Monday, 20 November 2006:

Today my sis, who runs a mortgage company, had her company Thanksgiving lunch at her office. She and I kicked around the house until about 10:30 - she was getting ready for the lunch and I was just loafing. She took off and I got on my bike and made a little side trip to get a gift for one of her brokers before heading for her office. Here are some pics of the proceedings:

Here's my sister Lisa and the caterer Wendy setting up the buffet table. Mike was the official carver, and Meagan is Lisa's senior associate. Cassie is the office manager - she graciously cleared her desk to serve as a dining table, at which we all ate. Many of Lisa's infrastructure associates - you know, from the title company, bank, etc. - dropped by during the afternoon in their gleaming white enamel and formidably endowed anteriors. What a great lunch!!

The day had started out very cool, but after lunch, about 14:00, it started warming up some and the sun was shining brightly. I decided to take a ride out to St. Petersberg and points south on the Gulf of Mexico (down here we say "Guff"). Here is a map of my route. As I said, it was pretty nice when I started, but as I passed through downtown Tampa a giant black cloud formed overhead and it got significantly cooler and very windy. I was a little underdressed - no leathers and my warm weather gloves. Nonplussed, I passed through the St. Pete peninsula and rode across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I thought I would get blown all over the road crossing the bridge, but as it happened the wind was almost dead at my back and it was eerily calm going over. Here's someone's pic of the main span - it really is one big, steep, tall mother - and here is my pic taken from the South Fishing Pier. FYI, this is the world’s longest cable-stayed concrete bridge, with a length of over 29,000 feet. It connects St. Petersburg in Pinellas County to Palmetto in Manatee County, Florida.

I then turned west on SR 64 and rode out to Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, where I got my first view of the Guff. The beach was deserted except for a few brave - or foolhardy - Yankees, as no local would have gone out on a day like today. Whoa - does that make me a foolhardy Yankee?!?

I had planned to go a little further down the coast to Sarasota, but it was getting late so I headed back to Valrico. BRRRR!! That was one cold ride.

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