I began the day at the southern tip of the Pinellas peninsula kayaking with friends. We were accompanied by a troop of Double-crested Cormorants who dined on the fish our boats startled. Though the gusty wind altered our route, we still had a lovely morning on the water.

I ended my day downtown at the St. Petersburg Pier practicing yoga. The event was a fundraiser for a local nonprofit and judging by the turnout, they raised a good amount of money tonight.

When I first visited here back in 2019, I not only fell in love with the gorgeous scenery but the heart of this community. So glad to call this place home!

After the sun dipped below the horizon, the moon took over the job of lighting up the sky. I loved the towering clouds…

I snapped this shot while taking shelter from the wind and rain last night. The gulf was a bit agitated but I still love that view!

What a lovely way to end the week – with a rooftop view, good friends, and a great conversation! Thanks to Katie and Natasha for picking the location, it was my first time at Level 11 and I plan on getting back up there for sunset soon. It also reminded me how much I still have to explore around here!

The days are lengthening and as the planet tilts, the sun comes into alignment with this opening in the John’s Pass bridge pier.

Please forgive my grainy photo, next time I’ll take a better camera with me. Thankfully, I’ll have a few more months to play with this view.

My friend Loretta and I drove up to Cedar Key this past weekend for the inaugural C-Key Tiki Fest. Though we were there for the music, with the wide open spaces, it was easy to see why it’s called Florida’s Nature Coast.

The festival featured Trop Rock singer-songwriters (the Jimmy Buffett inspired genre) from all over Florida as well as Nashville and points further north. I love these small, laid-back gatherings; the music is fun and there’s plenty of time to socialize and dance with fellow attendees (and musicians).

Turned out there were quite a few of us from the Tampa area and I look forward to seeing my new phriends at upcoming events. It was Loretta’s first introduction to the Parrothead lifestyle and I’m certain it won’t be her last.

The dog-bird boats, bushel baskets, and other tackle (evidence of the area’s famous fishing, clams, and oysters industries) scattered throughout the quaint village piqued my curiosity. After this brief stay, I know I’ll be back up to explore the various parks and preserves and to delve into the area’s history.

My cousin Gracie traveled down from Ohio with friends this week. While the rest of the gang stayed in an RV park about an hour south, Gracie came up and spent some time with me.

Though the weather wasn’t the greatest we made the best of the cooler, windier days. Fun times!

By Saturday night it was a couple days past full but the moon was still mesmerizing as it danced in and out of the clouds. My neighbor’s palm tree also put on a good show.

Just spotted this character in traffic (had to turn around in order to get the photo). Guess that explains how he’s able to hide all those eggs in all those places.