Treasure Island

Wednesday, June 8 - Today we went to the beach -- Treasure Island beach at St. Petersburg this time.  We picked up Doug and Barbara and then drove over the big bridges to St. Pete.  We got a late start so it was noon when we got there -- we had to stop at a beach store for a snorkel for Tyler and a noodle and boogie board for me (I like flotation devices when I'm in the ocean).  Then we went over to the Publix grocery store deli to get sandwiches, so by the time we got our lawn chairs down to the beach, it was about noon.  We at lunch first, then hit the water.  This is a beautiful sandy beach, and the water was wonderful.

A recent addition to this beach is a huge inflatable slide, called a Hippo.  We didn't think we needed that adventure, but there were a few people using it (for a fee).
This beach did not have the shade like the one we went to in Sarasota, but there was no seaweed.  The water was a little murky, however, so snorkeling didn't work.  But we saw some dolphins as soon as we got there, swimming close in (where we would have been swimming had we been in the water).  We saw a total of 5 dolphins swim through here, and when we were in the water, several small needle fish swam right by us (Joe even touched one).  We lasted about 3 hours, then decided to call it a day.  We all got a little sun, but we tried to keep lotioned up, so hopefully we won't be suffering tomorrow.  Joe put his hat on the last time he went out, to keep his bald spot from burning.

 Florida has so many wonderful beaches that, even though this one was busy, there was plenty room for us.  

Tyler is down to his last few days in Florida, but he enjoyed this one at the beach.  We went back to the house, and Bridgette and her mother made delicious chicken enchiladas for dinner.  I think tomorrow is a day of rest for Joe and me, although there are a few things on our to-do list here that we haven't done yet.  We think we've been to-doing a little too-much.