A Day At The Beach

On Friday, after Thanksgiving, while the rest of the world shopped, Mel and I headed to Clearwater, FL to spend the day on the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast. We sat there just people watching. There was one family, who planted a decorated Christmas tree in the sand and proceeded to take pictures of their two darling children for their annual Christmas card. Young people were romping around playing football, baseball and frisbee, just wearing themselves out in the sand and surf. Mostly, people were sunning themselves and just relaxing. It was just a lovely day.

We had lunch at the Palm Pavilion Bar and Grill, sitting on the veranda while watching the world go by. The bar has been a part of the Clearwater ambience, since 1928. These are the kind of places that we love to stumble upon as we wander about.

We spent the rest of the day driving along the Sun Coast of Florida, ending at a county-owned park, called Fort Desoto. The development along the coast is incredible as it is sad. There used to be miles of free open beaches, but now there are miles upon miles of condominiums and a few resorts. We were assured that there is plenty of public access but you have to know where to look as they are not heavily advertised. We give credit to the state and county park systems throughout the state that appear to be the only ones trying to save natural forests and sand beaches. I am not anti-development but a little bit of growth management wouldn't hurt, but it is too late for this part of Florida.