Mark and I made a last minute getaway vacation to Clearwater beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. We left on a Thursday and flew back on Sunday. The kids stayed with Karen and Orrie. Our first day in Florida was quite chilly. Yes it was much warmer than Iowa that we left in -10. Florida was around 60 and and overcast. The beach was empty and with out jackets on I was very cold. The Hyatt hotel was nice and the beach was so cool. The sand was white and felt like flour. Each morning we woke up and walked on the beach. There were lots of walkers and joggers. Each day was a little warmer and the sun was shinning. We spent our afternoon on the beach in our very own cabana. If you set it at just the right angle to block the wind and stay in the direct sun, it felt pretty good. It felt like an 80 degree day. However if you left your little cabana it was pretty chilly with the breeze. The water was freezing cold, but it was still awesome to hear and see the waves while soaking up the sun. Each day got a little busier with lots of people. We ate a lot of good food and tried different restaurants. One day we took a lunch cruise on a boat, Calypso Queen. The 2 hour cruise stayed in the bay, so I did not get sick. We had a nice selection of buffet food
and a nice scenic cruise pointing out celebrities such as Tom Cruise's homes. We spent
most of the time on the top open deck. This part of Florida is full of retired couples. In the evenings there is a boardwalk area that has nightly people out selling trinkets. Everyone is out to make a buck. On every corner there is a guitar player singing his heart out. There is everything from impersonators, get a photo with a parrot, puppets, balloon makers, to very talented acrobatics. Everyone holds out their bucket asking for money. Our time in Florida was a nice relaxing getaway. It is a treat especially during a cold dreadful winter. I am thankful that Mark can make these trips possible and enjoys and values our time together. We left
lovely Florida before the sun was up on our last day. It was around 68. We arrived in Iowa to -6
and it never got any warmer. That was a shock to the system.
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