Sunday, February 22, 2015

Tampa, Florida: Day 2 - Dinner with the Baums and a reunion with Bertrand

Travel Date: Thursday, Dec 04 2014

After getting up in the morning the first thing I had to address was getting some service work done on my car. So I headed to the local Midas store.


Tire rotation, oil change, and a couple of other small fixes.


And then I headed to St. Petersburg for a visit to The Dali Museum, and then Fort de Soto Park: an island/park on the banks of the Gulf of Mexico.

After the sunset, I head back to the house. Marcus is cooking a winner winner home-made chicken dinner.



Making sure the salad is setup.



It looks really really good. I am quite excited.


A fantastic dinner and great companionship with Marcus and Mary.


After dinner I head out to meet up with another friend: Bertrand at the Yard of Ale bar.


I met Bertrand in Lexington Virginia. He was part of a traveling musical/choir group singing at the Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church. Most of the group members were from Haiti and raising money for their church in Haiti.

I knew he lived in the Tampa area and decided to message him, letting him know I was in town and if he had we could meet up. I've only met him once and when we had our reunion at Yard of Ale it was like old times. Great reminiscing about stories from eons ago with someone you've just met once before but feels like a really good friend. He introduced me to his girlfriend Meg, who like him was genuine and friendly.


After a few beers, and a great night reconnecting and socializing it was bed time.

Reflections:
An overall great day visiting the Dali Museum, watching the sunset at Fort de Soto Park, having a delicious dinner with Marcus and Mary and then a reunion with Bertrand.

Thank you Marcus and Mary for the hospitality, dinner and hosting me for two nights. I really really appreciate it and enjoyed Tampa much. Marcus, that chicken was delicious. My mouth is salivating just thinking about it. Thank you for the many recommendations. They were spot on!!! Especially the Dali Museum and Fort de Soto.

Bertrand: Dude it was great to see you again. It will be one of my crazy stories of seeing someone I've only met once before and hanging out together like old pals. Thank you both (you and Meg) for the great company and making it out to see me for a few beers. You contributed significantly to my time and experience while visiting Tampa.

Expenses: $126.13
Car Maintenance: $109.99
Beverages: $14.00
Groceries: $2.14

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