What was intended to be a 3 week visit to Florida for Christmas ended up being a 5 week stay with my family over the holidays, but this wasn't entirely a bad thing. For starters, Peter hadn't expected to like my home state from everything he'd heard about it, but after our first day in the balmy weather, he was hooked.
We spent our days up until Christmas catching toads and fishing in the pond across the street from my house, going hiking, and re-organizing our lives from the road trip. Even I came to gain a new appreciation for the sunshine state, and the value of being with my family for the holidays. Last winter I'd been alone in Alaska for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, but this year, all felt right with the world again.
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| Sunrise hike in the park |
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| Sunrise on the lake |
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| Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks |
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| Pelicans at the Sponge Docks |
During our stay in Florida, we spent some time checking out the local attractions, such as the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks (the largest population of Greek sponge divers outside of Greece), Homosassa Springs (the wintertime hangout for Florida's manatees), and farmer's markets in St. Petersburg.
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| Manatees at Homosassa Springs |
In addition to local travels, I also took on the task of trying my hand at carpentry under Peter's tutelage. Although it took nearly 3 weeks, we successfully made my mom a red oak and birds-eye maple cutting board as a post-Christmas present.
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| The finished product |
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| Loaded into a cannon |
The last two weeks of our stay in Florida I was itching to hit the road again, but things kept coming up and pushing our departure date back further and further. It was a good test in patience, and ultimately it turned out to be beneficial as I was able to see a few more of my friends before we left and we were able to stock up on all the supplies we would need for our final push across the country.
It was bittersweet to leave my family, but finally, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, we were off again, driving north to Atlanta. Our journey was beginning again.
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