We’ve been noticeably silent, and for good reason – we’ve been keeping a low profile and being quite domestic for the last month.
Not much happening means not much to write about!
We just finished housesitting a great house in Venice, FL with Linus the Wheaton Terrier while his people were visiting their son in Bangkok. Screened lanai with an in-ground pool in the back, Steinway in the living room, and a few blocks to beach – not a bad gig overall…
Linus is a very interesting dog, in that he’s, well, kind of catty. Lots of sleeping, odd spurts of energy followed by total lethargy, and oddity of oddities – he doesn’t want to go out for walks! But oh so lovable – he certainly makes up for his quirks. And I’ll take a sleepy lazy dog over a high-strung caffeine-addled dog like a Jack Russell any day of the week!
Colette has always commented that October was her favorite time of year in Florida, and now I certainly know why. While we both missed the kaleidoscope of fall colors blanketing the Michigan countryside, we’re extremely pleased with the tradeoff – that being all of the beautiful sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. The humidity has dropped, and the last cold snap to hit the North has started the snow birds and winter tourists trickling in for their yearly migration.
Venice itself is a very interesting little town. Right on the Gulf of Mexico, but with none of the Florida traffic that we all love to hate. The palm-lined main street with boutique shops (and of course the touristy kitsch) ends just four blocks west at gorgeous Venice Beach on the Gulf. The huge oaks hang thick with Spanish Moss, and the palm trees closest to the beach attract flocks of parrots to nest each season. The beach is known for large quantities of fossilized shark’s teeth, and is listed as the “Shark’s Tooth Capital of The World”. There is even a yearly Sharks Tooth Festival with locals hawking all sorts of related goodies.
The north and south jetties are hotspots for those looking to relax on the beach or fish. We were lucky enough to see a pair of manatees and some dolphins at the north jetty, and of course – me without a camera! We returned several times with dive gear and the dive camera hoping to catch them again, but the water was always too rough and they were nowhere to be found. The old saying holds true – “The best camera is the one that you have with you”.
We spent every night when I was in town (still traveling during the week unfortunately) watching the sunsets – Brohard Paw Park Beach (with Linus of course!), Caspersen Beach, Blind Pass Park – you name the beach, we probably watched a sunset there. Some nights had just enough clouds to create a vivid patchwork of brilliant color, other nights we just enjoyed the sensation of watching the earth spin faster as the sun quickly disappeared on the horizon.
Not a bad way to spend a month! Now we’re off to the Tampa area for a few weeks until we head to Tortola, then we’re headed to Punta Gorda for the rest of the winter. With any luck, I’ll get back into the swing of writing as more interesting things come up.
