Clearwater Beach Memorial Day/Week

Staycation is a word that I love!  In fact, I love that word for the fact that it is a portmanteau!  Invented words are some of the best terms because they truly encompass the definition.  Chill + relax = chillax.  Another great one!  Even my go-to frozen drink is a delicious combo, (But sadly, NOT a portmanteau - yet!)  Pina-colada + strawberry daiquiri = Miami Vice in bartender terms.  Perhaps we should rename this as portmanteau?  Pinaquiri?  Coladaquiri?  Wait.  What is the difference between a portmanteau and a "ship name"?!?  (I looked that question up.  They are almost the same.  Ship names are usually names like my grandpa's boat:  CinMic.  That's the first two grandkids names...Cindy and Michael.  My grandpa was trendy back in the 70s!!!)   I digress.  

Smoked fish dip and a frozen drink...instant stress remover!
https://www.edgehotelclearwaterbeach.com

I'm a Tervis fan.  I know the whole world has gone bonkers over the Stanley, but Imma stay true to my OG vacation cup.  It keeps the frozen drinks cold!  (This one was a gift from a special co-worker.  Each Tervis has its own story to tell!)

I'm an avid beach walker and this is morning walk #1 of our trip.  In the background you can see how crowded the beach still is. We met my husband's NY family at Clearwater Beach who were down for their semi-annual Florida trip.  They like the Opal Sands hotel.  (But, I prefer The Edge...more on that later.) 

You can see how busy the beach is!  And, this is the Wednesday AFTER Memorial Day!   Opal Sands is the massive structure behind me.  Opening soon, there is also going to be an Opal Sol next to this resort. https://www.opalcollection.com/opal-sol/

A timely beach find...  This cracked me up!  This has legit been in the water for quite some time.  The inside was a tangled mesh of seaweed serving as a vessel for some coquina butterfly clams hitching a ride.  Also, this is from the 2020 election! 

After my walk, I set myself up for a re-read of one of my favorite books.  I'm not a reader of novels per se.  But, I do read historical text.  I'm a sucker for setting descriptions.  This book was published in 1975 and tells the story of the Hillsborough River from its beginnings in the Green Swamp.  I chose this book because it is going to help me get in the mood for my next staycation on the Hillsborough River. 

I love lingering in her written illustrations.  Setting descriptions are my favorite thing to read!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Jahoda

I also love hammocking!  This hotel has balconies on the Clearwater Pass...breezy and beautiful!  Needless to say, hammocking, reading, and dozing is my daily routine.

The next day, I set off for a walk along the pass, over the bridge and out to the breakwater on Sand Key.  As I explored the wrack line, I came across this lighter with the funny T-Rex riding a Vespa and it just made me smile.  

I pocketed the trash for more proper disposal along the route.

This abandoned shark bucket with the shark boat in the background also just made me stop for a moment to imagine the conversation between these two toothy friends.  "Bro, pick me up!  I wanna go out to sea!"

View from the top of the Clearwater Pass Bridge.  Our hotel is on the right and Sand Key to the left.

Our hotel, The Edge, is the Spanish tile roof complex.

I finally made it across the pass!  (Sadly, I also have a huge blister BETWEEN my toes thanks to walking in the sand with Crocs and not stopping for a good rinse prior to the bridge.  Oh well.  Walking on the beach cushions the stabbing pain and I'm hoping the salt water serves as an antiseptic. 

Wait.  What is this?

Yes, please!  Forget that bum toe.  

I made it to the breakwater!  Time for a rest and doctoring of the foot boo boo.

My Crocs may have given me a blister, but they serve as a cushion for my seat.  I actually do this quite often.  When I'm looking for a place to sit, I just sit on my shoes.  They're soft and keep me safe from jagged coral and oyster shells.

The Edge has their hot tub on the 6th floor with its plexiglass wall, overlooking the pass.  

These need to be EVERYWHERE!  I can see these taking off like Little Free Libraries but for "plogging".  BTW, blogging is also a portmanteau!  https://www.plogging.org/what-is-plogging. Perhaps this should be my "work" once I retire from teaching.  Oh, how I'd love that!!!

I called Shawn for a rescue so that I didn't have to walk all the way back with this super painful raw stinging foot.  Poor me...another afternoon of hammocking, reading, and dozing.

One of the other reasons why we like this hotel so much is because they have a free breakfast buffet as a way to start the day.  

Nicholas' favorite meal has always been breakfast!

Nicholas and Lina in The Edge's namesake.

Sunsets from here are the best!

Half of the sky is stormy...making for an especially dramatic sunset.

I wisely moved from the pool deck to my hammock and the following are the best lightning shots:

On our final day before check-out, we treated ourselves to the Opal Sands' breakfast buffet with the full family.

Summer, leading the breakfast trek.

Opal Sands' breakfast did not disappoint.  

 What a wonderful way to put a hard stop on school and pivot into my life as a summery teacher off duty!  Next up, wash the bathing suits and repack for another stay-cay on the Hillsborough River. 

May 25th

I've just turned 54.  When I started this blog about 10 years ago, my intent was to create a list of 45 things to accomplish before turning 45.  Well, I'm 54 now and this blog has turned in to a series of ramblings.  We haven't been doing family trips with my folks for a few years.  I have come to ADORE Tampa and basically no longer feel the need to vacation too far from where I live 365.  

