Day Twelve
We had all the good intentions of getting up early and making tracks to Anna Maria Island on the west coast or Cocoa Beach on the east. Our plans didn’t work out. Starting to get really lazy now and didn’t wake up in time. Still a morning by the pool again isn’t so bad!!! A quick bacon sarnie and off we went to sun ourselves. The weather has been quite consistent this trip, very hot in the mornings with bright sunshine, then about 1-2pm there is a bit more cloud cover and then a little rain. Don’t get me wrong it is still very hot when it’s raining. The temperature has gone as high as 97 degrees whilst here and that is plenty hot for me.
We came up from the pool at about 3pm and after showering had a couple of hours relaxing in the condo. watching TV and surfing the web.
Jayne had decided that she wanted another towel rail in the guest bathroom and so we decided to pay ‘Lowes’ a visit up at Cagans Crossing. Off we went. We selected the rail and then I went off to find some ‘Self-Drilling Drywall Anchors’ (I know you can buy these things in the UK now, but a few years ago I first discovered them out here). Great items beats the old raw plugs hands down.
Off to ‘Walmart’ for a bit of shopping and then back down the 27 to ‘Beef o’Bradys’ for a spot of dinner. Beef’s is a Sports bar/diner with lots of TV mounted on the walls with every conceivable sport being shown. It can get quite busy on a game night, but on this night it was virtually empty. They make great chicken wings in spicy sauce here. There is a scale of heat, which you are able to choose from. I always go for the medium, which makes your lips tingle a bit! Jayne had the fish & chips (they have malt vinegar) and a side salad. Then it was back home and a glass of wine whilst watching TV.
Now although we have cable (supplied by Verizon) it is paid for through our HOA (Home Owners Association) fees, therefore we only get the basic channels. As we don’t rent out the condo, we have never paid the extra for the full package, believing that it would be a waste of money. I was wondering if they did a vacation package where you could rent on a monthly/weekly basis. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of this?
We still manage to entertain ourselves with the channels we have. One programme that makes me laugh is ‘Larry the cable guy’. He travels all over the States visiting interesting places and people. He has quite a good sense of humour and a great character.
Day thirteen.
Bacon & Egg sarnie and off we go to Cocoa Beach. It is 72 miles from our Condo. and takes about an hour to get there. We go via the I4 up to the 417 pass a few toll booths (it’s great with this hire car as we just drive through on the ‘Sunpass’ lanes and the tolls are all tallied up and taken off the credit card , the details of which were supplied to Alamo. I have never had any problem with this system and never been overcharged). Then it’s onto the 528 all the way to Cocoa Beach. Most of the time the speed limit is 70 miles an hour but there are places where it is reduced to 35 so you must watch the road signs. As I have said previously, as you approach Port Canaveral and pass over the ‘Intracostal waterway’ if you look over to the left you can see the massive black and white building of NASA and then the large passenger ships readying themselves for fantastic Caribbean cruises.
We take up our usual parking place next to the pier and walk down to the soft golden sandy beach. Not as busy today being a Monday, but still a few fellow tourists. Lots of factor 50 on and its time to settle down and relax people watching. It is very hot today and so after a short period it is decided that a refreshing dip in the sea is required (I also needed a pee!). The water temperature is nearly the same as you would expect in a swimming pool, and this the Atlantic! There a lots of surfing dudes doing their thing in the waves.
Answering some questions regarding whether I prefer the east to the west coasts? All I can say is they both have their own charm. The east coast seems to have a younger proportion of visitors/residents and is more keyed up for surfing etc., the beaches are fantastic but the water is a bit rougher. I don’t know what the nightlife is like as I haven’t stayed overnight in the area for over 30 years. In those days it was the end of the disco era and was fantastic, with clubs like the ‘Mousetrap’. I stayed in a place called 'Frank Wolfes Beachside Motel' Unfortunately it was destroyed in 1980 by a hurricane.
The west coast has an older more gentle population. The beaches are also fantastic with smooth golden sand. The water is normally flat and very clear and some would say their idea of paradise. Lots of water sports. We visit Anna Maria Island quite often and always manage to see dolphins playing near to the shoreline. Once Jayne and I were paddling hand in hand along the beach, when all of a sudden we were aware of something happening very close to us. It was like something out of Jaws. Everyone was looking towards us and pointing with funny looks on their faces. I looked into the water and about 6 feet away saw an absolutely huge black shadow in the water! It swam passed us and I was very relieved to discover it was one of the softies of the sea… a Manatee. One man said it was the closest to the beach he had ever seen one.
Anyway back to Cocoa Beach and lunch consisted of a tuna salad on the pier with a beer called ‘Blue Moon’. Very nice but I don’t think it would catch on down the local pub with a slice of orange on the side of the glass. Very refreshing though.
On our return to the Condo. we decided to pop into Florida Mall to buy some presents of the kids. We always end up at ‘Hollister’ and ‘Abercrombie and Fitch’ for some reason. Perhaps its because the items are so cheap compared to the UK prices. The place is full of UK and South American tourists buying as much as they can carry.
Jayne and I treated ourselves to a new pair of ‘Crocs’ each. They now have deck/boat shoe, which are very comfy. They were ‘buy one pair, get 50% off the second pair’.
All spent up, it was back home at about 8pm (having popped into the Publix supermarket) for some chicken tenders, salad and a nice glass of wine.
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