Thursday and Friday

 

We took Toby downtown to pick up some fresh fish for dinner at Jensen's Seafood Thursday afternoon.

We stopped in Highlander Park for Toby to get some exercise and look at the waterfall.

The recent rains have filled Cedar Creek that empties into the sound.

Friday, we rode our bikes to the Dunedin Public Library to renew our library cards. (We've had them 3 years now.) I stopped at Weaver Park on the way back to exercise. After lunch, we rode to Publix to pick up ingredients for dinner. We're having quesadillas with black beans, cilantro, lime, spinach, jalapeño pepper, corn, onion, and pepper jack cheese. We added some curry and cumin and some fresh ginger.

I fixed a spinach salad topped with cucumbers and cantaloupe. 

Delicious!

As we ate, a huge thunderstorm passed through. We've had those almost daily for the past two months. They cool things down and keep the grass green.

Tuesday & Wednesday

 

Morning bike ride to Clearwater, Walgreens, and Publix (over 16.5 miles) with a stop at Weaver Park for yoga and weights

Morning snack

We're trying this dish for dinner tonight: steamed vegetables with tofu and oyster flavored sauce. The sauce was delicious. Easy and quick.

We started buying bread from the Publix deli. They bake it fresh in the bakery every day. We've been trying all sorts of varieties: pumpernickel, Italian, Mountain wheat, sourdough, rye, sunflower, etc. They slice it for you once you make your selection. Delicious. 

We've also stopped burying processed deli meat. Instead, we buy chicken breasts, cook them in the crockpot, then cut them up and put some in the freezer and some in the fridge for sandwiches. We've really stepped up our lunches.

Cantaloupe, peaches, blackberries, walnuts, and apples for today's morning snack

Afternoon thunderstorms

Lots of lightening

Rain

Rain

Friday & Saturday

 

Our new floor and shower tile arrived via a freight semi on Thursday. There were five pallets with 32 boxes on each. Each box weighed 55.2 pounds.

Four pallets were placed in the garage with a pallet jack. One pallet collapsed so we had to tote them to the garage by hand. Fifty five pounds condensed into such a small package. 

John says we're too old for this kind of work and I agree. 

We've got a start date for the demolition: Sept. 16 with construction beginning later that week.

I rode my bike over 27 miles today, with two trips to Clearwater. On the way home on my last trip, I took the scenic route along Edgewater Drive.

The scenery never gets old.

I saw at least five manatees at the Stevenson Creek bridge on the Pinellas Trail, adults and calves.

I saw them on both trips over the creek.

Toby got to play fetch in Stirling Park.

Good boy

Four or five tosses of the ball and his legs are all jelly. So we have to quit. We want to protect his knees and hips.

Monday

 

I got this shot from the trike one morning last week. I was riding beside John while he jogged. He's been jogging 3-4 miles almost every day. I'm recovering from a knee injury about two months ago when we ran together. It's been slow to heal. I don't think old people are supposed to run.

We rode our bikes to Clearwater last Thursday to vote in the primary. The courthouse was the nearest early voting site. It's so much easier to navigate a big city on bike than in a car. We parked at a bike rack, right off of the sidewalk, next to the building. We were in and out in under ten minutes. 

Saturday, I rode my bike to Honeymoon Island to walk on the beach.

The combination of erosion and lots of people made the beach seem very crowded.

Sunday, we toured this 1.6 million house in the neighborhood next to ours. It has 4 bedrooms and 5 baths, pool, jacuzzi, and 4538 square feet of space on three levels. The pool is about 15 feet from Curlew Creek. Built 4 years before our house, the kitchen and bathrooms were mostly original and in need of updating. Some flooring and carpet were new. Beautiful stone work and creative design and lot placement.

Monday

Tropical storm Debby

Lots of rain

More rain to come 

The ponds at Stirling park were full and overflowing 

We’ve never seen the ponds this full

The water level was up to the brim

There were a couple of temporary ponds nearby.

It was good to get outside after being cooped up for two days.

There is normally a dirt beach around this pond.

Full to the brim