Olivia at the park

I will do an update on cruising to St. Pete, Christmas, and all that, but I wanted to share the photos of Olivia at the park so her Papa could enjoy them. Rebecca and Chris have already come and gone, but Sara and Olivia came in the day after Christmas and will stay with us until Sunday, January 1. We are very grateful to Papa for sharing his girls with us, so this is a little thank you from Gaga and Gapi.

How is it possible that one little girl can single-handedly wear out three adults?

I got a new bike!

After a very long bike ride to a post office and grocery store, I had complained about my bike enough that Steve decided I needed a new one for Christmas. My bike was hard to pedal and the pedals would hit the ground when I rode over a bump or turned the bike too quickly. Not good. I do not need to fall off a bike. We went to a bike shop and I felt a little like Goldilocks. Too tall, too short, not comfortable, too expensive. No bike for me at that shop. We found another shop and checked out bikes there. Too short, too expensive, just right!

My new bike is gorgeous and comfortable! The bike shop took the basket from my old bike and put it on my new bike. Yesterday we took another long bike ride to get Ryder to a groomer. What a difference! I look forward to riding my bike now! After we dropped Ryder off, we rode through some neighborhoods and along the bay. I got some good bird photos.

Ryder is very festive! She is freshly groomed, smells good and came home with a Christmas collar. We will be leaving Dunedin on Friday for St. Petersburg. Rebecca and Chris will be driving down to join us Saturday, along with Bella and Remi. Sara will be flying in with Olivia on Monday. Our boat will be overflowing with love and Christmas cheer!

A decoration outside the dentist's office

We went in this store to find a place to groom Ryder

My new bike! Isn't it gorgeous?

Before grooming. She always looks kind of scruffy.

A lawn ornament we saw along the way.

Before today I have seen one ibis - here's a whole flock!

There are plenty of osprey along the bay

There are boxes like this to encourage osprey nesting - the dad had just dropped off a fish, and the mom is keeping an eye on me.

The dad was watching me from another vantage point

A very cool fish bike rack in Dunedin.

And here's the little girl all spiffy

Love the little collar - and she doesn't seem to mind it

Dunedin, FL

Dunedin is a wonderful little town! In the previous post, I told you about the place we went for dinner. Since I didn't have a camera with me at dinner, I went back to get some photos later. The whole town is decorated for Christmas. The stores have added special decorations to the lamp posts in front. My favorites are the flamingos and the sock monkey.We missed the boat parade, but lots of the boats are still decorated.

There are little shops all around the marina area. I haven't gotten to them all (yet) but I did find a fabulous quilt shop! For those of you in the Savannah area, this quilt shop rivals Stepping Stones in St. Simon's! I picked up some fat quarters to make a table cover for Christmas - hope I have time... 

Yesterday we were finally able to get to an Episcopal Church for services. It has been very hit and miss to be in the right place on the right day and time, with a church in walking distance. The Church of the Good Shepherd is the friendliest church we have attended. We met the rector, Becky, before the service and she introduced us during the announcements. Lots of parishioners spoke to us before and after the service. They were having a breakfast with Santa in the parish hall between the 8:00 and 10:00 services, so we joined them for breakfast. They actually do a big breakfast once a month!

The rest of the day was spent watching football and knitting. I am done with the knitting that has to be mailed, and there is just a bit more to finish before Christmas. I saw a commercial for Old Navy last night that could be my avatar  grandma-bot

Today we will venture out a little farther to the post office and grocery store. This afternoon I will hit some of those shops I missed. We will be here in Dunedin until Friday, when we will cruise to St. Petersburg for a couple of weeks. The kids will catch up with us here. In the meantime, my family is having their Christmas get-together Thursday night at my dad's. Hopefully we will be able to attend via Skype!

Really good Mexican food!

A fun, creative place for a meal!

A tribute to wounded warriors

This memorial has markers from all the states

This boat is next to us - Semper Fi

The marina restaurant and office are festive - see Santa flying in?

The flamingo lamp post

The sock monkey (of course).

This was a neat little Irish pub - O'Flanagan's. Notice that the singer is in the mural behind him. The digital clock on the wall behind him counts down the time to St. Patrick's Day.

Put this in for you, Rebecca... a place where teachers get respect!

The Church of the Good Shepherd

A beautiful church!

Breakfast with Santa

This bird is on a boat here at the marina. He only talks in the afternoon.