Well Friday was a fun day all day long which started with my usual morning routines around 6'ish and I was up close to 11'ish when I finally crawled in between the sheets. We piddled around the house doing last minute getting ready for guests from Sparta N.C. who spent the day with us and will again later next week.
We headed out a little before 10 to the St.Pete/Clearwater airport to pick up Mechelle and Allan who are heading to Key West, Cuba and then Mexico on a cruise ship embarking out of the Port of Tampa this morning (Sat.) We will drop them off some time around 11'ish then come back and get ready for another 13 people for a family dinner as Nancy's brother is in town.
We brought them here to change clothes and have a bite of lunch before heading over to the beach on Redington Shores for a great couple miles of walking in the surf, shell finding and just enjoying catching up since we last saw them in November. We walked down to what is left of the Redington Pier as the hurricane destroyed most of the structure that extends out into the Gulf. We then headed back and stopped off at the Seabird Sanctuary where we saw owls, pelicans, vultures, cormorants and various other birds who have been saved from being hit by cars, tied up with fishing lines and such. The beaches were just beautiful with warm sunshine in the upper 70's and a gentle surf. The water actually was cold at first but soon it warmed up once the initial shock was over. It was great not only for them but us as well and we made plans to visit again next week and do some fishing while the girls do what ever girls do at the beach.
We drove up the beach cities to 688 and stopped at the citrus packing shed where they make this delicious"dream sickle' ice cream from fresh squeezed orange juice. We each had a cone before heading back to the abode. They both took a nap as they were up early to the airport in Concord for the hour plus flight to here. I piddled around changing out a new tube for Nancy's bike, tying up some tomato plants and then hand watering the gardens and front yards. It was after 5 before they awakened and Allan and I had a glass of the fruit of the vine before we started on making supper. I grilled salmon fillets and Nancy had fresh green beans and yellow rice along with a garden salad.
Nancy had made a head of time oatmeal raisin cookies and they were perfect for dessert later in the evening. We played several games and Mechelle was the big winner on the board games and Nancy won the card game. We men were sleeping with winners. It was a fun evening and after a hot shower I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER
