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.

A Fishy Story

Mark is my food source. He grows fruit and vegetables. He shops at the farmers market. And now, he goes fishing. His first catch was 7 little fish - thin with neon blue markings. The neighbor showed him how to fillet them, but admitted that he uses these fish for bait. Meanwhile, we had a delicious dinner of tiny elf fillets.

Mark claims to have caught something the other day that pulled his line so hard, it broke. So, there are some big somethings in the water. Yesterday, Mark went out again with a new hook. He baited it, the last one for the day since the sun was getting low.

Something grabbed and pulled the hook. The experienced guy standing next to him said, "give it some line and hold on!." Mark did, for 2 1/2 hours! Meanwhile, the sun had set, Mark's arms were aching, and Mark was late for dinner. He needed to catch that fish.

His fishing adviser had a flashlight and, an important item, a net. Mark got the sea creature closer and closer as they both tired. Finally, the adviser put out the net and pulled up the.....shark! Yes, Mark caught a 3 ft shark.

Once he got home and I finished growling at his lateness, he filleted the fish into enough steaks for 3 nights! Mark admits he's never tried shark steaks before, though he cooked them for one of the restaurants where he worked.

We ate shark steaks the next night - YUM! White flaky meat, somewhat like swordfish but lighter. Mark marinated them in a secret sauce and they were delicious.

Great catch!

Progress on the House

While I dont always write about it, we are constantly doing work on the house. Some projects are quick, while others take much longer than they should. Our flooring project started in October, and the final pieces werent installed until mid January. The door project started early December, but with re-orders, isnt complete until mid February.

The project we are looking forward to is the yard. In search of fruit trees, we wer pointed to Jene's Tropicals in St. Petersburg. Mark was in fruit-tree heaven. I had to remind him that our yard is only so big, so he settled on a Florida Haas avacado, Meyers Lemon, dwarf mango that grows to only 9 ft high. All are planted and we're gazing longingly each morning at the baby fruits on the Lemon tree. Mark is armed with organic insecticides to keep the avocado blooms free of mites and the mango leaves a tropical green. He also planted his vegetable seeds in his makeshift greenhouse until he can plant in the ground. Counting the weeks until we can harvest!

Kites

While running errands, we ended up at St. Petersburg beach and found... a kite festival! The winds were perfect, but the fog (yes, we have fog in Florida)dampened the colorfulness. Or did the fog add a bit of mystery about what was in the sky?

The excursion included a stop at Ted Peters Smoked Fish restaurant . We could smell the smokey scent in the air and decided we needed to stop. Sitting at the bar, with busy Pasedena Ave behind us, I had the feeling the city has grown around this place. The waitresses darted in and out of the kitchen via a swinging door that required a synchronized dance developed over years of repetitive steps.

Mark and I shared a smoked mackerel, warm german potato salad and manhattan clam chowder. Nix on the chowder, but the fish and potato salad were sooo tasty. And those choreographed waitresses made us feel like regulars, as did the interesting clientel. I had tastings from our 'neighbors' dishes and our waitress brought us a sample of their smoked fish spread. I hear their hamburgers are the best. May require another stop.

Birthdays

Each of us has a unique celebration day, our birthday. While the mother should be fested, we seem to focus on ourselves. It can be a personal celebration or one that brings friends and family together. But in the end, its about YOU.

Our daily lives are often lost in the throws of masses. The office group, the neighborhood group, the group of people standing in line at Target, the church group, the classroom of students, the drivers on the freeway. Celebrating a birthday gives us a chance to be recognized as an individual personality, one who has a presence, one who makes a difference - usually to those who are celebrating with you.

New Years seems to be the day during the year when people reflect on their lives and determine what changes they want to make. For me, its my birthday. Maybe because it gives me an additional week or so, but more likely because it is My day to decide.

I have a theory 'Theory by O'Leary' that the longer the celebration, the better the year will be. The Theory has been consistently proven...at least in my memory if not factually. So, if you haven't sent my birthday wishes, you have all year to do it... and the Longer you take, the better my year will be! Yes, there is convoluted logic there - but isn't that life?!

New Year 2008

Happy New Year!
We celebrated with everyone in Lakeland, watched football and ate chile. What a way to celebrate the first day of the year.
On the drive back to Dunedin, we watched a sunset that played out like a series of watercolor paintings. A beautiful close to the first day of the year.