Fall, Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Mass Audubon, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Another beautiful New England fall day before the wind and rain forces the last leaves of the season to the ground.



It has been a pleasure to wander the sanctuary this fall and watch it all happen.



Soon, there will be bare branches, cold winds, and dreams of green palms waving in warm tropical breezes.

Fall, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I am back home after my St. Petersburg, Florida, journey, and early morning fall is bursting with color and cool nights and shorter days.



I'm not sure I could or would really give this all up for the development and congestion of St. Pete.



Ask me again in the middle of winter - it will be a different answer.



A few hours later, a deer wanders by looking for nature's snacks.



And late afternoon, it's hard to tell up from down on the mirror surface of the still pond.

The End of the Journey, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

My trip to visit St. Petersburg has come to an end. A few final images and thoughts.......the above is a harbor view from downtown.



St. Pete, a town overflowing with theatre, art, music, and creative spirit, has countless murals painted on the exterior of buildings.  This one is off Central Avenue.



A view along Coffee Pot Road after a rain shower.



And back at the Hollander Hotel, my home for this past week.  It was a perfect spot from which to launch my explorations and achieve 10,000-15,000 steps a day, too. Yes, I would stay here again - and hope to soon. (The Hollander originally opened in 1933).



Little Georgie walking along a sea wall at sunset.

So, you may recall, I posed a question in my first St. Pete post on this trip, "is this the area for me to move to as a snowbird or otherwise?"

And the answer is...........

Could I? Yes
Would I? Yes
Will I?  Maybe - ask me again in the middle of the New England winter when the wind is howling and it's 15 degrees outside with dull gray skies and the invisible sun is setting just after 4pm in the afternoon.

Of course, I'm not 25 years old anymore. Pulling up stakes is more complicated now than just loading my bag into the back of my hippie van and driving south for 1500 miles to a new life. It's not so simple at 67 years old - or - maybe it is.............

House Concert - Listening Room Network (LRN), St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

There is an organization called the Listening Room Network (LRN) that supports and facilitates the concept of bringing world-class musicians into your home for top-notch live performances in front of an appreciative and attentive small group. 

It turns out that my cousin and her husband are hosts and they had a concert scheduled while I was in town visiting. The musician/artist above is Elizabeth Hareza, (aka Elizabeth Bee) and what a wonderful and evocative performer she is.



There is something so magical and extraordinary about being up close and personal with such beautiful talent and artistry without the distraction of hooting and hollering and other behaviors typical in a bar, club, or concert venue.



Only the sounds of her instruments and voice filled the air.



One may join the LRN as a host, a performer, or a fan.



I am a member as a fan but, after this experience, I will think about maybe becoming a host.















Folks make a voluntary donation that goes to the artist so it's not a commercial venture - just a bunch of folks getting together in a private home. Hmm? I've got room for 15-20 people and a musician or two...........

Out and About, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog post how folks here are really into Halloween.



This company seems to have been the major supplier for street paving, much of it in the Old Northeast neighborhood.



I can't imagine what caused the waviness on this street but, I like it.



A high-rise condo building in downtown with some fine outside wall art.



I enjoyed a lunch at a great indoor/outdoor/covered patio restaurant spot right down by the marina/waterfront/park area.



A couple of the vegan tapas plates - I thought I was in Spain with the wonderful Spanish background music they had playing on their sound system.



Umbrellas at sidewalk cafes/restaurants on the main promenade along the downtown waterfront.



A downtown avenue as it meets the waterfront. (A very rational road system - avenues run east/west, streets run north/south).



A view out over the bay, more afternoon storms building.



Another of St. Pete's unusual yard birds.



While Florida does have flamingos, these are actually Chilean.



Stunningly beautiful in any case no matter where they're from. Tourists like I am, perhaps?

The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Wild architecture fits the surreal images and mindset of the artist Salvador Dali. This museum houses the largest collection of his works outside Europe.



One of the Dali pieces of art inside the museum gallery.



The interior stairway.



Just across the street from the museum.



Looking through the wall of masts at the air traffic control tower at the small downtown St. Pete airport next to the Dali Museum. It brought back nice memories - I worked as an air traffic controller in one just like that back in Santa Monica, California in the early 1980's, just beginning my career. Where has the time gone?.......

Wandering - Downtown and Old Northeast Neighborhood, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Yes, more parkland in the downtown area.



An old Banyan tree, next to which the religious folks tended to hang out trying to save souls.



Haute couture in a shop window along the bustling waterfront area.



A downtown marina with the Salvador Dali Museum in the distance peeking through the masts.



A view back towards downtown.



Another of the natives poised for lunch or flight or both.



I guess he didn't like me standing so close.



Away he went.



His steely gray plumage was a perfect match for the steely gray water on this overcast day.



A downtown marina on the bay side.



Another of the locals hanging out.



As a New Englander accustomed to having to bury water pipes at least four feet underground below the freeze layer, I was struck by the blue painted water valve infrastructure accessible above ground everywhere. (If it was reclaimed water, the pipes were painted purple).  I guess you can do that since it almost never gets below freezing here.



Overarching trees cover many of the streets in the Old Northeast.



More Halloweenies.



I saw many houses like this. I would enjoy calling this place home. I probably can't afford it but, I can dream - and it's not for sale anyway. I can see myself sitting in a rocker, pickin' my guitar, and saying hello to passersby on foot in this friendly town.



More Spanish Moss.



Not that anyone asked me but, I think it is a sacrilege to paint a double yellow line on a brick or cobble roadway - just sayin'.



And nearly 15,000 steps later, back to my hotel for some rest and wash-up. Yep, nice place this St. Pete.