Lake Louisa State Park would remind you of the Irish Hills
up in lower central Michigan with it’s rolling hills and beautiful lakes. The
well-groomed roadsides held back the thick foliage but still gave peeks of the
lakes nestled down in the valleys. This
is a campground I will be happy to revisit in the future! The real reason we stopped for the night at
this park is because our beloved Rockwood has been traded in for a new trailer. Since the Rockwood’s problem was not going
to get solved, H bit the bullet and chose to replace it. This park was the closest to the
dealership. That and we’d not been to
this state park before - - so there is a new patch for my jacket! We took advantage of the afternoon to get
boxes emptied and things semi settled in our new winter home.
EG Simmons means Ospreys!
Their penthouse nests, made of sticks and moss, are even higher than all
the utility poles that line each roadway.
Almost every one had at least one large black and white bird taking up
residence and glaring down at us each time we passed below. EG Simmons is one of our “must do”
campgrounds on our annual rounds of Florida.
Since the new trailer also has a large picture window in the back, we
still could look out thru the mangroves and the dark salty water that hid
behind them. Each morning a pair of
Yellow Crowned Night Herons stalked along the edges looking for tiny little
crabs that hid in the muck and sand.
Our bike rides took us from one view of beautiful Tampa Bay to
another. Along the way were open
areas where fishermen dotted the shore.
Thru one opening you could see one of the white sand lined peninsulas
where horseshoe crab shells end up and across the way, one of the many fishing
docks.
On this stay in Ruskin, we ventured up the coast to Tarpon
Springs again. The last time involved
the Greek Ceremony of Epiphany where the priest throws a gold cross out into
the water and the hoard of teen boys dive in and grab for the sunken cross. This time we went hunting for the famed
sponge docks! The streets bordering the
docks were lined with small shops that sold souvenirs and local sponges. The docks were lined with colorful boats
laden with strings of drying sponges and across the way, large commercial fishing
boats. We even ate at the same Bayou
Café that we ate at on our last visit.
On our way back home we drove all the way down Alt 19 to the Skyway
Bridge, which is Florida’s version of the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge that connects
the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
The wind was strong as we approached and H noticed all the brightly
colored kite board sails flying back and forth across the open water. Of course we HAD to stop and watch. Those kites that were not flying were lined
up on the beach like a field of bright tulips in a flowerbed.
One of H’s high school classmates, (another) Bud and his
wife Nancy, live in a lovely gated community about a mile from the campground
so we spent some fun time with them.
The Red Barn Flea Market down in Bradenton was one day’s venture. Nancy and I even got to spend a girl’s day
out for lunch and shopping! One
afternoon, the four of us climbed into B’s truck and drove up around the bay
thru Tampa and Clearwater and out over the causeway bridge to Clearwater Beach
to watch the sunset from the fishing pier there. Each afternoon, vendors lined the pier with their booths of
crafts and trinkets. The sea wind was
strong so large multi colored patio umbrellas hugged the backside of the
railing to protect the folks and their wares.
Out on the pier was a large dolphin that was painted with a
mermaid. (Ocala has horses – and
Clearwater Beach has dolphins!) In the
park at the base of the pier was a plethora of various street entertainers – a
juggler with a stunt dog, acrobats, a magician and even a pirate who chatted
with all the kids and allowed the parents to take pictures. This guy really looked like Capt Jack
Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean! 
As
the sun started to spread its golden glow across the horizon, a pirate ship (an
evening dinner cruise) appeared and crossed in front of the sinking orb, slowly
cruising back and forth until that bright orb finally sank into the sea. Gold changed to coral and then pink and
bounced off the lingering clouds and jet streams that formed a tic tac toe grid
in the sky.