Staying close to home

I can never fully appreciate a week spent at home. I usually get Saturday and Sunday back at the house, but rarely get to spend an entire week there. I really miss flopping down on the couch and enjoying just being home. I must admit, it feels a bit surreal. I am so used to being in hotels and worrying about where I can sit safely that once I get home I just want to take up every inch of my couch. Hotels are notorious for mystery stains on the furniture and with my mild OCD I have to think thru where I place my things and where I will sit. The office chair placed by the desk in the hotel room gets a swift swipe down with the sanitizer and wash cloth before I park myself. I realize some are saying that the maid cleans that, yet that is not comforting and you can never clean it enough.

Back to enjoying my week at home. The weather this week was pretty cold and snow fell nearly everyday. When I flew in at the lovely time of midnight, the airport staff was quick to let everyone know it was below zero and counting. Great news. Once back at the house, the heat and fireplace were all I needed. The little things I love to be at home with. The grateful, happy welcome of the dog as I drag my suitcase back in the house even though I have interrupted his sleep. Not to worry. Once I get settled and ready for bed myself, he has beat me to it.

The things outside in the gardens remind me how much I miss with my weekly jaunts. I noticed yesterday that some of the daffodils are starting to peak out of the mulch out front. There has been a covering of snow, and with the sun finally shining melting most of it, the faintness of spring is starting to show. Yes, this is still January and I am not blind to this. But it seems as if I just cut down the vines and pruned the bushes in the fall. Now my bulbs are growing. Where in the world has the last 6 months even gone. If this is how time is moving, summer will be here before I know it. Not a moment to soon.

Back from warmth

With the rest of the eastern seaboard being ravaged by subzero temps, I was lucky enough to head south for a few days in Florida. As usual, I was told they were ready for me and it should be an overnight thing. WRONG! Ended up staying there all week. My destination was Bartow where orange groves still exist. They do seem to be nearing extinction, but are still sporadically thrown in between subdivisions and strip malls. I was hoping to get a few things done in the evenings around Bartow that I love to catch up on. A must have for dining in the area is a local place called Harry's Old Place. This small unadvertised restaurant has the best seafood in the area in my opinion. Whenever we go, there is always a line and is full of retirees that live right there in Winter Haven. They have nightly specials that are written feverishly before the dinner crowd on a chalkboard in the dining area. I always get the same entree unless it is sold out, which happens alot in my experience. My favorite is the Grouper Special where a generous portion of grouper is topped with scallops, shrimp, and crap which has all been what I believe to be sauteed with Old Bay seasoning. The scallops are always large and the shrimp is sweet and perfectly cooked. Throw in some potatoes or whatever veggie of the day and you'll be throwing in the towel and loosening your belt.

The ambiance in Harry's is a very laid back which I love. The restaurant is set on one of the many lakes throughout Winter Haven and peeks out between two sets of woods. A small sign identifies the place, but the cars parked anywhere they can is the key to knowing this is a must stop. The staff seems to stay consistent. I have been dining here for upwards of three years and see the same woman seating us and who I think is Harry shuffling hot plates of out the kitchen to his patrons tables. This visit, we had to wait (no surprise there) and stood by the bar. The bartender had stepped away before I walked up which left me waiting. A woman sitting at the bar asked my what I wanted, hopped out, and got my drink without question. This left me ackward since I had not paid. Ten minutes went by and back was the bartender who was passed my drink order. The young woman was his wife and she always liked to help. Not many places have the spouses helping out just to make sure the patrons are satisfied.

Heading west over the bay to St. Petersburg houses a little guilty pleasure of mine, The Salvador Dali Museum. This trip did not allow me to go, but I keep my options open each time I fly in thru Tampa. It's been a while since I have visited so the paintings being displayed I am sure have changed which makes me want to see it more. This museum is set right on the water and houses a huge collection of Salvador Dali works. Just one guy hanging on these walls. They do have pieces that come thru on loan from other collections and they even loaned out pieces to the airport which was nice. I got to view a few selections just hanging out before heading over to security. But I need to make time for Dali next time since we have not seen each other and I miss him.

Getting started

Over the past few years, my job has required me to travel. Not a big deal, except the places that I end up rarely are the meccas of culture or history. Just wide spots in the road that need a bit of my attention so I can get a paycheck twice a month. Recently, the travel of two weeks a month has grown into more of a Monday through Friday minimum with me trying to make it home on Friday night. Laundry just seems to go from the suitcase to the washer and dryer only to end up right where it started.

As the new year begins, I thought it may be better suited to see these weekly jaunts over the country as a bit more than a chore. Why not chronicle these trips so others may see a small glimpse into a part of America they may have otherwise not known to even exist. The new year brought me to visit West Virginia and enjoy some skiing with my friends. Good ole Snowshoe did not disappoint despite so many people enjoying its trails. I had never been to Snowshoe, but everyone kept telling me how much better it was than Winterplace or the other ski places I had been to in North Carolina. Growing up in Florida, snow was a fantasy let alone the idea of skiing on it. The only skiing I had learned was on water. Still, I want to get better and the only way to improve is with practice. Snowshoe was packed with families ringing in the new year and tons of college kids breaking in their new snowboards. The snowboarder mentality is something I was not used to. I don't want to fall or run into any other people while on the slopes. Snowboarders, at least the couple that ran into me, do not have this outlook. They have the carefree attitude of a young person without any responsibility. Luckily, nobody got hurt that I saw, but I could see real potential for damage with these kids flying down the mountain seemingly out of control. Odds are not in their favor if a younger kid crosses their path when the trails cross.

We stayed in the Mountain Lodge which was perfect. It is right on one of the lifts so we just had to walk outside and ski away. Once you park the car, there was no need to get back in it until we left. Restaurants, shopping, and sundries were all within walking distance so we stayed within the resort for the most part. We did pile into the car to take a trip a bit down the mountain to the other property Silver Creek. Big difference in that they had night skiing and the amount of people during the day was a fraction of Snowshoe. The best part is the lift tickets cover both places so it's a win - win situation. I preferred being at Silver Creek just because there was more room to ski and there was no waiting in lift lines. On more than one occasion we had to wait at least 30 minutes in the lift lines at Snowshoe. Never more than a 5 minute wait on the lifts at Silver Creek. We did not have to drive there since they have a shuttle between properties. But since the lifts close around 5 at Snowshoe, it would have been hard to get back to our room from the shuttle stops.

Overall, I had a great time and look forward to going back. Right now I need to start packing for my 3 day trip down to Central Florida. Hold off on the comments about how lucky it is to travel to Florida. Where I am headed is full of retirees and swamps. What a paradise!