Back on Track

Hi All -

I'm trying to get back to my normal blogging schedule.

This past weekend, we did more work around the house, and also went and toured around nearby Dunedin (pronounced Dun Eatin'). It's a cute little seaside town with lots of great shops and pretty views.

Here we are downtown.

One of the first sights we saw was this mural on a "dog-friendly" bar.

Oh Florida. You are so weird.

Dunedin is also crossed by the Pinellas Trail, which goes all through the county. Glenn and I are thinking of getting some bikes. It's very nice and goes through Safety Harbor as well.

Anyway, Dunedin has cute little parks and a very pretty marina.

This looks like a nice place to eat sometime and watch the sunset.

So anyway, after some ice cream and shopping, we headed back home. Here are some updates around the house.

This is the sun sculpture we bought while in Dunedin. I think it looks perfect in this spot.

Our lanai faces east, so we do get to see the sun rise in the morning.

It's a nice place to have coffee.

So, let's see. A few more things to show you inside. The entranceway...

The master bedroom...(our Pgh furniture fits in well.)

Here's our new bar, which was shipped to us nearly fully assembled (good) but was in a box weighing 400lbs (bad). Glenn says we can never move it. Ever.

Other fun decorating adventures involved the $%&*@!! plant shelves - these are terrible shelves that some architect decided to put in Florida homes. The problem is that they are about 11 feet off the floor, and only an insane person would put plants up there because it would be impossible to water them. I put some decor up there and asked Glenn to use the leaf blower to blow the dust off the vases from time to time.

In outdoor news, Glenn purchased a used riding mower from the former owner of our house. It sounds stupid, because we have a little flat yard, but the grass down here is really thick and spongy. On Glenn's first ride out he ran the thing into our mailbox, but he's getting better.

He also got up on a ladder this weekend with an extension saw to prune the palm trees, which was exciting / nerve-wracking to watch.

But later, he was able to relax a bit. (Here is the fire table shot I promised you...)

So I guess that's about it for us this week. Glad the big snowstorm they predicted was not as bad as they thought. Love from sunny Florida and the Gulf of Mexico!

Blog Sweet Blog

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for your patience during my long blog hiatus. Between moving, battling several illnesses and having a bevy of guests, we have been quite busy.

Gosh, where to start? How about this?

Glenn posted this to Facebook with the caption, "I love February!" What a jerk! :-)

Ok, but that was from today, and I need to go back farther. I'll try to hit the highlights.

Jan 31st we closed on the house.

Super Bowl Sunday, Glenn and I went up to Ozona, where Chad and Lisha are now temporarily living to watch the horrific game (sorry, Marsha). Glenn once again managed not to get any pics of humans, but did get some nice shots from their dock. It's very tranquil there as you can see.

February 4th, our friends Mark and Cathy Jennings came up for the day. We weren't actually moved into the house yet (we moved on the 7th) but we showed them the house and Safety Harbor, and had a nice visit.

On Valentine's Day, I was diagnosed with Pinkeye in both eyes. How romantic. My doctor said I looked like Bob Costas.

(BTW - thanks Mom and Dad for the Valentine!)

Two days later, our friends Matty and Julie came to stay a couple days with us after they had attended a wedding in Key West. I warned them about the pinkeye, but they decided to risk it.

We also showed them around town and through some nearby parks.

 

We also took them to Clearwater Beach one night to watch the sunset.

(Which was a popular activity...)

Here we are...(you can tell my eyes are still swollen. Blah!)

So we had a lazy couple of days. Matty and Glenn played video games, Julie and I got manicures and pedicures. Julie, being insane, actually jumped into our frigid pool. I think Deuce may have a crush on her. Here is a pic she took while she was playing with him on the chaise lounge.

We've been trying to get him to swim. Glenn and I got him in the water once today, but he's very unsure about the whole thing. It's quite cute.

(Don't worry, Marsha, the blonde dog is fine, and completely uninterested in the pool.)

Ok - so we are still in the midst of decorating and we need to paint and spackel some nail holes, etc. but I can show you around the house a bit. It's still a work in progress. Here's the living room.

The dining room...(Glenn and I built all the chairs and the table...it was exhausting and very heavy.)

The breakfast nook...

The guest room...(note: the second matching nightstand came late. It's in there now. Much better.)

Here's our outdoor set - the table has a propane fire pit with glass beads in the center. We'll have to try to take a shot at night sometime. (And yes, we have a TV on the porch. Insane.)

These have cushions too, but I take them off when it is going to rain.

Close up of an orchid I have hanging outside.

And lastly, a pic we took while sitting out one night. Glenn lit up the palm trees in the back, which I think looks really nice.

So that's the tour for now. We've been very busy - I just finished up the closets today, but we're getting there. Glenn and I keep pinching ourselves - we can't believe we live here! Can't wait until you can all come down and see it in person.

Hope you are all well and staying warm! Miss you!

Arrrrr! The Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Hello everyone!

It is a beautiful evening here in Tampa after an especially warm day. I keep hearing how miserable the winter is in Pittsburgh, and am grateful we picked this year to move down here. Hope you all are staying warm and hanging in there.

Last weekend was the Gasparilla Festival here in Tampa: a made-up holiday about a pirate invasion of the city that never happened. Still, it is a long-held tradition - the first parade starting in 1904, and the whole city participates. You've never seen so many people dressed as pirates in your whole life.

Note: Glenn didn't get a lot of pics of the pirates - so I stole these from a local news site...but seriously - the best pirate costumes ever.

We also weren't there earlier in the day when the armada attacked Tampa, but it looked pretty impressive.

This is the Jose Gasparilla, a ship built especially for the festivities in 1954. You may remember we visited this ship in a different location when we first moved down here.

There was also a big parade full of floats where people tossed beads and chocolate coins into the crowd.

Kinda hard to tell, but this is a giant castle float in front of a building. Everyone at the top of the float is dressed like a king.

We didn't stay long at the parade. It was a pretty day and we spent most of our time sitting by the water.

Mom and Dad, you may recognize that this is out front of Jackson's.

So anyway, that's about it for Gasparilla. It was fun and amazing to see the whole city turn out for one event. However, it was a bit on the wild side - lots of drunken pirates dancing in the street. We left before sundown.

We close on the new house on Friday, and have been signing, scanning and emailing documents like crazy people. This coming weekend we'll be moving the Pod into the new house, so we can finally see all the stuff we've been living without for the past 8 months.

Wish us luck that this move is better than the last one, and that no one tries to punch Glenn in the face. Love to you all!