17th Feb- Its all about getting to Miami

An early start as we have a two hour drive to Indian Shores and pick up the Hertz Rental car from Clearwater Beach area. The car collection was quick and we arrived at Adrians place at about 1100 in time for a cup of tea and some pancakes as its Shrove Tuesday yesterday, so one day late. We could not find the sackcloth and ashes for Ash Wednesday and pancakes seemed like a much better bet.
We left Indian Shores about 1230 and with a couple of stops en route for lunch and a comfort break we arrived on the outskirts of Miami just as the traffic was building and without our electronic Sat/Nav we relied on google maps but as usual they are not reliable and you cannot find the roads they say are there which delayed us by about 45 minutes. In the last twenty miles of arriving in to Miami we saw three serious car crashes with some upside down and inside out and more accidents than the rest of our seven weeks in the USA.
The Hotel is in Coconut Grove and is close to most places of interest but tonight we will have a quiet night with some food we purchased earlier.
So tomorrow we will have a light breakfast and finish our packing and head to a nice steak house for a longish lunch before hitting the Airport around 5 pm in time for our flight which leaves just before 8pm, we hope, presuming it hasn't got stuck in the snow in London ,that it.
So this is the last BLOG from this trip as tomorrow we shall be busy, see earlier comments, and when we get home we rush of to help our daughter move house.
We shall probably write in two weeks or so our thoughts on this last trip and so I say to all our readers.Have fun!!

16th Feb - The sun is back but a day to late

The sun is back but the car was covered in ice??? why is Florida so cold now, we understand that last year at the same time it was lovely and warm.
Our Hotel was not well chosen, the Hotel was fine but required us to back track a little and so we headed back South down to the Gulf Coast again to continue our slow winding trip back to Indian Shores.
We arrived at the Apalachee Bay area and looked at the brilliant white sand that dominates this coast and also the many houses where a viewing stage had been built on the roof and then headed east towards Perry a growing town where we arrived just in time fo a late lunch. We then continued down the I 19 past the Waccaaassa State Park and through the town of Inglis where significant road works are taking place and police everywhere looking for speeders in the 35 mph restricted area and we eventually arrived at Crystal River for the evening.
The trees en route are a lot more green than in North Western Florida and of course the other States we visited and also there has been a lot of rain recently.
There were still more signs to watch out for bears and also deer on the road but no signs to warn you about other drivers some of whom appears to have lost the will to live. One rather dark lady holding a phone in a huge 4x4 the size of Kingston Bridge pulled out from an intersection trying to complete a U turn and failed miserably and nearly drove us off the road. In our little Toyota Celica there was no choice but to slam on the brakes and hoot like mad which went completely unnoticed by the nice lady who's new name , as suggested by Noel, us unprintable in this column
We now have about two hours to go tomorrow morning to Clearwater where we pick up the hire car and then meet Adrian to drop of the Toyota and then drive the 285 miles to the Hotel in Miami. Could be a longish day what with the traffic around Clearwater and also we expect to arrive in Miami as people are leaving work and heading home but at least the weather is looking warmer there.

15 Feb- What happened to the sun?

We had decided to have an early start so that we could travel round the coast and take some photos of the towns recommended to us but when we awoke it was pouring with rain at around 0700. Umm. what to do.
So we had our morning cup of tea and then went for an early breakfast and hoped that the rain would stop in the interim but no it did not - shades of our visit to San Antonio.
We left Crestview and headed south to joined the 98 which runs from West to East along the water front sometimes. We took it quite slowly so that we could look at the places we went through but most of the time it was too wet to walk and certainly not fit to take photographs. After passing the absolutely huge Elgin Air Force Base where we did not see any aircraft we headed in to a place uniquely called Niceville and it was certainly quite a nice place. Then along the coast passing through Destin and through Blue Mountain beach on to Seaside and also Sea Grove beach. In Seaside and also the previous town all the houses seemed newly painted with brilliant colours from green to yellow to browns and pinks and many other colours which made the town look very attractive even in the rain.
We continued along the coast past East Walton and Panama City by which time the rain was beginning to ease off. There is another large Air Force Base at Tyndall and eventually stopped in Apalachicola which is an old fishing and cotton town but most of it seems to be under refurbishment. We pasted though several areas of forest where there were roadside signs warning of bears, we didn't expect that. We then passed the international time zone which added an hour before eventually arriving at our Hotel for the evening.
Tomorrow we continue our slow route South with the target of reaching our friends Adrian and Joyce in Indian Shores by lunchtime on Wednesday after picking up a hire car in Clearwater. We then plan to leave in the afternoon for Miami and hope to arrive not too late but as we expect to get mingled with evening traffic our arrival could be delayed. We have decided to have one night in Miami so as to get all the road miles under our belt and take a night and days rest before joining our flight back to London on Thursday night. We will have traveled perhaps over 3250 miles in a short space of time and could do with a day without travel.

