World's Largest Bandshell and Open-Air Theater, Fla

The back reads-

The majestic structure, built of beautiful coquina shell-rock, towers the Atlantic Ocean, the world's most famous beach, and borders the concrete boardwalk.
It stands at the head of the Beach Course on which all straightaway auto speed records were established from the dawn of the Automotive Era until 1937.
Late model sound devices are used for staging and broadcasting musical, dramatic, and other entertaining programs during both winter and summer seasons.

Winter Bathing at Palm Beach Florida

As delightful in January as in June, due to the warm Gulf Stream curving close to shore here, mid-winter surf bathing is daily enjoyed by thousands on the most delightful sand beach where the easy rolling waves break shoreward.

Random Thoughts On Friday

Wow, there is something in the air.  It has been an odd week.

If you have read this blog for some time (hi Mom!) you know that I spent a lot of time in Cleveland Ohio.  In fact, I lived there for almost a decade.  I have a love/hate relationship with the area.  I think of Cleveland like I think of an old friend that really screwed me over at some point.  There are lots of fun memories, but I still hold a grudge.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things going on up there.  If you go there for a weekend, you can have a lot of fun.  But, unlike many other cities that I love and enjoy visiting often, I LIVED in Cleveland for a long stretch.  I went to fun concerts, sporting events, etc., but I also dealt with some rough moments while I was there.  Frankly, I have personal issues with the place.

Also, I KNOW Cleveland inside and out.  I think I probably know every neighborhood not only in Cleveland, but also in Akron and other areas in that northern Ohio area.  East Side, West Side, I know it all.

But, again, comparing the city to an old friend, I feel its pain when it is in pain.  I feel sad for it when something bad happens.  I also feel joy for it when something good happens.

I feel joyful for Cleveland this week.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument- Florida

"Spanish Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest complete masonry fortification remaining in continental US. Construction was started in 1672. Its 16 foot-thick walls are built of coquina, a natural shellrock quarried on nearby Anastasia Island. The Castillo withstood major English attacks in 1702 and 1740, and in its later years as a prison held many men famous in US history."

Somerset Mall

I love malls, especially ones with a retro feel (then again, these days almost all of them are).

This mall is still attractive and clean, and it looked to me like they are keeping it up nicely.  It also appeared that the locals appreciate it, as businesses looked busy.

They had a very classic looking arcade and a nice bookstore that I liked very much.  The bookstore looked to be an old Walden's that stayed open after Waldens' closed.  I don't think I have seen a similar arcade or bookstore in some time.  In fact, I would travel back to this mall just to go to the arcade and bookstore.

Florida's Silver Springs

OBVIOUSLY one of the coolest postcards ever made because of the monkey drinking a pop!

On the back, it says-

No visit to Florida is complete without a stop at world famed Silver Springs, midway between Tampa and Jacksonville. Open daily from Sunrise to Sunset, visited annually by 600,000, Silver Springs is Florida's largest and most heavily patronized free admission amusement park. Cabins, restaurants, canoes, swimming.

Mackinac Bridge

One of the really cool accomplishments on our last road trip was getting to drive over the Mackinac Bridge!

I was told that driving on the bridge can be a bit scary but I didn't see that.  For the most part, it was just like driving over any other bridge, but just a bit more historic.  There wasn't much traffic.  It was actually just another very casual part of our trip.

On the southern end of the bridge is Mackinaw City (had to stop here and listen to a Bob Seger song).  The town is cool anyway, and we found some fun little shops.  The post office had a nice display of Mackinac Bridge first day covers.

St. Petersburg, Fla. old postcards

The top postcard says on the back-

St. Petersburg is famous the world over for its green benches. Thousands of them line the city's main thoroughfare, Central Avenue, and all the city parks. Tourists spend many happy hours enjoying them during the long sunny days.

Random Photos of the Wisconsin Dells

Roast and Toast- Petoskey Michigan

  At our hotel in Petoskey, we were told that this was the place to go for a nice meal.  We drove by and saw the front, decorated with coffee cups and dishes, and we knew we had to go to the Roast and Toast!

This was another great indy place we found on this trip that we loved.  Looked at the sandwich with all of that great fruit!  Very fresh everything!  We loved the coffee and everything else.  I had some amazing soup too.

http://www.roastandtoast.com/



Upper Crust Cafe- Manistique Michigan

The very friendly folks we met by the Paul Bunyan statue STRONGLY suggested that we stop here for lunch while we were in that very northern part of Michigan.  We were glad that we took their advice.

These little communities by the Lake are so perfect.  I hope they don't feel offended if I say that they reminded me of some similar towns I have driven through while in New England- except the water is more fresh and the people are more relaxed.

We were able to grab a table near a window with a very nice view of the River.

It is a very nice roomy restaurant/bookstore.  You know I love that combination!  You do order your lunch at a counter, but the friendly folks at the Upper Crust came by a few times to see if we needed anything else.

