The Sunshine State - part 2

Florida - part 2

(Sightseeing, seeing friends and relatives)

February 23, 2018 - March 15, 2018

I'm so far behind in this blog at this point that it's hard to see how I'll ever get caught up.  In the real world we are just about to head into North Carolina and here in the blog-o-sphere we're still in Florida.     I think the solution might be less jabbering by me so that's my plan. 

Trip to the Tampa area to see our friends Claudie and Linda in Safety Harbor.

Just finished drinks and pu pu's at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa.

The trip to Tampa also allowed me to visit some cousins I had never met before.

This is Helen, my first cousin once removed.  Below Helen is with her son Allen (my second cousin).

Delightful lunch with Helen, Allen and Cindy (one of Helen's daughters).

Another visit to a cousin I'd never met.  Forgot to get a picture of her!!!!  This is Bonnie from a family picture from long ago.  She and my father were 2nd cousins which makes us 2nd cousins once removed.  She made us a delicious lunch.  She is also a genealogist and shared some family pictures with me, allowing me to see some ancestors I'd never seen before.  That was very fun.

My great-great grandmother Almyra, and three of her daughters (Orenne, Hettie and Myra) - thus my great aunts.

Birth announcement for my father!

Trip to Tarpon Springs, north of Tampa with Claudie and Linda. 
Tarpon is a Greek Community and we had a wonderful Greek meal at a restaurant there.

Tarpon Springs has a large fleet of boats for fishing and retrieving sponges.   

Looking through some of the shops in Tarpon we came upon this interesting information and the products made from this unusual vegetable.

The shell of the Tagua nuts.

Tagua nuts in various forms of being polished along with a piece of jewelry made with Tagua nuts.
The nuts can also be stained in various colors (see square piece on the right). Sometimes the jewelry isn't so finely polished and the resulting pieces have dark veins like the three pieces at the top of this picture.  It's really interesting!