Snowbirds Love to Meet, Eat and Drink!

There’s a lot more to travel than just seeing the sights of new places along the road less traveled. Don’t get me wrong, I love to explore, and although I’ve been around the block a few times, I have seen far too little of this great country of ours. Hopefully, Helen (adorable wife) and I can tow Gracey through a lot more of it before we settle in at the Relief Home for Old Soldiers and Sailors.

Of the many aspects of travel that appeal to me, I would put food and drink near the top. In fact, it might be at the top if I were honest about it. I love to eat, and I love to sample great wine. Furthermore, with the explosion of craft beer in this country, there is always something new to try in every place we visit. All of the food and drink experiences we shared on our snowbird tour added greatly to this journey.

Our next stop after we departed from the Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville was Melbourne, Florida, to spend two nights with my sister, LeAnn, and her husband, Marty. We were eager to arrive.  My sister is a lot of fun, and we always have a great time together. Marty is one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met, and I enjoy his company tremendously. Also, this would give us a chance to give Gracey some downtime while we slept in a real bedroom for a change.

We arrived late in the afternoon and spent the evening catching up over a lovely dinner prepared by my sister.  LeAnn and Marty own a large motorhome, so we spent much of the dinner talking RV and planning some future trips together.  It wasn’t long after dinner that I took advantage of my sister’s hospitality and checked out for the night…we had a full day of driving behind us. The next evening would give us a chance to sample the local culinary offerings and libations.

Before we left for dinner, my sister took the time to pull some Spanish Moss from her Live Oak tree.  We had promised to bring my mother some to use in flower decorations. There was no way my sister was going to disappoint our mother.  She filled a bag with the stuff, and it traveled with us for the remainder of the trip.

Hell N’ Blazes, a craft beer pub was a great place to begin an evening of local sampling. According to Marty, this pub was growing in popularity and always providing customers with new additions to its lengthy list of craft beer choices.  The waitress was very helpful in making our selections, and, being a lager fan, I came up with a four beer sampler that included such offerings as Spank Me Red, and Lights Out. Helen’s preferences tended toward the darker side and ordered a sampler that included Black Jack and Raspberry Beret. I can’t remember what LeAnn and Marty ordered, but they said they enjoyed them and they also posed for a picture with their selections.

After Hell N’ Blazes, we drove the short distance to The Dockside Grill for some seafood. This cozy restaurant seemed void of tourists and filled with local patrons which is always a good sign. Everyone was hungry and so much so that the food disappeared before I remembered to take pictures for Easin’ Along readers. I chose the special, and because it had been a popular selection for the evening, it arrived a little after the other meals. I was able to capture it on my camera. My choice was Blackened Snapper covered in a yellow pepper sauce with black beans and sweet plantains as side dishes.  It was magnificent. Everyone enjoyed their meal as much as I did. We owe much to LeAnn and Marty for a splendid stop on this trip.

The next day we towed Gracey across the state to Palm Harbor, Florida.  Our original reservation was for five days, but for some reason still not clear to me, two nights at Caladesi RV Park unexpectedly were canceled. Unfortunately, we could not find another place for Gracey and would leave after three nights. We still looked forward to our visit and the chance to meet up with my lifelong friend and college roommate, Jack, and his charming wife, Jewel for a day trip into the “Old Florida” town of Dunedin.  

Jack and Jewell came to the campground and took a tour of Gracey (didn’t take long) before we left for Dunedin and lunch at an open-air restaurant named The Living Room. Although I would have loved to sample the wine list and the Bloody Mary offerings in The Living Room, I passed since it was still early in the day. Jack and Jewell passed as well since it was an hour drive back to their home in Clearwater. We were there for lunch only, and it was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack chose the winner for the day with a scrumptious looking meal of Shrimp and Grits. The accompanying picture says much about his selection. Helen selected one of the many flatbread choices and picked a Seared Yellow Tuna Flatbread Grilled with tomatoes and onions. Jewell chose an Adriatic Fig Flatbread and, as you can tell from her picture, she was very happy with her selection. I settled for a Waygu Beef slider. Everything was incredible. We took a long walk after lunch, then drove back to Gracey for an afternoon of fun conversation talking about old times. It was all too soon when Jack and Jewell had to leave.

As mentioned above, these stops were not for sightseeing, but more about meeting friends and family, eating local foods and consuming interesting local drink selections. I can’t think of much else I had rather do–especially when we’re just Easin’ Along.