It’s a retirement Friday, so a better day of the week is simply not possible. Yesterday, we took Tourist Thursday to Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande. It’s rumored to be the location of a yet to be recovered pirate’s treasure, adding to its lore. It reminded us of Key West but less than an hour away. The island was once served by a railroad, but a $6 toll bridge is now the only access. Another $2 for parking and you’re good for a day on the pristine beaches, so also suitable for a beach bum’s retirement budget. We packed a picnic but there are numerous lunch spots, bars, and a huge hotel. It will be a future “Date Night” destination, if not a getaway weekend.

“Toes in the water, ass in the sand,” as Jimmy Buffett would describe our afternoon. It rained on the way home, prior to our dinner at Chili’s and a visit with my manager son. It seemed appropriate to order a cheeseburger after a sunny afternoon in “paradise.” We are so close to many great beaches but don’t probably get there often enough. Sand is like paint for me – can’t get near it without getting it all over me. It’s a magnetic attraction and annoying to remove while spreading to the car, garage, and bathroom. I left the beach a bit sunburned and gritty.

Tonight is “Date Night,” and our choice is the Snowbird Grille. One of the rules is it has to be a place that we’ve never been to before. It will be wise to dine there while the Snowbirds are away before the area swells again in size, traffic becomes a nightmare, and the restaurants get packed. We have about a month before they begin to return from their northern lake cottages. Our Islandwalk neighborhood remains abandoned and quiet like the relatively uninhabited area beaches such as Gasparilla Island State Park.