When we came in yesterday, we saw a Bob Evan's Restaurant. Bob Evan's holds a special place in Bob's heart. His dad, Charlie, worked in one in Ohio in the 50's. To pay tribute to Charlie and satisfy our forever hunger pangs, we had breakfast. Andrew joined us. We raised our cups of coffee and toasted Charlie.

After breakfast, we planned to explore St. Petersburg. Andrew and Liza were going to catch up with us along the way. First stop was Fort De Soto out on Pinellas Bay, which we thought was a National Monument. We figured out that the National Monument was in Brandenton. It was windy blustery day with storm clouds looming in the west, but the walk out on the pier was refreshing. We strolled up and over the fort and got back to the truck before the rains came. The park looked like a great place to hang for the day bicycling, swimming, fishing, even kayaking.

Next stop was the Weedon Island Preserve located in St Pete just before crossing Hwy 92 into Tampa Bay. I received a text earlier from Andrew that it was pouring rain in this area. We figured the odds are that the rains were now at Fort De Soto and it would be okay. We guessed right. We went through the education facility and thought a "short" walk on the boardwalk would be perfect before heading back to the RV park. The boardwalk meandered through mangrove forests and tidal flats. We took the first leg and thought there was a shortcut back to the parking lot. Well, there wasn't. We were standing at an intersection arguing which way we should go when Andrew and Liza came upon us. Thank goodness. We all agreed on a direction and got back to the parking lot before the rains came again.

It was almost 2pm and none of us had lunch. Walt and Barb decided that they would head back to the RV park that it was too close to dinner to have another big meal. Not us. Bob and I went with Liza and Andrew to grab a bite to eat. They took us downtown to the "Locale Market" where we dined at the Farmtable Kitchen. OMG. We split a pulled pork sandwich and french fries. Have you ever had duck fat fries? We ate every one. The sandwich was also very tasty. Don't miss this place if you ever visit St. Pete.

The evening festivities were planned. We were going to meet Andrew and Liza at their new place in downtown St. Pete. Then, dinner at BellaBrava down by the marina with a walk through the park. Andrew's and Liza's home is 4-story townhouse in the center of town. The fourth story is a rooftop patio with fantastic views. It is quite the place. We knew the rains were heading our way, but we thought we could beat them to the restaurant. On the way to BellaBrava, we planned on dropping in at The Canopy to listen to Andrew's friend sing/play. Just before we got to the Bar, the skies opened up and we literally had to run for cover. We didn't get to hear his friend, but we enjoyed a glass of wine compliments of Walter while we waited out the storm to pass. After about 45 minutes, the rains had stopped and we walked the one block to BellaBrava for a wonderful Italian dinner.

After dinner, we gave hugs all around and said our goodbyes.

Tomorrow, we head for Chokochee Island and the Everglades.