Golf & Hockey (And Sunsets on the Beach)

Visiting Grandparents in Florida, Part 2

Though I had seen Mimi and Papa, my grandparents on my dad's side, only a few weeks earlier for a Super Bowl visit, my one night with them in Dunedin barely counted for a visit. Heading north from Placida, Miranda and I hit heavy traffic but made it to Mimi and Papa's in time for dinner. She would have an abbreviated visit, but I would stay for a full four days. As I learned over the course of my visit, Dunedin is a great place to live. While a quiet community like Placida is a perfect place for a relaxing week or six weeks of vacation, many long-term residents choose places in and around Tampa Bay because there is so much to do. I found that out quickly. We filled our days with all sorts of activities, dining experiences, and fun times in Florida's warm weather.

I'll write briefly about golf first. A few weeks back when I first visited Dunedin, I had the chance to join Papa's Monday golf group for a morning round. He also plays on Wednesdays with some of the same guys at a different course: Seven Springs. Two days later, Papa and I played the local Dunedin Country Club, which was a different type of course than the two where he usually plays. In both rounds, I hit the ball better than ever but struggled more than ever on the greens. At Seven Springs I shot an 81 with four three-putts and a few more near-"gimmies" that lipped out. Though it would've been fun to shoot a couple 75's, I had no trouble having fun golfing with Papa.

Outdoor seating is always a nice thing in Florida

One of the highlights not only of my stay with Mimi and Papa but also of the entire road trip was our Thursday night outing to see the Boston Bruins play in Tampa. The evening started with a dinner in downtown Ybor City at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Our quest to find the restaurant took us through a really cool part of Tampa; the cobblestone streets, trollies, and plethora of great restaurants made Ybor a fun place to be before the game. My Cuban sandwich was superb (I couldn't pass through Tampa without having a Cuban sandwich), and the fried plantains definitely crack my top ten list of foods I've tried this year.

In the past few years, my Bruins have surpassed the Red Sox and Celtics in order of my favorite Boston teams. Though I grew up visiting Fenway Park every season and also had my seventh birthday party in the front row at a Celtics game, I'd never seen the Bruins live. Who would've imagined I'd see the B's for the first time in Florida?

We arrived at the game with plenty of time to spare; watching warmups, it was clear that Tyler Seguin was the most gifted player on the ice. I think we often forget that he is barely twenty-one, and with the skill and speed he has now, I can't wait to see him a few years down the road. As I stood a few rows back from the glass and snapped photos, I couldn't help but wonder at the sheer size of Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic. The program listed them at 6'9" and 6'4" with Lucic having the slightly bulkier build, but on skates they both looked like giants. Size doesn't always matter, though. Brad Marchand scored the goal that put Boston ahead for good and was a pest all night long. Nathan Horton was the player of the game, however, scoring the first and fourth goals. He is finally injury-free, and on this night in Tampa Bay, he lead the team to victory.

It was an incredible treat to see an NHL game with Papa. Our seats were pretty ideal, and we got to see a couple close up goals scored down our end. Even better, we sat directly under the lightening machine. Each time the Lightening scored, we could see and hear some serious energy coming out of the metal rods right above us. It was a fun stadium to say the least, and though I've never thought of Florida or Tampa as a place where hockey would be popular, it seems they have no trouble selling out the arena every night.

Plenty of people out on a Friday afternoon at Clearwater Beach

I can't summarize my vacation with Mimi and Papa without talking about the beaches. We visited two located right next to each other; though they were both popular and highly rated, they couldn't have been more different. Caladesi Island required a ferry ride across the bay and through the Mangrove canals to reach the marina. The main building is probably the only establishment on the island, and the rest is pure dunes and sandy beaches. We walked almost all the way to the tip of the island, collecting a few shells and laughing at the pelicans fighting the wind. Clearwater Beach was different to say the least. After a round of golf, we packed up the car and drove down to Clearwater and crossed the bridge that brought us out to the gulf. Whereas Caladesi is a destination for a day, Clearwater could be a vacation destination for a week. There were more than enough hotels, condos, and houses on the island, and on top of that, they had all of the restaurants and shops one would need for a pleasant week of vacationing. The actual beach is massive, extending from the back doors of the restaurants and hotels fifty or a hundred yards down to the crashing waves. Pier 60 is a popular stop along the beach. Basically it's an extension of Route 60, and half of it is covered in artists' tables while the other half is exclusive to fishermen.

We decided to sit down for dinner, take things slowly, and make sure we stayed until sunset. Grouper was the best and freshest fish available, so we took advantage of it. I could barely see the salad part of my grouper caesar salad because the filet was so big, but I enjoyed every bite of it. It was my second-to-last night in Florida. By that time the next day, I had the car packed up and ready to go. Seeing Mimi and Papa was so much fun. Dunedin is their home, and now I have an appreciation for where they live and what they do. There are plenty of fond memories, too. I can't thank Mimi and Papa enough for having me visit, taking me out on the golf course, on the beach, or out to restaurants where we watched the sunset. I waved goodbye on the morning of Sunday the 24th to start my drive north, and I knew it wouldn't be the last time I make a trip down to Dunedin.