SHOPPING WONDERLAND AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL!!

Wednesday, Thursday, February 1, 2, 2017    

Dade City, Florida (Travelers Rest Resort)

Wednesday: mid 70s, sunny

Thursday: mid 70s, sunny

Wednesday: TK, Mary Lou, and I headed to Tampa Bay Outlet Mall. This is a beautiful outlet mall with palm trees and well-kept grounds, but it is not as big as the one in Ft. Myers. No Chicos. Christopher Banks is finally getting a foothold in Florida and the store here was nice. However, I did not purchase much at all.

After returning to TRR to pick up Scorchy after his golfing, we went to Dan’s Clam Stand in Crystal River for dinner. Their special today was 10 colossal shrimp and one side for $12.50. I can vouch that the shrimp was the biggest I have ever seen and eating 10 was near impossible. Super delicious!

Thursday: Phil, the Ground Hog, saw his shadow in Punxsutawney today and it is another warm sunny day here in Dade City! We walked to Busch Hall for the morning coffee presentation—today a travel agent talked about cruises. The Park has planned a trip to Biltmore, a Princess cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii, and a transatlantic cruise to Barcelona. Apparently 20-40 people cruise with the TRR tours! 

After Mary Lou’s garden club work we are going to nearby San Antonio for antique shops we have not been to before and lunch at the new Mexican restaurant in Dade City.

The Coyote Rojo Mexican Restaurant was excellent and was as good as our favorite Torero’s in Erie—cheese enchiladas, rice, and beans. Pollo Asada for TK-grilled chicken with soft tacos.

Today was also the weekly Cabana Get Together—everyone gives a can of food to the hosts and during the day they make soup to share. Today’s hosts live across the street from Mary Lou—a retired Chicago firefighter and his wife. Obviously I could not eat a thing, but it was fun catching up with people we have met before. About sixty people attended.  Scorchy and Mary Lou live in the "cabana area" where everyone has an extra building, which usually has a full bath, a living room and sofa that can be made into a bed,  and/or a dining area.  

TK’s Takes:  Tampa Bay Outlet Mall is his favorite.