Because Vincent wanted to get gifts for his family that were typical of Florida, Kelly suggested Downtown Disney. Great choice!
Vincent has a cousin who is mad about Legos. We took some pictures here for him.
It was fun to take pictures of Vincent, taking pictures. This is his first experience in the United States, so I'm hoping he doesn't think the rest of the nation is like Disney, or even Florida, for that matter!
I may have to come back for these:
When we stepped out of the Irish store, Himself and I noticed ominous clouds. We told the gang that we'd better find a store we'd like to be stuck in, because we were about to get wet.
Unfortunately, we had wandered past most of the stores and were in the restaurant/club area of DTDisney. We were already beginning to feel some drops.
To get out of the rain, we stepped into Bongos, a Cuban restaurant. The minute we did, the sky let loose! Vincent had never seen such rain and grabbed his camera to take pictures. Reminds me of us, our first day in Florida, eleven years ago!
We ordered plantains with mojoito sauce and some papas fritas. This was also our first awareness of the MJ Memorial service. Sometimes it's as if we're in a cave because of our lack of TV! Still, we weren't missing much. Himself, knowing he had more driving to do, had the foresight to order a Cuban coffe.
After the storm, Vincent picked out a gift for his adorable niece and we decided to move on to the next thing. We wanted to head to the West Coast, and Kelly thought it would be fun to check out Tarpon Springs and a certain restaurant there.
A little road weary, we soon gave in to the soothing lull of the engine and the radio.
Kelly snapped pictures of all of us while we slept on the long drive. However, I'm the one in control of what goes on the blog! (heh heh)
We were so surprised that Kelly was able to remember this restaurant.
We're so glad she did! At Tarpon Springs there are a half-dozen Greek restaurants. This one was wonderfully tacky and gaudy. The food portions were huge and delicious. We knew it would be good because of the Greeks who were eating there!
We try not to buy corny stuff that will end up in a drawer, but it's perfectly acceptable to take a photo of it and share the joke! This one was for Ty:
Actual sponges on an actual boat at Tarpon Springs, home of the sponge industry!
Why is the word "live" in quotations?
Is it alive or not? Is it dead? Or, is it only mostly dead?
Vincent wasn't the only one snapping pictures. We had never seen boat storage like this.
We tried to go to Howard Park to swim and catch the sunset. Because of construction, the only water access had "DANGER" signs posted, and any sunset was blocked by trees! Across to the south, we could see a small island and some activity there, so we decided to head over that way.
Turns out this was the aptly named Sunset Beach, and there were about 5 kite surfers there!
The only way to surf in the gulf is with a little boost - no waves!
The kite surfers were setting up. These were so huge, but they were so light that one person could handle them easily. A little boy had one up in the air and we thought it was going to drag him all over the beach! (It didn't.)
It was so pleasant outside! I think we were all glad not to be moving.
Hmmm. . . are those clouds in the distance headed our way, or away from us?
Vincent at Sunset Beach.
Vincent put his feet into the gulf to see the difference from the chilly Atlantic this morning to the warm Gulf of Mexico.
Right after I snapped this photo, it happened.
Next: Can't get a break!
