Day 10 to 14 Florida 2017
Yep, two weeks here. Here there and everywhere. Two weeks ago tomorrow we set out to Vegas, without credit cards, and two weeks later we’re still here having survived. Never thought that would happen. I imagined sleeping in a car a few nights, in fact, I never thought we’d get a car at all, and we’d have to go to a 24 hour Wal-Mart and hide in their bed department. But all is good in da hood, which today is Treasure Island.
As many if you know, we’re frequent visitors to this area, thanks to family having lived here previously. It’s a very Art Deco, almost bohemian place now, with a massive white sand beach and an 80* sea, that seems to stretch for miles across the Gulf. Even in the short 20 years I’ve been visiting here I’ve seen big changes, supermarkets are encroaching, hotel prices are rising, and it’s getting busy, so, if anyone is thinking of coming , do it soon before it gets spoilt.
Our hotel is the Treasure Bay, which again we’ve stayed at before. Across from the beach, on the waterway, lovely. This time we’re being joined by our previous hosts Terry and Vivien, Timmy and Diane, and they’re bringing their boat. Result! To add a Brucie bonus, were also being joined by Life long friend Paul, and his significant other Laura, with Eva and mum Rose. There, names out of the way, now onto the boat….
Our hotel, as a lot do here, has a boat dock, and so Captain Timmy picked us up and took us on today’s ride, which took us around the inlets and coast of treasure island. It was a little cloudy, but that didn’t stop a bit of sunburn, and the need to cover up after just an hour…the sun is very strong here (no shit Sherlock). The deceptive cool breeze as you drift along is the one to watch.
“Glyn…have I chipped a tooth?” “Yes Nik, you have…what were you eating?” “Water melon”.
Either it was frozen melon, which is unlikely as it’s very hot, or she has teeth made of soap. Nothing we can do about that now, so we head on our merry way. Paul and Laura have arrived and are staying at a hotel not far from here, and we arrange to meet. They had a bit of a nightmare of a journey, and I’m looking forward to writing a letter of complaint on their behalf, to which I’ve been commissioned to do….I’ll let you know…..it’s long winded, but if there aren’t freebies at the end of it I’ll be very surprised. We meet at Sloppy Joes, which should be entitled Sloppy service Joes. This place is in a prime position on the island…on the beach, great sunset views, great reputation, and in the middle of it all. And yet, in a nutshell, a waiter told me it wasn’t worth him serving me beer if I wasn’t having food. Wow! A waiter that doesn’t want me to give him money….that’s a first! Again, letter of complaint pending.
Please don’t think I’m a serial moaner, hell bent on bringing the system down…I’m not. I just like to get value for money. So very often us Brits just tut at things rather than say something. We settle, when we shouldn’t, and very rarely say “no, this isn’t right”. Well I like to challenge things. Others wouldn’t stand for it, why should we?
A very drunken evening at the R Bar later, with chicken wings and bloody Mary’s again, and off to bed. I’ll let you know the results of the complaints….