Uuuum....: Florida

Driving towards Clearwater Beach from the Tampa airport

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Clearwater Beach, FL

Pulling into Mahuffer's...

Sign out front...

Entrence to side yard and Mom wondering if I'll ever actually get TO the bar.

Some more junk (literally!) next to the walkway...

Including a motorcycle - I love these colors!

As you can see, the "yellow brick road" led straight through the bar into the men's bathroom.

Kind of looking back into the bar

Lots of bras and dollar bills stapled to the ceiling... and lots of graffiti.

More bras, more bills, and some kind of indoor firepit.

Figured I might as well leave a mark of my own.

Old boat being used as a table- one of several.

Mom fitting right in as she peruses the t-shirts for sale... hehe

Sunset on the balcony

More Mahuffer's

More balcony sunset...

Downtown Clearwater Beach

Best. Greek Salad. Ever. (Paul's Shrimp House - Tarpon Springs, FL)

Really good peel n' eat shrimp (Paul's Shrimp House - Tarpon Springs, FL)

Yaaaay the Sponge Dock! Also in Tarpon Springs- one side of the road is small shops (many of them Greek) and the other side of the road is a dock where fishing boats tie up. Many of these fishing boats bring fish to the restaurants in Tarpon Springs AND they do a mean sponge business too! Fresh sponges are harvested weekly (I'm guessing!?) and sold in the shops as well.)

Ceiling of Paul's Shrimp House

Garlic Escargot - This picture makes them look kind of gnarly, but I thought they were pretty darn good AND now I can officially say I've eaten snails!!

Some large sponges for sale at Lori's Soaps and Sponges

Baked goods at one of the Greek bakeries on the Sponge Dock

I don't know what those things on the right are but they sure were pretty!

More Sponges

This was fun- as we're walking the Sponge Dock and looking at the sponges that were in front of the soap store we realize that these older gentlemen had gathered on the benches to talk - I stood there REALLY looking at the sponges just to be able to listen to them speak for a while. Then an old man fell in the street behind me, and I took this photo during the commotion.

Cruddy photo of the other side of street -

Playing a round of 'golf' at night

I can officially say I've had "breakfast at Tiffany's" - and it was GOOD! (Poached egg, sausage, gravy, biscuit and plain grits!)

Tiffany's Breakfast - Palm Harbor, FL

Front counter of Tiffany's. She was super greek-sounding and very nice. Palm Harbor, FL

Farmer's Market / Craft Market in Downtown Dunedin

Docks going out to the ferry that takes you do Caladesi Island

Farmer's Market / Craft Market in Downtown Dunedin

During the ferry ride to Caladesi Island

Mangroves! One of the few trees that can live in saltwater - cool!

Yes, that's right. We saw an armadillo.

Cute sandpiper family - Caladesi Island

I loved that it was gray and foggy out but still warm enough to walk in the surf - Caladesi Island

These guys looked kind of like angry sandpipers (note the orange eyes) but I never found out what they're called!

Very happy feet.

Sea grapes! We saw SO much of this stuff, and yet this is the only photo I have of it... *sigh*

Caladesi Island

Neat-o ship pulled up to a fish dock in Dunedin

White wine sangria at Olde Bay Cafe & Fish Market - Dunedin, FL

Olde Bay Cafe & Fish Market - Dunedin, FL

This terribly grainy and lo-res photo is the only thing I have to remember what might have been the best thing I ate all weekend. An ahi tuna poke (background) that had sriracha, avocado and ginger (SO good)- and in the foreground a scallop ceviche that was out of this world. Served on Ritz crackers, of course. My mouth is watering just thinking about it....

Fish dock - Dunedin, FL

Awesome dolphin lamp! One of two! Hehe...

Little did I know while taking this picture that just an hour or so later someone would literally be 'breaking a leg' on the dance floor that's on the other side of that wall... (Well, more specifically she broke her hip but the point remains: Old people in Florida AREN'T messing around.)

Awesome dolphin lamp, Part II

Spanish moss was EVERYwhere- I love it!

My new favorite picture of Ma

Heh.... Don't ask?

I can't remember what this stretch of road is called, but there was water on either side AND a bunch of really colorful hotels- tons of them. Had we been walking and not driving there would be a LOT more photos of hotels.

Coming up in the distance you can see the Don CeSar resort - built in 1928 but it still towers above everything else in St. Pete Beach

The Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, FL

Don CeSar Resort

Approaching the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

You can just barely start to see the suspension cables in this picture

Whoa. (with the fog I could barely see to the top- but they are TALL!) Sunshine Skyway Bridge - Tampa Bay

On the way back over it was a little less cloudy - Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay

You can actually see the top!

I still have to look up and see what kind of tree this is - tiny little roots develop out of the branches and then drop down, take root and then become a part of the trunk.... CRAZY cool looking.