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Florida/No place like home/Spring Tonic......

Good to be back from Florida vacation! Here are a few highlights from the trip.






I came home with more than I went with. Five extra pounds and I can't figure out why. WHO AM I KIDDING??? Here I am at Goodson's Strawberry Farm with an oversized strawberry shortcake with ice cream. Hands down the best strawberries I've ever tasted! We've visited Goodson's Farm for a good many years now. It's grown from a shack along the road to a huge indoor farm market and food court. Sandwiches, drinks and their famous strawberry concoctions. Happy to see them thriving.


We had a great time visiting Sarasota and the Lipizon Horse Show. Beautiful horses. Such a great story about them being saved from Austria, in part by our own General Patton. 

Sorry no photos of the play we saw at Sun City Center - Rollings Theatre, titled Valentine's on Rt. 66, written by two members of the talented cast. No photos either of our afternoon of music, performed by the Front Porch Pickers. I forgot my camera but I managed to get lost in songs from yesterday. One in  particular, Together Again, made me feel sad. But then they switched to a lively number and the moment was gone quickly. Besides who could be sad listening to a band that included instruments from an orchestra, a cowboy hoedown and a back porch songfest - including a washboard. Lots of fun! I cught myself doing some toe tapping.

This was our lunch one day at a local donut and coffee shop. I have to say everything there was delicious. Ah ha! I believe this lunch could have been a contributor to my five pounds!!!


We stayed here for our two weeks with the perfect host, my brother in law. Who knows all the best places to eat in town and who can whip up delicious meals at a moment's notice. On St. Patrick's day he made corned beef with all the trimmings. Excellent cook and host. Thanks to him our visit was perfect.
We tried the new (to us anyway) Allegiant Airlines and found it to be very accomodating. Smooth flights, comparable prices, and friendly pilots and stewardesses.

Happy to be back home. Not so happy to be sitting by the fireplace. I msut say I expected it to be a tad warmer here in Ohio but who's complaining? There's no place quite like home.

On the writing front, I'm working on the story about Vietnam told in letter form. A fictional piece I hope to get on Amazon in next few weeks. I'm getting slower and slower! Perhaps I need a spring tonic.

How are you coping with this winter weather? Or do you live in a place that's pleasant year round?
Would love to hear from you. Comments welcome!


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  1. Terri TiffanyMarch 27, 2014 at 12:43 PM

    So you were just in Florida? How wonderful! We were in Sarasota too for another interview in Feb before we decided on Naples area. We visted a few shops in the downtown area. Very pretty. I am much warmer here I must say than PA. That's the best part of this move. I'm glad you were able to get away to some warmer weather. Ohio is like our PA weather. Still cold up there! So you are writing a Vietnam piece? that would be difficult I imagine. Hope it goes well!

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  2. The BroadMarch 27, 2014 at 1:01 PM

    You probably gained the weight just from 'looking' at those luscious goodies! Here in the UK Spring is slow coming, but the temperature is always above freezing and the sun is shining more and more. This weekend things are looking up -- temperatures in low 60s! And from time to time we happen upon a tree in bloom -- so there is hope!

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  3. yayaMarch 27, 2014 at 7:17 PM

    I'm so glad you had a nice time in Florida....our weather up north a few miles from you has been weird...warmish, coldish, very coldish, sunny, cloudy, blizzardish, snow, rain with ice pellets just to make it interesting! I'm living through your pics of that delish strawberry dish! Welcome back and I'll look forward to your new book!

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  4. B. WHITTINGTONMarch 27, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    Thanks everyone for lovely comments. It was fun to get away but still have work to do here at home and to try to settle into this new normal. Working on that. Thanks too for comments on Vietnam story. Actually it will be a short story, ficion, love letters from Vietnam. It's a lot to bite off and I hope I can do it justice - after reading dozens of books on Vietnam. Hugs to you all

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