Fortunately, we woke to find that Karen had survived the night and had not been bitten by any blood-sucking beetles. Indeed, the beetle invasion appeared to have been stopped in its tracks, as there were no new creatures to be found anywhere in the villa. We could perhaps relax, although I suspect Karen would have needed considerably more evidence before declaring the place a beetle free zone.
I was up and sitting outside early, taking advantage of the glorious morning waiting for me, overlooking the pool and lake. It was another couple of hours before Karen finally joined me.
Our plan, after yesterday’s long drive, was to chill out this morning and go out after an early lunch. We watched lots of different birds come and go, including possibly a blue heron, although we remain hopeless at identifying them. We can admire them perfectly well without knowing what they are, which is probably just as well.
The pool man arrived and offered to raise the pool temperature from 83°F to 90°F, which we gladly accepted. As the water is solar-heated, there was no additional cost. I am still a wimp when it comes to getting into cool water, and it takes me ages to do so. At 83°F, most people would probably consider it lovely. I, on the other hand, need conditions more akin to a warm bath before I am prepared to risk my life.
After having boiled eggs for lunch, we headed out to Gasparilla Island State Park, about 30 minutes away. This is a narrow strip of land reached via a tolled causeway.
This is a bit tenuous, but I like the name Gasparilla simply because it sounds like sarsaparilla, an old American type of root beer which gets a mention in the Carousel of Progress ride. However, the name Gasparilla comes from a mythical Spanish pirate, whereas sarsaparilla comes from the root of a vine used to make a soft drink. So there you are: a little education alongside the blog. You never know when this sort of information might come in handy, although I doubt it will help me get a free drink anywhere.
Once over the bridge and onto Boca Grande, it was immediately evident that this was all rather posh. House prices probably started in the millions. Everything was kept pristine and proper, reminding us of some of the other Keys we have visited.
We kept driving to the end of the island and pulled into the last Gasparilla State Park car park, paying the reasonable $3 for the day. We walked down to the beach, which was white, carpeted with shells and not busy at all. The sun reflected off the sand and the heat hit us as we took a short walk along the shoreline.
We didn’t last too long, though, as Karen became very concerned about getting sunburnt, having left the sun cream in the car. This was entirely understandable, of course, although it did mean our beach visit was more of a brief inspection than a full expedition.
On the way back to the car, we passed a large sign proudly proclaiming that we were now visiting the Gulf of America, renamed since our last visit to this coast. It made me curious about where the idea for the new name had come from. In the UK, it had seemed that the president had simply come up with it on the fly. In fact, though, although most Americans do not agree with the change, the debate over the name had been going on for years and had first been proposed by the Democrats.
We moved the car to the parking area around the historic landmark, which had been very sympathetically restored. Sadly, it wasn’t open to climb today, although Karen wasn’t sure she would have wanted to anyway. It looked very narrow and must have had a tight, steep staircase, which she hates. So perhaps the closure saved us from a difficult negotiation involving stairs, heights and the possibility of me being sent up alone.
Following the walking trail, we hoped to come across some gopher tortoises that lived among the plants and trees, but we were unlucky. The wildlife was clearly working to a different timetable from ours.
By now, Karen was getting desperate for a drink, preferably a coffee. Surely an upmarket place like this would be overrun with coffee shops. Despite Google saying no, we drove up and down the small town centre and confirmed that there were hardware shops, pet stores and estate agents, but nowhere selling coffee.
My backup plan was a nice-looking, large hotel we had passed as soon as we got onto the island. We parked and discovered that it was actually a small, not-so-posh hotel with no facilities.
Karen was now grumpy, so our new plan was to pop into a Publix we had passed on the drive here, where she could at least get a cold coffee. While there, we bought some ready meals to heat up for dinner rather than having to go out again later. It seemed a sensible decision, and one that would reduce the risk of further deterioration in relations.
We weren’t sure why, but the traffic around Publix was almost at gridlock. Waze seemed to take us in the wrong direction for a few miles in an attempt to get around it. It took us almost twice as long to get back as it had taken to get there. I’m not sure whether Waze was helping us avoid the traffic or simply giving us a more comprehensive tour of the local road network.
Back at the villa, we had ‘prinks’ by the pool before having dinner inside once the sun had set. I really enjoyed mine, but Karen had made a poor choice and moaned about hers. The day had started with a beetle-free villa and ended with a disappointing ready meal. We do some things.
Tonight, we watched the first episodes of the last series of The Bear, which I enjoyed more than Karen. To appease her, I found the 10 pm BBC News for her to watch, followed by Only Connect. I find that the quiz show now tries to be too clever with its questions by half, and it annoys me. I’m all for a challenge, but sometimes I suspect the contestants need a degree in obscure connections before they’re allowed to press the buzzer.
By then, I was struggling to stay awake, so I took myself off to what is a very comfortable bed. Another day in Florida completed, with no new beetles, no tortoises, very little beach time and a serious shortage of coffee shops. Still, the pool was warm, the villa was peaceful, and tomorrow was another day.
