Lenten Fish Fry

TripPix.

 

Every year we see a notice in St. John Vianney's Sunday bulletin for a fish fry on the Fridays of Lent. I've always been somewhat interested in attending, but not until today did Bob show any enthusiasm at all.

After an afternoon in the pool, we showered and enjoyed our view of the gulf for an hour or so on the front balcony. As we drove to church, I felt somewhat apprehensive, knowing that St. John's would be written off if the fish meal (baked or fried fish, French fries, cole slaw, hush puppies, beverage, dessert) turned out less than "good".

My concern was unwarranted. The parish hall was crowded but the event was well organized and we were soon seated at a long cafeteria table, beside an older couple originally from Maine. The husband, an Air Force veteran, had spent time at Fort Snelling (Minnesota) in the early 1960s.

Our dinner companion had a comment on every subject, including politics, football (he'd once met former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton in St. Pete Beach), Rotary International, the Tampa Bay Symphony. He founded an electronics company forty years ago and firmly believes that "if you can stay awake for eight hours, you can make money in St. Pete".

We enjoyed our meal very much. Bob had apple cobbler with ice cream for dessert (delicious) and I saved my butterscotch brownie for later consumption. We were particularly impressed with the happy and competent volunteers, who provided an excellent meal, served promptly and with impressive efficiency. All for $20, including the $2 donation Bob left on the way out.

Accident on Gulf Boulevard

Accident scene in front of our building

TripPix.

We often hear sirens, especially in the evening. For the most part, we've learned to ignore them: Gulf Boulevard is busy most of the day and night so occasional incidents are inevitable.

While we were eating dinner on Thursday, we heard sirens from several different vehicles stop in quick succession, obviously very near us. Bob couldn't resist going outside and I soon followed, with my camera, of course. The emergency vehicle response (two fire, several police, one paramedic) seemed excessive for what looked like a minor accident between two vehicles facing north on Gulf Boulevard. Bob summed it sum as "Piece of sh__ car hits nice car and nice car calls police".

It was dark at 7:00 p.m. and we were too far to hear any conversation on the street below. Five or six police officers spent what seemed like forever around the POS car. Eventually, both vehicles involved in the accident turned into TradeWinds Resort , turned around and drove south on Gulf Boulevard.

Our Osprey Family

TripPix.

We checked on our osprey family right after we arrived. We soon saw the familiar white breast of one of the parents guarding the nest from a high branch in the tree across the bay from us. It's quite far away so it's hard to get a half decent shot from the balcony.



Last winter we watched the adult birds for several weeks, until all activity around the nest suddenly stopped. We sadly concluded that some predator had stolen the eggs and the adults had no reason to stay around.

On our first day we witnessed a couple of crows trying to gain access to the nest. The osprey sentinel fought them off but the attack almost seemed like a test run for a pair of clever crows. The osprey would be a poor match for an aggressive, determined team of crows. I just read an interesting article about the life of the crow, and it seems that their predator behavior is not uncommon.

I was surprised that the 50X zoom of the little Canon PowerShot SX530 does a great job, rivaling the long lens of the Canon Rebel.

Feels like Home

TripPix.


We've spent five of our six St. Pete Beach vacations at The Sunrise Resort. This is our second year in the same condo unit, and we were at home the minute we walked in. Love the fresh new couch and loveseat, as well as the faster Internet access.



I never tire of a sunrise over St. Petersburg

Our first day was very quiet. We took care of checking in first thing in the morning and had breakfast on Pass-a-Grille, at our favorite Seahorse Restaurant, followed by a quick visit to Land's End.  Picked up groceries at Publix. We ran into our friend Carol Van Ells, who has been a regular here for many years.

I walked on the beach across Gulf Boulevard after lunch while Bob napped -- well deserved after a couple of grueling days on the road. I went for my evening swim after dinner. Heaven for me!

The night was dark and filled with the familiar sounds of our March home.