14th Feb- Baton Rouge to Crestview Florida

What a beautiful morning it is, the sun is shining and blue sky is everywhere and not to cold either as we left the outskirts of Baton Rouge.
We rejoined Interstate I-10 and headed East past the road turning to New Orleans and in the direction of Mobile where we saw very briefly before entering a longish tunnel under the city lots of floats and people preparing for a parade which unfortunately we could not attend. On the roads through Louisiana and Mississippi you travel over miles and miles of swamps on causeways which go on as far as the eye can see. Along the road we saw a deer chewing on the grass and as you approach Biloxi there is sign after sign extolling the benefits of gambling in particular casinos with over 500 slot's which pay well? We also noticed that immediately we entered Florida the quality of the roads improved dramatically compared to Louisiana and Mississippi. The roads in Texas are also first class and beat Elmbridge Borough Council by miles
At one pm we stopped for a Subway lunch in a large truck stop and it was really quite an amazing place with saddlery being sold along with all types of clothes and the usual snack foods and also a place for the truck drivers to do the laundry,have a shower and an adult store across the road if they get lonely.
We finally arrived at the Hampton Inn at Crestview which is right by the freeway but the rooms are fine and also quiet. After a cup of tea we headed off to a place Jennifer had seen on the map called SKY RANCH and sure enough it was a housing estate with a small aircraft runway running through the middle of the houses. The houses had garages and also small aircraft hangers per lot. Not very attractive though.
Back to Crestview where we stopped a Publix supermarket and bought some food for tonight which we will eat in the room and also a bottle of Chardonnay which is chilling away in the bathroom sink covered in ice and water which we will enjoy on this Valentines Day.
Tomorrow we head of to the Gulf Coast for a day and half of checking out all the recommended sea side towns.
Just one thought though, whilst driving in the New Orleans area we saw cars painted with the words 'WHO DAT' which has become the nickname for the New Orleans Saints whilst another car said the Saints are World Champions, I think he means USA champions as no other country enters the series. Oh well some Americans still
think that the USA is the only country in the world !! As Monty Python would say 'SAY NO MORE'

13th Feb- Austin to Baton Rouge

Looking out through the window when we first awoke the car and grass was covered in frost???wow in Southern Texas this is not usual.
We left Georgetown at about 9.45 and headed in the direction of Austin and from there we followed the freeway to Houston and then on to Lake Charles and finally through La Fayette and we landed in Baton Rouge just before 6pm after having driven around 475 miles. It was a long day but we have planned it this way so that tomorrow will bring us close to the Florida Gulf beaches and we plan to visit some of the areas recommended by John and Denise and also our friends in Indian Shores.
We checked in to the Hampton Inn in Baton Rouge and went to the room and after Jennifer took off her shoes we realized that all the floors were soaking wet. So we then changed rooms and after a very necessary cup of tea headed off to a 'Chilli's Restaurant' next door for a light dinner and then back to the Hotel for a quiet evening. The US freeways are made of concrete and the roads in Louisiana are in a very poor condition with lots of bumps and lumps and it becomes quite tiring after a while. The restaurant was also very noisy and so a little light blogging and then some reading before turning of the light. In the meantime we have booked our next Hotel in Crestview FL at a good low price and this will enable us to spend a longish day looking around the coastal towns.