Snow is a big concern in this area, and I had a nice conversation with some of the folks running the Upper Crust about snow blowers and just dealing with a lot of snow.  This is not a concern in Kentucky for me, but it was when I lived in the northern part of Ohio!

We all had soup and sandwiches and they were great!  In fact, two people could easily make a meal out of a standard serving here.  They make their bread fresh at the store too by the way and you can tell!

After my meal, I checked out the selection of books that they had available.  I was thrilled to see a huge selection of local topic volumes.  They even had some signed editions!  I always enjoy reading books about an area after I have visited there!  A signed book about an area I visit is a special souvenir I always love picking up.

After enjoying our meal while looking at the Manistique River, we walked a few steps over to the antique shop right next door!  I found a couple of great old books there, some nice prints, and some other items.

Manistique is an area that has jumped to the top of our "We need to get back there soon" list.  It is gorgeous and the people are all friendly.  Our unplanned stop in the town was a treat!

http://lsmith09.wix.com/upper-crust

Marineland, Florida postcards

The top postcard says on the back-

Feeding time in the world's only oceanarium! Some of the hundreds of visitors are shown gathering on the top deck to watch the porpoises leap high out of the water to take food from the land of the feeding attendant. Porpoises, being air-breathing mammals consequently have to come to the surface to breathe and some times in their eagerness to be fed will leap as high as 8 to 9 feet clear of the water. Porpoises have been unofficially clocked at speeds up to 40 miles an hour.

The middle card-

Designed as the only underwater motion picture studio in the world, Marine Studios provides an ultra-modern background for its fascinating and unusual exhibit of deep sea creatures.

The bottom one-

"Pudgy" the porpoise, leaps high with glee at his new home in the giant oceanarium at Marineland, Florida. The porpoises at Marine Studios are the only ones in captivity, and thousands upon thousands of visitors have witnessed their unusual antics. Marine Studios is located 18 miles south of St. Augustine on Ocean Boulevard, Florida Route #1.

All 3 postcards are unused, but I am guessing that they date around the 40s.

Random Thoughts On Friday

Big weekend for the state!  There is a little horse race coming up, and Owensboro has their Bar-B-Q festival that is coming up too!

http://www.bbqfest.com/

On this blog, I still have a few more posts relating to my recent trip around Lake Michigan.  Otherwise, my out of state theme for the month of May will be Florida! 

Simply Cupcakes in Somerset

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Cupcakes-of-Somerset-KY/173855162687264

On our drive through Somerset we stopped by Simply Cupcakes!

This is a cool local business doing something with style and passion.  You should definitely stop here if you are in Somerset.

I forgot to get a photo of the cupcakes but they were great!

Ludington House- Ludington, Michigan

Its funny to me how many great, affordable B&Bs are out there.  I think sometimes people get in the habit of looking for name brand hotels, and they simply don't think that B&Bs may be affordable and nicer than a chain hotel!

The Ludington House is a perfect example.  The price to stay there was comparable to some chain hotels, but the Ludington House has more history and character.

The owner/operators who run the house were a lot of fun and obviously took pride in their home.  Kris insisted on telling us the history of the home when we got there (we really enjoyed hearing about her bold attempt to bring back some original paintings of the family to the house).  She then answered all of our questions, and gave us suggestions about what to see and do in the area.

We made sure to come back early though, as the Ludington House is cozy and we wanted to enjoy some time relaxing in their main living room and in the dining area which was available 24 hours.

Ginger snaps and coffee were available at all hours.  I will always remember relaxing in the Ludington House and enjoying these treats.

Kris' husband Bill made us breakfast the next morning (see photo!).  This was easily one of the most pleasant breakfasts I have had ever. 

We ended up talking to Bill for a long time about his family moving from Germany in the 1930's.  He had some amazing stories that I would love to repeat on this blog, but they are his stories to tell!  You might want to think about a visit to the Ludington House just to enjoy Bill's breakfast and to hear about his childhood and his family!

Speaking of breakfast- we had to get on the road early to get to our next destination.  we told Kris about this and she made sure that our breakfast was hot and ready in time for us to enjoy before leaving.

I honestly could go on and on about how much we enjoyed our stay here.

http://www.ludingtonhouse.com/

Fishing in Key West Florida

The top postcard (one of the more odd ones I have found lately) says-

The only cannery of green turtle soup in the United States is in Key West, and it products are exported all over the world wherever epicures congregate. The turtles weighing 300 to 400 pounds are caught in South American waters and penned "crawls" and they gaze with stoic calm at the strange people who come to look at them.

The bottom one reads-

The fishing waters are excellent off the coast of Florida. Followers of the sport are quick to recognize this and Florida has become a rendezvous for enthusiastic anglers from all over the country.

Kavarna Coffee in Greenbay, Wisconsin

I wanted to make sure that I mention Kavarna Coffee in Green Bay, while I am still on the topic of our trip around the Lake.

This is another of the GREAT coffee shops we found on our journey.

http://www.kavarna.com/

These guys had great coffee, a fun selection of food, and a very artsy vibe.  PLUS, it is located in the very cool downtown Green Bay area.