Today’s cool and breezy weather chased all the tourists off my beach (which was perfectly fine by me).

This past weekend I bid adieu to my trusty companion of the last ten years. After traveling 164,000 miles across this country (through all of the lower 48 states excepting New York and the ones up in New England) the house battery in my 2012 Prius finally gave up.

After careful consideration, I decided not to spend the several thousand dollars to replace it. Instead, I purchased a new hybrid. I’m hoping my Kia Niro will be as reliable and long-lived.

And yes, for those of you who know me, she does already have sand in her. That’s life at the beach for ya…

Took advantage of the sunshine this past Monday and wandered through the Manatee Village Historical Park in downtown Bradenton. Thanks to the foresight of Manatee County back in the 1980s, this site preserves 14 historic buildings along a stretch of brick-paved Manatee Road.

Only the visitor center, which occupies the old Wiggins Store/Hotel Dixie Grande, is original to the site. All the others were relocated from various locations across the county.

According to their signage, the town of Bradenton owes its existence to a storm. In 1865, Captain John Fogarty’s fishing vessel was beset by wind so he turned up the Manatee River for protection. The natural harbor and thick woods enticed John to move his entire family from Key West.

The family claimed 132 acres and established the Fogarty Boat Works. Boats were in high demand at the time for two reasons; the consequences of the Civil War and waterways were Florida’s highways. The rest, as they say, is history…

Thankfully, warm weather has returned to Florida. According to the forecast, we’ll be in the 80s for the next two weeks.

Spent yesterday afternoon watching the sun dance across the water. Not a single thing to complain about…

So nice to be back out on the beach again after the weekend’s cold snap. How chilly was it? The thermometer at my house was in the low 30s Sunday morning. Even more telling, my grass is brown and I may have lost a few plants in the freeze. Time will tell.

The Gulf of Mexico was so calm tonight, I could’ve skipped a stone across John’s Pass. Yet another beautiful evening here on the west coast of Florida.

I’d like to introduce you to my new dining room table. This project began when I replaced the front door, the first week of October 2020 (yes, that’s over a year ago – don’t judge).

As a single female, I didn’t feel comfortable with that much glass in the front door. Add in the incredibly disconcerting fact that the door was hung inside out, meaning the hinges were on the outside. In case you don’t know, any door can be easily removed with a hammer and a screwdriver as long as you have access to the hinges (you just tap on the screwdriver to push the pins up and out). It wouldn’t matter in the slightest if you had the deadbolt engaged or not.

So, before I moved into my house I replaced the front door. The old one had so much character though that I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out. Not only was it solid wood but the glass inserts are molded in the shape of bamboo – I’m sure it was a very expensive door (best as I can tell the door would’ve cost at least $1000 new).

So, I kept the door and eventually it occurred to me that I would need a new dining room table, one that was a better match for my house than the country-style set I had purchased used for my little rental. I hadn’t rushed into buying a new set because I lacked a clear vision (and I thought the prices were ridiculous).

One day a neighbor placed an old brass and glass storm door out by the curb for trash day. Knowing that I would need a glass top for my table (since the inserts are inset in the wood), I walked over and carried the storm door home. I leaned it up against the old door and ignored them both for a couple months.

I couldn’t decide on how to assemble my table so the project sat on the back burner until late this summer (and I was busy with other projects, too). Inspiration comes to me in the strangest of ways, I saw some bamboo poles for sale on Facebook Marketplace and realized that those would be perfect for table legs since they’d mirror the glass inserts.

Finally, with a design idea in mind I started working on the table: I stripped off the multiple layers of paint, cut it to fit the glass from the storm door, sanded (and sanded and sanded), and painted. Once I was satisfied with the outcome, I repeated much of that process with the legs.

Since bamboo is mostly hollow (except at the growth joints) I screwed PVC plumbing end caps to the table. The bamboo slid over the caps snugly and were glued and screwed into place. I repeated a similar process on the bottom and attached felt pads to the feet. In addition I mounted brackets to each leg for extra support. To highlight the glass bamboo inserts, I hung mini lights on the underside of the table.

As I was nearing completion of the table it occurred to me that I’d need things to sit on. A few days later I picked up 4 metal chairs for free. A bit of paint, some new cushion and fabric and I was in business.

Shortly before Thanksgiving I sold my old dining room set (for $10 more than I paid for it) and moved the new table into place. Total project cost: $40 (I had to buy the bamboo, lights, brackets, PVC, and fabric – everything else I already had or was free). Actual cost? Priceless! I’m delighted with it and it is definitely one of a kind!

Note: I will be making a bench for the far side of the table (again using bamboo legs) at some point in the future.

Took advantage of the relative calm before the storm this past Saturday and wandered out to the Treasure Island Kite Festival. When my friend Katie and I arrived at noon the wind was fickle at best, not ideal conditions for flying.

Thankfully, the wind picked up as the afternoon wore on. The bright sunshine highlighted the colorful banners and kites in the sky. While there were hundreds of kites aloft, hands down my favorite was the massive blue whale.

A fun way to spend a winter’s afternoon, especially since a cold storm blew in that night and dropped our temperatures about twenty degrees!

Over the holidays, a dear friend gifted me a set of handsome Frank Lloyd Wright Waterlilies tumblers. Not only do they class up the joint but they reminded me to visit the campus of Florida Southern College which houses “the largest and most fully articulated collection of Wright’s work in the world”.

The college sits atop the rolling hills along Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, about an hour drive east of me. I had two other reasons to travel to the aptly named city this past week since that is the location of the nearest Discount Tire (to resolve a warranty issue) and a good friend lives near there.

I distantly remembered my aunt taking my cousins and I to visit Fallingwater in Pennsylvania when I was a young teenager (though I recall little of the visit). So I was looking forward to learning more about one of America’s most influential architects.

I couldn’t have picked a more beautiful winter day for my visit, especially since the famed architect’s buildings are strewn throughout the sprawling campus.

I was fascinated to learn how Wright’s involvement with the college evolved. Founded in 1885 the college finally set down roots when it moved to Lakeland in 1922. In 1938 the president of the young campus telegraphed the 70 year old Wright and requested his help planning an “education temple” in Florida.

Both men were eager to showcase an American aesthetic, incorporating the natural elements of the site with a modern yet organic design. Over the next twenty years, Wright refined his “Child of the Sun” master plan and supervised the construction of twelve of his eighteen proposed buildings.

In 2013, a thirteen Wright-designed building, The Usonian House (originally intended as a faculty residence) was built just off campus to serve as the Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center. A fitting tribute to the pioneer of “organic architecture”.