12th Feb- Its party time tonight

After a slowish start to the day we went out to do some shopping and arrived back at the house around 13.00 before a nice light lunch. Noel had developed a bad cold and so went to bed for a little light relaxation before the evening event began.
The small town of Georgetown was having what they call and 'Swirl' where many of the shops and restaurants and the local winemakers get together to put on an event. Basically there was about ten shops that you could visit and carry out some wine tasting and also taste some appetizers prepared by the local restaurants and all this took place in Book shops, Antique stores etc.
There appeared to be quite a lot of people on the route, we are not sure how many went but they did sell out of tickets a week ebefore the event.
We met some of John and Denise friends whilst also chatting to anybody we found and it was a great night
Back home and an early night for us all as we are leaving Georgetown on Satruday morning and heading back over several days to Miami.

11th Feb- Its raining cats and dogs

Not a nice day at all and it was pouring with rain and cold at the same time and snow, yes snow had been forecast in places in Texas. We left the Hotel and went back to Denny's with the intention of having breakfast but they were so busy due to a local conference and lacking kitchen staff we gave up waiting and left. Having walked around the riverwalk yesterday and none of it was under cover so we decided to give up San Antonio as a bad job and headed out of town in the direction of an old historic German town called Fredericksburg. It rained all the way up there but we stopped in a small town called Boare to visit a Wendy's for a lunch and then continued in the pouring rain untill we reached our destination. We arrived in Frdericksburg and walked around this attractive town which was started in 1845 by some German immigrants who had settled in the area and from there the town became a home ground for many German families which many still survive until today. There are a number of restaurants 'Rathause' and 'Beirkellers' and cake shoppe's and it would have been a very nice visit except for the poring rain. Noel took a few photos but the weather was not conducive for a photo shoot. We left there about 1430 and headed back to Georgetown where we arrived back around 1645 and then Jennifer started work on preparing the food for our Chinese Style meal of beef with oyster sauce and with onions and red peppers, Chicken with mushroom, a mixed bowl of vegetables with Bok Choy, beansprouts and snow peas and of course rice.Denise had purchased some spring rolls during her earlier shopping trip and so we all sat down for a lovely evening meal. Afterwords we watched the Blue Ray film The Dark Knight on Johns magnificent 82 inch LCD TV with surround sound. Its a real shame about the weather

10th Feb- Off to 'The Alamo'

It was a rather gray day as we left Georgetown Texas to visit San Antonio and also the famous 'Alamo'. The journey down the main highway from Austin to San Antonio is rather boring but with lots of shops and malls each side of the freeway for about 65 miles. We reached San Antonio about 1200 and decided to stop for lunch at a Denny's Restaurant before checking in at the La Contessa Hotel and handing the car over to the car jockey.
The Hotel room was very nice and with a view over some roadwork down to the River Walk which is one of San Antonio's best features as the river winds through the town their shops and bars and restaurants with gay throngs of people everywhere except today when it really is very cold indeed.
We walked down to the the famous 'Alamo' which is an old Spanish Mission where the Mexicans who outnumbered the Yanks were beaten heavily. I say Yanks as there were also German, Irish, English and several other nationalities involved with the taking of the Alamo. We took some photos, but not many as the sky was dark with clouds, and then headed off to the shopping mall to get warm but on the way we spotted a Chinese managed foot massage which we both enjoyed for about 40 minutes of so before then walking in to the Mall.
We walked around the Mall for while and decided to have an early dinner and we eventually chose 'Tony Roma's' for its ribs which are always very good.
Back to the Hotel along the river banks and the bars and restaurants were virtually empty and we watched Tv for a while before retiring for the night.

9th Feb- What a food store this is

Not wishing to travel to far on this possible wet day we decided to go downtown Austin and visit a store called Central Market which Denise had recommended we should take a look at.
This store is amazing and when we thought that Whole Foods was amazing boy this place knocks it in to a cocked hat, as we Brit's say. The size of this pure food store and the major choice of all types of foods from cheese to wine and meat to olives beggars belief and it is very hard to take it all in.
After a long look round the store which took about 90 minutes we went to the food takeaway area and Jen and I had soup and shared some Sushi which was really great. After lunch we headed back in to the main part of the shop to purchase some stuff as we are planning to cook John and Denise some Chinese style food on Thursday when we get back from San Antonio.
In the evening we watched a silly film called couples whic was quite funny really and we all enjoyed it.
Then for an early night as we leave for San Antonio tomorrow to see the sights including the Alamo.

