Indian Rocks Beach 2023 Part Two
Wednesday night was the first night we stepped away from the condo. I did go out once or twice for some things, most notably goggle and flippers for Ted so he could find sand dollars. I will say he absolutely loved snorkeling. He found so many sand dollars. It was really cool. Of course the same boy that Teddy plays with down there was also visiting so they spent a lot of time building sand castles. In fact they had quite a few other kids from around the beach with them digging holes and building. The hole actually got pretty deep and I was afraid someone would fall in. We did fill them up before we left. I also saw our friends from Canada who summer there and we caught up. See, we know people down here now we might as well move!
Dinner Wednesday night was amazing. I wanted a place we could walk to that had spaghetti because of course the boys are picky. We chose Villa Gallace and I recognized the owner from a few years ago when I was in ordering takeout. I ordered escargot for the first time and also tried veal as well. It was delicious. The boys enjoyed their food also. We had some nice wine and then went back to the condo after stopping at the beach shop and walking down the beach. One thing I always do on vacation, I am up for every sunrise and I am out for every sunset. The sunsets are amazing as we face due west. Usually the sun comes out over the back of the condo and I’ll hang out in the morning in the shade and watch the ocean when it is really quiet. I put a few videos on Instagram that I’ll share below.
Thursday was our day out. We decided to head down to the same place we went last year for putt putt and that was fun. We then stopped at a new lunch spot and I tried a massive lobster roll. I’ve never had one and it was very good. Then to our customary ice cream spot for dessert, and then to the turtle park. I like going to little places that you would never make a trip to visit just to see it. The turtle park is cool and is a good way to see old Florida. Friday we were at the beach and then Saturday we left the condo and went to the zoo.
This was a new thing for us. Usually on Saturday I would fly the kids and the wife home and I’d straight shoot it home. We had to do this because Sunday was Easter, but now that Leslie no longer plays at Church, we didn’t have to be home right away. I will add we put Easter baskets on the table before we left so we’d get home Sunday to a surprise for the boys. This time we opted to go the Tampa Zoo on Sunday, then head to Macon GA and stay at another Spring Hill Suites. Our original plan was to go to Atlanta and overnight and see the Georgia Aquarium but I didn’t see how we could park the car with the carrier on it in any city garage. The car top carrier is awesome by the way, it made the car so less crowded when we could put the beach stuff in it. The only drawback is the clearance, you really have to be careful.
The Tampa Zoo was a lot of fun. The second time we went through it with the boys. It is a smaller zoo but there are some cool things to see. There are actually quite a few animals here that aren’t at either Cincinnati or Columbus so we knocked a few off our list. Afterwards we left and ate at a Cracker Barrell in northern Florida, and there was a tornado warning while we were there. Imagine being in a worse place, a Cracker Barrell during a tornado with its windows and plows hanging off the ceiling. Luckily we were OK and made it to our hotel safely that night.
Another great road trip. We all loved it and the boys can’t wait until next year.