What's After Work?

Between March 21 and May 4th the beach on the Courtney Campbell Causeway was closed to the public. During that time I photographed the beach each day I rode my bike out there. I noticed some subtle changes on the beach.  The tire tracks and foot prints started to fade and there was much less trash. I also noticed that the birds were appearing on the beach. Not just a few seagulls but whole flocks of seabirds.  High-tide lines of seaweed also could be seen and the water appeared less cloudy.  Overall the beach quickly returned to a more natural state.  I had hoped that when the beach was reopened that they would limit the number of vehicles on the beach to fewer that had been allowed before Covid 19, that does not appear to be the case but they are limiting to just the number of spaces. 42 and no more closing off the entrance to the beach when that number is reached.  I wish that a parking lot could be built to move parking off the beach and a launch...

May 11 A little more that 2 months in quarantine. The days are starting to run together and I only really know what day it is because my pill minder has the days of the week on it. That is unnerving.  Right now the days are plan breakfast and drink some coffee, watch the news and read the paper.  Then I make a choice putter around the house or go for a bike ride. I ride a little over 10 miles each day.  In the past 2 months most of my rides take me out onto the Courtney Campbell causeway. During that time the beach has been closed. It was interesting to see the changes on the beach with no one going out there. May  23 Still in quarantine doing the same thing over and over. My pill box still helps me remember what day it is.  Today I did a little yard work and then sat down to watch some cooking shows. So far I have traveled from Greece to Italy and now I'm on the border of Mexico and USA. I'm thinking a trip there when this is all over would be great. The f...

6 weeks into social distancing and Jan and I are starting to fall into a routine. If you want to call mostly waiting a routine. Jan walks several times a week with a friend, keeping their distance from each other and wearing masks. I ride my bike most every day with a mask also. Those are our two big outings from the house. Two weeks ago I started to do some yard work, trimming up the bamboo palms in the back yard. These things grow like weeds and drop palms fronds all year long. I don't really like them but they do provide a good screen between us and the neighbor behind us. Well I started cutting some of the smaller palm trees down and filling trash cans. I got two filled ready for trash day and then we got the news that Safety Harbor was no longer picking up yard waste on Thursday. Well that's a kicker. I got trash with no where to go. So I took part one can full of palms and cut them smaller and hid it in our big trash can hiding the leaves and such under several trash ba...

I don't know if it is the need for a change or just cabin fever. Yesterday I decided to cut it all off. Jan had suggested that I trim my hair and some of my beard. It had also been bothering me by tickling my ears. Interesting thing though I realized that my hair and beard muffled the sound of the wind when I ride my bike. Today It was kinda windy when I rode my bike but the sound was more intense than it had been previously. I'm not going to start growing my beard out again to block the sound but I may be buying some Cat-Ears AirStreamz to help block the wind noise. I had seen these things advertised before and thought they were a gimmick but now I'm not so sure. Last night after cutting my hair I had to put a knit cap on because my head got cold. That feeling has gone away.

The days are starting to run together. Each day is almost the same. Ride my bike, watch some TV, discuss the state of the world with my quarantine partner Jan. Monday I mixed it up a little by going out to Walmart to have my by-monthly blood test for one of my ailments. Fortunately it was not a fasting test so I went later in the day and there was no crowd. This was the first time I had gone out except for my bike rides in 3 weeks. I'm really getting goods with this social distancing. Jan doesn't think I should be enjoying it this much. So I went to the Quest in the Walmart near our home. I wore my homemade mask and took anti-bacterial wipes with me. I used the wipes to wipe the door handle, key pad that I signed in on, and the armrests of the chair I sat in. As I sat there waiting to get stuck my mind started to wander, as it often does. I thought about all the people I has seen in the parking lot and in the store wearing masks. I wondered what would happen now if I went ...

