So the rainy, t-storm warning lasted until noon yesterday. This kind of sucked because I'd bounced out of bed at 6:55am, ready for an early morning paddle. As I headed toward Anclote River Park, I could see the thunderhead over the Gulf. I circled back to where Peter is keeping his boats at Gretchen's dad's house. I took my time circling the neighbourhood, clocking the progress of the black cloud as I crossed each road that ended gulfward.
I rigged my boat at the ramp and tucked it in under the palm trees by the motor boat. The storm was coming fast and I was pelted by raindrops that were a degree or 2 from being hailstones. As I headed back out the road, I met Pete & his campers on their way in to tie down their boats. I turned back to help.
His boats are actually in a perfect spot - even though they're on a point, they're protected by the house & garden on the north, west and south. Since this storm was coming from the north, there was little concern. However, we pegged the straps down tight over the boats and I moved mine under the strap between a double and single. The wind came through then and it was INSANE! I was soaked by the time I jumped into my car (but my hair looked great - all curly and sexy!).
Jeanie was around the house so after I dried off, checked fb, email accounts, wrote a blog post, I tried watching tv in my room. That just made me more restless. They said the severe weather watch (thunderstorms & tornados) would end around 8:30am, then changed it to around 9:00am. I took a book and headed to Danny K's for breakfast, hoping to pass the time until I could go on the water. The lightning and thunder continued while I ate my tarpon omelette (feta, spinach, onions) so it was no surprise to hear that the watch had been extended until 11 when I got home.
I decided to get some decent books. There are no book stores nearby so I've been limited to the kinds of beach books you can find at the drug stores. Terrible. Since our (legitimate) book club was meeting at home tonight, I figured I'd pick up this month's book choice, The Paris Wife. I had to drive up to Port Richey to the Gulfview mall - an hour round trip - to find a Walden books. They actually had a single copy of the book - about Ernest Hemingway's first wife. (Bob says that Books a Million on Tampa Avenue is actually open too but I didn't mind the trip to the mall).
By the time I got home, the storm front had swept past and I could head out. It was a tough paddle up the river - slack tide with a vicious headwind, but when I turned - woohoo!! - it was worth all the work. I had thought I was spent by the time I reached marker 17 (where the river opens out onto the Gulf) but it was so much fun when I turned, I found my second wind! There were waves all the way back. They were especially good near the mouth of the river so I returned a few times to ride them back down. The tide had started to go out by this time but the ride in was great! At each corner there'd be set after set of bumps. Such a fun day.
It was still overcast when I got back so I went up to the nail salon at the corner of US19. I had gotten a pedicure just before I left home but I forgot how quickly beach life can destroy the nails. This place has those super high-tech massage chairs so I had a great, relaxing pedicure. My feet and legs are so messed up by, in this order; cuts on my feet from walking too far in ruber flip-flops, stepping in a fire ant hill, walking into the stones around the firepit (in the middle of the dance floor) at the Zone, that I wouldn't have been surprised if the esthetician refused to touch them. She spent more time on the foot & leg massage than she did on tending my toes but I was okay with that.
When I got home, I still wanted to do something active. Run? blah. The answer was right in front of me -it was an hour until sunset and the bayou was beautiful. I unstrapped my board from the pathfinder and walked it to the dock down the street. This turned into a bit of a comedy act. The tide was out so there was about a 4 foot drop from dock to the water. The water was pushing the board around a bit and I carefully lowered myself over the side and was just able to touch my toes to the board. In spite of my best efforts, my lulu spandex got hung up on a nail, really hung up. Balancing on my toes, resisting the push of the water, I reached back and tried to unhook the snag. It was completely wrapped around the nail and, props to Lululemon, there was no way that luon material was going to tear and set me free. I hung there in limbo, then finally managed to hike myself back up onto the dock, release the fabric and get back on my board without incident. I circled the bayou a few times with a really good tailwind from the north, heading back in only as the sun hit the horizon. After a ho-hum start to they day - it had turned out to be perfect!
The family arrived home just as I finished strapping the board back on my truck and we enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch, admiring the final, shifting colours of the sunset.