Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Us

 

Father and son across generations: Left: 1980. Right: today.

My kind of travel days generally move. Overall, I don't spend much time sitting in a hotel or wherever I am staying.

So, despite feeling less than 100%, we danced around the Tampa Bay area a bit.

Today was the day to visit Tarpon Springs, for instance.

For those who don't know, Tarpon (for short) is the home of the famed Sponge Docks which can often have the feeling of a Greek South of the Border. It's a tourist town with restaurants and shops, all around the sponge trade.

There are waterside tourist stores aplenty along with Greek restaurants and other delights that line Dodecanese Blvd.

Following our first Waffle House excursion of the trip, we made our way over to Tarpon Springs (after getting medicine so I could power through the pain in my head).

I had one idea, and that was to get a sweatshirt from Tarpon. Mission, I'm glad to say, accomplished.

OK, I had two ideas since I wanted to recreate the picture I took with my father in 1980 at the statue honoring sponge divers outside of the former Pappas Restaurant. Sean was willing to join me and Kris handled photographer duties. The comparison is at the top of the post.

To the north of Tarpon Springs sits Holiday and that's where my paternal grandparents lived beginning in 1963. Following my grandfather's marriage to his second wife, he and Edna (who I knew as my grandmother) relocated to Pasco County, FL.

Me, acting as "the Atlas" and "the Almanac" (I was called both today). easily found their old home. I think the house was sold in the early 2000s. There's just enough that I can still tell it was their house but, as happens, time moves on. The roof is no longer pink, for instance, though I suppose it was probably coral.

We also went to Gulf of Mexico at Fred Howard Park. That allowed Sean to get his hands in the water for the first time. We stayed just long enough to get the feel of the beach but, to be honest, it was fairly crowded for a Thursday afternoon.

We drove on, meandering past Innisbrook -- the resort that my grandparents were once members of. For the record, my grandfather didn't play golf (and didn't care about sports) but we did go there at least once a trip for a brunch that couldn't be beaten. 

More driving continued until we reached a comfortable restaurant in Treasure Island. It was exactly the kind of vibe I wanted with beverages, food, outdoor seating, and just a nice feel. Sitting just feet from the Gulf, I elected for some seafood with a fish sandwich. It was the right call.

Ice cream and strolling around nearby John's Pass was the right way to finish the day. Before our dessert, we walked across Gulf Blvd to visit Madeira Beach and watch the sun say good night. The stunning view, coupled with the opening and closing of the John's Pass draw bridge (I'm a geek) was pleasing.

Sean, finally, spoke up, as he stepped near the Gulf again. He admitted he wanted to go in the with more than his hands. We'll likely make that happen tomorrow.

There were moments when I just marveled at the fact this trip was happening. I stood outside after breakfast and glanced at the signs for Interstate 75 on the adjacent road. They spoke of Tampa and St. Petersburg and Ocala. These are places that have had a thread through many sojourns to this region and I was now getting to show it all to my son.

Time has begun to feel a bit tight as we missed the planned hockey game we were going to go to tonight but I do have baseball tickets for Saturday in Bradenton with the Yankees visiting the Pirates. I don't know how much other spring training we'll see but we'll figure all of that out.

Monday night will be here soon enough and we'll be heading back home.