Keeping time in Tampa - Tampa, FL

Well, we're still here in Tampa and will be until just before Thanksgiving. We've settled in and met a lot of people, both in the park and outside. We were welcomed as guests at the Tampa PH club meeting a couple of weeks ago and in the course of talking to folks there were invited to a house concert next week. I confess that I don't remember who is playing since it was someone I'm not not familiar with but who cares? It'll be fun anyway. Tonight we have another backyard concert and this one will feature Brian Neale, our friend from Toronto who we know from his gigs down in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. Brian plays at Myett's every February so we know him well and are big fans. We're looking forward to seeing Brian again and meeting a lot of fun folks.

We've been back to St Pete Beach a couple more times. One day last week we popped over there intending to have a quick drink at Jimmy B's Beach Bar, but then we met Paul and Deanna from Detroit and we ended up sharing laughs and hanging out for the next few hours.

I love meeting new people everywhere we go - you just have to bring your own party and you always have fun. We had another great day last Monday when we decided to go out in a speed boat (http://tampaspeedboatadventures.com/) that you can drive yourself.

There is a guide in another boat and the tour is narrated and directed via a speaker on the boat's console so you aren't left to your own devices. I would highly recommend this for anyone wanting to go out on the water here in Tampa. We had a blast.

We've also been to a couple of beaches in Clearwater, which is just about 20 minutes away. The beaches are beautiful there also, but I have to say St Pete is my favorite so far, just because of the great vibe and the funky beach bars as well as the white sand and palm trees.

As to the day to day here at Bay Bayou, we've settled into a comfortable routine. We walk most mornings and I like to hit the pool and swim laps in the afternoon - for anyone keeping score, 20 yesterday! I can hear the real swimmers out there laughing at me...haha, but I'm making slow and steady progress. The park has a lot of activities going on and we've jumped into a few of them. We have barbecues by the pool on Wednesdays, there was a welcome party with live music last Friday night and I'm doing a girls line dancing class on Wednesday nights. I also acquired a bike and Bill is getting one on Monday so bike riding is another thing we can start doing. We are enjoying this extended stay, although we do look forward to hitting the road again in a couple of weeks and especially to having good friends join us for a few days over Thanksgiving.

I will close out with a birthday shout out today to our Bethany - happy birthday baby, and see you next month!