St Pete 14

Sept 21 - 23, 2012

Sept 21
I just hung around the pool and the condo until later afternoon, when Enterprise picked me and then I waited around their office for a couple of hours for a rental car.  Waiting, as many of you know, is not my forte.

I took a big risk at night.  My new friend, Anna, said, "Let's go to Simone's Salsa" for a class and to dance.  So I drove to Tampa - at night.  It took me about 50 minutes. 

I don't usually drive at night in Costa Rica because:  there aren't dividing lines on the roads; there are deep gutters and steep falloffs on the sides of the switchback-curvy roads that I can't see; the roads are poorly lit; and I have poor depth perception.  I would like the freedom to be able to drive at night in Costa Rica, but I stay home for these reasons. 

But Florida has brightly-lit highways!  With white and yellow lines to show where you're supposed to drive.  And big signs.  So, equipped with my GPS, I took off at 8:15pm for Tampa.  Along the way, it rained.  Actually, it poured buckets.  I followed the lights from the car in front of me.  I prayed.  And I got to my destination.

I took the free tango class, and found that I liked it a lot.  I wore my new dance shoes and they were fun and light to dance in on the wooden floor.  Tango requires a very strong male leader.  My leader was medium-strength, and so I did what I always do when my dance partner doesn't lead right - I led.  But he told me to let him lead (he sounded just like a tico, but was gringo), so I did.

After the class, there was a dance.  Once again, the salsa was some sort of dance I have never seen.  I tried to follow the guy who asked me, but I was a failure at it.  After seven years of dancing and loving salsa, and being pretty good at it in Costa Rica, I had to admit that I'd have to start in a beginner's class here.  Someone did ask me for a bachata, and I got all excited because I can do that and it's mostly the same here.  I ended up leaving about 11, and finding my way back, and more easily because there was no rain.

Sept 22
I had a follow-up appointment with Dr George, the chiropractor.  My backside was so much better, even after dancing, although I had some muscle problems in my legs, possibly from my new dancing shoes, or my new tennis shoes, or who knows why.  I ended up spending 2.5 hours with George.  He worked on my legs, and we talked and talked and became good friends.  He and his girlfriend, Vivi, are into swing dancing, and go to the Gulfport Casino on Wednesday nights.  I want to go next Wednesday, but it's not a night that I have a rental car. 

My two new pairs of glasses were ready at Visionworks, and I picked them up.  Chaka was so helpful in helping me pick out the frames.  I got new polarized sunglasses and new anti-glare clear glasses (to help driving in Costa Rica at night).

At night, my new friends Sandy and Judith invited me to go to Sloppy Joe's with a group of their friends.  Sloppy Joe's is on Treasure Island beach, and I watched a great sunset.  Apparently we were celebrating Helen's birthday, but I didn't know it.  I liked all the women at our table.  There are such nice people here in St Pete.  I know, I keep saying that about St Pete and Gulfport.  I am fortunate to be finding some really nice people.  After dinner, we walked on the beach (wowee - what a lovely feeling, with the seabreeze, just delightful) and tried to light paper lanterns that are supposed to be whisked away into the starry night.  But we couldn't get the flame to burn so our lanterns never took off.

Sept 23
I went back to First Unity Church today.  Temple, the minister, pointed out the guy who asked about me last week.  As soon as I saw him, I recognized him.  His name is Jimmy Moriarty, and he lives in Escazu, Costa Rica, and attended the Unity church in Santa Ana when I used to go.  He keeps a condo in Florida and goes back and forth during the year.  It is a very small world.  Temple also introduced me to several people she thought I would want to know.  First, her lovely partner, Beverly.  Also a woman named Bonnie (originally from New Hampshire) who clicked with me right away.  An astrologer, Peggy, who is going to do my chart in October, and a few other people whose names I can't remember.

I had packed beach stuff, so after meeting half the church, I went to Indian Rocks Beach.  It's pretty far north, almost to Clearwater.  After Friday night's foray to Tampa in the dark and rain, I figured I could find my way to Indian Rocks Beach.  The first order of business was eating, so I stopped at Crabby Bill's (it's a chain) and had half of a yummy caesar salad with blackened salmon.  There was just too much to eat.  Then I put on my bathing suit and walked across the street to the beach.  I love just lying on the sand, listening to the waves.  I know I'm not supposed to bask in the sun, and I couldn't reach my back to put sunblock on all over me, but I did enjoy my time there.  I asked a young guy to take a picture of me.