BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

Yes. I felt it. I felt like I was on one of the most beautiful beaches at Fort De Soto. Wow! The big beach cruisers float and roll over the hard sand at low tide so easily. It's a funky feeling. Perched on a wide, overly soft, bouncy seat, holding on to high handlebars with all your stuff packed into a big wicker basket, you feel goofy as you pedal in bare feet or sandals. You know you look goofy, and don't care. It sets you free. Great. It was the first week of January 2014 and we picked the coldest week of the year to visit southern Florida from Canada's deep freeze. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius) when we woke up and looked out the patio door of a beach front rental on St. Pete's beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. By noon the temperature climbed to 58F (14 C) according to the thermostat in the rental car. The stiff blowing nor’easter made us think differently. Let's go to Fort De Soto beach . . . in our ski jackets!  Why not. We're ...

Dali fan or not, you don't have to be, to be struck by the mad genius of something odd, authentic, grand, and well-designed. If this place doesn't make you curious, you may want to look up the meaning of the word. The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is very welcoming. The door at the entrance says so in 10 different languages. See if you can find yours. It doesn't matter where you look. Everything has a touch of Spanish artist Salvador Dali. A visit here is a complete experience. The building, designed by architect Yann Weymouth with HOK Architects, Tampa, Florida, is a giant rectangle with 18-inch thick hurricane proof cement walls – rounded geodesic, glass bubble windows that form a beautiful atrium constructed from some 1,062 pieces of specially designed, thick, triangular, insulated and laminated glass. The atrium is 75 feet high at the tallest point. It wraps around one side of the building from the ground floor and climbs to the top of the buildin...

Depending on the time you visit, I wish you, Top o' the mornin' , Top o' the afternoon , or Top o' the evening! Canada's National Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario/Gatineau, Quebec) has not changed much since winter began, except that the birds are singing more, and the sun is shining longer since the time change. I'm still walking on water. Much of it is frozen solid. And, we will be skiing in spring. I wish you happy and safe trails. The BaffinPaddler