Fishin' in Venice

I went to Venice, FLA with my 4 daughters and my wife. It was a fun filled week of boating, a trip to Adventure Island, the beach, hot dogs, and fishing.

I wake up at 6:30 as a rule. This means that if I waited around for the girls to get ready for the beach, I would be sitting around on the lanai for about 3 hours every day, drinking coffee.

I decided a better way to go about it was to head down to the Venice fishing pier and try my luck while the girls slumbered, showered and organized themselves.

There's lots to see at the pier, including dolphins and manatees (that's a dolphin surfacing below- the manatees were camera shy).

The real attraction at the pier is fishing. There is a whole group of regulars at the pier who contribute to the charm and character of a stroll on the pier, patiently answering the "did you catch anything" type of questions from the tourist crowd.

I have seen some big fish caught out here over the years, including a 6 foot bull shark and a 50 pound kingfish. This guy had a good size cobia on the line...

...alas, his line boke,  :O(

I managed to land a small (by New England standards) bluefish which we had in some fish tacos for supper.

Little Miss even got into the act one day. It was the first time she'd ever been fishing and she landed a small flounder on her second cast.

This was very exciting for her, but it was the worst possible scenario for me: she was now an "expert."

Any way you slice it, a day of fishing at the Venice fishing pier is....

Hot Doggin' in Venice, FLA

The girls and I got back from vacationing for the week in Venice, Florida on Saturday. Despite the best intentions, I rarely post while on vacation. It was a very fun filled week with lots of fishing, beach, and boating.

I also managed to squeeze in three Hot Dog Stories while on vacation.

The first place we visited was an old favorite. In fact, it's the place that sort of launched the Hot Dog Stories site: Lucky Dog.

The next place we visited was new to us, but has been in business in Venice for 16 years- the Gulf Coast's famous Florida Hot Dog Stand icon, Anita's Sand Castle.

The third and final destination is both a new business and new to us, a little gem of a place out on route 41 called Mad Dogs Hot Dogs.

I shot a bunch of video at each location and I will be posting stories about each visit soon on Hot Dog Stories.

I also have some other fun tidbits from our week in Venice. 

To tell the truth, it sucks to be back. When we left, it was sunny and 90 degrees; we returned home to rain and 40 degrees. 5 more years until HDM moves south.....

Heat Wave

My family trip to Florida is going quite well, thank you. We went to a water park yesterday. Other than that, we have been to the beach every day.

I have a ton of pictures, three Hot Dog Stories, and a bunch of other good material which I will be posting next week.

The best part of this vacation is there is murky, rainy weather back home and the greater Tampa area is in the midst of a heatwave!

Southbound!

After the worst winter in recent memory and a spring season that can't quite get into gear, it is going to be nice to get on a plane this morning and head to sunny Florida for a week with the family! The only one not joining us is the dog-she's staying behind with my brother in law to mind the fort.

As soon as I click "publish" on this post, we are off to the airport and we will be in lovely Venice, Florida by 3PM.

We have a Hot Dog Story or two planned for our trip, a boating excursion to an awesome State Park/Nature reserve, some fishing, a trip to Busch gardens' Water Park and, of course, daily trips to the beach and pool.

I don't know if I will be able to keep on my nutrition regimen, but I do intend to hit the health club every morning.

I'll be posting from Florida, I hope to have a few pictures of HUGE fish I caught for publication too.

Off to the airport....

Ciao!

VACATION

I will be closed Monday March 16-Friday March 20. I am headed to sunny Florida today for a week with my son before the "busy season" begins.

I most likely will not be doing any posts until I return.

Florida, Here I Come!

I am headed to sunny Florida with my 5 children Tuesday. We're going to Busch Gardens and the beach. We'll probably spend quite a bit of time kicking back at my parent's pool too. The wife has to work (she's got National Championships for her swim team) so she's not coming. It will be a somewhat hectic week for me, but relaxing nonetheless.

While I'm gone, I'll only be posting sporadically (if at all) so don't think I dropped off the face of the earth or anything. I'll be back with a big splash about my spring Grand Opening next week.

HAVE A GOOD ONE!

Thailand Connector

Time to start planning another trip "Down Under" to see the wife's family. A trip to Australia takes a lot of planning. We won't go for less than three weeks, so we need to coordinate school, work, sports and coaching AND travel schedules. It can be a lot of work going on such a trip!

The last time we went to Australia we stopped for 4 days in Singapore. We loved it so much, we vowed to see more of Asia the next time we traveled to that part of the world. I've been looking at connecting flights to Thailand for our next voyage. Bangkok is supposed to be an amazing city. It is the third most popular tourist destination in the world! There is abundant nightlife, shopping and dining (I'll bet the Thai food is very good). There are also numerous palaces and temples to visit. I'd love to visit the ancient Buddhist Temples of Wat Arun and Wat Suthat.

The beaches in Thailand are some of the finest in the world. The 52-island Marine National Park in Thailand features white sand beaches, rain forests, waterfalls and fantastic diving. It is a country we'd love to see and the prices are very affordable-a week in Thailand would be LESS than a week in Disneyworld! I've heard the people are very nice too.

Of course the main focus of the trip would be Australia, but we'd love to get out and stretch our legs in Thailand for a week or so along the way, so I'll continue to monitor the prices on flights to Thailand while we plan!

