We left Springfield on the afternoon of Monday February 24th and I can’t tell you how awesome it was to get chauffeured by Kevin to the Springfield airport, ridiculously easy security with no line, and the plane was on time. I only want to fly out of Springfield from now on, except that the only place I’d be able to get a direct flight is to the Punta Gorda FL airport.
It was amusing to me that when we got off the plane in the evening it was drizzly and a bit chilly and we had to deplane onto the runway. No ramps in Punta Gorda, and we weren’t greeted by any Florida sunshine. But I knew that the rest of the time it was going to be warm and sunny, so no bother.
Fast and easy to get a rental car; I still have flashbacks of selecting “Manager’s Choice” the last time Mom and I went to Florida and being handed the keys to an electric car. The car was great, the only small problem being that there were almost no charging stations.
I wasted an entire morning on that short trip trying to figure out the car and finally realizing that we were screwed. I was finally able to trade it for a tiny little something, but at least I could fill it with gas. But that was a couple of years ago, this time, everything was grand.
We sat on the spacious lanai of our large and lovely Air B&B; I’d picked one that was a six minute walk to the beach, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was so big that several people could have prepared grand meals at the same time in it.
Here’s Mom, enjoying a bloody mary and snacks after we stopped by a grocery store to stock up. I bought myself a bottle of non-alcohol Zinfandel and pretended it was the real thing.
It was barely drizzling when we headed over to Pop’s Sunset Grill, a popular restaurant that was only a five minute walk from our place so I convinced Mom that it would be easy, and it was.
The place was pretty deserted because of the inclement weather, and the food was delicious. It was right on the causeway and we’d have had a great view of the water if it hadn’t been dark.
Mom enjoyed just the first of many pieces of key lime pie she had during our stay; it’s her favorite and her birthday was the 26th, so party party party!
During dinner the wind picked up and rain pounded against the windows, and there was plenty of thunder and lightning. Oh boy, I hadn’t even thought of taking an umbrella that I’d found in a drawer at our place.
When we stepped outside I realized that the umbrella would have turned inside out because it was so windy. A one-armed man was chatting with a parking attendant and he joined us on our walk. He’d had quite a few cocktails, and was so friendly and polite. He said he was a lineman but now he has a big motor home that he travels all around in. It was parked in the gigantic restaurant overflow parking lot, and after he bid us farewell it was only a minute to our place. We survived he storm, but my hair puffed up like crazy. I forgot that it did that in the Florida humidity.
I was exhausted from our busy travel day and happy to stretch out on my big bed. I love my kitties so much but I have to admit that It was kind of nice to not be wakened by some cat meowing or climbing on top of me in the middle of the night.
The next morning the sun was shining and it was time for a run on the breach, one of my favorite things. So many pictures to come…
Ok then,
Mrs. St. Patrick’s Day but I’m wearing all black Hughes.