Adventure Logan

Life is good here in the sunny south. We are enjoying the time here and are happy to have a great place in Paradise. Hope you all get to enjoy Valentine’s Day.

We do have something new to share – our very own iguana – who lives in our backyard under our next door neighbour’s air conditioner.

He is about 2 feet long and very skittish. This is the first year that we have seen iguanas here but they are spreading and are a nuisance. There are several traps set in the park but we are waiting to put a trap up here after Liz’s grandkids get to see him when they visit.

Yesterday we met Carol and Stephen Hiltz for lunch. It was great to see them here in Florida as they have not been here since we all left in March 2020. Like us they had to reacquaint themselves with their home and community. We are planning to get together again before it is time to return to Nova Scotia. I forgot to take a picture but will remember next time.

We enjoy this area so much – a mix of small town and beach town. Tonight we made a point of going to the jetty area where there is always lots to see. After a week of cooler weather, we are back to warm/hot temps and lots of sun.

This pic is poor quality but I had to include it. As we were leaving the jetty area, we saw a who looked like he was hovering over the water. Once he got close enough we realized that he was on an electric surfboard???? Another interesting site for sure. He was skimming along at a pretty good clip!

We want to wish all our family and friends a Happy New Year – may 2023 find peace and good health for all. On December 16 we flew home to Nova Scotia for Christmas on a super Air Canada direct flight – the only way to travel. It is unusual to find a direct flight so we were very pleased to come home without the hassle of a stop in Toronto. Christmas was relaxing and we got to have several great family gatherings. As well we spent time with our Friday group and even hosted a small New Year’s Eve gathering. On January 4th we flew direct again to Tampa (this time with Liz and Earl Corkery). During the time we were in Florida during November we had heard about the flamingo sculpture called HOME which was installed at the main Tampa terminal building. So when we arrived we were lucky enough to pass by it on our way to get our luggage. We had voted during the naming contest and were delighted to learn that the flamingo’s new name Phoebe is the one we had liked best. A play on Phoenicopterus — the flamingo’s scientific name. ‘Phoebe’ is also a playful alliterative to flamingo and means brilliantly inquisitive.” The $520,000 sculpture depicts the giant bird dipping its head beneath the surface of the water, in an illusion created by metal panels and lighting attached to the ceiling. It is amazing!

We headed to Largo (north about 120km) to visit two Nova Scotia couples who just happened to buy places in the same park. Ross and Victoria Bruce bought last winter as did Joe and Patty Arseneau. So it was very easy to visit each of them and to see their new winter homes. Although we bought our place 15 years ago, we remember well the excitement of moving in and making it ours. These lucky friends are just beginning the experience! Both couples have great new “winter homes” and are currently busy working hard on them. The weather cooperated again today as it was a clear and sunny drive.

Ross and Victoria Bruce

Patty and Joe Arseneau

On the way home I spotted these power lines with what appeared to be many starlings. Just another fun sighting in this interesting state. Not so interesting was the slow trip home which was 30 minutes longer than it should have been.

Coming back to Paradise is always a thrill but this time arriving after a hurricane was different. Although over a month had passed, we were worried about what we would find. There was lots of damage in the area and our park suffered quite a bit of it. Several trailers were total losses. Roofs are gone on several, carports on many, various awnings and lanais and assorted overhangs etc. Since getting here we have also discovered quite a few people have had major water damage. So that said we are more than blessed to have only lost four one foot carport panels. Dave ordered new ones ($260) but they won’t be here until at least 4 months. One of the challenges for everyone here is the lack of materials and lack of skilled people to do work.

We have cleaned, purged and generally have gotten everything up and running. While here until the 16th of December (going to Nova Scotia for Christmas), we plan on visiting a few of our favourite restaurants and places. So far we have had the lobster at the Burgundy Café and ribs for Dave and salmon for Carol at the Gold Rush. The movie theater here had a major remodel and we were quite pleased to discover the reclining leather chairs and tons of space between rows.

On Thursday we enjoyed the annual Christmas Stroll downtown

Last night (Saturday) we headed to the intercoastal waterway to see the annual Venice Boat parade. I actually didn’t get pics but the city and a few friends got great shots which are shared below.

There were over 40 boats.

Some were small craft.

Some were medium sized.

Some were playful.

Some were cute.

Some were elegant.

Some were tall but the bridge was up!

Some were colourful.

Then there was candy.

And there was patriotic.

There were Santas and trees.

And even palm trees.

Our three month stay here in Venice comes to an end when we fly home tomorrow (May 19). It has been a great stay and we have been blessed with gorgeous weather (only 1 day of rain) and a feeling of normal here at the beach. I haven’t posted much as we have not gone very far and have kept the bubble pretty small. So there were no functions at the Clubhouse and no concerts or plays – hopefully next season. Here are some pics to show the floral gems in and around the park, the lunar eclipse on Sunday, a sunset trip to the South Jetty and one last pic of Liz and I having a swim in the 85 degree Gulf of Mexico.

Finally had a beach picnic at our favourite spot next to Sharkys. The weather was superb and we were all happy to gather in such beautiful surroundings.

We were so happy today to have a visit from Victoria and Ross. It was fun being tourists in our own town and showing off Venice Pier and Sharkys Beach. They are newly retired and embarking on a snowbird lifestyle so it was fun talking about our shared experiences.

Last night the nine of us tried something new for our Friday night food outing. We usually hit one of our favourite places but we thought we would try Kendo out. We enjoyed our chef who was funny, very loud, talented with the knives and generally entertaining. The meal was delicious starting with an Asian green salad with ginger dressing and followed by 2 fried dumplings and edamame. After that we watched lots of slicing and dicing as well as towers of flame. Dave and I each ordered steak and shrimp which was cooked on the grill in front of us along with everyone meal. There was lots of laughter, attempts to catch pieces of broccoli tossed into mouths and squirts of sake. I had forgotten to take my camera so thanks Dan Thornham for stepping up with your phone camera to save the day.

After my 2020 heart attack I embraced the beauty of aging in a new way. So when I woke up this morning and had breakfast on my patio, went to the beach, had a lovely meal and closed off the day with a Mango Bango at Sharkys I considered myself more than lucky. I hope there are many more birthdays in my future.