St Pete 2

Sept 2 - 3, 2012

Sept 2
Since this condo unit is right across from the pool, and it is too hot for my morning walk, I'm swimming in the mornings.  I love being in and on the water, but I was never one to do laps.  Now I am, and I'm doing some arm exercises in the water that I can't do on land because of my bad shoulder joints.  I don't have to inch into the water because it's warm and inviting.

In the afternoon Holly and I went to the beach.  We're exploring different beaches along the Gulf Coast.  This time it was Treasure Island.  We lucked out and got the last metered parking spot at a beach access that was quiet and relatively uncrowded.  The waves were a little rough, but it was enjoyable dipping into the water.  I am becoming a brown berry, even using SPF 30.

After the beach, we both wanted fish for dinner.  We stopped at Crabby Bill's, and grabbed a couple of stools at the bar.  We shared the blackened grouper sandwich and a shrimp cocktail.  The mango margarita was just so-so.  I don't usually drink tequila (since a memorable/sick birthday night a few years ago), so this was an exception.  The sunset was phenomenal, but I had only my cell phone to capture it (I have to get my camera repaired).

Sept 3, Labor Day
Holly was born in the Catskills in New York, so is a Yankees fan at heart.  Of course, I am a Boston fan, and the two are always rivals.  Nevertheless, when Holly said she had never been to a Yankees game, which meant so much to her father, and that she wanted to see the New York Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays, I said okay.

The gods were on our side.  We found a shaded, fenced-in, guarded parking lot for just $5, a couple of blocks from Tropicana Field.  The game was close to being sold out, but we were able to get $20 tickets with a great view up in the nosebleed section above first base.  As soon as we walked in the stadium, my friend Marsha from Gulfport, who gave me a ride home from Walmart on the very hot day, greeted us.  She is a volunteer host for the stadium.  It was so funny and weird for me to run into someone I knew, in a stadium of 34,000 people.

Tampa Bay beat the Yankees, which I was thrilled about, but we both had a good time.

We did a quick clothes change in the car, then headed over to The Pier in downtown St Pete.  From 5 to 9 there was a DJ playing Latin dance music.  Holly has taken Latin dance classes for four years, but only danced with a partner for the first time at the dance class two weeks ago.  I, on the other hand, am a Latin dancing fool, who misses her Sunday afternoon dancing frenzy very much.

The outdoor place filled up with Latinos from many different countries.  There were some gringos there who could dance, too.  Usually, Dolores and I are the only ones where we go dancing.  I missed listening to a live band; apparently around here, most of the Latin dance clubs employ DJs.

There were a lot of couples, and most folks were young.  I chatted up a couple of guys originally from Colombia, but when it came time to dance with them, they barely knew how to turn.  Turning is the most fun part of dancing!  I made the mistake of eating a juicy hamburger and fries there, so after, I didn't feel much like dancing.  Holly hit it off with a Puerto Rican guy and danced the whole time with him.  I met two women who love to dance and go to clubs most weekends.  Judith is a gringa and owns a big construction company, and Beatrice is from Chile and is self-employed.  We exchanged numbers, and hopefully we'll go clubbing together.