Coffee, anyone?

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I’ve had my share of coffeemaker troubles over the years, one of them a few years back in this very resort, when I forgot to put the coffee pot back on the heating element after firing up the brewing process. The results were predictably messy. My sister Marilyn did most of the cleaning up that time.

Today I started the coffee in the dark and made two mistakes. First, I overfilled the water chamber, and then I failed to seat the filter basket properly in its shell, and I did have a vague concern that something didn't feel quite right. However, I'd made coffee yesterday without incident so I walked away.

I spent about 15 minutes on the deck taking pictures of the sunrise and then went in to get my coffee. The floor felt a little wet on my bare feet and I immediately thought that Bob must have spilled water and failed to clean it up. No matter. I folded some paper towels and swished the damp floor with the wad of towels under my right foot. When I encountered a brownish stain on the beige tile, I wondered how I could have missed a stain for the last 36 hours.

I picked up the pot and couldn't miss the problem this time. The counter was soaked with a grainy coffee mixture. Clean up took about 15 minutes, and I made another pot. The coffee was full of grounds and Bob made unhelpful comments as he filtered his own cup through a paper towel. I then filtered the rest of Pot #2 -- I think it's too weak to be palatable -- and ran a coffeemaker cleaning cycle, without vinegar because I have none.

The water in the pot looks brownish, so I will leave the final touches to the resident expert.

Sunscreen, Car wash & Booze

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Fortunately, we both had a good night's sleep. I, a poor sleeper most of the time, was particularly grateful for this gift. woke up feeling like my usual self: nothing really to clean, but there was laundry to do and I got to it. I enjoy most work, but laundry is a great favorite: there is a beginning and an end, with measurable results. Extremely satisfying, like snow shoveling and mowing the grass.

We had a few tasks to accomplish this afternoon, but first we checked out the hotel where the Hennessey-Henderson tribe is headed on Wednesday. The Alden Hotel seems just fine for them, and it is only 5 minutes from our condo. We're looking forward to their visit!

After checking out Pass-a-Grille, one of our favorite haunts, we went to Walgreens for sunscreen. Bob felt obliged to check out every individual tube of sunscreen and knocked a whole chunk of the display on the floor. Of course, I picked all of them up, laughing so hard I could hardly accomplish the task.

On to the car wash. Somehow the people in front of us has driven over the rails and a reset to the assembly was necessary. Dear God, I prayed, please let this work out because my husband will be inconsolable if he can't get the salt and mud off his car. A couple of car wash guys -- one of whom looked like a bad guy out of Eastern Promises -- came out to survey the problem and together they got it resolved. Clean car now. Whew.

Norman's Liquor is familiar territory, and we bought booze, wine and beer. I've upgraded from my usual cheap bourbon to Jim Beam, which is quite good. We're now enjoying the late afternoon on the Boca Ciega side deck. It was a good first day.

Destination St Pete Beach

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We were not impressed with our accommodations last night, and, for me at least, it wasn't good for sleep either. I don't really know why, but I hardly slept at all until about 5 a.m., and by that time we were ready to get started with our day. Breakfast was typical for this kind of cookie cutter hotel, but all Comfort Inns -- and related Choice Hotels -- are not equal. For example, the one in Canal park in Duluth is great in every respect, including breakfast. We didn't linger over our food and were on the road by about 8:00 a.m.

View from Boca Ciega deck in the late afternoon

Sailboat on the bay

B
It was a pretty good day overall. I75-S was OK for much of the way but very crowded in some areas and around certain exits.Tampa was as hectic as usual but we went through fairly easily, with no incidents to impede passage. I drove a fair bit and didn't feel rattled, despite a number of crazy drivers who wove in and out of traffic, not making any more progress than the rest of us.

We got to the condo shortly after 3:00 p.m., and almost immediately chatted briefly with our friends from Wisconsin who are here every year when we are. We're in a different condo from our usual until late Thursday, when we'll move our things up a floor. The view is spectacular, as always, and we felt at home immediately.

After a little grocery shopping, we had a bite to eat and are now watching the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. My pillow is still in the Traverse so I'll go down to get it before going to bed. I really need some sleep tonight!

Mount Vernon to Macon

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Ohio River crossing

Quite a day. I woke up a couple of times during the night, a little worried by the ever increasing rate of rainfall. The Weather Channel was not reassuring this morning: dangerous storms on our route, threat of tornadoes, and let's not forget the flooding in the Ohio River Valley.

Sure enough, we left in heavy rain, but no fog. Bob was in his element: possible tornadoes, hydroplaning on the freeway, idiots driving too fast. No challenge excites and energizes him more than poor driving conditions. I, on the other hand, felt a little despondent. Driving challenges are not on my bucket list.

We drove out of the bad weather in a couple of hours. The temperature rose steadily and I saw my first robin in Kentucky at the Welcome Center. Bob is playing hardball with me on driving and he suggested it was my turn to drive. He assured me that we would switch well before Nashville so that he could get us through h the city. Turns out, that didn't work, as Nashville crept up on us -- or we crept up on it -- and there I was, at the wheel over the noon hour.

There was lots of traffic, but, in fact, I was undeterred. Since I've always been the navigator, I knew the route well and I trust the GPS, as well as the excellent signage in Nashville. Bob was super calm, sounding much the way I do when I am in the passenger seat. We sailed through the city without the slightest problem. Yes, I am inordinately proud. Here I am, a 67-year-old woman, as happy as a teenager with a new driver's license.

Atlanta

We switched seats a few more times and Bob got us through Atlanta in the HOV lane (easy, after an accident slowdown about 25 miles north of the city) and on to Macon. The weather is unseasonably warm here. The crabapple and cherry blossoms are beautiful along the roadways. It is 78F here in Macon. The birds are singing and nesting. Full spring.

Our hotel, Comfort Inn North just off Exit 169 near Macon, is in need of a makeover. It is comfortable and I'm OK with our free upgrade to a King Suite, but it is not what we're used to. We are very spoiled.

Snow!

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The original Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale, from I94

We watched the weather -- local (several stations), national (all networks, including the Weather Channel with all kinds of apocalyptic stories) -- all week, and were somewhat convinced that the predicted "dusting" would cause no more than minor inconvenience today.

We woke up to about five inches of fresh snow and Bob was out shoveling and blowing snow at about 5:00 a.m. I stayed in to make our lunch and a thermos of coffee for our day on the road.

We left home at about 7:00 a.m., our usual road trip departure time. The roads and I94 were a little slushy, but we made it to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border near Hudson in about the usual time. We did see a few vehicles in the ditch but the freeway soon cleared and there was hardly any snow at all after Wisconsin Dells.

The ride was uneventful, and the steadily rising temperature didn't make us feel much warmer because the day was windy and damp. Since this is a Friday in Lent, we didn't have our usual tasty sandwiches but settled for peanut butter and jam on 9-grain bread. OK, I thought, but Bob accused me of stinginess and I have to admit the sandwiches did seem a little dry. No matter: the string cheese was good, and so were the peanut M&Ms.

I drove for about 200 miles and was much more relaxed that I've been in the past. Bob wisely kept his Bob Hennessey School of Driving hat safely stowed and he also enjoyed his time away from the wheel.  We arrived at the Drury Inn and Suites shortly after 5:30 and checked ourselves into a big King room.

We were just in time for a complimentary light dinner and three drinks for each us; scotch for Bob and merlot for me. I made myself a couple of small meatless tacos, plenty to eat with a fresh salad.

We're tired but not too exhausted to sleep. I'm hoping for a rain free day tomorrow and a safe drive through land that has been flooded in the last ten days or so.