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Redington Shores, Good Times with Family

Our son and his girlfriend, Laura, rented a condominium at Redington Shores and invited Laura’s Mom, my husband, and me to stay with them. This was our second trip to Redington Shores. Next, is a link to that first trip.

With Family at the Beach

Redington Shores Beachtime

First of all, our time at Redington Shores was all about the beach. Everyone but my husband loved spending most of every day lounging on the beach. It was indeed beautiful.

Our son and his girlfriend never tire of the beach and the water. They are active scuba divers and our son just became certified as a master diver. Also, he is certified as a rescue diver. His girlfriend is an advanced diver. As a woman who must hold her nose when going underwater, I am very impressed by their accomplishments.

Rose is Laura’s mother. She likes to walk on the beach and recorded over 10,000 steps a couple of times while there. I walked with her some of the time, but not anywhere near 10,000 steps.

My big guy is not a fan of the beach. However, he was a very good sport. He sat on the beach with us some of the time and spent the rest of the time at the condo.

Man in hat sitting on beach — My big guy

Two women st the beach — Laura and me enjoying the beach

People under a tent at the Beach — Our little spot of paradise

The weather was gorgeous a couple of days while we were there. However, it was quite windy and cloudy the other days. Also, sometimes it rained. Yet, we managed to get time on the beach every day but one.

Gorgeous Sunsets

Our days at Redington Shores ended with beautiful sunsets. We had a great view of them from the balcony.

There was also an amazing rainbow after one of the rainy days.

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico — The beach at sunset

Most of all, we never tired of the beauty of sunsets over the water. We watched them every evening.

Sunset at Redington Shores — Another beautiful sunset

Evening Entertainment

Games were a big part of our entertainment. We played Mexican Train Dominos and the card game, Five Crowns. It was lots of fun!

Hockey playoffs also were a part of our evenings. The local team, the Lightning Bolts, won the two games that were on while we were there. It was exciting for our Bolt fans!

Meals at the Beach

Laura was a gracious hostess and prepared us several delicious meals. Additionally, they took us to Sea Breeze, our favorite local restaurant, one night to celebrate Mother’s Day. We really enjoyed it.

We also had dinner one night at Slyce, a pizza restaurant. It was pretty cool with live music.

People at Restaurant table — Dinner at Slyce

Snacks and sandwiches were for lunch and cheesecake and blueberry pie for dessert. We consumed way too much food overall and will have to cut way back on eating when we return home.

My Beach Read

I ordered a book from our local library, “The Woman in the Window”, by A.J. Finn. I loved reading it while lying on the beach!

It is about a reclusive woman, way too observant of her neighbors, who believes she has witnessed a crime. The plot twists are masterful and a movie based on the book is currently in development. I highly recommend this book!

Conclusion

It was a lovely time at Redington Shores, but the best part was spending quality time with family.

Tampa, Stop #3 Family and Local Attractions

Our son, Shawn, and his girlfriend, Laura, were really sweet to us on a recent trip to Tampa. They offered us a lovely bedroom, cooked us wonderful breakfasts, and drove us all over to see the sights. It was also special to be able to spend Veteran’s Day with my favorite veteran!

We were in the Tampa area for four nights, two with Shawn and Laura and two at Hillsborough River State Park. It was wonderful to be with them and to be in Tampa, which offers lots to see and do, plus some pretty great food.

Ford’s Garage

First of all, we went to an interesting eatery, Ford’s Garage Restaurant. Vintage cars abound and everything automotive is the theme. Onion rings are served on an oil funnel and tires are around the sinks in the bathroom. Very cute decor and the food was excellent. I had the Kobe beef on the high-octane burger with sweet potato tater tots.

Veteran’s Day

Our next day was Veteran’s Day and we started the day with a visit to Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center. The manatees are attracted to the warm water that is produced by the generation of electricity and at peak times, hundreds of manatees are present. It has been active for thirty years with over 5 million visitors. However, our visit was early in the season and we only saw a couple of manatees. We also saw some big fish and a shark.

Shawn and Laura at the Manatee Viewing Center

Manatees under water — Shy manatee sighting

Next, we headed to Sarasota and Saint Armand’s Circle on Lido Key. There was an Art Show that day and we saw some interesting pieces, however, the parking was horrific. We spent a good bit of time driving around looking for a spot to park. Saint Armand’s has many restaurants and shops. There is a Ringling Brother’s Museum in Sarasota, but we did not have the time to visit. Lunch was at Cha Cha Coconuts, another fine meal.

