Old Florida, or Our Big Escape
Last week, we snuck out of town again. But I did not feel ONE BIT GUILTY for leaving the house behind. March is my most "blah" month. It is the month that I am gray, flat and stale, dragging behind the tail end of winter. So, when my generous parents told us that they would put us up for a week in the guest room of their rented condo, I couldn't hightail it out of here fast enough.
They were staying on a little island called Anna Maria on the Florida Gulf Coast. I must confess here that I am not a beach person. I am a mountain person. Or a city person. But I have never been a laying out slathered in oil, happily bikini wearing, thrilled by the smell of seaweed, contentedly sweating-type person. Until I visited Anna Maria Island.
This teeny, tiny little island is paradise. It is only five blocks wide. You can stand in the middle of Pine Avenue and see the Gulf of Mexico on your right and Tampa Bay on your left.
The sand is white and as soft as talcum powder. The beaches are clean and uncrowded. The water is clear and blue. There are no buildings taller than three stories high on the island (most are one or two stories high). No strip malls. No huge resorts. No neon and plastic.
Free trolleys take you where ever you need to go on the island. You can walk to the tiny grocery store or sit on the beach at sunset and drink a mojito. It is incredibly quiet. I am not kidding when I am telling you that this is the ONLY plane I saw the entire time that I was there.
The community is very proud of its historical heritage and has done a lot to preserve the old housing stock. Bungalows, beach houses and cute fifties ranches are all over the place. It was a house voyeurs' paradise. (I'll get all of the house inspiration photos loaded up during the next few days.)
The only thing I didn't get a photo of was the dolphin which tagged along with us when we were kayaking. But it was probably just as well that I didn't have my camera with me. It would have been in the ocean after I freaked out when the dolphin surfaced five feet from my boat. That was after the flock of stingrays swam around us. Wildlife was EVERYWHERE. It was surreal.
Should I have felt guilty for leaving the house behind when there is so much to be done right now? The living room is missing a ceiling. The fireplace is a mess. The windows on the first floor need to be finished. The basement needs to be cleaned out. Yes, we probably should have felt guilty.
But, for the price of a couple of plane tickets, letting Grace kick her feet in the sand instead of sawdust was very, very worth our now delayed schedule. Life is a process, not a product, after all...
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Comments
So very, very jealous. Why, oh why, are my in-laws not the condo renting types?
Posted by: Pink | March 19, 2007 4:48 PM
Anna Maria island is where the New York Times Dream Home blog is taking place. Did you go check them out?
http://dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/
Sarah
Posted by: Anonymous | March 20, 2007 10:30 AM
Small world! We were staying about 3-4 blocks away from their building site. We also took photos of the Mansour House at Bean Point (which they feature on their blog). I don't think they have anything on their land yet, though. Right? My impression from their blog is that they haven't started building...
Posted by: jm | March 20, 2007 10:51 AM
I dont believe their blog is in real time though.
http://dreamhome.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/
Posted by: sjv | March 20, 2007 10:57 AM
I think their blog might be playing catch-up on reality, but I'm not sure by how much.
After watching all the work you two have done renovating an old house, it will be interesting to see it all from the other approach, as they're both things I've considered doing at one time or another. A brand new home seems like too many decisions though!
Posted by: Sarah | March 20, 2007 11:23 AM
Take it from one who has been 'there'...we worked on houses also, but my kids (now grown) fondly remember our many camping trips!! Leaving the Chicagoland area in these blah months, renewing yourself in the colors & sun in Florida...what a recipe for family happiness!!
Posted by: Barbara | March 20, 2007 3:57 PM
Oh dear this made me homesick. That's just cruel. Grace is getting so BIG. What a doll.
Posted by: misschris | March 23, 2007 10:36 AM
I used to live just miles from there. Did you eat at Mr. Bones? Moore's for Stone Crab? My folks now rent on Longboat Key, which is nice and all, but I agree, Anna Maria is more "laid back"
Posted by: felicia | March 24, 2007 9:45 PM