Of
course, we did more than visit the beach while in Tampa. Our visit included some
dear friends whom we haven't seen in way too long. We stayed with Kristen, from
my high school days, and her wife, Natalie. I hadn't actually
seen them in probably more than two years, and they hadn't seen the girls in so
many more! It was probably shortly after we moved to NY, so the girls were much
younger. Sure, we send notes, call, email and text, but I was reminded how that
lacks so much in comparison to visiting. That face to face time, I don't think it
can be replicated. So we had a grand time, catching up, and making new
memories.
A bonus,
is that Janele got to connect with a good friend from school in NY. Akira and
her mom had moved down this way a year and a half ago, and though Janele got to
see her during the summer, she has missed her very much and was very excited to
see her. Those two had a blast! Most of their time at the house was spent in
the pool, I am surprised we did not send Akira home a prune!
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| Janele and Akira are ready for the pool! |
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| Thia preferred to start with Giant Jenga. |
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| Eventually, all the girls got in... |
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| ...and had some fun! |
We
stayed for a long weekend, but it went by in a flash! Aside from the mandatory visit to Clearwater Beach, we took in some local
entertainment. We had a great time visiting the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. I knew
nothing of this festival, and was amazed at what I saw. There was art of every
kind here. Artists were judged, there were prizes, and it turns out a lot of
the art in my friends' house is by artists they found at this festival, it is
pretty well known.
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| Any festival worth its salt has kettle corn! |
We
wandered through the rows of tents, and everyone found a favorite. I thought
the Kid's Art Tent would be filled with art by local children, perhaps from
schools. Nope. It was full of art that had been donated by the various
artists, and only children were allowed into this tent. All of the items were
marked at child friendly prices. It is a fundraiser for the organization, and
the idea is to let the kids decide what they like, on their own, and let kids purchase what they really want. I was impressed with what Thia
and Janele chose. They were each spending their own money, not mine: Janele got
herself a pair of copper earrings, and Thia bought two pieces of wall art that
she plans to use to decorate her room (once she has one). Afterward, they
sought out the artists whose pieces they bought, and got to talk to them about
their art. What a great experience!
I saw a
lot of art I would love to have, both decorative, and functional. But I do not
have a home at the moment, so did not buy anything. However, this would be a
great incentive to make a visit to the Festival next year, and bring home
something great. It just so happens to fall in one of the coldest months in NY, so that is another reason!
Next was
the Strawberry Festival in Plant City. It was like so many of the fairs we have
been to over the years (Altamonte, South Florida), but strawberry themed. I did
not see any strawberry beer, but we got some awesome strawberry shortcake.
Akira joined us for this one, and the three girls spent the day riding as many
rides as they could. It was a good thing we got there early, because as the day
went on, it just got more and more crowded. By the time we had seen all the
vendors, and booths and 4-H exhibits, and the girls had ridden all the rides
they wanted, the lines were getting long. There were so many people in the
confined space that texts were not getting through. That is too crowded for me,
and thankfully, for the rest of us as well. So we headed back to the house for
more pool time. It was a great way to refresh from all the dust and the heat of
the fair.
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| Thia, Akira and Janele, on our way to the Strawberry Festival |
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| Toward the end of our day there, the rides were fun, but it was getting hot, and crowded. Ready for more pool time! |
As much
fun as we have had on this extended vacation of ours, the hardest part is
missing our friends. For me, it is one thing to talk to the people who are important to
you, but it is sooo good to see them in person, and spend time with them. This trip has
allowed me to have that, with people I haven't seen in years, and I am
grateful for that. I am also looking forward to seeing the friends I left in Albany. Chats over
a coffee cup are good, but so much better when that cup is in the same zip
code. So we still have some time left for fun in the sun, but I am also looking forward to
the time when we get to see our NY friends again.
