High Tea in Brandon, Florida

I'd thought I would get off the beaten path and rant and rave for this posting. Part 2 of Tennessee Trip will have to wait.

For several months now, my husband has been complaining about his web widow status. What can I say? There is just so much to do! Blogs to read, forums to comment, articles to write, videos to edit, webs to surf, the list goes on and on. Since I quit work, I spend more time on the computer than I did working as a software developer! When one of the bones in my right elbow started hurting so much it affected my hand and fingers, I decided to spend less time on the PC. There's your reason why I haven't been posting regularly (aside from my writer's block problem.) We spent more time biking, swimming, exploring the beaches in the area, gardening in the yard, reading books (the stuff that you hold in your hand), and watching TV. And it felt good.

The pain in the elbow has lessen somewhat. I am slowly getting back to my video editing. The next big project is working with home videos taken some twenty years ago, most I haven't watch since the taping! I had to borrow an old video camera since two of mine quit working.

Meantime, I did a quick edit on the High Tea video. Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet Lynn Kessel, a food blogger and columnist at Tampa Tribune, South Shore edition. She had invited a bunch of her facebook foodie friends to have lunch at the Tea Cup Room in Brandon. We all enjoyed a fun afternoon, meeting new friends, having a cuppa tea in a lovely cottage setting. The food was scrumptious - scones, cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad with cranberries on a croissant (my favorite), and a host of delectable desserts. Yum!

Favorite Destination: Chattanooga, Tennessee

The beautiful Tennessee River

This is our fourth year boating in the deep South. My family finally came to visit us in Tennessee. On a road trip. Seven adults, two cars, driving all the way from Philadelphia. In five days. Mind you, it's a twelve hours drive, not including rest stops. And of course they wanted to see everything. They cannot fathom coming to Tennessee and not visit Graceland. Oh no! Not knowing that Tennessee is a state so wide it borders seven other states, and Memphis is at the other end of the state. My sister bribed us by offering to pay for all our admission tickets to Graceland. That's when I gave in. Because Memphis is also my favorite destination in Tennessee.

First stop was Chattanooga, where Mai Thai is docked. We showed them the marina grounds, and after a fellow angler caught a largemouth Bass, they hastily looked for some fishing rods and spent two hours fishing on the docks. Next day, we went to Rembrandt's Coffeehouse for lunch. Located in the Bluff View Arts District, in a European-style setting, the cafe is surrounded by art galleries as well as a sculpture garden. Its sandwiches, coffee and delectable desserts are just fabulous. We walked off our lunch exploring the area - the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge and downtown - all the while admiring the waterfront and the scenic Tennessee River.

Point Park on Lookout Mountain

Next stop was the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, a renowned landmark of the South. The 1909 terminal station had been turned into the Holiday Inn, and you can sleep in an authentic railcar! How cool is that? In the late afternoon, we drove up to Lookout Mountain, widely known for its many unusual geological features, of which the most famous are Ruby Falls and Rock City. Unfortunately, we only had time for Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park (Point Park on Lookout Mountain), where the battle for Chattanooga was fought during the Civil War.

Did I mention that almost every boater here has a grill or a smoker? How can we not end the evening with a good ole southern barbecue? So while some were trying to catch a fish or two, the rest of us were grilling boudin (New Orleans-style sausage with rice), baby-back ribs (marinated in Lee Kum Kee's Korean BBQ sauce) and pork chops, marinated in Teriyaki sauce. We complemented our dinner with salad, sweet corn, and cool refreshing tapioca pearls with cantaloupe (recipe courtesy of food blog Steamy Kitchen. Thanks, Jaden!)

Stay tuned for part 2 - Nashville
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Cruising during the dog days of summer

Updated: August 13, 2025

We sold the boat last month. While it was bittersweet, we have no more hurricane worries!

All the adventures we've had seem like a distant memory now—but we sure do miss her. Mai Thai was more than just a trawler—she was our floating home, our escape, and our adventure companion for over two decades. Life moves on, but those memories are hard to top.

Originally posted: August 2, 2009

It’s August, and along the Gulf Coast and southeastern seaboard, that can only mean one thing: hurricane season is kicking into gear. Officially, the season runs from June 1 to November 30, but it's this month when activity typically starts to heat up. According to AccuWeather, the forecast is for a "major reduction in the number of overall storms compared to last year." Only three tropical-force storms are expected, two of which could become hurricanes, with perhaps one developing into a major storm.

This marks our ninth year with Mai Thai, our steadfast trawler. We've been lucky—very lucky—to have dodged the worst of the storms over the years. We weathered two hurricane seasons in the calm and scenic cruising grounds of the Chesapeake Bay, and one each at safe harbors in Jekyll Island, Georgia (Jekyll Harbor Marina), Daytona Beach (Halifax Harbor Marina), Jacksonville (Ortega River Boat Yard), and St Pete (Tierra Verde Resort and Marina). More recently, Mai Thai has ventured inland, exploring America’s river system with hurricane-free seasons in Fulton, Mississippi (Midway Marina), and Chattanooga, Tennessee (Hales Bar Marina).

But after fuel prices spiked last summer, our cruising lifestyle has shifted. These days, Mai Thai serves more as a floating cottage than a full-time cruiser. And honestly? It's not a bad tradeoff. We’re still traveling—just by car now, which is far more affordable. We’ve been able to explore new places, avoid the hurricane hotspots, and enjoy peace of mind with boat insurance that costs a third less.

Sometimes, slowing down opens up a whole new kind of adventure.

Poker Run at Oxford, Maryland

Fort DeSoto's North Beach

We were back to Florida for a few weeks this summer, and yesterday, on our way to our all-time favorite beach—Fort DeSoto Park—we passed by a place that brought back a wave of memories: Tierra Verde Resort and Marina, where Mai Thai was docked during the summer of 2005. Now, the marina looks almost abandoned, with mostly empty slips and a stillness that felt strangely eerie.

Back then, there were rumors of a major redevelopment—developers eager to transform the property—but the timeshare owners wouldn’t sell. Then the financial downturn hit, and those grand plans seemed to vanish. With foreclosures and unemployment having taken such a toll, who’s really in the market for condos and boat slips anymore?

But not everything has changed.

Fort DeSoto is still as stunning as ever. It’s the kind of place that reminds you why you keep coming back. Though we’ve never seen the north side of the beach this crowded (it was a Saturday, and maybe more people are opting for staycations?), it still didn’t feel overwhelming—certainly not compared to places like Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where my brother and his family are currently vacationing.

Here on Florida’s Gulf Coast, we’re spoiled—with warm, calm waters, powdery white sand, and that unmistakable low-key charm that’s getting harder to find. Fort DeSoto Park remains one of the best-kept gems in the state, run by Pinellas County. It's well-maintained, with showers, bathhouses, outdoor grills, picnic pavilions, concession stands, and plenty of parking. The park also boasts a historic fort, a popular campground, two boat ramps, fishing piers, playgrounds and a dog park.

In the thick of summer, there’s really no better escape than the beach.

This post is shared on **Art*Journal*Journey* and Skywatch Friday.

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