We are starting to fall into a routine during our time of  social distancing. The one thing I try to do each day is to go on a bike ride. In the past I usually went out in the afternoon. It use to be after work and I don't mind the heat. But as of late the ride is getting really crowded. Everyone staying home from work or school and I guess by the afternoon they need to get out. I'm seeing lots of new bikes and walking shoes out there. It is good  that people are getting out for some fresh air and exercise. But they kinda crowd up the trail that I usually take. It is hard to keep my distance and pace when ya go three bikes side by side riding slow and talking. I ring my bell and begrudgingly they will move to single file so I can ride by. So today I got up early to ride in the morning. Not a fan, I would rather sleep in. But I went out at about 7:45, after the sun was up. It was nice. Not a lot of people and not much wind. Both good things. It is still strange riding out on...

When I retired I figured that there would be less to do. Never expected it to be this laid back. The big event that Jan and I had today was the 60+ only visit to Walmart. Jan went this morning at 6 am with out me. She is worried that with everything else going on with my health I didn't need to be out rubbing elbows with the great unwashed People of Walmart . I was ok with that and stayed in bed while she braved the masses. Jan came back with everything on her list, and a little more. She said most people there were nice and thankful for what Walmart was doing. Except for one couple who felt the rules should not apply to them. Before all this happened we were planning on visiting Noah for his birthday. Now it seems that every shopping trip includes finding something else to send Noah for his birthday. I think she is mailing boxes and cards to him several times a week. This may be the best birthday ever for Noah. No school and gifts arriving daily to his door. They are gonn...

William Blake  /  Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils c.1826 A lot has been happening over the last week or so. I try to find something funny or positive to write about. But what's been going on both in the world and in my own life that has been difficult. A little over a month ago I had a blood test that came back with an elevated PSA number. An indicator of prostate cancer. Seriously! It is said that God does not give you more than you can handle. I've read Job in the Bible and I really have no interest in discovering my limit. At the beginning of the month I thought we would be visiting both my daughter and her family and Austin and Morgan in North Carolina. Then travailing on to Evansville In. to visit Jans Dad. With my diagnosis it was decided that they would visit us. Then we decided Austin should not come because of the increasing threat of the Coronavirus and flying was not a good idea. Then we decided that it may not be a good idea for Jessica and Noah to tra...

Today I attended church in my PJ's. Sort of. Because of the Covid-19 outbreak and my many unique health problems Jan and I are quarantining ourselves as best as possible. Avoiding groups of people. Yesterday we got an email that both St Johns Episcopal in Tampa and the Washington National Cathedral would be streaming their services live on Sunday. Jan and I decided to take advantage of this offer and watch the service from St. Johns. It was nice to be back at the church we attended for many years before moving to Safety Harbor. It was not quite the same but according to Father Connelly it still counts. I'm hoping that things get back to normal soon.

Now that I'm retired I can devote more time to being a Papa At this time I only have one grandchild, Noah . So he gets all my attention. I'm hoping that next week he will be coming for a visit. That will all depend on how things are going with the VIRUS. His mother, my daughter Jessica is a nurse and as of right now she has the week off but that may change. Jarred my son-in-law works for the state in emergency preparedness/mitigation and may or may not be called to be on duty for the VIRUS. In preparing for Noahs visit I was thinking of things to do with him. Noah is now riding a bike so I thought we might ride down to Safety Harbor where there are several places he might like. I got him a gift card for Snow Beach . I figured he would like to have the option of buying a treat himself. There is also a candy store and ice-cream shop there too. I'm sure he will want to try that also. When Noah was little he called all lizards "Joey". Not sure why but that was th...

I've been noticing that a lot of people I know are retiring. I guess it is that time of my life. People my age are retiring. When I was a kid birthdays were the big party event. In elementary school I remember going to many of my friends birthdays. W, e would spend an inordinate amount of time discussing, planning and attending birthday parties. Having the best birthday party ever was always the plan. It never lived up to that ideal. I could never talk my parents into building a go-cart track in the back yard for the party. Sigh! Later in Junior High we were more interested in boy & girl parties. There me and my buddies saw a darkened living room with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" or even "American Pie" playing and hoping not to hear " Gilbert O'Sullavan "Alone Again (Naturally). Then the big party was prom in High School. Oh we had plans....but as in most of life the expectations never live up to the reality. We did have part...