8th Feb- Oh for the NHS

As I may have mentioned in earlier blogs Noel was suffering a little bit with a health problem and a visit to the medical profession was arranged in the nearby town of Red Rock. A fifteen minute session with a specialist cost £ 110.00 and the prescribed pills (30 in the packet) cost £ 350.00. ouch..
But I guess at that price they must be good so lets wait and see.
We then headed off for lunch in a restaurant chain called Chilli's where we enjoyed shrimp and salads and the food was very good indeed. Then off to the IMAX theater
in Austin which was showing a newish film called 'AVATAR' in 3D and of course on a large screen was most impressive. The film was about good against evil and contained excellent graphics and no wonder its the top earning film worldwide.
In the evening we watched the fil 'Moulon Rouge' before heading off to bed after sinking a few more pills. At £ 12.00 a pill they will be difficult to swallow and so 'Oh for the NHS' which could make a fortune in this country.

7th Feb- Its Superbowl day

A grayish start to the day and later in the afternoon there is the world famous Superbowl game which will take place in Miami between Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints who are the underdogs.
Neighbours of John and Denise had invited us all over for the game with a bunch of other people and we would have gone only John was suffering badly with an allergy and decided not to attend and so Noel stayed behind to watch the game whilst the ladies toddled off to the party.
The pre-game stuff started on Saturday and by Sunday it was reaching fever pitch and with pregame bands and cheerleaders et al. The game finally started at around 5.30 pm and consists of four quarters of 15 minutes each and what with time outs, changing the players every few minutes and a half time which lasted almost 40 minutes and included and excellent performance from 'The Who' the game finally finished at around 9.30 with the New Orleans Saints winning by a good margin. The cameras cut to New Orleans and we watched the celebrations on Bourbon Street and I bet that was a fun night as this is the first time in 45 years that the Saints have got anywhere near the Superbowl and to win it was great.
After a little more TV off to bed.

Feb 6th- A day and evening out in Austin, Texas

It was a bright sunny morning when we awoke this morning and after a nice easy breakfast we went for a walk around this new estate where the houses are very large and the cost is very low compared to UK prices. Johns house has about 2 acres of land and also has a great view over the valley. We headed in to town to visit the Texas State Senate Building which is a beautiful building and from the outside looks a bit like St Paul's Cathedral in London. We had decided to join and organized tour and when the tour guide arrived she was Jamaican or similar and she obviously had a feeling of power in this job and over the next 30 minutes of so most of us walked away and did our own tour. This was a bit of a shame but they should really get the right people to do this. A walk through the main streets of Austin following and we entered The Driscoll Hotel which was built in 1886 and again is a gorgeous old building. We all had coffee and cake before continuing our walk around. We had originally discussed going to a country and western music concert but then John decided that we might enjoy a local Theater which is rather unique. More of that to come. For dinner we decided that a light meal was best and so we went to a well known and highly recommended steakhouse but had starters and wine sitting at hi8gh topped tables and the food was excellent. From there we went on to see the show called 'Esther's Follies' and funny vaudeville type production and it was so, so funny and we have not laughed for so long as we did at this production. It is a very fast paced show with political and sexual references and an amazing magician. To add to the fun the backdrop of the stage is the road and pavement outside and during the show the cast go outside carry on the show on the road outside. It was absolutely hilarious and perhaps we may go again if we get some time this week. More information on this troupe is available at
http://www.esthersfollies.com/

and also to see some more look at

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Esthers+follies&search_type=&aq=f

If you ever visit Austin this is the place to go. On leaving the theatre i suggested to the director that they should bring their show to the Edinburgh Festival where it would go down a storm.
Then back home and still laughing all the way until bedtime..What a great day and night.

Feb 5th- On our way to Austin

The rain had stopped before we left the Hotel on the west side of Houston and with the last 190 miles to go to get to Austin. It was mostly flat boring freeway and similar type roads but the closer we got to Austin the scenerey began to improve with a few hills.
Our plan was to do some shopping en route to by some wine and chocolates before arriving at our friends house John and Denise who live in Georgetown and very nice suburb of Austin. We arrived around three pm and spent the rest of the afternoon catching up before heading off to the Oasis Restaurant which overlooks Lake Travis.
There are beautiful views from the bar with some lovely houses and we watched the sun go down and took some photos.
We had a couple of drinks and some pre-dinner snacks before heading off to a Mexican Restaurant for dinner. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was very bright as it was Friday night.
A very good day indeed.

4th Feb- Where did all this rain come from?

When we awoke this morning it looked liked it had been raining overnight but had since stopped, we thought, only at about 0900 hrs, just as we left the Hotel in New Orleans the heavens opened and deposited the Pacific Ocean on heads. It was torrential rain for about five hours during which time we drove a little slower than usual for safety reasons. We were surprised at the number of vehicles that did not have head or sidelights on in this very murky condition. Stupid actually.
We drove on the freeway via Baton Rouge and then Lafayette to Lake Charles and stayed on the I-10 pretty much all of the way.
We stopped for petrol somewhere near Lake Charles when trying to find something pleasant to eat but due lack of choice ended up at Burger king for our second Hamburger of the last week. We then continued driving in the rain until about 3pm it started to ease off and it eventually stopped when we reached the outskirts of Houston. You could hardly see the skyscrapers as they were covered in mist from about the 10th floor up.
Our Hampton Hotel is slightly west of Houston and we arrived there around 5pm, much later than originally planned and initially they could not find our reservation. I produced the written evidence and then discovered that the previous Hotels computer had somehow changed our arrival date and that we should have arrived yesterday. The Hotel receptionist was very kind and changed it to tonight and we were fine.
Next to the Hotel is a restaurant chain called i-Hop, we have not tried it before but the food was much better than expected and we will use this chain again.
A little light breading before bed me thinks. No photos today as absolutely pointless in these weather conditions.
On the bright side we understand that Austin weather will be sunny and bright this weekend.

3rd Feb- Day two in New Orleans

It was a little gray outside when we awoke and much colder than yesterday as we headed of for breakfast outside the Hotel. We really dont want to pay $20.00 each for breakfast when down the road you can get three breakfasts for the same price. So following a good hearty breakfast and enough for a king we started walking in a different part of town than we did yesterday.
Our Hotel
We walked down to the local Tourist Information Office and discovered information about New Orleans that neither of us learn't in our history lessons when we were a little younger about the Brits invading New Orleans and then beaten back by the Americans. Not good ay, although for some reason there is a statue of Sir Winston Churchill being displayed here.
We purchased an all day tram ticket and then went along the waterfront route to the French Market, which is basically a flea market where we wandered around for a while and took some photos.
We walked back from where we came from earlier and went to see what film was showing at the Imax Cinema and it was a film called 'Hurricane Bayou' and was based upon the history of the Louisiana wetlands and how after many years it had became less effective after mans influence and this enabled the Hurricane Katrina to be more dangerous.
As we left the Imax the Paddle Steamer was using its steam to play tunes, most impressive.
After the film we took the tram up Canal Street until we reached the Museum and then waited for it to turn around and head on back to the hotel for a self made cup of tea.
We left the hotel around 6.15 with a plan to visit a newly opened Japanese Sushi Restaurant but as there were no other guests we changed our mind and went to an Italian place called Domenica's and the food was really excellent and not to expensive. In the meantime it started to rain and although we did a quick walk down to Bourbon street, the nightlife area, it also was very quiet and so we headed back to the Hotel where the film crews were setting up for filing in and around the Hotel.
During our walks today we noticed that there are still many office blocks and shops where the storm damage has not been repaired, and perhaps never will.
Then an early night is called for as we have about 375 miles to drive to near Houston in Texas tomorrow and this will take a few hours.


A car dressed up with multiple air horns

2nd Feb- Boy what a day!!

We awoke to really bright sun which was promised for the rest of the day with a high of around 17 degrees Centigrade which is a nice temperature when touring. We left the Hotel after a non exciting breakfast at about 9 am and headed of to the gas (petrol) station before heading off on route 10 to New Orleans. On this route we actually went through four separate states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana all of which have waterfront views. The route took us past Biloxi which is a rather rotten looking town which seems to rely on gambling for life as there are casino's everywhere offering 'Slots' and 'Blackjack' and free dinners and drinks etc.

We then returned to the main I-10 where we stopped at the Mississippi State tourist rest area where we obtained a free coffee. About ninety minutes later we came to another rest area just inside the Louisiana border where we stopped for our cheese and biscuit lunch right by a NASA Lunar Module which happened to be in the car park. Then on to New Orleans where there are still some signs of the Hurricane Katrina in evidence with some damaged housing. Our Hotel in New Orleans had been booked on the HOTWIRE site. On this site you choose the city and a grade of Hotel that you wish to book. You do not know which hotel it is until you finish the booking but the rates are quite cheap and you just hope that the hotel is OK. Although we have not used this booking service before we thought we would give it a go. The Hotel that we are booked into is the Le Pavillion Hotel which is an old Historic Building in the business district but only ten minutes walk from the main tourist area. We arrived at the Hotel and there were film trucks everywhere which made it difficult for us to find the Hotel entrance and the car park but eventually all was well. The Hotel is great, a five start Hotel for $70.00 per night. Hotwire is good.

After checking in to the Hotel we went for a walk down to Bourbon Street and also the French Quarter where Noel took many photos and after walking around for about two hours we went into a bar for a couple of Sam Adams beers which were very good. After a decent rest we thought we would eat sparingly and while restaurant hunting we came across a nice looking steak house where the menu outside looked like good value and so in we went. There seemed to be service staff everywhere and we sat down at our table and then realised that the menu outside was the much cheaper lunch menu. Oh well in for a dollar....as they say. Jen had the crab cakes for starters and Noel had the Gulf bay prawns both of which were fantastic, then we both had the prime rib which was absolutely wonderful. As we departed the restaurant called Dickie Brennan Steakhouse we discovered that it was listed as in the Top 10 American Steakhouse list. We agree. We then walked back through the nightlife areas where the air was quite thick with the smell of marijuana, that sweet smelling tobacco, before arriving back at the Hotel where there seemed to be so many people waiting around by the film trucks. We then enquired and discovered that Nicholas cage was inside the Hotel shooting a thriller and we had to wait outside until they called 'Cut'. Inside we went and I tried to take a photo of him but the crew were stopping photos and the one that I took was no good.

Back to the room to do the photos and an early night.

Boy what a day!!

1st Feb- To Pensacola and the National Naval Aviation Musuem

It was a bit gray when we left Tallahasse and we drove thro the main part of town and past the State Capitol Building which was quite nice except they had built the new State Capitol Building a 25 story monster right behind it and the effect was not good. Tallahassee is not worth visiting from our perspective and for us was a suitable stopover only.
We drove the almost 200 miles to Pensacola and went past the absolutely bloody enormous Elgin Air Force base which must take up at least the size of Wales before arriving in Pensacola and on to the National Naval Aviation Museum which is located opposite the Naval Air Station. This place was a complete surprise compared to our expectations and the layout and the content was really second to none and although we spent almost four hours here we could have spent the complete day. We watched a very good film in the Imax Theater called 'fighter pilot' which followed, for a short while, the training of a huge group of military pilots from Germany, Italy, Canada and United Kingdom in Nevada and there was about 180 aircraft of all types and with all support crews there must have been several thousand people involved. The cost of putting on this training for two weeks could have built about a 100 quite large hospitals.Makes you think.
Anyway we left there about 5pm and headed off to the Hampton Inn in downtown Pensacola where we arrived just before 6pm. We had originally planned to visit the local cinema but then discovered that the mall where we assumed we could get some fast food prior to the cinema had just about closed and the films showing in the cinema were not to our taste.
So we went to 'Charlie Restaurant; and had excellent baby back ribs and salad and a glass of Chardonnay before heading back to the Hotel to catch up with the Blog and sorting out the photos for the web.
We would highly recommend and visit to the Museum and see the link below for more details
http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/

31st Jan- We are off to Tallahasse

After and early start we left Sarasota and headed up the freeway via Tampa, Orica and in to Tallahassee at about 4 pm. We used the freeway all of the way but stopped off to purchase lunch at Burger king, our first fast food and Burger since arriving here. We filled up the car with fuel and then drove in the light traffic on the wide freeways to our destination where we arrived around 4 pm and checked in to the Hampton Inn.
As it was still light we headed downtown but quite frankly there was not to much to see as everything closes early on a Sunday night and no restaurants were open that we could see. And so we headed back towards the Hotel and stopped at the Olove Garden Italian Restaurant but there was approx an hours waiting and so we moved on went to the Applebie's Restaurant where we had a good dinner and a couple of glasses of Chardonnay before heading back to the Hotel to watch the TV and or read.
Tomorrow we head off to Pensacola and we have more time so perhaps can stop and take photos and also there is a Aviation Museum there which might be interesting. Anyway off for a shower.

30th Jan- Time to start packing up

Well we leave the house tomorrow and so we spent the morning re organizing suitcases and having a general clear up of our things.
It started to rain in the afternoon as we watched the Gasparilla Pirate Parade and for more info go to the following link which explains all.
http://gasparillapiratefest.com/history.shtml
Unfortunately it rained during the parade which is shame for all those who gave their time as a lot of effort had gone in to the parade floats etc.
Anyway we watched this for about an hour or so and then had a little afternoon kip before getting our ourselves ready for our last dinner at Sarasota. Tonight we enjoyed the last of the large Costco steaks and we both agreed that it was the best steak we have had for some time.
The rest of the evening was spent reading before hitting the sack early so as to be ready for an early start.

29th Jan- The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

The weather was not as nice as it was yesterday but we had decided to visit the Botanical Gardens before we leave Sarasota this coming Sunday.

The gardens were started by a very rich oil man in the 1930's a Mr William Selby and his wife Marie who had previously lived up the mid west of America before deciding that the sun and warmth of Sarasota was for them. Sarasota is not so far south so as to suffer from the increased number of mosquito's that abound further South, where it is mainly alligator country with many stagnant pools.

The garden is about 7 acres in size and during the many years the house was owned by the Selby family they arranged and purchased plant species from abroad and particularly those that were previously unknown in the USA. There is a huge selection of different plants from Bonsai trees to Banyan trees and a really amazing Fig tree where the roots stay on the surface to provide extra strength to hold up the tree. The garden frontage is situated on the Sarasota bay and to one side there is a small creek with some rather old and Colonial type houses plus some more modern ones. There is a lot of money in this town and it shows when you tour some of the smaller side roads with the houses having direct water frontage. The gardens have a very nice water garden filled with some amazing Koi fish with skin colours that I have not seen before, boy was I jealous.

There were many locations where you could just sit and listen to the birds and we also watched a pair of Ospreys flying around perhaps building a nest and also a pelican and heron fishing in the bay. It was an enjoyable visit although for $ 17.00 per adult it was not cheap when you consider that the Ringling gardens are free to visit. However the Botanical gardens do a lot of conservation and research which does not come cheap.

In the afternoon we caught up with some emails and arranged hotels in Pensacola, Florida and also New Orleans, Louisiana as they are on our route to Austin, Texas. We also have to make one more hotel reservation between New Orleans and Austin but nothing has been decided yet.

After collecting a prescription from the chemist we headed home and for dinner this evening Jennifer prepared stir fried pork with onions and red peppers with sliced cabbage on a bed of white rice. Absolutely delicious! Noel transferred the photos from today's visit and got them ready for upload to our Phanfare web site but there is a delay as the amount of time we spend at internet cafes does not allow sufficient time for the photos to be uploaded on a slow wifi connection. Once we get to the Hotel this Sunday night and with a direct internet connection we hope to update the photo web site then.

I hope Mr Twitty Blair got a hard time at the Iraq Enquiry today but I will have to wait till get home to see it, providing it is still on the web.

Tomorrow we start packing up as we leave here early Sunday morning for a six hour drive to Tallahasse.