Thursday

Calm, sunny, and 60 degrees made for a pleasant causeway walk this morning.

Warm enough for shorts and Ts.

After lunch, I rode my bike to the marina to check on progress. I didn't find any. The destroyed bulkhead and pier remain blocked off.

I rode south along Edgewater Drive. The temperature got up to 72 degrees, about perfect for a bike ride.

I got back on the trail and rode to the outskirts of Clearwater and then back home.

Before dinner, we took Toby to Stirling park and played fetch.

Running free

We had an arugula salad to go with our beans and rice dinner.

Wednesday

 

Early morning walk in the neighborhood

After lunch, I rode my bike to Coachman park in Clearwater to stretch.

I found a great spot in the shade looking out on the lawn.

Afterwards, I biked around the park enjoying the views. There weren't as many people as there were on Sunday, but it wasn't empty either. It was a very pleasant 72 degrees.

On the way home, I stopped at Weaver park in Dunedin to do some pull ups, dips, etc.

Monday

 

We spent a rainy day inside. It's extremely rare to have rain all day long here in Florida. Normally, showers pass through quickly. Even though the temperature was in the 60s, it felt cold. We walked Toby in the rain for 5.4 miles total. Our new tub arrived, and it's sitting in the dining room for now. 

We have an appointment for Friday with our designer to see her plans and the budget for the second bath, including tiling the two back bedrooms. I've been doing research for sink and shower faucets, reading reviews and trying to find the right look. This faucet below uses a push pop-up drain instead of the usual pull up lever. It creates a better seal and is easier to clean. It also keeps the faucet design simple and uncluttered. 

Sink faucet

Shower/tub controls

The control above will look like this one below because it matches the sink faucet handle.

We may decide to go with another brand, but after reading reviews, we steered ourselves back to Grohe.  The innards are solid brass, the design is simple, the valves are made out of ceramic disks, and their products have a lifetime guarantee. 

Maybe this shower door below, but we're still thinking through the options.

The right side is fixed, and the left side swings out.

I ordered a new ceiling fan for the living room. We have to take down the existing one to replace a capacitor, and since we think the fan is too small, we're going to move it into one of the back bedrooms and replace it with a larger fan, like the one in our bedroom, only larger. The picture below is the one in our bedroom. It's very quiet and effective. We think the design echoes the many ceiling alcoves.

Sunday

 

John went jogging, and I rode my bike to Coachman Park on the waterfront in Clearwater. It was about 74 degrees with a fair number of people out enjoying the sunshine. The city was preparing for a concert this evening. 

I took my yoga mat and did my stretching exercises on the lawn. I found a palm tree to stay out of direct sunlight.

After stretching, I rode my bike around the park.

As I rode through Dunedin, there were crowds of people, live music, bikes, and dogs everywhere. It was an interesting contrast with Clearwater. Clearwater was vast and on a grand scale. The music was professional with an elaborate amphitheater. Dunedin was crowded and more intimate. The music was local talent, perched under a gazebo, under an oak, or on a bar patio.

It was a 15-mile round trip outing. I stopped at Weaver Park on the way home to do some pull ups, dips, etc.

Thursday

 

A veggie pizza from Bambino’s is just what our 60 degree cold day needed. They added a new topping: basil. Delicious.

A warm soaking bath was a good ending.

Wednesday

 

We enjoyed a long walk on the causeway this morning.

Breezy as always on the causeway, about 72 degrees.

Bike ride and workout at Weaver park after lunch

Afternoon walk on the Pinellas Trail with John and Toby

Rain predicted later this afternoon

Last night's salad

Tuesday

 

After lunch, we rode our bikes to Coachman Park on the waterfront in downtown Clearwater.

It was a beautiful 72 degrees.

We rode all around the park, our second visit to the park since it opened. 

There was a little bit of hurricane damage, but the rest of the park looked great. It sits on a 40-foot bluff.

We rode to the top of the corkscrew that rises from the park to the Clearwater causeway bridge.

There's the bridge from the far end of the park.

And there's the bridge overhead; it runs over the southwestern corner of the park.

A glimpse west on the bridge to Clearwater Beach

A view of Sand Key from the corkscrew

Coachman park, looking east towards downtown Clearwater

The park look much better than it did the first time we saw it. The plants have filled in, making it look less harsh.

There's a pond in the park.

On my first visit, it just looked like a massive concrete park.

The amphitheater in the foreground and Clearwater Beach in the distance.

The "Sound," or the amphitheater is the centerpiece of the park. It's a beautiful venue. The roof is supposed to evoke a stingray. From the water, it's striking.

The view from the stage, looking east towards the Clearwater library

My route

Monday's walk on the Pinellas Trail