Let me begin by saying that this particular adventure was conceived by my dear friend Anne during the long, cold, grey, icy Pennsylvania winter. I can completely identify with the desire to escape the dreariness as this very same weather played a considerable roll in returning me to the warm, sunny state of my birth, Florida. Anne and I were having lunch somewhere in Hershey, the exact location I do not recall, during my most recent visit to my adoptive northern home when she presented me with the idea…Suzanne and herself, along with their two toddlers, Audrey and Austin respectively, would embark on an epic road trip of 1000+ miles to visit me in the Sunshine State this spring…what did I think? Of course I instantly loved the idea of two of my best compadres/partners in crime and their wee ones coming to visit me…as long as they arrived with some shred of sanity after two days of driving with two toddlers! This quickly spawned the trip’s original nickname 23: two toddlers, two parents, two days of driving! We further concluded that if Suz was in agreement and they did in fact make the trek all the way to Florida we should do it up right – after all, one does not typically undertake such a daunting task to visit Spring Hill, FL, my hometown, we simply must stay where the Sunshine State shows off her very best colors…the beach!
Initially, I have to admit I had my doubts as to whether this particular adventure would actually come to fruition. It seemed to me a tremendous amount of effort and possible misery (imagining the worst case scenario of traveling with two two year olds on a road trip of that magnitude) on Anne and Suz’s part to make it happen. But as the months rolled by Suz and Anne proved more than willing to embark on this escapade and the trip became a reality, in fact, it even acquired two whole orders of magnitude, evolving from 23 to 25…2 toddlers, 2 years old, 2 parents, 2 days of driving, 2 times!
I cannot provide much detail on their journey down beyond knowing that there was much singing; classics such as “stinkbug is here, stinkbug is here, hi ho the derry oh, stink bug is here” (apparently a stinkbug stowed away with the traveling foursome which Audrey spotted and incorporated into her favorite song…as if we need yet more bugs in FL)! All this singing must have kept spirits high as everyone seemed to be in splendid moods when they arrived at Ft. Desoto Beach on Sunday afternoon (ok, maybe it was less the singing than finally being out of the car and standing on a warm, sandy beach…free to stretch, run and play in the surf)!
During our week stay on St. Pete Beach far too many excellent and hilarious times were had to be fully documented here. There was a lot of beach time…sand castles, digging holes, Frisbee, swimming, relaxing, beach bars, walks, talks, and of course heaps of sun and sand! Some fantastic friend time – Kay, Jamie, my Mom, Tim, Steve, Jess and at some points practically the whole Vertical Ventures crew! We hit up Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa where the kids got up close and personal with giraffes, howling gibbons, goats, llamas, and a host of other animals as well as being able to take a train ride (for Austin multiple train rides) and have yet more water related fun! Then of course there was the food and drink, heaps and heaps of it! We had grouper sandwiches, french fries and cold beer at beach bars, Cuban sandwiches, Media Noches, deviled crab, guava pastries, and café con leche from the very authentic La Ideal. At Mazzaros, a simply fabulous Italian market in St. Pete, we had fresh-made ravioli in three varieties, gorgonzola, pear and cheese, and spinach and cheese, garlic bread, fresh (literarily made that day and still warm) mozzarella cheese, and mango and ginger stilton. At Taco Bus we had an assortment of amazing Mexican food while Audrey and Austin entertained us dancing to Latin music. Thursday night was Ceviche with its amazing tapas menu and pitchers of sangria (the waitress was concerned we might not be able to finish all we ordered…silly girl…I think there was a single shrimp and some lettuce left)! This feast was followed by hours of dancing with the Vertical Ventures crew to the reggae rhythms of Jahfari! There was a night of sushi were we had to pull up an entire separate table to hold all of the food…sashimi, seven different sushi rolls, panang curry, stir fried veggies, salad, edamame, and soup to round things out. Sprinkled in between these eating events were multiple gelato stops , homemade rum cake, piña coladas and margaritas on the deck, a couple home cooked feasts and the list wouldn’t be complete unless I mentioned “hot oats” every morning (you know, trying to stay somewhat healthy)! All these culinary delights led to one of the trips many memorable quotes “well, we ARE good at eating!” Not to be forgotten were long talks after the kids were asleep out on the deck overlooking the water, one flakalicious land lady who provided a good hour of amusement all on her own, a brief but fun climbing adventure at Vertical Ventures, wagon rides, walks through downtown St. Pete at sunset, a stop at the infamous John’s Pass and a rendezvous with pirates, and finally one very up close and personal shark encounter! The kiddos provided their own brand of entertainment, between little Miss Godzilla Heskin and Mr. I-Like-to-Roll-in-the-Sand-Parmer a grand time was had by all!
