…… is over for 2014.
It was a great weekend.

When last I left you it was Tuesday.
And now it’s Tuesday again.
So much has happened in one short week.

I left a cold NY for a warm, humid Tampa on Wednesday. I happened to fly out of Newark that day.
You know, as in …… Newark, New Jersey.
Now, I’ve flown out of that airport many, many times. And other than the morning after the-snowstorm-from-hell (where I thought I might be killed in the security line, where hundreds of people were waiting to pass on to their gates), there hasn’t been that much worth writing about.
But this time I discovered something new about the Newark airport.
I had just arrived at my gate and settled in with my Kindle to continue reading the Divergent series (I’m on book 3), when, out of the corner of my eye, I spied this guy:

Yep, that’s a pigeon. A rat with wings.
Walking underneath the rows of seats.
I looked up in surprise, looked at him, and then looked at the girl next to me.
She said, “I know, right?!”
Right.
He walked several several rows past mine and then headed back my way.
That’s when I noticed something.

He didn’t really have feet. One leg ended with no webbed foot at all, and the other one ended with something that looked like a clubbed foot.
I know.
But he walked around quite well.
And then he enjoyed sharing some french fries with me.
I’m a sucker for a club-footed pigeon.
(I’m wondering if he’s like, Newark’s mascot or something.)

Jim’s aunt and uncle picked me up at the airport in Tampa.
It was nice to spend some time with them.
They took me to their house so that I could change out of my winter clothes and put on something that would make me sweat a bit less.
Just between you and me …… there’s not many clothing items these days that make me sweat less.
I’m just sayin’.

After that we drove to Tarpon Springs, which is a small Gulf-side town founded by people of Greek descent. It almost felt like being in Greece.
Almost.

Not only are there lot of Greek families there …… there are a TON of sponges.
Yes, sponges.
I’ve never seen so many sponges in my life.
Nor had I seen a sponge museum.
Until Wednesday.

Yes, you read that right …… it was a SPONGE-O-RAMA!!
And yes, we did indeed get to watch a sponge movie.
It.
Was.
Riveting.
🙂

Here are more pics from the area outside of the museum.
A sponge-collecting boat (for want of a better name …… I guess I didn’t pay THAT much attention in the museum) 🙂

Sponges!!

There were a lot of pelicans eating around this fishing boat. They were cool. (And I saw huge pelicans in Tampa, flying above, and diving into, the water for dinner.)

This is a well-known Spanish restaurant in Tampa … supposedly the oldest and largest in the country. All I know is that it had very good food.

And then there was Camp.

I returned to a very warm and lovely New York today. Fortunately I’m getting the hell out of Dodge before the next snow storm hits here on Thursday.
I’m flying to Houston tomorrow.
Where I’ll go to the ortho to get impressions done for my upcoming retainers (which means I’m just about done with these braces!), check out a couple of houses that are on the market, play some tennis, go out to dinner with several friends, spend some time with Son #2, spend the weekend visiting with Son #1 and Daughter #2, who will be driving in, and spend some of the weekend with my dad, who will be leaving with my Mustang.
The Mustang Jim bought me for my 40th birthday.
I have loved that car.
But it needs to be driven and not sitting in a garage all of the time.
Even if I cry as it’s being driven away.

But I’m not going to leave you on that note.
Instead, I’m leaving you with me …… doing my Miley Cyrus impression as “Wrecking Ball” was being played Saturday night.
Enjoy.
And you’re welcome.
🙂