Saturday Summary: Week 7 - Bittersweet, Indulgent & Grounding

Palmetto Bay, FL (80’s) → Sarasota, FL (70’s)  → Fort Mead, FL (70’s) | Dec 13th - Dec 19th

Leaving Palmetto Bay wasn’t easy. Saying goodbye to Mausi never is, especially knowing she’s still recovering. We’ll miss her deeply and will keep checking in from the road as we make our way slowly north through Florida, intentionally taking a gentler pace this week.

We started with a very quick stop at Everglades National Park. Quick for two reasons: first, I have no love for alligators, and second, dogs (rightfully) aren’t allowed. A sweet, slow-moving dog like Lucky would absolutely look like an appetizer to an alligator. Don spotted one lounging roadside and we counted that as our official Everglades sighting. Thankfully, I was driving and fully focused on not becoming part of the food chain. Lunch felt like it needed to match the Everglades vibe, so we stopped at Joanie’s Blue Crab Café right off the Tamiami Trail. Cold beer, an aggressively indulgent fried platter (shrimp, alligator, catfish), and a slice of Key Lime Pie later… we knew we were in trouble. We also paid the highest gas price of the trip so far at a nearby Indigenous gas station. We chose to stop here, to support the Indigenous Nation, but also because in the Finger Lakes region, Indigenous-owned gas stations have lower prices. File that under “things the road teaches you.”

That evening, we arrived in Sarasota for a two-night stay at the Dog Bar, our Harvest Host. This place was part bar, part restaurant, part dog park, and fully entertaining. Watching Lucky mingle with dogs ten times her size was a highlight, especially the Great Danes who were somehow both enormous and incredibly gentle. While Lucky made her rounds, her favorite spot remained firmly between Don and me on the sofa, enjoying the show. We happily paid for our stay in beer (no regrets), even though the parking lot itself was less-than-scenic due to nearby construction and ongoing hurricane recovery from Milton and Helene in 2024.

The next day, Don wisely suggested we relocate to a waterside park rather than spending the day in a parking lot. After the previous night’s indulgence, we declared it a no-spend day—or as my sister and I call it, Rice and Beans Time. Don worked under palm trees while I walked the waterfront, then made a necessary stop at the Visit Sarasota Visitor Center (because of course I did). Lunch at a picnic table, dinner back in the bus, a little reading, and early sleep made for a perfectly balanced day.

Early the next morning we hit the road again, heading toward our next Harvest Host. Despite promising ourselves fewer back-to-back Harvest Hosts… here we were again. We paused just outside Tampa in Wimauma at a small local library—my last CNP Accelerator Course of the session wrapped up there.

After class, I biked off in search of lunch, craving Latin food like it was a personal mission. La Taqueria Don Julio delivered in every way: tacos, burritos, guacamole, and Te de Jamaica—enough food for both lunch and dinner and worth every pedal stroke.

That afternoon we arrived at Loghry Chicken Farm near Fort Meade—beautiful, quiet, and wonderfully remote. Lucky and I wandered the property saying hello to cows and donkeys, while the chickens kept their distance. We flew the drone to capture the sunset, and I briefly panicked when the battery ran low—only to learn the drone knows exactly where “home” is and returns all on its own. Trust-building moment, both with technology and myself.

The next morning brought farm-fresh scrambled eggs—the kind with deep yellow yolks and zero watery whites. I’m not usually a breakfast person, but I strongly considered seconds. I’ve been challenging myself to walk 5Ks on the road while Don runs them. This time, I chose to walk mine in Florida “winter.” My Florida friends may disagree, but I was hot, dehydrated, and deeply reminded that water should always come along, regardless of season or optimism.

After four days in a row of Harvest Hosts, combined with humid Florida weather and those annoying little seed pods, we desperately needed to do laundry. We found an indoor-outdoor laundromat that was perfect for keeping an eye on the machines while taking Lucky out for short walks.

This week held family at the start, dog-centered joy in the middle, and a renewed commitment to balance—between indulgence and frugality, movement and rest, adventure and care. Onward, slowly and intentionally.