We just had a week-long getaway to Clearwater, Florida, on the Tampa Bay peninsula.
Brooks and Charlie joined us for a few days — Charlie flying in from Chicago and Brooks from Kansas City — and actually Patty is still there. With the luxuries of free lodging and no pressing matters back home, she decided to stay a few more days.
We went there for the first time last year and spent a week with two close KC friends, Jim Gottsch and Julie Koppen, who have a two-bedroom home in Clearwater. This year, we divided our time between an Airbnb and Jim and Julie’s.
Jim and Julie’s house is a few blocks from the Gulf of Mexico, but it is adjacent to another major attraction — the 38-mile long Pinellas Trail, a former railroad line that has been transformed into a paved walking/running/biking path. The path, which is shaded in parts by palm and pine trees, extends from Tarpon Springs at the north end of the peninsula to St. Petersburg, near the south end.
Another strategic advantage of their house is that it is in northernmost Clearwater, just a block south of the Dunedin (pronounced Dun-EE-din) city limit. We spent a lot of time in Dunedin, frequenting its restaurants and its charming “downtown,” along Main Street. (Dunedin also is home to Julie and Patty’s favorite beach, Honeymoon Island.)
I played golf one day at Clearwater Country Club, which, belying its name, is open to the public. Several other good courses are within half an hour or so of Clearwater-Dunedin.
I hope these pictures will give you a taste of the good time we had…
Here’s our group (minus me) at the Clear Sky Draught House in Clearwater. From left are Julie, Patty, Jim, Charlie and Brooks.
Clearwater Beach, which is deep and features that soft sand that can only be found in the U.S. on the Gulf Coast.
Patty and Charlie. Charlie, who is 6′ 7″ tall, was hoping to find a competitive volleyball game on the each, but he didn’t find one that day.
When not captivated by the sun, sky and sand, I happened to notice that women’s swim wear had changed since the last time I went to the beach.
This is part of Pinellas Trail, near Main Street in Dunedin.
A lush, willowy palm tree graces the entrance to the Dunedin Fine Art Center.
Dunedin is home to TD Ballpark, winter home of the Toronto Blue Jays. “Grapefruit League” games got underway a few days ago.
Each year, Dunedin hosts a Mardi Gras parade, which draws scores of big floats and attracts thousands of people. This was one of the floats staging on a city street Saturday afternoon.
Another parade entry — painted in the appropriate color.
Some finely upholstered chairs strategically placed for front-row, parade viewing.
The parade started about 7 p.m…This was the scene along Douglas Avenue, along which the parade runs.
One of the floats that got the most attention was that of the gay nightclub Blur…People on all the floats threw plastic, multi-colored, beaded necklaces — thousands of them — to bystanders. Saturday night saw the revelry; Sunday morning the big cleanup.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
To view women’s swimwear, come to Santa Monica for the women’s beach volleyball tournament…I am happy you and the family got a
warm-weather getaway.
Good to read your post Jim. Our family is not going to Dunedin this year. We will miss it. We also love the things you mentioned, especially the Pinellas Trail and all the great restaurants!
More good pics. Can’t go wrong with sun, sky and sea. Do your friends live there full time? Hope Charlie used lots of sunscreen!
Jim and Julie live here; they’ve had the house in Clearwater about four years. It needed a lot of work, but Jim is a contractor and has transformed it from a poorly constructed house to a solid one.
You know I live her now. You should shoot me an email the next time you come to town. It’s funny, hubby and I were at Clearwater beach visiting friends on Saturday.
I did not know that, Allison! What a great area. We won’t be back until next year, probably February, but I’ll check in with you before we come.
You may want more chicken, but I’m done eat n.
Did you know Jim Hale used to be the publisher in Clearwater?
I had no idea…I’m only familiar with the Tampa Bay Times, published by the Poynter Institute.