Anna Maria

I'm back from Anna Maria -- no more sunburned than when I left, thanks to SPF 30 sunblock! I had a great time with my college friends John and Sue. You know how some friendships are timeless -- you get together after months or years apart and it seems so effortless, like you last saw each other the day before? That's how my friendship feels with those two. It's so natural.

The weather was spectacular. We took long walks, hit a bunch of garage sales on Saturday morning (where I bought a book about the history of Tampa for John and a photo book about dogs for Sue, but nothing for myself, thanks to my already overfull luggage), and spent time out at the city pier with their pals. Yesterday a powerful windstorm passed over the island and I took some videos of the blowing sand and crashing waves, which I'll share on YouTube when I get back to England later this week.

I also got to visit with Dave's parents, who have a winter home near Anna Maria in one of those quaint older waterfront trailer parks that probably wouldn't be permitted now, with tighter hurricane-resistant building laws and environmental shore protection rules. They were terrific hosts. We went to dinner and talked with Dave via Skype, which was kind of surreal -- I'm usually on the other end of the line!

(Photo: Pelicans on a rooftop in Key West. I can't upload my Anna Maria photos yet -- those will have to wait until I get home!)