Home

Well, we're back from Florida and it's back to the normal world. There's school tomorrow. There's work tomorrow. The morning will come as a shock to our systems. Since this was our return trip to Largo, we were pretty familiar with the area and everywhere we went seemed far less exotic. I was less impressed with everything in general (the weather, the beach, the local color), and far less able to see myself living there. Now that we're back in Colorado the weather is mild and 50 degrees. I'm sure the next cold, snowy, icy day I'll be cursing life here and wishing I was back eating grouper sandwiches and watching the intercoastal for dolphins. Until next year then.

Magic Kingdom

Yeah, we did the obvious tourist thing. It had to be done.

The place was pretty packed with foreign tourists still lingering from New Year's day, and the lines were as long and annoying as you might expect from this sort of thing. But we're not house of mouse cynics so we soldiered on. The kid of the household got mouse ears and rode the Small World and that's all that's really necessary. The kid of the household had a good day, and fell asleep in the car with her ears still on her head.

Itinerary:

• Steamboat
  
• Main Street USA
• Cinderella Castle
• Fantasyland
  
• Small World
• Ice Cream
  
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mickey Mouse Ears
• Tea Cups
  
• Tomorrowland
• People Mover
• Carousel of Progress
  
• Character Parade
• Late Lunch
• Adventureland
  
• Jungle Cruise
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Frontierland
  
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Main Street USA
  
• Light Parade
• Fireworks
• Monorail
  

Didn't see as much as last year but no one was really disappointed.

Ybor City

After another afternoon at the (cold, cold) beach, we ventured down to Ybor City in old Tampa. Ybor was once the center of the cigar industry, but it's now a party zone for local hipsters and dufusses. I preferred the look of this Irish pub.

Barnacle Billy's

Had dinner at Crabby Bill's and ate a steamer bucket (shrimp, crab legs, oysters, clams). Hurray for fresh seafood.

Went over to Clearwater Beach and watched the sunset on the pier. Out of all the beaches we've been to this one had the biggest party atmosphere and the most people under the age of eighty.

There was a street performer with a monkey. You gave the monkey a quarter and the monkey smiled. It was kinda creepy and probably the lamest way to make a living I've ever seen. But I think a collection of T-shirts that read "Give The Monkey A Quarter" might catch on.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Yesterday was Clearwater Beach and the Clearwater Aquarium.

This place was actually pretty interesting. Instead of being an ordinary aquarium, it's really a rescue and rehabilitation center for injured and endangered animals like sea turtles, dolphins, otters, manatees, and so on.

Their claim to fame is a dolphin called Winter that lost its tail to a crab trap. Since then, Winter has taught herself to swim using an unnatural side-to-side motion. The aquarium has also been working with Hangar prosthetics to create a sophisticated artificial tail for her. I was impressed.