John's Pass & Tapas Galore!

Hi Blog.  Wednesday, March 6th was Eric and Ginny's last full day in the Clearwater area. We wanted to make it fun, so we drove over to John's Pass to walk the boardwalk.  It was really too cold and windy to spend much time on the beach, so we hit the shops. No sooner did we park than Kathy pulled Eric into one of the clothes shops to try on hats.  No purchase pressure here, just window shopping.  However, we forgot to tell the Russian store clerk.  Eric tried on the white Panama Jack hat.  Did you know that Eric rides a Panama Jack bicycle?  It must have been fate or karma or peer pressure or the fact that the Russian sales lady would not take no for an answer, but Eric looks really good in his new white Panama Jack hat!

We ended up having a quick lunch at The Hut. It wasn't that we were in a hurry.  We are retired, after all.  We love The Hut - it's atmosphere, drinks and tasty fish tacos are the bomb.  However, it was just too damned cold to sit outside in the shade.  So, after a quick lunch, it was back to shopping.  A short walk later found Ginny being dragged into a wine shop for a "free" tasting.  All the wines were made with fruit and Ginny picked a sangria and cranberry wine.  We expect a full report when Ginny serves the cranberry wine with turkey and stuffing sandwiches!

We did attempt a stroll on the beach only to be beaten back by a relentless wind.  So, we had no choice but to retire to our 5th wheel for a little happy hour.  Ginny and Dave opted for wine, while Eric and Kathy sampled some specialty brews from Beers of the World.

First, we held the First Annual Chuckluck Tournament.  Because Eric and Ginny are new to the game of Chuckluck, the first few rounds were practice.  The pace of the game was slow to start, but soon Eric and Ginny got into the whole bonking thing and began sending players back to home base left and right.  It was nip and tuck with Eric and Ginny both getting three marbles home, while Kathy and Dave were sucking wind.  The race to get the fourth man home was on.  Both Eric and Ginny were one roll away from getting home, but Eric had the hot dice.  Congratulations Eric on winning not only the mini-golf tournament, but also the Chuckluck Tournament.

Next up, the First Annual Pakled Poker Tournament.  The play went round and round with each person trying to outguess the next to get the lowest hand.  After losing both the mini-golf and the chuckluck, Kathy was not going to be denied.  After several quick knocks, the opposition started racking up big scores.  As soon as the first person (this happened to be David, who seemed adept at losing every competition we could devise) reached 200 points, the game was called and Kathy declared a winner.  To celebrate, the players marched over to Ceviche Tapas Bar and Restaurant.

After consuming a pitcher of fruity sangria, seafood paella and numerous small plates, the players finished off the dinner with a tri-chocolate mousse and an extremely large piece of chocolate cake.  All too soon it was time to say goodbye.  Hugs all around.  Safe travels Eric and Ginny.  We'll see you next winter somewhere in the desert southwest!