Couple seated at Cha Cha Coconuts — Cha Cha Coconuts

Dinner was at the award-winning Columbia Restaurant at Ybor City. The restaurant was established in 1905 and is Florida’s oldest restaurant. We were joined by Laura’s mother and aunt and their significant others. Our dinner included a Flamenco show, which was entertaining. The best part of our dinner was the 1905 salad which has an unlikely ingredient, Worcestershire sauce. Delicious! I would also highly recommend the mojitos and the white chocolate bread pudding as well.

John’s Pass

Our second full day was overcast with a good bit of rain. We had considered visiting Busch Gardens, but the weather was not great for it. Instead, we visited John’s Pass at Redington Shores. Consequently, we were able to avoid the rain and do some shopping. We returned via the Sunshine Skyway, a Tampa landmark, and a very cool bridge.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa — Sunshine Skyway Bridge

We returned to our campsite on this afternoon. We said goodbye to Shawn and Laura and to the granddogs, Gator and Axel. It was so great staying with them!

Tampa on Our Own

On our last full day, we visited Tampa on our own. We went to the Tampa Museum of Art and also had a nice lunch there. The museum featured some ancient Egyptian art and the works of Mernet Larson, an artist upon which I was unfamiliar. Her art was interesting.

The museum is on Tampa’s Riverwalk, which we also visited. It was a warm, sunny day and the walk was very pleasant. We discovered that a branch of the Columbia Restaurant is also on Riverwalk. That 1905 salad was calling us, so we walked for about a mile with frequent stops along the way to get to it.

Riverwalk in Tampa — Laura’s office in the Pink Palace is in the background

Continue reading “Tampa, Stop #3 Family and Local Attractions”

With Family at the Beach in Redington Shores

This is not my usual camping or travel post and as such, therefore, it will not be posted to camping sites. This post is to capture some wonderful memories with family at the beach. If you happen upon this post, there are some photos of some beautiful sunsets and some great times with family.

Redington Shores Opportunity

Our son, Shawn, and his girlfriend, Laura, rented a condo at North Redington Shores, Florida, for Labor Day weekend. What could be better than being with family at the beach? They offered us one of the extra bedrooms and Laura’s mom and her boyfriend the other. We really enjoy Laura’s mom and was just meeting her friend, Jack, who was fun to be around too. We had a wonderful time with them all.

Most of our past beach trips have been in the panhandle while we have never spent time on the eastern Florida coastline. Redington Shores is in the Pinellas Park area and very nice. It was not especially crowded considering it was Labor Day weekend. The beach was nice and well-maintained.

The condo, the Ram Sea, is right on the beach and the unit we were in was nice because it was newly-remodeled. Below is a photo of our bedroom. This was not tiny trailer camping!

With Family at the Beach

Shawn and Laura were outstanding hosts. Laura cooked us big, delicious breakfasts, venison stew, and baked ziti. They had an abundance of Cuban sandwiches and fried stuffed potatoes (a delicacy with meat in the center).

We were blessed with a beautiful sunset our first evening. The sun sets directly over the water and it is an incredible sight. We used it for a photo opportunity.

Foremost, this trip was about relaxing on the beach. Shawn and Laura love spending all day on the beach because they do it with maximum comfort. They put up two tents with chairs for each of us, plus snacks and adult beverages. So relaxing! My husband is not a big lover of the beach, so I am not accustomed to this much time and comfort. Greg would hang out with us for awhile each day and then head for the condo. He was a really good sport about it.

With family at the beach — Relaxing under the tent

The condominium also has a nice pool that we enjoyed as well.

Food and Entertainment

We also had dinner out a couple of times. Our favorite was Seabreeze Island Grill because it had delicious grilled grouper and fantastic drinks. We were also joined by Rose’s sister, Josie and her husband, Ross. They were fun and we have a good bit in common; they are dancers. After dinner, we played a game that was new to me, Rummy Royal. Fun!

We spent four nights at the Ram Sea and I loved every minute of it. It was great being with Shawn and Laura and her family were incredible. Also, the weather was perfect with the exception of some hours of rain one day.

Ironically, the very next weekend the area was under extreme threat because of Hurricane Irma. I am so glad that the worst case scenario did not occur.

In conclusion, we loved our time with family at the beach!