Visiting My Florida Family With My Sons - Spring Hill and Tarpon Springs

     My older son Jesse was in Mississippi for some computer training with the US Air Force for four months and would be finishing October 19th and have to drive his car all the way home. Coincidentally, I had that week off from the hospital and thought if my younger son Dakota was up for it, we could fly to Florida to visit my family and Jesse could drive there to meet us for a few days before heading back to New Jersey. Considering I had to pick all of my vacation days for the whole year back in January, I was pretty lucky that I just randomly picked days that set me up for what turned out to be a very nice family get-together😊
   I had flown into Florida 24 hours before Dakota so I could spend a little time in Tampa with a friend. I planned to pick him up at the airport where my mom would pick us both up. When his flight got delayed and wouldn't be arriving until 9 pm, my mom was nervous about driving 45 mins. in the dark by herself to get us. Luckily, the delayed flight turned out to be a good thing because my son Jesse arrived at my mom's house in Springhill just on time to drive with my mom to get us, plus I got to have one more nice dinner at Seasons 52 in Tampa.

     It was so nice getting to see my mom and Jesse again since it had been several months since I've seen either of them. We had time to catch up in the car ride back to my moms and continued talking at her house until 1:30 in the morning. Being that my son and I have birthdays September 15th and my mom on the 29th, we decided that we were going to celebrate all of our birthdays once we were together in Florida.

     The next morning I planned for us to go to Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, home of the historic sponge docks. The atmosphere there is so relaxing and inviting. There are many shops, restaurants, and even entertainment... and the weather was perfect when we went! You can take a ride on one of the tour boats, browse in many of the little shops, stop for a cocktail and people-watch, or enjoy the delicious Greek food in the many restaurants.

     My son Dakota has taken an interest in video editing and been mostly capturing people at concerts, clubs and other events, and sometimes just goes out looking for something worth filming. This was a nice change of scenery for him and his camera. We were fortunate enough to be there on a day when Cal Morris (calmorrismusic.com), an amazing violinist was there performing for the people passing by. By the third time we passed him, and after recording him on my cell several times, I decided to buy his CD and I love it! 

   

 I stopped in one of the shops searching for a pair of sunglasses since I left mine in my car in NJ.  They didn't have them but I was able to pick up little trinkets to bring home for my daughter Tiffany and my son's girlfriend Taylor who were home taking care of the animals. I stopped in one more shop and found the sunglasses (photo by Dakota Aiello) and the clerk mentioned Mama's Greek Cuisine was a great place to get Authentic Greek Food, so that's where we went for lunch.

     My mom is a very picky, bland eater but I figured she would find something there she liked.

The appetizers we ordered were Hummus and Pita Bread and Fried Zucchini with Skordalia (Greek potato and garlic dip)...both amazing! My mom is a typical Irish/German "meat and potatoes" person, and unfortunately doesn't like many ethnic foods or spices. After asking the server if they had any "brown gravy" to substitute for the sauce that came with her meal (and of course they did NOT), she had to settle for ranch dressing. My sons and I thought everything was delicious!

     Since I hadn't seen my sister, her family, or my dad yet, I told them that I would cook a pasta dinner at my mom's that night for all of us. I went a little over board at the supermarket buying everything to try to stick to my "animal cruelty-free" way of living, and yet still making food that everyone would enjoy. Of course I had to make home-made sauce (using vegan Italian sausage) for the pasta, salad, garlic bread,  some snacks and desert for the kids, (non-dairy) cheese and crackers, and I bought meatless meatballs. I did tell my sister to bring real meatballs if she wanted them since her family is just as picky as my mom is. I even made spaghetti squash with meat sauce (vegan meatless crumbles) and didn't even bother putting it out! 

     Until my friend Miriam did my family's genealogy chart, none of us new that my mom's paternal grandmother was part Italian because she grew up in France and my grandfather wasn't close with her to know any better. I always wondered where I got this habit of cooking like an old Italian woman (minus the vegan part). When I decide I'm cooking for other people I am in the kitchen for HOURS and cooking everything under the sun, just to have more leftovers than I know what to do with. Now it all makes sense!.

     None of the food mattered anyway because we were all just so happy to finally be spending a few hours together catching up with each other. My sister Tarra works for Barbizon (modeling and acting agency) and travels a lot, so when I go to Florida to visit I usually only see her for a couple of minutes. My sister and her girls do Barrel Racing with their horses and had a race the next day so we didn't get to see each other again before my sons and I all left Sunday to go back to New Jersey. 

