My birthday had come and passed without notice, not even by the calendar makers, and since Suzanne was in Florida, I decided to fly down to visit Dick and Fran and meet up with her. We went to the train station in Tampa to meet her bus
and enjoyed the station outside
and inside saw an ad for Gram's place
along with a proclamation for the centennial of the station
as we went to explore the area where the bus would arrive
complete with baggage
and numerous benches, none of which quite got the whole story
but we did see these bumpers stickers for trains and Jimmy, ...
plus this closeup of a very real thought (the NARP people get a 10% discount on Amtrak)
as the bus finally pulled up
and Suzanne got off
but there was still time to explore the memorabilia
before we headed to the largest RV area (perhaps largest on earth)
and the nearby Cracker Barrel where we often find ourselves eating when in Tampa, but nowhere else.
They were nice enough to warn us about the locals
as we made our way
inside to admire the signs
and then get our food in full force
and after eating, I gathered this sign for the collection of same.
Next we headed into town where we found a parking place
and headed to the Arts Fair where dick posed with these friends.
The birthday celebration happened at dinner where this was my main course
Dick's
and Suzanne's
before the dessert extravaganza complete with birthday candle
as Dick and Fran posed before his was blown out
and then he worked to put the candle out
with success
and so Suzanne and I posed with my candle lit
and I blew mine out
before we returned to their building and greeted the doorman.
The next day began with coffee at the Oxford Exchange
followed by these main courses
and accompaniments
before my pancakes arrived
and the french fries posed for a photo
along with the tea package
and this book in which the check came.
Curiously, we encountered the book later but not in its Swedish version.
The bathroom was remarkable in an Escher way and so I captured some images
along with the signs on the outside.
Our next stop was the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg where Fran's friend gave us a wonderful tour
after we had admired the architecture
and then went outside to see this Dali-esque bench
and admire the building from the outside
including this tree filled with wristbands
and the fountain of youth
before we made our way to the airport for our JetBlue (they still serve snacks) flight home.
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and enjoyed the station outside
and inside saw an ad for Gram's place
along with a proclamation for the centennial of the station
as we went to explore the area where the bus would arrive
complete with baggage
and numerous benches, none of which quite got the whole story
but we did see these bumpers stickers for trains and Jimmy, ...
plus this closeup of a very real thought (the NARP people get a 10% discount on Amtrak)
as the bus finally pulled up
and Suzanne got off
but there was still time to explore the memorabilia
before we headed to the largest RV area (perhaps largest on earth)
and the nearby Cracker Barrel where we often find ourselves eating when in Tampa, but nowhere else.
They were nice enough to warn us about the locals
as we made our way
inside to admire the signs
and then get our food in full force
