Disney Dunedin Delray Beach #AtoZChallenge

Today is D day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and I bring you several locations from Florida, showing you some of the beauty of this southeast United States state.

Morikami Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.

Another picture from Morikami Gardens, Delray Beach.

Delray Beach Wood storks.

Dunedin Dolphin.

Downtown Dunedin.
 

Disney (Springs) Dragon.

 

D Day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:   Beauty of Our Land. 

Dunedin Brewery #WordlessWednesday

I'm living off some of my iPhone photo memories.  This is from the last pre-pandemic trip we took, from New York State to Florida in January of 2020.  We've only been, at most, an hour and a half from home ever since.

Both my spouse and I have always wanted to visit Scotland.  We spent a few days in Dunedin, Florida to scout out snowbirding opportunities. Dunedin, Florida is so proud of their Scottish heritage.   

While we were there, we visited a brewery, the Dunedin Brewery. And it was decorated in...what else?  Scottish symbols.

The beer was good, too.

I've never been off the North American continent, but my late childhood best friend had another school friend who married and moved to Scotland as an adult, and visited her and her family there several times.  How wonderful that must have been.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

The Dunedin Dream- Done?

For many years, my spouse and I dreamed of retirement and spending part of each winter (maybe three months) in Florida, where both of us have family.

We had lived in Tampa as newlyweds in the mid 1970's, then had moved.  We didn't return for 30 years and when we did (it was for a college visit with our son) it was in August, definitely not our favorite time of year.

But now he's retired, and back in January, I had picked out a retirement date in 2020.  We hopped on the Auto Train, spent two weeks in Florida, made contact with a real estate agent in Dunedin (the same county as St. Petersburg and Clearwater) and had high hopes.  We concentrated on Dunedin after I asked my cousin in Tampa where he would recommend us to snowbird.  We also checked out Sarasota, where another cousin's in laws had snowbirded for years.

The Dunedin agent (recommended by their Visitors Bureau) interviewed us over the phone while we were still in town, and agreed to put us on his list.  We understood that his existing clients would come first but he would offer us (and other first timers) what he had left.  He explained some of the rental laws and procedures.

Then, COVID-19 came along, and all we had left were memories.

Dunedin

Memories of dolphin art.

Downtown Dunedin, Florida

Memories of where we left a piece of our hearts.

We thought the dream was gone in the flood of Florida coronavirus cases.  It's not a flood, actually - I need another word to describe what is happening right now.  We never heard back.  That didn't surprise us.

Incredibly, we heard from the agent last week.

And after some thought, we let go of the dream.  We asked that we be kept on the list for 2021-22 but we were not interested in this winter.

It would seem the market for purchasing is strong.  Rentals are a bit less desired, and I totally get that. Many people are prepared to go down there come whatever is to come, because none of us can see into the future.

But I am taking an educated guess.

I shouldn't say we've let go of the dream.  We hope it is delay not goodbye.  But we are seniors, both of us have preexisting conditions, and we had a family member (my spouse's developmentally disabled younger brother) go through COVID-19 back in April.  We would have the trip down and back to consider, plus spending time in a state we are no longer comfortable with being in.

It's as simple, and as complex, as that.

It's going to be a long, cold winter.  We're already trying to prepare.

Strangely, I'm not sad.  Not yet.  There has been so much change these past few months.  We let go of this dream.  Not the dream itself, though.  We will just have to live that dream in a different way.

Have you let go of any dreams in the past few months?

Dunedin Decorations #AtoZChallenge

It's time to take a virtual trip from my home in the Southern Tier of upstate New York to Dunedin, Florida.

Dunedin located in Pinellas County, Florida, along with St. Petersburg and Clearwater.  It's a different kind of place, though - one part Scottish, one part art colony, one part Florida.  Some very nice walking and biking trails.  I hope spouse and I can go back one day.

In January, it's a wonderful place for people from the frigid parts of the United States to visit.  We were fortunate enough to be able to visit for several days this past January, before the coronavirus got going.

You would expect water in a Florida location.  But do you see that little blue object left center?

I can't remember if this is the same one, but here's a Dolphin Decoration.

And a Little Free Library.

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A surfboard bench near the library.

One more dolphin.

Those were the Days....

"D" day in the A to Z Challenge.  My theme "America the Beautiful".

Don't Turn Your Back on a Sunset #blogboost #SkywatchFriday

I should know better.

I was taking pictures of a sunset.  It started out promising.

Soon, a bird joined me in watching, as the sun went behind a cloud.

And then another bird, as the sun peeked out one last time.

As anther bird arrived, we all took a final look.

Yes, I turned my back on the sunset.  It was cold.  The wind was whipping and I only had a light jacket on.

So spouse and I went back to our motel, and I made the mistake of looking back at the western horizon.

To my combined horror and enjoyment, the entire horizon was on fire, but I couldn't see most of it as it was blocked by buidings.

I did manage to get this.

I hope the birds back at the beach had a better view.

Join Yogi and other bloggers from all over the world for #SkywatchFriday.

Day 10 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.

Christmas in Florida #blogboost #WordlessWednesday

I've spent almost all my life in the northern climes of the United States, where Christmas is intertwined with winter - snow, snowflakes, Santa at the North Pole - our Christmas imagery is full of cold weather.

The other day, a co-worker, knowing that I lived for two winters in Florida (back years ago) and had spent some of January last year in Florida, recently asked me "how do Floridians decorate for Christmas?"

Well....it's a little late, but you don't need snow to celebrate the Holidays.

Orange decorations are a natural.

As is a palm tree with a present attached.

Not sure about a shoe, but why not?

Next to a Mexican restaurant is a cactus decoration.

Meanwhile, back in the Southern Tier of New York...

Day 8 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.

Joining Sandee at #WordlessWednesday.