     The next day I planned to go to beach with my mom for a while before meeting up with my sons for lunch. Pine Island Park in Springhill is about 20 minutes away from my mom's house. It was always the perfect place to go when my kids were young since it's part of the Gulf of Mexico close enough to the panhandle that the water is extremely shallow and very warm most of the year. The photo of my son and nephew was taken 5 years ago.

There's a playground, snack bar, picnic areas with barbecue grills, and plenty of sand and palm trees for relaxing and sunbathing. My mom doesn't take nearly enough time to herself to stop and enjoy her surroundings so it was so nice spending a couple of hours relaxing and talking with her on the beach.

       My younger son asked my mom to take us to Steak and Shake for lunch, which is popular down there and I figured I could order a salad. The line was too long so my mom brought us to the Golden Corral Buffet because they have a salad bar for me.  Knowing what I do about the meat and dairy industry (aside from working in restaurants years ago), it is very hard for me to go into these types of places and not be repulsed. They must have to buy the cheapest meats, which are usually from slaughter houses with the most inhumane practices; and then to watch all of the food get wasted as people push their half-full plates to the side, just to get more food to waste. I usually include restaurants that have vegetarian/vegan options in my blogs, but I honestly can't recall going to any "healthy" restaurants in all my years visiting my family in Springhill. Of course there are the typical franchises that have salads,pasta, vegetables, etc...but I usually go straight to Publix supermarket and buy food to cook while I'm there. After all, the only reason I go there is to see my family.
   

 Last December I visited for my niece's birthday and also to see how my dad was doing after being sick for a month. My mom and I surprised Alexis at her bus top after school and took her to dinner and to pick out a toy for her birthday. The weather was only about 70 degrees the first week in December, but perfect for taking my nieces to miniature golf and sitting out on a lounge chair in my mom's yard. I even got to see my Godson for a little while!

   

When my youngest was about five years old and able to swim, my mom and I took my kids to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, part of Buccaneer Bay Water Park, located on Commercial Way in Springhill, Florida. It opened in 1947 with the first underwater theater for people to watch the "Mermaids" perform water ballet using special hoses to breathe into. I've been obsessed with Mermaids since I was little, so of course I was ready to quit my day job to go work there! Since then it has grown into a tourist attraction with water slides, beaches, boating, camps for kids, and much more. I'm sure they're not happy about this photo I found!

     My mom has been trying to get me to move down to Florida for so long. I really enjoy going down to her house, and always feel like it's not nearly enough time spent with my family. Years ago,  I even looked into the local hospitals to see about potential jobs for x-ray techs, and I visited the local gyms to see about personal training and teaching group fitness classes. Besides the lack of fitness motivation in her area, or the cut in pay I'd have to take in all of my jobs, I really just like where I live in Secaucus, NJ. I'm spoiled by the convenience of everything near by. Without traffic, I can be in Times Square in 20 minutes, the Jersey Shore in an hour, and West Milford in 50 minutes. My lifelong-friends and all of my other relatives that I cherish near by, not to mention all of my children being right here in Secaucus. I'm not saying I won't ever relocate, but I am saying that Springhill Florida is going to be one of my regular vacation destinations as long as my family is still living there.


   

My Birthday Getaway Part 2 - New Paltz, NY

   

     The first time I went to visit Woodstock Farm Sanctuary two years ago with my family we passed through the quaint little town of New Paltz, NY. I thought it looked like a great place to hang out but we had an agenda that day and didn't stop. When I signed up to volunteer with my daughter at the farm for the first time I thought it would be fun to find a room in that area the night before so we could explore the town that I originally found so appealing.

   New Paltz is the home to State University of New York (SUNY), a four-year public liberal arts college in the Hudson Valley region of New York. It is not uncommon on any given day to see college-aged people walking around with book bags or musical instruments hanging out in the coffee shops, music stores and of course the many pubs of the area. Each time my daughter and I visit we try to spend some time in a different store, restaurant, or pub. The sweatshirt she's wearing in the photo under the peace sign was a gift I bought her from Mixture Inc (48 Main St.) during our first visit to New Paltz. Since it was a weeknight and many of the shops close earlier, we decided to keep moving.

