Peanuts

Haven't been on a plane in almost four years and found these peanuts as I readied to put items in my carry on bag. 

One thing is for sure, with the rows being so compact, I don't enjoy being by the window anymore. 

What I did enjoy was spending time with my nephew and his family, including his infant. As I walked my grand nephew around, his little baby breaths blew me away. And I also enjoyed seeing how my nephew has grown... 

Spent first part of vacation in Georgia then spent time in Jacksonville. My suitcase weighed about 24 pounds and was mostly comprised of tank tops. The weather looked like it was going to be warm but it was cooler and perfect for walking but I almost thought about buying an extra short-sleeved shirt.

Went to see Kingsley Plantation and the palm trees and water are beautiful but I definitely thought about the people who were enslaved and the horrors that they endured.

From Kingsley Plantation, we headed to Fernandina Beach to get a glimpse of the water. Seeing the water and feeling the breeze was magical and I wish that our trip had been organized a bit differently but that's definitely hard to do with four people involved. 

Honestly,  all I wanted was to pull up a chair, listen to the water and watch the waves and repeat the watching and listening the next day.

Make Me One With Everything

I've been wanting one....*

Before

It's hard to see the design on my arm except in direct light. I was told that I should have kept the henna on overnight but I kinda like the subtleness of it plus it has settled into a nice copper-like color.



I got this henna situation while I was on vacation in Florida.


The pillow got it too...

Saw this clip, "Dalai Lama Confused by Pizza Shop Joke," on Good Morning America; it's pretty funny if you ask me.



Happy Friday...

*Thanks Nichelle for rockin' the freehand design.

I Hope Not

At a lost for something to watch, I checked out my Netflix recommendations and clicked on Body of War. Let's just say that the documentary was not ideal viewing for Saturday. I should have taken a clue from the title, hunh?

Synopsis:

Young man sees President Bush stand on a pile of rubble, signs up for military, gets sent to Iraq and five days into deployment, gets shot in the spine. I have to say that I didn't think about other ramifications of being paralyzed -- like the meds. In addition to being on Coumadin and anti-depressants etc., the young man has problems regulating his body temperature and, when outside, has to wear a vest with ice packs in them.

Most memorable line: I look at people walking down the street and I get jealous.


* * *
Before I jetted off to Florida, I made a mad dash to the library. I went to pick up one book but came out with two and after reading several pages of both books, went with The Memory Keeper's Daughter.



This part made me think of Hazira:

Caroline did not like Leo March -- he was not likable -- but whatever animosity she held for him was complicated by compassion. (100)

I had the pleasure of going to two libraries while in Florida. *



Cool Temporary Library Card


Clearwater's Cool Main Library


Hazira waiting for me outside of Beach Library


In Ikea -- starting to think she likes this position

Ikea map because you're gonna need it

*Okay, I think that I might have Florida out of my system. On the other hand, I hope not...

Overheard At A Florida Pool

Vacationer: Oh yes, there is a God -- maybe many.

Thank you God. Thank you Goddess.

(Woman as she got into and glided in the pool.)

Vacationer's Husband: Don't mind us; we're just trying to relax. It usually takes about three days to...

Me: And you should relax...

* * *

People have asked me what the best part of my vacation was. Besides spending time with a friend and having time to decompress, gonna have to say a little bit of this:



A little bit of that:




And...

When I was at Ft. DeSoto Park, I sat up at the precise time that a dolphin took a leap through the air. Amazing. I had gone on an excursion that guaranteed dolphin sightings. Only, the dolphins were quite shy that day. At Ft. DeSorto, the dolphins were feeding on what the fishermen threw back. I tried so hard to get a picture but the sun was blocking the view. Finally, I got this footage. As you can see, the sun was wreaking havoc with the camera but the footage is still pretty good...

The Body In The Sunset

I know that I'm not the first person to have vacation-related epiphanies but I saw the light about a few things. I love it when you have solid time to quiet the mind.

My suitcase weighed 28 pounds and I still took too much. What was I thinking when I packed so many socks and underwear? I wore half the clothes and read half the magazines; I took two and actually did read the second part of the first one and all of the second one on the return flight.

I didn't listen to my MP3 player entranced as I was by the seagulls and sound of the water.


To the lady who stopped her car to ask for directions -- the roundabout is not a good place for that. Having said that, my GPS is one purchase that I have never regretted. I hope that roundabout lady gets one soon.

And one of the biggest lessons learned was patience.

I tried so hard to get pictures of pelicans when I visited The Pier in St. Petersburg. I was completely fascinated by them and was thrilled when one dive bombed into the water and, later, one perched close enough to capture.

And that body in the sunset? I realized how hard I worked for it and, even though I'm not finished working on it, I'm proud. Please feel free to remind me of this feeling at a later date...

P.S. Laura, do you know the name of this tree???



The Fascinating Waterfowl

(Even More) Stuff People Say To Me -- Special Vacation Edition

HC: How long do you want to stay?

Me: I'd like to see the sun set.

HC: Let's go... You saw it yesterday (in Dunedin).



Me: (Gathering my beach belongings).

HC: I wonder if that thrift store by the produce stand is still open.

Me: I hope not since you went to a thrift store yesterday.

***

Ft. Desoto Park was nice even though I didn't get to see the Ft. sunset.



What's up with this sign?

I did sit up just at the right moment to see a dolphin leaping and I also got to see the dolphin along with his two friends playing for a while. Dolphin footage to come later...

Ending World Grease

A bit of advice: never fall asleep close to landing because when the rubber hits the road, it's alarming.

I'm traveling light. My suitcase only weighed 28 pounds and my carry on probably weighed more since it had oranges, crackers, sandwiches, almonds etc. in it.

The rental car dude tried to convince me to upgrade from my poor little compact car. This car, of course, comfortable fits four people. He even said that it was not fully automatic but the only thing not automatic are the doors i.e. no keyless entry but who needs it?



I should have brought more long-sleeved shirts though since it has been a tad bit cool in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Today's weather is a bit warmer and things are looking up for the next few days. I took an hour long walk on the beach and was relieved because I was starting to feel way too sedentary; it's hard to sit still these days.



I even missed rock climbing so I took over the children's playground for a minute.



My first meal in Tampa was at Evos. I joined their mission to end world grease. Loved the air-baked fries and the flavored ketchup (garlic, mesquite et al.) was amusing.



Been to the Tampa/St. Pete area? If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears...