Καλός (Translation: Good, as in "A Good Day")

 

The view from the Courtney Campbell Causeway (Fl SR 60)
between Clearwater and Tampa

Today was a happy day.

Aren't those nice words to read?

They're nice to write as well.

Family, food, laughter, walking, great views, shopping, nostalgia.

Does that hit everything? Perhaps.

Waffle House started the day because you bet it did.

I mean, today was day three of our trip and it was the first time we had strolled into the place more commonly known as heaven.

Breakfast on the first two days was spoken for and we just didn't go at any other time of day. I suspected we wouldn't go until this morning and I wasn't bothered by it.

The All-Star Special was as spectacular as always, even as we juggled the plates on the table for space.

We pulled ourselves together and went to Tarpon Springs too.

I've written about Tarpon numerous times. Founded in 1876, it saw the rise of sponge diving and became the home to the largest percentage of Greek Americans in the U.S. for a single city.

The St. Nicholas Boat Line began offering tours as a chance to learn about the sponge industry in 1924. As the 20th Century moved along, shops opened along Dodecanese Blvd. offering sponges and more.

Eventually, that grew into myriad gift shops with plenty of Tarpon Springs-related items.

Junk? Sure. I mean, I'm not naive about these things. But great also.

Last year, I came away with a hoodie. I added a long-sleeve t-shirt today. I mean, how could I say no to a $5 shirt?

But more than trinkets and other bric-a-brac, Tarpon Springs is alive with other shops of interest as well as restaurants and bars. Sean specifically wanted to go to Hellas Restaurant and Bakery, with emphasis on the "bakery."

Opened in 1985, Hellas offers authentic Greek dishes as well as plenty of baked goods. In my case, it was caramel cheesecake and it was delicious.

The time in Tarpon Springs at the Sponge Docks can stretch from minutes to hours depending on interest and pace. For us, it was a few hours.

For me, it's always a return to being a little kid, looking for goodies while walking around with my parents. There's the nostalgic part of all of this.

However, for those who wondered, we did not go to the statue of the Greek fisherman outside of the restaurant that used to be outside of Pappas' Riverside at the corner of Dodecanese Blvd. and Alt. U.S. 19. Well, let me amend that. We did walk by the statue, but we did not update the picture that Sean and I took there last year, which itself was an update of a picture of my father and me from 1980. We don't need to take a new picture every year.

This day was in my wheelhouse, and we had dinner plans that allowed me to watch as we drove past areas that I'm quite familiar with as well along U.S. 19.

Oh, things have changed, no question, but there's still a familiarity to all of it, conjuring memories of vacations from a generation ago.

A happy day ended with dinner next to the Manatee River with more family before we made our way back to our accommodations for the week.

With any luck, it will lead to a good night's sleep.

Back in Connecticut, we know our home and Rascal are in good hands. That means a lot to both of us.

More happy days await.