Valrico, Florida
December 12, 2021–
January 16, 2022
December 12, 2021–
January 16, 2022
I spent the longest portion of my trip in any one place just outside Tampa, visiting my sister. I’m not much of a Florida man, myself, but I very much enjoyed this repeat of last winter’s sister time. I was reunited with my best little buddies: Banjo the mutt, Ranger the tiny poodle, and Squirtle the itty-bitty tortoiseshell cat. (My sister has two other lovely cats, as well, but they were too afraid to come out much, with my monster dogs about.) Lauren and I took Mochi, Miso, and Ranger (in full “Coyote Vest” getup) on daily walks through the neighborhood, and we took my guys back to the Davis Island Dog Beach in Tampa, which was the scene of Mochi’s first-ever saltwater experience last year.
I took a quick flight back to Vermont December 20–22 (my first flight in almost two years!) for the wedding of my dear friends Dan and Kylee, and I got to see my main humans—Lit, Carly, and Adrian—and get my poodle fix with the fabulous Zola.
Once I got back to Florida, we had a nice little Christmas at the house, and I helped Lauren learn how to use her brand new sewing machine so we could made individualized stockings for the whole gang. We also sewed numerous face masks, and I sewed the covers and did some binding for more copies of my thesis book.
We humans visited Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City, Lithia Springs Conservation Park (and the Fishhawk Trails) in Lithia, Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin (where the world’s most adorable armadillo tottered by right in front of me on the trail!), and Pass-a-Grille Beach in St. Petersburg. I swam in the Gulf of Mexico, even though it apparently was too cold for any other humans, in Lithia Springs (a natural spring that seemed to be a hot spot for families), and most of all in my sister’s pool. In fact, I spent nearly the entirety of New Year’s Eve (and much of New Year’s Day) floating in it, reading Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts and drinking champagne.
One major development during my time in Florida was the switch from sweet Donna and Pierogi to a marvelous camper van named Vincent (Van Go!). I loved my little truck-and-trailer setup, but frequent travel in that way could be a bit arduous, and sometimes trailer life on the road became downright scary. Towing is a haul! (Ba-dum-TSSSS...) So, now I have this gorgeous new van that’s easy to drive, only slightly less spacious than Donna was, has all the same amenities, and way fancier. The best part is that Vincent has a second bed that pops up on the top, so I can sleep without dogs all over me on occasion. Luxury!
I took a quick flight back to Vermont December 20–22 (my first flight in almost two years!) for the wedding of my dear friends Dan and Kylee, and I got to see my main humans—Lit, Carly, and Adrian—and get my poodle fix with the fabulous Zola.
Once I got back to Florida, we had a nice little Christmas at the house, and I helped Lauren learn how to use her brand new sewing machine so we could made individualized stockings for the whole gang. We also sewed numerous face masks, and I sewed the covers and did some binding for more copies of my thesis book.
We humans visited Edward Medard Conservation Park in Plant City, Lithia Springs Conservation Park (and the Fishhawk Trails) in Lithia, Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin (where the world’s most adorable armadillo tottered by right in front of me on the trail!), and Pass-a-Grille Beach in St. Petersburg. I swam in the Gulf of Mexico, even though it apparently was too cold for any other humans, in Lithia Springs (a natural spring that seemed to be a hot spot for families), and most of all in my sister’s pool. In fact, I spent nearly the entirety of New Year’s Eve (and much of New Year’s Day) floating in it, reading Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts and drinking champagne.
One major development during my time in Florida was the switch from sweet Donna and Pierogi to a marvelous camper van named Vincent (Van Go!). I loved my little truck-and-trailer setup, but frequent travel in that way could be a bit arduous, and sometimes trailer life on the road became downright scary. Towing is a haul! (Ba-dum-TSSSS...) So, now I have this gorgeous new van that’s easy to drive, only slightly less spacious than Donna was, has all the same amenities, and way fancier. The best part is that Vincent has a second bed that pops up on the top, so I can sleep without dogs all over me on occasion. Luxury!
