First rain of the vacation. It poured for a couple of hours this morning so I drove down to Clearwater for some shopping. My intention was to go to the mall but firt I headed for Mandalay Surf shop in the north beach area. It's actually a decent surf shop considering you can't surf off Clearwater beach! I got a pair of extra tie down straps for my board, smoe O'neill shorts and a Roxy bikini for paddling. Also fot a new shirt for off the water.
When I got home, I was feeling restless so, even though the weather network said rolling thunderstorms in the county north of us I decided to go for a paddle. Instead of going off the dock across the road, I figured putting in at Anclote River Beach would be my best option. If a storm came through while I was out there, I could just paddle into the bayou within walking distance of home and get my truck later. As it happened, I was already heading back to the beach when the storm came in. Nothing like some lightning to motivate you to work harder. I put into the beach just as the front edge of the storm hit. What a relief to be off the water. I had to sit in the car for a bit and wait for the wind to die down so I could load my boat. I took the opportunity to top up the oil too. Not cool to spill it on the driveway where I'm staying.  I was just lucky to be able to fit my workout into that window because it's poured rained with thunder and lightning ever since.
I'm taking Jeanie and Bob out for sushi tonight. They've been so amazing - feeding me non-stop meals of salmon, steak and eggs benedict while I've been here - time for some payback. Considering my lack of passion for cooking, this was the best option.
You can look at updated photo albums using that link I posted a few posts ago.