Bring the Dog

When we go to the beach in the summer, we bring the dog. She's part of the family after all and she LOVES the beach. She usually rides in the back and falls asleep on one of the kids. She's not too crazy about being in the car, but she likes it when we get there. It's easy to take her to the beach because we have a house to stay at.

When we go away somewhere where we need to stay in a hotel, we leave the dog at home and my brother watches her. It might be nice to bring her along sometimes, but we'd need to find Pet Friendly Hotels.

I remember the first time we took her to Canada with us. She needed more paperwork than we did! You need to have proof that the dog has had all its shots to cross the border. She kind of embarrassed me because she kept barking and growling at the customs guy. At least he didn't keep us long. Coming home was the same way-more paperwork and more growling. We stayed with family so we didn't need to worry about Pet Friendly Hotels.

She had a nice time in Canada. My wife's aunt has one of those "toy" dogs and Bailey had a ball chasing it around and knocking it all over the place. She was a bit more subdued around another aunt's doberman pinscher. We were staying in HIS house and he let Bailey know he was boss. I think she was glad to get out of there.

Sometimes it might be fun to bring the dog on a vacation, but then it might not seem like a vacation. The last time we were in Maine, we stayed in a Pet Friendly Bed and Breakfast and our neighbors had a big American Bulldog. We shared a porch and the first time we went in and saw him there, he gave me a start. Turns out he was a pussycat. When I saw the other couple dealing with their dog as we went off for a night of carousing, I was glad we didn't bring our dog!

Free Raleigh, NC Getaway

I've written in the past about moving South someday. North Carolina is one of our favorite dream destinations. Anyone who has flown South has probably connected through Raleigh/Durham airport-I have a bunch of times- but not many have taken the time to explore the city of Raleigh. Since I come from Boston, much of the USA and many of its cities looks like homogeneous urban sprawl to me. Boston is a city with colonial charm and an "old world" feel. So is Raleigh-it has been around almost as long as Boston and it has that charm.

Raleigh is also a heck of a lot more affordable than Boston! For the money we spent on our spacious town home in the burbs of Boston, we could buy a MANSION in Raleigh! There's a lot of fun stuff to do in Raleigh too. The Durham Bulls (minor league baseball) is nearby. Minor League baseball is a great pass-time in my book. Good baseball without the whiny millionaires.

The great thing about Raleigh is it has the feel, sophistication and charm of a Northeast City without all the hustle bustle. The Southern, relaxed atmosphere is far less hectic and stressful. There's lots of great stuff to do in Raleigh. It's a fantastic place to plan a Fall Getaway. There are many wonderful small concert venues with international talent nearly every week of the year. You could see Trace Adkins in Concert if you wanted to. Elvis Costello is even performing with the North Carolina Symphony. (I wonder if they'll do "Pump it Up?")

There are two things I love: Travel and Free Stuff. I may have found a really cool contest and it involves Raleigh. You could win a Free Raleigh Getaway by registering with the Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau Free Vacation Site. If you win, you get:

-$25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro
-Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners
-2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre
-2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism
-2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

Winning a free vacation is definitely worth 5 minutes of my time!

Going to Amsterdam, again!

The first time I went to Amsterdam, I was 16 years old and I went with my parents. We were visiting friends who lived in the Hague and we travelled all over Europe by car with them. Amsterdam was a cool place and my friend and I discovered a few "coffee shops" that served more than coffee (if you know what I mean). We went to many of the art museums and cultural attractions in Amsterdam then, but we did not get to see some of the more "grown-up attractions."

Amsterdam is a city that leaves you wanting more, so I went back twice since that first trip. The last time I went to Amsterdam I stayed here. I have yet to got to Amsterdam with my lovely bride, but we're looking to go next year sometime sans children.

One of the good things about Amsterdam is its people. There are folks from all over the world there and the natives are very friendly. They are also eager to speak English-unlike some other European countries- so communicating is relatively easy. There are a lot of art museums in Amsterdam worth seeing and its a fun party city.

Amsterdam has a wide variety of places to stay and its not too expensive. Can't wait to go back!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

When you see a post title like that, you'd think I've whisked off to some gorgeous, warm and sunny spot to sip umbrella drinks on a beach.

Not the case.

At about 5 AM this morning, my wife and FIVE kids hopped into the airport to catch a flight to sunny Florida. They'll be spending the April School vacation week at my folks' house swimming and fishing and going to Busch Gardens and having a general grand old time.

I will be home. Alone. Just me and the dog.

So who is really on vacation here? My wife with 5 kids (ages 2-14) in Florida or me?

I AM ON VACATION! For an entire week, I will do what I want to when I want to (except when I am at the Hot Dog Truck) without a care about baseball schedules, soccer schedules, potty training (for the 2 year old, not my wife), dinner menus, school functions, etc.

I will watch the Red Sox game every night without the standard "Isn't there any thing else on?"
I will sit around in my underwear drinking Guiness without a care.
I will fiddle on the computer without having to give it up for homework.
I will sleep an extra hour and a half per day and I'll sleep til noon on the weekends!

I will miss my wife and kids. I love them dearly.

But I WILL enjoy my vacation!