we were...Florida. Afterwards, I raced home and sketched out the yard with plant ideas, and no room for gators.

The goal is to remove any grass from the backyard which will become the vegetable, herb, fruit and flower part of the yard. Mark has planted his initial raised vegetable bed, approximately 6x16 feet. So, I need to get busy!!

I-4 Art

Having grown up visiting modern art museums pondering Salvadore Dali and Calder, and recently coming from an expressive community like San Francisco, I probably have a broader acceptance of 'art'.

In the late fall, we were driving to mom and dad's house, east on I-4, when I noticed a pile of airstream trailers on a lot beside the highway. Airstream trailers originated in the 1930's with the Airstream Clipper built of aluminum plated trailer,rounded to cut wind resistance and save gas. Frank Bates owns an Airstream dealership and decided to use old, unusable trailers to build his own version of Cadillac Ranch . Cadillac Ranch is a group of ten cadillacs 'planted' in the ground, nose down, in 1974 outside of Amarillo Texas.

Frank's plan was to 'plant' 8 Airstream trailers alongside I-4, near his dealership. By January, the planting was complete and drivers started see 'Airstream Ranch' for the first time. In California, this would be considered an interesting art display, but in the rural area between Tampa and Orlando, the locals started grumbling. They didnt like the growing interest and traffic the new art was causing.

Their compliants have driven the Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Board to take action. They have cited Frank with 4 code violations including accumulating junk. And he is being fined $100 per day since mid April.

I don't really find Airstream Ranch out of the ordinary along I-4. After all, one drives past dinosaurs, a crashed airplane (planted in the ground), Micky-eared electrical poles and more, including Hooters billboards with images of large...well you get my point.

I find the airstreams quite clever, fun, and even... artistic! Go Frank Bates! I hope you beat those code enforcers. It will be a win for Florida's cultural growth.

6 Months Review

Its been six months since we arrived at the end of our long trek across America. While the month long trip was an adventure, the real adventure is living in a new town, in a completely different part of the country. And with that perspective, I've noticed a few things that are very different between the two Bay Areas (San Francisco and Tampa)that require some adaptation. To keep this from being a list of 'negatives', I've added some positive stuff.

Traffic
It was clear in our cross country trip that each area of the country has its own traffic patterns and etiquette. Apparently, when drivers came to Florida, all etiquette was already used up and what was left were bumper car derby rules. I found out quickly that speed limits are suggestions, not law. And lanes can be deceiving. Just as you become comfortable that the cars drive in rows lined with white lines, a car will cross 3 lanes without a clue this is going to happen. When you think this incident was a singular oddity, another car jumps in front of you in the single car length you allowed between vehicles. No one uses blinkers as that would clue you to what was about to happen.
I discovered that red lights do not require stopping around here. And so, the resulting green light certainly doesnt mean 'go'. Those who misinterpreted these rules are now dead. I've seen 6 cars boldly go through the full red light at HWY 19 and Curlew Rd in order to not have to wait out the 4 minute light cycle. The red light dilemma is challenging when you are on a bike riding the Pinellas Trail. As one can imagine, there arent any air bags or seat belts on my bike. I've adapted the stare and yell technique which seems useful unless someone is on a cell phone. then all bets are off that the driver will see you, much less register that you are human and under their wheels. I recently read that cameras cameras will soon be installed at a number of intersections...which I assume will photograph the drivers grinning as they drive through the reds.

Beach
The rocky shore of California is stunning and so referenced in movies and books. But one just cant jump into the water and enjoy the beach...unless you are under the age of 12 when cold doesnt register with the body. Our local Florida beaches are stunning in their own way. Not rocky, but sandy. The water is not black, but turquoise. The air is not cold, but warm. You can kayak out to the barrier islands in the calm waters. You can fish from the shoreline. And, you can see amazing colorful sunsets almost every night.

Advertising
There are volumes of ads for attorneys everywhere - phone books are sponsored by them, daytime TV is sponsored by them, local attorneys have guest appearances on local talk shows, their nasty grins are even on restaurant doors. I can only assume that they are gaming for the results of the speeding cars, illegal lane changes, and the red light runners.
Almost as annoying are the body improvement surgeons. I doubt the authenticity of any face or body I see these days!