     As tempting as it is for many to indulge in an old-fashioned chocolate shop, I don't eating any dairy products and also try to avoid sugar as much as possible...unless it's in a wine glass in the form of red wine! For some reason, I cannot resist going into an old bookstore though. Inquiring Minds Bookstore is open later than most of the other shops, so Tiffany and I always stop in there to browse (and sometimes purchase) at some point during our trip to New Paltz.

   

     As we walked down Main Street we found the Water Street Village, which is like a mini European-inspired village in which all of it's little shops are independently owned and operated. We stopped in Paws of Distinction to get a snack to bring home for our dog, Willie. Apparently Friday nights are "Yappy Hour" for the furry friends, but I'm not sure exactly what goes on since my dog doesn't play nice with other dogs. Some of the other unique shops we stopped into were Eden Boutique, Himalayan Arts, and the Antiques Barn where we spent time looking at so many old collectibles, knick knacks, old furniture, jewelry, and books like the Nancy Drew Mystery collection that I remembered my cousin Lori reading when we were kids.

     Many of the shops were closing by 5 pm so we stopped in Jar'd Wine Pub during Happy Hour. Something about this intimate little funky pub put me in the mood to try one of their Port wines which was very good. Although they do have some snacks to pick on, we decided to move on to the next place to see if we could find something I would eat.  I have to say that New Paltz is a great place to be when you're vegan because many places have meatless and nondairy food options!
   

     Right across the lawn from the Water Street Market is this Bohemian type of boutique called Groovy Blueberry. I thought for sure I'd end up buying an outfit there, but I didn't want to walk around carrying bags.They sell all sorts of Tie-Dyed clothing, toe rings and other jewelry, baby clothes, patches, and many other gifts you don't see in the malls.

 

     A coworker told me about Gilded Otter Brewing Company (3 Main St.) which has a large bar, plenty of tables for eating and a friendly atmosphere. I'm not really a beer drinker so I just ordered a glass of red wine with our appetizer. They had a nice vegetarian platter of hummus with pita and Dolmadokia (grape leave wraps stuffed with rice and herbs).  That held us over while we played a couple of games of pool at Snugs Tavern, also right on Main Street.

   

      For my birthday this year, my boyfriend offered to pay for the vegan B & B I love to go to, so I planned to stay in the Hungry Ghost Guesthouse again with my daughter and volunteer the next day at the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. This  B & B is owned by a very nice couple who are hospitable and keep a very beautiful and clean home. Petra is always trying out new vegan recipes to serve her guests in the morning and accommodates for any food allergies. She was even so thoughtful as to put a birthday candle into my pancakes in the morning! The photo to the right is the back of the house, which we spend most of our time when we're there.
   

     We didn't know the first visit time visiting that there was a hot tub but we made good use of it on a chilly spring night. This last time it was very hot even though it was September 15th so we brought our bathing suits and did some sunbathing on the deck, read magazines, and drank Sangria that I brought with us before heading out for dinner.

     After baking in the sun for a while we decided to go out and grab an appetizer at one of our favorite places, Bacchus Restaurant and Bar. They have these delicious "Tofu Wings" that have a buffalo-type sauce, but if you're looking for the "vegan" version they can make a Thai sauce instead. We walked around and stopped into one of the few shops opened late called Kon-Tiki Trading Co. which sells ethnic clothing/accessories, natural herbal tobacco, sterling silver jewelry, etc...

        After walking around a bit more we stopped into McGillicuddy's Restaurant and Tap House. The bartender gave us a drink menu and the first thing I saw was "The Birthday Bowl"...free drink inside the fishbowl if you can prove it's your birthday. How could I resist that on my birthday? We shared that and a plate of french fries and called it a night!

     Most of our visits have been limited to about 24 hours from start to finish so we still have not seen all of what New Paltz has to offer. Nearby is the Mohonk Preserve in the majestic Shawangunk Mountains, a perfect place to enjoy nature at it best! The Mohonk Mountain House is an upscale resort for golf, dining and a variety of spa treatments available, besides all of the activities offered to their guests.

     My daughter and I have been perfectly happy spending time at the B & B since it is set back in the woods surrounded by nature. Considering my own condo back home is located 15 minutes from New York City, I feel a tremendous sense of relaxation and rejuvenation during my little getaways.  I love waking up and having my coffee out on the back porch and writing in my journal. It gives me time to reflect on all of the good things I have in my life, the amazing family and friends I'm surrounded by and all of the experiences the universe has to offer me...and I got to have another blessed birthday :)