Tooling Around Florida

 Tooling Around Florida: The East Coast

Last year Mike and I bought a Corvette to “tool around in.” We have driven it to a few car shows in town and plan to take it to “Vette Fest” in Old Town (Kissimmee) next month. One of the “tooling around” deals was to drive it to Rainbow River. 

Next, we drove it to parts of Florida I hadn’t experienced. To Chiefland for barbeque, on to Fanning Springs to the Suwannee River then to Cedar Key. Those were great trips. If you missed the posts about them, I’ll include links at the end.

This week we decided to head a different direction. I had visited the Space Center and camped on the east coast of Florida with my family to watch a launch up close, but when Mike heard I had never visited Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, he was determined to fill that gap in my “1970’s girl” education. 

So this past week, we headed east, taking the Florida Turnpike, which starts only a few miles from our house, over to the east coast, then traveled a state highway to Cocoa Beach. The weather was perfect and the Cocoa Beach area, though growing like every other part of the peninsula, still bears the stamp of Florida with the trees, flowers, remnants of old restaurants and motels, and the tourist shops. The weather was picture perfect.

Mike first visited the surf shop when it was a small building near the pier. Of course he was a teenager then.The surf shop has grown some since and he had watched its growth. 

Ron Jons is more than surfboards. Though that inventory is impressive. Jewelry, Yeti mugs, knick-knacks...you name it. It is a clothing store with everything from bathing suits for the sunny, hot days to sweatshirts for the evening chill. Everything.

 

The place was a bit overwhelming. I didn’t know where to begin. (Though we did pick up some very cool Christmas gifts for three of the grandkids.)

 

Mike knew of a great place for lunch near the store called “Twisted Tides”. Though they offer rooftop seating with a full view of the Atlantic Ocean, we opted for the airconditioned inside dining. It was a hot September day. 

The Mahi sandwiches, fries, and sweet tea were great, but the server we had was THE BEST. She was quick to take our order, checked  up on us regularly, and brewed fresh sweet tea to assure we had a full carafe on our table.

After lunch, we took a walk on the beach. 

As Mike reached for my hand, I told him, “Thank you for bringing me here. This has been a perfect day.” 

If you missed our visit to Rainbow River, CLICK HERE.

You’ll find our visit to Chiefland, Fanning Springs, and Cedar Key if you CLICK HERE

One Last Picture & Remember: Surf's Up!

This 12'...150lb. KOA Wood Surfboard
was shaped by Big Wave Rider Greg Nole 
for Ron Jon Founder 
Ron Dimenna

Finding a New Dentist Can Be Like Pulling Teeth

 Finding a New Dentist 

Can Be Like Pulling Teeth

Memory of my first dentist is of a cowboy named Webb Davis. We lived in Tucson, Arizona. Webb, that is…Dr. Davis, had a flat tire. That’s how my dad came to know him.

Thinking he was a poor, tired ranch hand, my dad stopped to help him. The two men hit it off as did their wives. The Davis’ had three children. Their daughter was a bit older than me, but not by much. The boys were younger. I was only four or five at the time. But what I remember most about having Webb Davis as my dentist were his boots. He always wore honest-to-goodness cowboy boots. I was in awe. I wanted to be a cowgirl and ride in the rodeo more than anything back then. It didn’t happen. We were living back in Ohio before I got my first pony. 

When we lived in Florida, the Waters family recommended Hugh Tyler as a dentist for me. I was engaged to Tom Waters at the time. 

So, Dr. Tyler, who lived on the same road as the Waters’ became my dentist. He came highly recommended and I knew his son, Mike and his daughter Cindy from school.

Still, I squeezed my eyes shut. Going to the dentist is not my favorite activity in life.

Tom and I moved to Ohio in 1978. We met a wonderful couple at church with two girls near our daughters’ ages. Dave and Linda became friends.  And Dave Nelson, well established as a dentist in our community, became my dentist. 

If you are one of my readers, you know Tom died in 2014. I moved to a new house and community in 2017 and two months later I moved to Kosovo to teach for a year. 

Dr. Dave closed his office during COVID. 

In 2023, I married Mike Tyler. Yep…the son of Dr. Hugh Tyler. Mike and I moved to Citrus County, Florida. We bought a house, settled into our new marriage, and started a new course in our lives. 

Then it happened. While eating, I felt something hard in my food. It was part of an old filling. Mike and I were living in a new community. For the first time in my life, I had to find a new dentist in a new town. On my own.

I did a quick search on the internet for dentists in the area. There were many. I was still contemplating what to do when, while at the grocery store one day, I saw a sign.

A sign. Not a vision…an honest-to -goodness sign next door to Winn-Dixie.

 All it said was “Dentist.” Nothing pretentious. Nothing showy. No pictures of teenagers with big smiles and gleaming teeth. No photos of models in silk dresses, dripping with diamonds, and sparkling white teeth.

Simply “Dentist.” I went inside and made an appointment. It turns out they are great. They use the newest technology. My first visit was for a full mouth evaluation. The second was to address the broken tooth. 

I don’t mind shopping for Christmas presents. I don’t mind the weekly grocery shopping. I can even find joy in probing around antique stores or the Dollar Tree...it doesn’t matter. 