Weather
With the caveat that we arrived Sept. 30, we've enjoyed the fall, winter and spring immensely. Although I lived in Florida 16 years and should not be so appreciative, the 22 years since apparently caused a bit of amnesia. I understand more clearly now why the 'snowbirds' come down to Florida for the winter. The cold has been short and the warm has been long and it has been wonderful.

Girth
In the San Francisco bay area, there was a wide spectrum of body types. But as we crossed the country, it seems the bodies grew in girth. Here in Florida, I've decided, is the repository for those of great girth. I have no explanation, only observation. But in the Florida heat I would think that being massively overweight would be so uncomfortable that it would be an undesirable option. Sweat, heat rash, sand stuck in rolls, etc. Again, no answers, only observations.

Food
It does always get back to food, doesnt it! In the Tampa Bay area, the breadth and abundance of worldly foods is limited compared with the San Francisco bay area. This covers restaurants, groceries and farmers markets. I will credit part of this to the fact that we are still discovering local eateries, but the fact that in this area one has to search out locations that provide exceptional foods is clearly different. We can only hope that Trader Joe's sets up shop in the next year to help out. We did stumble upon a middle eastern grocery with a selection that approached what we are used to. So, more exploring is necessary, and I think that includes more trips into Tampa and St Pete. Meanwhile, see previous entry for good local restaurants we've discovered thus far.

Fish
Addendum to 'Food', Fish requires its own listing. We've enjoyed more types of fish than we knew we could eat. The neighbor just dropped off grouper that he caught a few hours ago. We've eaten shark, flounder, pin fish, blue fish and some unknown fish, much caught by my hunter/gatherer husband.

Bay Area Food Update

If you are a regular reader, you realize that food is an important and common part of my writings...because it is a highlight of every day! We've had a chance to try a few eateries worth commentary.
Top of the list, due to a combination of the taste, the cost and the event, was dinner at Charlie's Steak House in Tampa. It was Mom and Dad's anniversary dinner with Mark and I as the special guests. We began in the bar with martini, gin and tonic, manhattan and a kir royale. All drinks were well done except for the champagne and cassis which ended up more cassis than champagne. Then on to dinner.
We walked past the open fire grill in the kitchen which motivated Mark to select a big steak.

After sitting at our table, a waiter appeared with his own table, covered in a dark cloth over some lumpy things. I should have guessed, but was surprised to see hunks of raw beef when he removed the cloth. The menu was thus presented in the raw. We persevered, and ordered our cow hunks, along with appropriate wine for the occasion. The beef arrived, grilled to order except for Mark's. Amazingly, his steak was collected and replaced with a new grill within a few minutes so dinner didn't miss a beat. This was topped by extravagant desserts that included flourless chocolate cake with ice cream, apple cobbler with ice cream, and a hunk of chocolate cake that was 7 layers high. We had a wonderful meal and a wonderful celebration...with chocolate cake to last the following week.

Other dinners have been more pedestrian in nature and cost. Frenchy's at Clearwater Beach is everyone's favorite including ours. We have even expanded beyond the traditional grouper sandwich, though only if at least if one person has ordered it. The fish fajitas are excellent, the crowd is fun, and the beer is cold.

In the mood for Thai food, we ventured over to Thai Thani on hwy 19 in Clearwater. It was pretty good, but we need to visit again. The hot and sour seafood soup was full flavored and spicy as Mark likes it. The dinners were good, look for further updates.

There's a great BBQ spot, Eli's Bar-B-Que, almost literally on the Pinellas Trail just before you get into Dunedin. It is open only Fridays and Saturday's 11-6. We headed over a bit late on a Saturday and got there at 6:30. Due the the heavy rain, we parked in mud and trudged to the concrete block bunker that sits in front of a large screened room that holds the open flame BBQ pits. We stuck our heads in the open window of the bunker hoping to order but were told by the 2 occupants that all the food was gone, except for some miscellaneous items sitting at the bottom of the tray. We were welcome to the leftovers - all for $5. Sure, we were hungry and the remaining BBQ smell demanded that BBQ be eaten. We received a styrofoam container and plastic forks with thin paper napkins. Looking around, we spotted some picnic tables under the oaks and headed over. We opened the container and found....a half of a BBQ chicken and a bunch of smoked ribs. And it was all delicious!! truely mouth watering BBQ - even the leftovers. And we had enough for lunch the next day.