Florida, 12th Time

Didn't think I'd fill in much of The Map.

Saturday, December 30th, 2023 

Started out the day with the 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive from Orlando to Tampa taking 3 hours. That was after it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to get the rental car.

Love me a food hall. And poke. Armature Works was picked by...

  

...high school classmate Rob who is a resident and proponent of the Sunshine State.

And when I left that house at 4AM, it was 25 degrees.

 

Over on the Gulf Coast side of St. Pete, Ted Peters has been doing smoked fish for 7 decades.

Rolling into downtown St. Petersburg.

Haven't been here in years.

The Pier all decked out for the holidays.

Took a stroll across downtown.

The Cereal Bar takes their homemade premium ice cream and blends it with cereal to order. But that Pumpkin Ice Cream was stellar on its own.

Sunday, December 31st, 2023

 

Long been fond of the barrier island of Siesta Key, starting the day on Siesta Beach.

Then in the inviting downtown Sarasota.

Got apple. Since it is basically a health food.

 

Heading over to another long time fave of  St. Armands.

 

And the lovely circle.

Location, check 

Atmosphere, check 

Homemade Corned Beef Hash, dreadful

Back to Sarasota.

To the Sarasota Classic Car Museum.

 

One of the oldest car museums in the country.

Despite the lineup of Ferraris.

And Rolls Royce and Pierce-Arrows from Ringling.  (He was a Sarasota resident and his circus made its winter home in this town.)

It was lame.

 

Hour plus later crossing into Fort Myers.

Drove by the Edison & Ford Winter Estate years ago when it was early in the morning.  Always regret touring it.

  

Thomas Edison (right) built his estate starting in 1886 and his friend Henry Ford (left) bought the neighboring home in 1911.

It's modest considering their success.

Edison's study.

Edison's main home was dubbed Seminole Lodge.

     

The library and living room contain some of his inventions like the phonograph and electric light.

 

The lovely wrap around porch going to the guest house.

Dining room of that guest house.

 

Ford's house was called The Mangos.

It is of the American Bungalow style with cypress ceilings, deep overhangs and dormers.

Across the street is a well done museum.

And Edison's lab where he worked to find a domestic source of rubber.

Soaking in downtown Fort Myers.

  

Peppermint: Tis the season 

Oatmeal Creme Pie: Since Little Debbie was a staple of childhood.

Been in Arcadia before. Don't remember it.

  

Seeing countless acres of citrus groves all day.

Off an actual beaten path is one of those quirky sites fun to find. Howard Solomon used junk to build Solomon's Castle from 1972 to his death in 2016.

 

Heading through central Florida before hitting the urban sprawl.

 

Monday, January 1st, 2024

The fellas gathering and me getting an Apple Fritter.

 

Despite being in the area several times throughout the years, never checked out the master planned, age restricted community The Villages.

   

And I loved it.

   

Inviting atmosphere, well planned, tidy, neat, superbly landscaped.

   

Had breakfast in The Villages contemplating why collard greens aren't used like this more often.

   

Walked around some more.

   

"55+ community, that's less than 2 years away, there is the sales office, oh it's closed."

   

Heading NW along the Gulf Coast.

   

Cedar Key is another island, 22 miles off a main road.

   

Its' muddy inlets make it a top producer of clams.

   

Really glad I went out of the way.

   

Really unique place.

   

From Jersey, down the east coast, around Florida to Louisiana homes on stilts are a common site.

   

Yep, that isn't faux, real weathering.

   

See the hurricane damage?

   

Back in central Florida.

   

Been to Ocala before. Don't remember it.

   

After driving around the sketchy northern perimeter of Orlando, went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango on International Drive for a Green Papaya Salad and Thai Short Ribs.

   

Until next time Florida.