I simply don’t like shopping for a dentist. 

Me? I just wait for a “sign.”

And if that sign happens to be 

next to Winn-Dixie in Inverness?

You've found Gulf Coast Dental Associates.

Tell them you found them on the blog!

 

 

 

 

Tiki and the Dogs

Tiki and the Dogs

 As many of my readers know, when Mike and I married he had pets. Two dogs and a cat to be specific, though one of the dogs actually belonged Mike's son. Roxy is a pit bull and the most loving, caring dog I’ve ever known since Max Lightening the Wonder Dog died several years ago.

The other dog in our house, a Blue Healer named Honeybee didn’t have much to do with me at first. Typically, Blue Healers are “one person” or “one family” dogs. Honeybee, or “Bee” as we often called her, eventually opened up a bit. I could pet her behind her ears without her fussing and she didn’t mind accepting a bite of food from my hand. I think she knew I loved Mike and he loved me, paving the way for a more positive relationship.

The cat? Tiki, named after a resort in Islamorada, remained a creature unto herself. Though Roxy longed to play with her, Tiki turned up her nose at the offer and ducked under the bed to avoid the awkward social situation of a dog and cat friendship.

When Bee started slowing down and showing sides of failing health, the cat was concerned. She watched from afar but it was Roxy who tried to offer comfort and support to the old gal. 

Roxy had been staying with us, but as I said, she is Shawn’s dog. With Bee not feeling well, Shawn came and took Roxy back home with him. This left Tiki to shoulder the pet watch by herself. 

Bee was growing weaker each day.  She managed to drink water but ate very little. Mike and I researched companies that would come to the house if we reached a point where euthanizing our sweet girl was best for her. 

Honeybee

The thought was painful, but so was watching her falter standing up or list to the left a bit as she walked. 

I was glad Roxy wasn’t here to witness it all. Tiki seemed indifferent to the changes.

Then one night, Honeybee woke up fidgeting. Squirming. Uncomfortable for a bit. Then she seemed to settle down and go back to sleep.

In the morning, Mike got up before I did. He leaned over and kissed me good morning and whispered in my ear, “Bee is gone.” 

I looked over to her bed where she looked to be resting peacefully. Expected? Yes. But hard. We buried her in the backyard, an azalea bush marking her grave. 

Roxy is still at her own house. I don’t know how she will respond when she discovers Honeybee is missing from ours. I imagine she will search the house over for her friend. 

But the cat? Tiki is the one who has surprised us. 

Tiki misses her dogs. She was okay for a while after Roxy left, but after Bee died, she became less aloof and more clingy. She wanders the house looking for her dogs. She climbs in our laps and looks up at us quizzically. “Where are my dogs?” You can see it in her eyes. 

We will “doggy sit Roxy” from time-to-time, but we don’t think we’ll get another puppy yet. We likely will find another canine member of the household in the future, but before that happens, we have a few things we’d like to do. 

Until then, we have a clingy cat to entertain and soothe in the aftermath of losing her dogs.

Roxy

 

Old Florida

"Exploring “Old Florida”

Most folks around the country hear the word ”Florida’’ and immediately think of warm weather, orange juice,  and sandy, sun-kissed beaches. I get it. But if you read my post about Rainbow River a couple of weeks ago, you begin to see the beauty of Florida’s interior.

After church Sunday, Mike suggested we take a ride to Chiefland for a sandwich at a great barbeque place he knows and maybe poke around the area a bit. Mike has been all over that part of the state and knew I would like to explore it a bit. 

A Sunday drive in the Corvette around Florida? I was in! I like those impromptu dates with my husband. 

Mike was right about the barbeque place. It was delicious. I trust Mike, but when you walk in a restaurant and it looks like everyone from the county is there, you know it’s going to be good food. And it was. Barbeque pork sandwiches and sweet tea. It doesn’t get any more Southern than that. We were off to a good start.

A few miles north of the restaurant we pulled off at a park located on the Suwannee River. I’ve only seen the river from the interstate before. Up close, the strong current hardly matches the lazy rhythm of the song. But it is beautiful! Captivating, even. A teenager was trying his hand fishing in the strong current, but meeting with no success. “Maybe if he took his shoes off,” I thought. I mean if you’re going to fish the Suwanee river…

The history of the bridge and a portion of the old structure is displayed in the park as well. It is all part of “Old Florida.”

We next drove miles on a desolate highway lined with woods and palmettos to Cedar Key. Cedar Key is an old coastal town. I have long heard of the place but had never been there. I know they have an outdoor art show there every year and many boats. I understand the restaurants in the area are excellent. All these things attract tourists, Florida’s number one industry.

We poked around a bit in art stores and examined the old structures lining the streets. We walked down along the waterfront. It is an interesting and beautiful piece of “Old Florida’s” history. But it was extremely hot and humid that day, so we made our way back to the car and headed home, vowing to return when the temperature cools a bit in the fall.

The day was wonderful. We set out to enjoy a bit of “Old Florida.” But that evening, as I stood on our back deck looking out over the lawn with the lake beyond, I realized “Old Florida” is in our own back yard. And it is beautiful.