Eight years ago tomorrow...

my honey and I ended one adventure in our lives and began another.  We sold our home we had built together in Ft. Myers, Fl and moved a bit north to be closer to our kids.  We bought a house in Tarpon Springs, Fl and proceeded to make it a home.  While we miss our wonderful neighbors and friends in Ft. Myers, we have found a place to call our own...we love this town.

We have gone from not knowing anyone in the area but our kids and their friends to having upwards of 40 people at our annual holiday party every December.  We are both essentially small town people though we spent most of our lives prior to retirement living on the outskirts of bustling St. Louis, Mo.  Tarpon Springs is our kind of town.  We can walk or bike to all but one of our doctors, have found our favorite groceries, watering holes and eateries, have gotten to know the owners and staff and feel we belong.

We stay as busy or as idle as we choose and will have more time soon when our granddaughter starts pre K 3/4 at a school closer to her mother's.  The twins will be in kindergarten at their mom's school and our son in law, Chris, graduates this Sat. with his engineering degree from USF.  We will then proceed to spoil the Grands even more than we do now and be the 'back up' care for workshop days and illnesses rather than care givers.  We will miss seeing the Grands on a daily basis but we have some great plans to fill the time:  an anniversary trip to New Orleans, a few weeks at the beach and a cruise with our friends, Bill and Jo (who also love our little village enough to buy a condo and be "Spongers" for several months...Spongers is the name of our high school sports teams).

We love the diversity of our town.  There is a Jamaican Jerk restaurant, tons of Greek ones, and Italian one and more and our favorite, Tarpon Tavern, where we are greeted like family.  Our down town is straight out of a 50s tv show...small boutiques, a bank, a meat market, antique shops and more and our Sponge Docks...straight out of a Grecian quay.  We have 2 beaches, several lovely parks, the Anclote River and a big lake along with the bayous. 


I know I sound like a Chamber of Commerce ad for Tarpon Springs...lol.  Not to mislead, this rich, vibrant place we are so proud to call home is not perfect but it is our Paradise.