Wow! What a great adventure and a fun town!
A quick five day trip in a cute town
Sherry and I just got back from a long weekend in St Petersburg, Florida. It was our first time visiting, and we were motivated to plan the trip in order to attend her cousin’s wedding. We booked a VRBO in Gulport, an artsy shore town with access to the beach. The town was charming, but damaged by recent hurricanes Helen and Milton. We enjoyed live music every night, some good dining, and an arts festival and outdoor market that happened on Saturday.
Adding to the adventure
In order to add to the feeling of adventure, we rented a car from Turo for the first time. Turo is like the VRBO of cars, permitting drivers to rent directly from the owners. We ended up with a a BMW 1 series convertible, for about the same price we would have paid to Hertz. It was nice to have the top down, but there were trade-offs in the condition of the car.
Great experiences
The week was filled with new experiences including a visit to the wonderful Dali museum, visiting the (nearly) century old roadside attraction “Sunken Gardens” and the “Festival of Speed” car show on the last day.
Of course the wedding was one of the highlights. Sherry’s cousin Michael Married Hannah, and the ceremony was held at the Duncan McClellan Glass Art Gallery. It was great to re-connect with so many of her cousins, the bride and groom were beautiful, the speeches touching, and the weather was perfect.
A day trip to Lake Placid
Speaking of relatives, we also spent one day meeting Sherry’s Uncle Howard and his wife Helene in Lake Placid (the one in Florida, actually started by folks from the NY Lake Placid Ski club!). It was a two-hour drive each way for each of us (so a total of 8 hours of driving), but well worth reconnecting, and exploring the cute little town with beautiful lakes and more than 50 murals.
A highlight on the water
But the highlight of the trip for me was the opportunity to water-ski in the Boca Ciega nature preserve. Captain Allen had a great ski boat which we booked for a couple of hours. Although the water was rough and the winds brisk, I managed a good length ski in this very large bay. We were thrilled to be able to ride along for more than five minutes with a pair of dolphins who enjoyed playing in our wake. Allen also toured us around the area and we saw some beautiful homes, and many with significant storm damage.
It was a very nice five days!