Last month I joined the Safety Harbor Fitness Cente r.  I only joined for a month because I have never belonged to a gym, well except for the first part of 2014 when I was going through cardiac rehab. But I graduated out of cardiac rehab. Now I have time to go to the gym and ride my bike. Yes I ride my bike to the gym, getting my cardio in. The Safety Harbor Fitness Center is a really good deal. For residents of Safety Harbor it is only $10 a month or $100 a year. It is a little more for non-residents. Still a good deal. The gym has treadmills, stationary bikes, gym machines and free weights. Everything a gym rat could want. It is not real big so some times I have to wait for a machine but not long. I try and come during the times it is not too busy, now that I'm retired I can chose any time to go. When I started going to the gym I met with a trainer for two sessions to learn how best to use the machines. I'll probably meet with Ken again in a month or so to fine tune my w...

The owls are back in our backyard park . A few weeks ago I rode back to the park to check and see if the pair of owls that nest each year there were back. I did not see any signs of their arrival. As in signs I mean signs that the city puts saying "Do Not Disturb the Owls!" But I know that they should be arriving soon. Well yesterday Jan got a call from her sister Patty saying that she had driven back there and the owls were back. So while our soup was heating up Jan and I took a walk back there to check it our for ourselves. Who? They were there, the mama and daddy owls were there with a baby. I wanted to get a picture to send my friend Donna. She had asked me to alert her when the owls arrived. So that was our mission, photographic proof of the owls arrival. While we walked toward the big oak tree the owls always nest in I can see a group of people already there taking pictures and talking. Then I hear a familiar voice. Donna was already there with her camera t...

Having a lot of free time in retirement is great. Planning what I want to do and having the time to do it couldn't be better. Living in Florida this time of year is wonderful. Nice weather, people coming to visit.... Ok so this time of year is when family from up north where it is cold and crappy come for a visit. I have not been writing my blog for a while because we have had out of town guests. Some staying with Jan and I and others staying with Patty and Bill. We have been going places and eating out checking off some of my quest also. A few days ago we visited the Hog Island Fish Camp for dinner. This is a nice seafood restaurant in Dunedin. It is rather small so if you can, make reservations. I had the broiled hogfish with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. It was really very good the fish was topped with a parmesan  and panko crust  with a lemon sauce over it. yummm! Check another restaurant off my list. Last night I made gumbo for the group. It was real...

As you have read I am on a quest . A quest for good food. The other night Jan and I checked off another on my list. This one is a local one that we have eaten at before, well many times. Bar Fly in beautiful downtown Safety Harbor, just down the street from my house. This one was extra special because it was a gift from my retirement. Pam, Karen, Mary, Sue and Christine gave me a gift certificate for dinner at the Bar Fly. I had the Steamed Bucket Sampler and Jan had the Cilantro and Lime Grouper Sandwich. We both finished them with relish, umm not relish, I had horseradish and Jan had french fries. We really like the Bar Fly. It is a great seafood restaurant and right next door is a Cold Stone Ice Cream Shop. Then a stroll through downtown Safety Harbor or a walk out to the pier. We chose the pier and while on the stroll I came across two of my old students from Mary Bryant . They had been reading about my retirement adventures on this blog.  It was fun to see some of the...

Back at the end of December I wrote about a quest I was planning to go on after I retired. A food quest of various seafood restaurants I have heard about. I have these restaurants saved on my Yelp account Collections called " Seafood Restaurants I'm Gonna Eat At ." Some on the list I already eat at regularly. Others are new and I'm waiting to try them. Today I tried a new one. Happy's Bayou Bites located near downtown Dunedin. A small unassuming food truck converted into an outdoor restaurant. It is located just off of Skinner Boulevard at the corner of Howard Avenue. There are 4 picnic tables and just enough parking for that. Jan and I went there with her sisters and their husbands. Tom and Becky, Patty and Bill we were all celebrating Valentines day and this was a nice place to do that and have lunch. Jan had the fried catfish basket and I had the chicken and sausage gumbo. Jan said the fish was very good, light breading and flaky moist fish. She cleaned ...

