Tarpon Springs and Bugs on the Pier

 While we were in Florida, we had a long weekend and a chance to get out and explore the area a little bit. We were in Tampa two years ago, and spent a lot of time at the beach, including Sanibel Island which is a little south of Tampa. Which, by the way, is the most amazing beach for shelling I have ever seen. So, since we had already explored south of Tampa, we decided to head north this time, specifically to Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs was also closer, which was an added benefit since we had a curious two month old along with us this time who absolutely hated the monstrous SUV we got stuck with for a rental car. But that's a story for another day. So. Tarpon Springs. :-) 

Tarpon Springs is famous for its natural sponge beds - apparently it used to be a huge industry in this area of Florida - so much so that they invited Greeks to come over and teach them about harvesting the sponges, something the Greeks had been doing for ages. As you might imagine, there are is quite a "greek" flavor to the area because of this. There were several "sponge factories" that were just blatant cleverly disguised souvenir shops, but it was still a fun little place to explore.

Plus, the day we were there, they were having a special exhibit - Bugs on the Pier! Maybe it was because I grew up with three brothers, but I instantly imagined a bunch of specimen boxes of bugs and was instantly bored at the thought. Imagine my surprise when it was a completely different sort of bug!

It was neat to see all of the different restored (or not!) VW beetles. Very creative.  

It was a beautiful day, and we still couldn't believe we were walking around, outside, in short sleeves! Thanks for being so summery Florida!

Summer Vacay in Wisconsin

If you were my friends in real life, you wouldn't see me very often, for one of three reasons:

• You live on a different continent
• You live in a different state
• You understand that I am the antithesis of a social butterfly and I can only handle so much soical interaction.

This is pertinent, bear with me. Several months ago, my husband suggested that we take some vacation time this summer and travel to Wisconsin to see his grandparents and uncles. The conversation went something like this:

Lover: I'd like to go to Wisconsin and see my grandparents this summer, since I'll finally have some vacation.

Me: (Sensing that my uber social husband was planning another social outing)Um, see them like stay with them and talk to them?

Lover: Yes, how else would we see them?

Me: Dunno, maybe we could send them a picture of us and they could send one back?

Lover: Um, no. While we are there we should see my Uncle Rob too, oh and my Tio Carlos. Maybe we'll go see your friend Erica, and our friends in Ohio on the way back?

Me: Wouldn't you rather go camping? By ourselves?

Lover: I'll take you to IKEA...

Me: Sold!

I may have exaggerated that convo just a bit, but the reality is that I am not a real social person, so I am proud of the fact that we spent SIX days with people non-stop, and I wasn't a grouch about it. Of course, the fact that we spent 30 hours in the car by ourselves probably helped too.

All kidding aside, Lover's grandparents are so sweet, and it is always relaxing to stay with them. I am always amazed at how spotless his grandma's house is, and by how much Lover's dad is like his grandpa. We spent Sunday through Thursday am with them. Aren't they just the cutest?

We always spend lots of time playing Skip-Bo, pool, Jarts and there is always TONS of food. Lover's grandma is an excellent cook, and we eat three squares a day. I think I gained ten pounds. :-) We also saw his Uncle Rob, and his crazy Tio Carlos. Oh and we went to this fantastic cafe in downtown Milwaukee with Tio Carlos and Virginia, called the Trocadero. If you're in the area, look them up.

While in Milwaukee we went to this awesome antique mall and had a blast browsing through the store. I tried on a bunch of vintage hats:

Lover found one as well,

and we drooled over many an antique book. (Don't worry, we didn't get any drool on the books!)

Thursday morning Lover kept his promise and took me to an IKEA that is just south of Chicago. Then we played four hundred rounds of the ABC road game whilst driving to Bloomington, Indiana to see my friend Erica. Lover won almost every time, I blame my very poor vision. Or my distraction. Or the fact that I am so busy trying to cheat in order to win, that I miss the letters I am looking for.

I hadn't seen Erica since we got married (she was my maid of honor) so it was great to catch up. We had a great time even though it was swelteringly hot, and of course we ate some more. At this point we no longer fit into our little car. :-) Erica and her sister Heidi have two of the funniest cats, so we had some laughs watching them. A good time was had by all! Sorry, inside joke.

Friday morning we packed up once again, and headed home, with a detour in Cleveland to see some new friends of ours. We went to Houlihan's for dinner, a first for us. Very yummy food and a very interesting ambiance.

We got back to the Castle around 2am, and all was well. I happily informed Lover that we had filled our social quota for the rest of the year and we wouldn't need to see anyone else. He objected, until I promised to buy him a new tool. :-P