Yesterday was a cold day in this part of Florida, even for Minnesotans. We woke up to the mid-fifties, so Bob and I wore shorts, but most people we saw were bundled up, as we would be in below 0F temps. We decided on a visit to De Soto Park, one of our favorite destinations in the St. Pete area, and for the first time hardly anyone was in the park. When we arrived in the late morning, the wind chill cooled the air by about 20 degrees.
At the beach, near shore birds -- some of them migrating north -- were feeding as the tide receded. I got some good pictures, but my favorite memory isn't visual. Instead, it's the noise made by the laughing gulls whenever a child tried to approach the area occupied by the birds. Loud enough to frighten anyone off, including me!
We watched the kite sailing on North Beach, marvelously colorful in the rough waves. Before leaving the park, we stopped at the fishing pier, usually filled with people from many lands enjoying a day of fishing. Yesterday, it was empty but the three of us resolutely walked to the end, hoping for dolphins. No luck this time.
Today, we delivered Marilyn to Tampa International Airport and stopped for breakfast at Skidder's. It felt strange to be by ourselves once again but we are enjoying our "down" day. I love a good day of housecleaning and laundry!
Finished with work early enough to watch the baseball game in Cuba between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team. ESPN's coverage is excellent and very sensitive to today's horrific ISIS attacks in Brussels. The interview with President Obama was thoughtful and intelligent, and it seems that his visit to Cuba is very successful so far.
We're all ready for the arrival late Friday of our next visitors.
