Monday, December 31, 2018

En Route


I'm writing this in the Tampa airport, where I'm sitting at the Cigar City Brewing Company "taproom" and having a pre-flight beer with Dave. I'm going to schedule this post to publish Monday morning London time, about the time we land. So you'll have to wait until Tuesday to hear about our flight! (Hopefully there will be nothing to report.)

Our last day in Florida was busy. It dawned very misty, as you can see from the photo above, taken from the dock behind our hotel.


But when the mist cleared and I happened to glance across the street, look at what I saw -- a bald eagle perched majestically above its nest in an old pine! We saw these nests across from our hotel and talked about how big they were, but stupidly we didn't stop to think they might be eagle nests. (There are at least two of them.)

We met up with Dave's family and went to the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton, a sort of family tradition. Dave and I didn't buy anything but, as usual, I saw a lot of curious stuff. (None of which I needed to haul home in my suitcase.)


We said goodbye to everyone about 11 a.m. and drove up to Tampa, where we had a few hours to kill. We went to Lake Park, near my stepmother's house in Lutz. I found a parking area and left Dave in the car while I went walking with my camera. Among other things I saw gopher tortoises (above) and a big pileated woodpecker that was too fast for my lens.

Only after my walk, as I was returning to our car, did I realize that I had been walking partly through the archery area. Christ! I'm glad I didn't emerge from the woods with an arrow in my chest. (I have issues with the signage in this area of the park, but anyway...)


Dave and I drove to my stepmother's, where we began our Florida sojourn almost two weeks ago. We took Maybelline for the second walk of her life, and again she seemed half-awed and half-terrified. Look at her marveling at the size of that big dog bowl full of water!

After a quick post-Maybelline shower and an Uber ride to the airport, we happily checked our bags, and now, here we are, waiting for our plane. Next stop -- London, and 2019! Happy New Year, everyone!

14 comments:

Frances said...

You might be back by now !......I have enjoyed your holiday pictures. As I said before, nice to see places and animals/birds that I am not familiar with. Olga will be glad to see you no doubt.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. xx

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Swigging beers before departure? In my extremely humble opinion, air travellers should be as sober as the pilots who are steering their aeroplanes (American: airplanes). I hope you were able to stagger aboard.

ellen abbott said...

wow, eagles in florida! I didn't they came this far south. I've never seen one except in pictures. and the tortoise is cool. and Maybelline looks happy. hope you had an easy flight.

Red said...

I'm always amazed at how much you can pack into a short amount of time. Who else would ever go out looking for arrows in an archery range! Have a great 2019.

Anonymous said...

You're probably comfortably home by now and maybe even enjoying a nice walk with Olga. Love seeing that eagle. I don't know why I never think of eagles in Florida, so it was a nice surprise. Happy New Year to you, Dave, and Olga!

37paddington said...

Happy new year! Safe travels!

Sharon said...

Not only did you get the rare sighting of a bald eagle but, you got a great photo of it too. A great end to your Florida stay. I hope your flight was comfortable and you are safely at home once again.

Cheryl West said...

I saw a bald eagle just a few days ago high in my neighbors cottonwood tree. A rare sighting in my area.

I wish you and Dave an easy trip home and a very Happy New Year.

Catalyst said...

Happy new year, Steve and Dave. I enjoy your blog very much and hope you will continue it.

Sue said...

The photo of the eagle is wonderful - he's so beautifully framed by the branches. Hope you had a great trip home and have a Happy New Year!

John Going Gently said...

Happy new year dearheart xxx

Unknown said...

Wishing you and Dave a happy, healthy new year.

Irene

Unknown said...

I love that photo of Maybelline. She looks awestruck.

jenny_o said...

I hope Maybelline gets her Christmas wish and gets out more :)