Deb and I did some wandering over the past 14 years: New Cumberland; Raleigh; Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, SC; Summerfield and Hudson, FL; Portland; Bainbridge Island, WA; Orient Beach, St. Martin; Montpellier, France; and now Alicante, Spain. We sold homes, gave away furniture and cars, downsized and lived out of backpacks and suitcases. Currently we're in Alicante, Spain, where we plan to settle (for awhile). I poked this long-dormant blog awake so I could chronicle our attempts to learn to live in a foreign land. Let's see what happens.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Sponges, Dali and macarons


We are in Hudson, Florida, now, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

We didn’t do much vagabonding last year after we got to Spruce Creek Country Club. It was way too easy to fall into a routine of writing, playing tennis, reading at the pool. We’ve already done a bit of wandering this year and plan a lot more for next year. Hopefully, I’ll bestir myself to keep this blog up-to-date.

So here’s what I’ve learned in the first six weeks along the Gulf Coast, just north of Tampa and St. Petersburg.

The Dali Museum, along Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, is awesome. We were there a few years ago when the new museum opened. We revisited in January and quickly bought a membership. Right now Picasso is sharing the museum with Dali. Da Vinci will be rolling into town next month.

Tampa Bay BrewingCompany is right down the street from the Church of Scientology in Ybor City. We had a quick post-airport lunch here (with delightful, locally brewed beer). We plan to return to check it out. Ybor City that is.

Tarpon Springs is the sponge capital of the universe. To prove it they erected a statue of a sponger. Billed as a small Greek village on Florida’s Gulf coast, we found it to be very crowded with tourists. We’ll try to go back this summer when things quiet down. 


Lastly, Deb was happy to discover a Le Macaron store in Clearwater. The macarons here are even better than the ones in Winter Park. At least that’s what I’m told.


There is more … wine tasting, Clearwater beach, Hulk Hogan and an off-the-beaten path seafood grill, but my fingers are cramping. Oh yeah, and we’re planning out 2016. So far … a month in Myrtle Beach, three months in St. Martin, two months in Portland, Ore., and then back to Florida.
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 17, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    Any news on when next book is due miss Imhotep.

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  2. Jerry DubsMarch 17, 2015 at 12:55 PM

    Wow, thanks for asking. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the four the (and final) story about Imhotep. I'm calling it The Field of Reeds. I'm very happy with the way it going. If I can stay focused, it should be available by the end of June.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousMarch 20, 2015 at 9:07 AM

      FANTASTIC I really can not wait I check Amazon every day. I hope you decide to write something else to do with Ancient Egypt, my favourite subject and you really tell a beautiful story, thank you. Andrea Hughes (Jersey Channel Islands, UK)

      Delete
  3. DMAdamsonMarch 21, 2015 at 3:36 PM

    Amazon hooked me into book one Imhotep by giving the Ebook free. So good now I have to buy the next three.

    I envy your lifestyle. Did it for a while in my RV.

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  4. Jerry DubsMarch 25, 2015 at 10:54 AM

    Thanks for the note. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed Imhotep. Also happy that you'll buy the other stories ;) We're having a good time rambling around. We're eager to see how St. Martin goes next year. We're already working on a wish list of future locations ... Malta, Ecuador, Canary Islands are at the top right now. Our list of requirements ... decent internet access, warm to hot weather and good tennis courts ... seems to be growing instead of diminishing. We seem to like walkability, good restaurants (I am a vegetarian, so that's a challenge) and having an airport nearby. The challenge is to find all this before I get too old to keep looking. Of course, by then, perhaps I won't care.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 30, 2015 at 4:11 PM

    I am almost half way through "The Forrest Of Myrrh" and enjoying as much as the first 2! You tell a great story and really paint a realistic picture of the characters as well as the settings in Egypt. We vacation at Clearwater beach, make sure you eat at Post Corner Pizza sometime, you won't be disappointed. Looking forward to "Field of Reeds"

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  6. Jerry DubsMarch 30, 2015 at 4:54 PM

    Thanks for the note. I'm having a great time writing "Field of Reeds." I think it will fit well with the other books. And, yeah ... Post Corner, we've eaten there twice. Love the food, hate the traffic getting over to the island. Lately we've been hitting Dunedin for pizza and beer at Clear Sky Draught House. (Half price during Happy Hour!) We're going to be around the Gulf Coast most of this year. If you swing down this way, send me a note. I'll buy you a beer.

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  7. LLMay 1, 2015 at 12:51 PM

    I've read through the first three books in your Imhotep series and looking forward to reading the next installment. As an author myself, I know that it helps to get feedback from readers that you don't know. For me, it keeps me good for at least 25 or 30 pages. Keep typing...

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  8. UnknownOctober 1, 2015 at 3:38 PM

    That was me as anonymous before I figured out how to log in.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMarch 5, 2018 at 2:19 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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