Over the years, I have become a kayaker and last summer I made it my mission to kayak all of Hillsborough Bay including the Hillsborough River up to the Rowlett Dam and McKay Bay and the Palm River up to the dam.  I've taken tons of phots but mostly just kept my experiences to myself and my family.  

I am no longer a Writing Specialist for the school system and I don't write/teach writing for a living.  So, I've let my writing brain get a little rusty.  But, I miss it.  I miss having an electronic scrapbook detailing my adventures.  2024 is the year of blogging my Tampa staycation. The following pictures are from my first Saturday (May 25th) of being off of school for the summer break.

I woke EARLY...maybe 6:00ish, made my coffee to go, grabbed my kayaking supplies, and headed to Cypress Point Park.

Websites for more info:

https://paddling.com/paddle/locations/cypress-point-park

https://www.padl.co/locations/cypress-point-park-tampa-florida/

https://www.tampa.gov/parks-and-recreation/featured-parks/cypress-point-park

Early morning calm winds, mid afternoon (my approximate return time) the wind was sort of strong, and a rising tide meant that I was able to plan for a nice drift back to the beach...an especially welcomed respite after about 6 hours of paddling (semi-non-stop-ish).

My plan was to put in at the beach at Cypress Point Park, go as far south down the western shore to where I most recently stopped.  (Previously, I had explored from the Gandy Bridge Boat Ramp north, covering all of the canals and the former Georgetown Apartments acreage.). The reason why I launched from Cypress Point is because there is only a very sketchy quasi-water access point.  (I used that as a point of embarkation last year and felt like I was traipsing through someone's yard.  It was verrrrrry weird feeling!)

The only other option (that I know of) was to use the West Shore Marina.  However, it is fenced off on all sides and their website hasn't been updated since 2021.  So...Cypress Point it is.

  

Float Plan:  May 25, 2024

The Welcoming Committee was busy foraging for their breakfast.

7:00 am sunny halo.

I "love" me some messages from the universe.

Look closely at my left Croc, the dried remains from being "pied" at school.  (The students who improved their scores and/or scored in the 5 and 6 range on the PM3 earned the right to throw a pie in the face of their chosen staff member.)

https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2024/02/08/howard-frankland-gateway-expressway-construction#

Click here to learn more about the Howard Franklin Bridge's future.  The gist is that there is going to be a new span and one of the old ones will be demolished.  I ADORE kayaking under things like bridges and docks.  I'm certain that I was a troll in my former life!  The current rips through these pilings but if you snug up to the base in the "shade from the wind" it makes for a wonderful resting spot with loads of fish and dolphin action.

Over the years as I have photographed my vacations, I usually find myself drawn to a unique and yet reoccurring subject matter.  One year it was tangled boat lines, another year of lost shoes, intact lightbulbs on the beach, etc.  I think this year I'm going to focus on derelict docks and left out ladders.  Wait!  What?  Yes.  As I was on my last couple of outings, I have noticed myself pondering all of the ways I've seen ladders "displayed".  My intent is to create a final blog post with a summer's worth of ladders.  My dear friend photographs murals from March to May and I'm going to have her collection serve as an exemplar.  I don't have a cute name for my project though.  Lingering/Left-Out/Listing Ladders?  Liquid Ladders?  June and July:  Step up?  I definitely like the alliteration!  Regardless of the hashtag, I love examining these while singing Jimmy Buffet's, "The stories they could tell..."

[Verse 1]
Talkin' to myself again
Wonderin' if this travellin' is good
Is there somethin' else a' doin'
We'd be doin' if we could

[Chorus]
But ah, the stories we could tell
And if it all blows up and goes to Hell
I wish that we could sit upon a bed in some motel SEASHELL

Listen to the stories we could tell    

Hello fellow troll!  You've got quite a nice smile.

Hey, anglers!  I found all of the Snook in Tampa Bay!  They are hiding in the canal leading from the quasi-water access point from earlier in this post.

Murky and silty.  But, a good hiding spot!

My kayak draws just inches of water.  I floated up without disturbing the school. 

¿cómo se llama? 

Not a derelict dock but a brilliant dock/hammock hack!  I'd love to have this installed off of our community dock.  Hmmmm.....  Can I?  Should I?  How do I? 

A sneak peak at the ladder project.  I'm fascinated by the ladders!  If you have gazillions of dollars and live/build on Culbreath Isles, why an old ladder?  My guess is...because it's cheap, effective, and easy to come by.  These neighbors/buildders have clearly collaborated and shared their life hack.

What a grande dame!  She has certainly hosted glamorous parties in her day!  I image the inside to look like a scene from "Auntie Mame".

See what I mean about the ladders?

Be careful on that upper deck!

Venice?  Tampa?  

This might become a future photography subject...  The number of rafts, inner tubes, and floats I find tangled up in the mangroves could definitely fill a blog post!  I also really like monitoring them over time.  I know I have photos of a pink inner tube that has been lurking near my house for YEARS.

No actual dock any longer.  But...  Check out the chandelier and the... LADDER!

Back home.  A successful trip.  No tragedies.  No scrapes/cuts.  Relaxing after a dip in the pool.  There's no place like home. 💖