Visit to John’s Pass

On Wednesday we made a visit to the Miano’s (John’s sister and brother-in-law) who are in their first winter in a newly purchased condo in South Pasadena, just east of St. Pete’s Beach.  It’s about a 40 mile drive crossing the entrance to Tampa Bay over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

The area we have been staying in near Bradenton Beach is known as a “quiet” beach area. Cross the bay into the St. Pete’s Beach area and you see why.  St. Pete’s Beach is much more crowded, with more of everything, bars, restaurants, shops, people, etc.  We made a brief stop to a shopping area known as John’s Pass, which is a water inlet to go from the Gulf of Mexico into the Inter-coastal Waterway.

The bridge above is a drawbridge over John’s Pass recently completed after four years of construction.  What a traffic headache that must have been!  Below is a picture of the bridge in the open position.

The short boardwalk had the usual food and clothing shops at beach resorts.  When at the seashore, it is custom to visit a candy shop where they attempt to add to America’s Battle of the Bulge.  We upheld this tradition, checking out the fudge making process and purchasing a little health food (peanut brittle and salt water taffy).

Three tourists with lunch

What would a beach resort be without a t-shirt shop?  One shop at John’s Pass had a huge display of shirts with all kind of messages.  Since we have a daughter who was a bit of a challenge during her “formative years” and is very close to her mother, two in particular caught our eyes.

But we resisted the temptation and left without making a purchase.  As we drove south, dark clouds began to form over the Gulf,  providing for some “ominous” views.

We stopped to eat at Sea Hag’s Bar and Grill on Blind Pass Road in St. Pete’s Beach.  When a man walked by our table, brother-in-law Bob asked if I knew who he was.  Turns out he was Tony Esposito.  Now to most, it would be “who is he?”  To an old hockey fan it was “Wow, Tony Esposito from the Chicago Blackhawks!”

Tony was an all-star goalie for the Blackhawks during the ’70s and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame (as is his older brother, Phil, who played center for the NY Rangers).  While I recognized him, he apparently did not recognize me, even though I was the third line defenseman for the Bozos hockey club playing at 2:00 a.m. every Sunday morning at the Valley Forge Ice Rink during the late ’70s.  Since he pretended not to recognize me, I did the same to him.

Tomorrow (Friday) is “moving day” as we make our way to our next stop.  Sunday we will arrive at Geronimo RV Resort in Mirimar Beach, FL, near Panama Beach, where we will stay for the month of April.  Since we leave Bradenton on a Friday and can’t get into our new home until Sunday we will overnight at a couple of Wal-Marts on the way north.