I like to cook. Now I have the time to devote to perfecting this art. This is good because several times after Jan retired she has stated that she has no desire to cook any more. This is not to say Jan is a poor cook, actually she is a very good cook. For may years while the kids were at home she provided us with healthy and delicious meals each day, while also working a full time job. Cause that's what moms do. And she does now on occasion cook for us. I enjoy cooking and exploring new tastes. Lately I have been learning about paella. The Spanish rice and seafood dish that I cook on the grill outside. A few years ago I saw  José Ramón Andrés Puertaon a cooking show abut Spain. While there he visited a  restaurant that served paella cooked over an open wood fire. Oh! it looked so good. I had had paella before but was not impressed, it appeared to be just fish and shrimp served over rice. But what I saw  José tasting at this little Spanish restaurant near the coast...

It really stormed last night. A cold front moved through about 10 pm. We got to sit and listen to the wind and rain because I unplugged all of our electronics because last time we had a big storm it blew out our entire entertain center and it is a pain to replace. Today I'm inside because I hate riding my bike in the cold. Even more so if it is windy, No fun. So I'm watching tv. The Today Show just had a segment on heart health. Part of it was things to eat that were good for your heart. One thing they said was kinda good for you was chocolate. Dark chocolate and only one small square a day. Yea right. So I got to thinking if a chocolate pill was made. You know something that had all the good stuff extracted into a pill form. Lo and behold Mars is making a pill called CocoaVia . All of the benefits none of the goodness or guilt. Why? So in my web clicking "research" I came across a scholarly article about the role chocolate plays in weight gain. Titled, ...

We are back home after a wonderful vacation in Hawaii. That was quite an adventure, my retirement celebration. Go big! Back to the real world of retirement, mopping the floor and having test done for the doctor. Ok I'll admit it is nice laying in bed till the sun comes up. I hated going to work in the dark. But today I have plans. I'm joining a gym. The Safety Harbor recreation opened a fitness center the first of January. The price is right $100 for a year membership. I'm trying to set up a time to meet with a personal trainer that works out of the fitness center. We'll see how this goes.

Monday morning Jan and I walked over the the Isles Cafe for breakfast. We sat out by the water at a picnic table and enjoyed the view of Mauna Kea. Most mornings clouds covered the mountain but today it was clear. Nice view for breakfast. After breakfast we stro lled over to the  Liliʻuokalani Park and Garden s.   This is a very nice park with great views and a nice place for a stroll. After breakfast we drove over to Sharks Farm . There they grew coffee, cacao and vanilla. There we met Tom Shark, entrepreneur. This was an interesting tour covering the growth of cacao, vanilla, coffee and other native and non-native plants. We also learned about how cacao, vanilla and coffee are processed. We even got to taste some chocolate that had just been made from the cacao beans grown at the farm. Nothing better than farm fresh chocolate! Jan even got to help make her own batch of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I even got to taste ONE of these Hawaiian deli...

.  Sunday was a great day of tasty treats from Hawaii. After waking up at a reasonable time. About 7:30AM, you see it takes a while to get use to the 5 hour time difference . Wednesday I woke up at about 3:00am in the morning. That would be 8:00am Florida time. That gave me a lot of free time till any coffee shops opened. So being able to sleep in till 7:30 was great. Now earlier in the week we had stopped by a little donut shop called "The Royal Hawaiian Cafe and Lounge". Well we were back for our custom made malasadas. A dozen or more were waiting for us when we got there Sunday morning. The malasadas were very tasty. We did take a few for later. After breakfast we hung out by the pool to save our en ergy because this evening we were attending a Hawaiian Luau.  Once again we would be traveling across the island. After a scenic drive we arrived at the  Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.   There was where we would be attending the " Isl...