Yes, Dorothy, There ARE hills in Florida!

I think we must have been up and down most of them in the past couple of days...seriously!
We used to think that the only  hills in Florida were the Trash Mountains, but motoring inland (in the car) towards Ocala, we actually went up and down hills to get there and back:) Quite something, I have to tell you!

And, you ask, why were we there?

We had gone north from Port Charlotte, to spend the weekend with our Aussie friends, Diane and Richard, whom we met while we were all tied to the marina dock in Grafton, Illinois, awaiting the receding of the swollen Mississippi River waters. Someone had told us that there were Aussies in the Marina, and of course we had to go and find them so that we could give and receive the normal greetings/hard time that is so common amongst those of us from Downunda.

What pleasure it was to meet others like us...not just from the Antipodes, but 'our kind of people' as the saying goes. They departed ahead of us and we seemed to miss each other by only a couple of miles (sometimes due to human error...but we aren't going to publicly shame anyone here:)) before finally catching up at Dog River Marina in Mobile Bay, Alabama. We were again left behind by them, only for us to pass them when they were holed up in the bay before our Ingram Bayou anchorage. We had spent time close enough to dinghy to each other's boats, but for some reason this wasn't known until afterwards. But these things happen!

We did actually take a look through the bino's at the boat sitting at anchor, and say something like "By gosh, that looks like Richard and Diane's boat"...but we didn't go into the bay to find out for sure...just reading about it days afterwards! duh!

Anyway, I digress per usual.

We had been told that we might like to visit them in their home (where they have lived for the past 26-ish years), and took this past weekend as the opportunity to do so.

They live just out of Tarpon Springs, which was our first port of call (literally) after crossing the Gulf in 2013, December. We didn't know them then, and they were not on the Loop yet, at that time.

Going back to Tarpon Springs in the car, was a totally different experience, although it was nice to revisit the Sponge Docks in the Old Greek part of the village. Like many tourist towns, there are fudge and ice-cream shops, and in this case the cafes served fabulous espresso/ latte et al, and the greek pastries are to die for. YES! we did buy and eat pastries. Except that mine was much too sweet and I left half of it. That was lunch, by the way....blech!:)

Sorry, I didn't take photos of the pastries...I think Waz did, but if you got back to the blog of last years visit, we did the same thing...yet...even the same café...and pastries for lunch. That would have been at the very beginning of December, me thinx.

We did go down to the waterfront to dine out with Richard and Diane for an early dinner, on Sunday night, and we walked the sponge docks then.

Sponges harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. This dates back to when the first Greeks arrived in the area.

 The traditional sponge dive boats were all along the waterfront.

 Christmas is everywhere, of course.

 Shrimp boats, much like all the others we have seen in the Gulf States.

 A statue dedicated to the early Sponge Divers.

Hand rolled Cuban Cigars for sale.

Sunday, we decided to go looking for a decent coffee, which we found directions to on the internet, as you do, and this funky shop..or should I say this shop with the funky artwork was opposite. Of course we had to investigate....and then further down the road was MORE stuff to look at...as you do:)

 If only Pigs COULD fly!:)

 Mom, these are for you!....(she loves chickens:)

 And I have a thing for Flamingo...

 One could find something to love here?

No, Richard is not a gift...although he really is, in so many ways, lol. He was very patient while the rest of us tootled in and out of the antique shops. This mauve throne rather suited him.

 I had to take a few pics inside for future reference. I LOVED this old door!

 ...and what home in Florida is complete without an Alligator skull?

 21 green bottles made up a 'chandelier'

 and bathtubs in abundance. We really don't need to be putting NEW things in our houses...plenty to recycle here.

We had gone out for a tiki-tour of Tarpon and surrounds, all of us, and enjoyed the rather flat light and warm day in the process.

 Looking out towards the Gulf of Mexico from Sunset Beach, Frank Howard Park. The light was fascinating...this was mid afternoon.

 The beach park is typical.

 Instead of going back to the house and THEN going out for dinner, we decided to have an early dinner at  Rusty Bellies. We enjoyed the mainly fish meal, looking out over the mangrove islands that make up the channel into Tarpon Springs docks, just down the road.

 This shrimper boat is owned by the restaurant and is parked right outside. We motored past this restaurant on our way up the channel to the marina at the end in 2013. It was challenging getting past all the moored shrimp boats at the time, then.

 Indoor and outdoor eating at the restaurant. Just a little cool for our liking.

 One of the boats moored nearby

 ..and looking a little further down through the mangrove islands on the main channel

 a better view is taken from the restaurant.

Well, it is bed time. I didn't sleep that well last night, so Im a bit tired and need my own bed, I think. I hate that feeling of being an old codger and needing my own...sheesh! Must be the creaky old body that carries me around:(

Tuesday tomorrow, and prep. for Christmas, I believe. We will see. I will need to get some food to tied us over the Chrissy period...but not going to buy a lot.

Ciao for now...and if I don't get to say so before Thursday...Have a fantastic family time on Christmas Day, and don't forget to be very thankful for ALL your blessings, this season.

Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian for Merry Christmas)