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Monthly Archives: December 2014

MOVING TO ST. PETERSBURG-THE UN-TOURIST GUIDE-136-PAGES OF KNOWLEDGE FOR NEW RESIDENTS AND OLD ONES TOO!

Moving To St. Petersburg book offers the info. you'd need to transition from anywhere to Gorgeous St. Petersburg!
Moving To St. Petersburg book offers the info. you’d need to transition from anywhere to Gorgeous St. Petersburg!

APtravelnews-Dec. 21st- Book review from Bob and Barb–Cindy Dobyns  book: “Moving To St. Petersburg-The UN-Tourist Guide” is just that! The 136-page book lets every reader know all about the “real” St. Petersburg from the generally, non-tourist paradigm. The book offers all types of information and non-static, statistics in an interesting format for anyone considering a move to St. Petersburg.

Just a few of the informational things a potential new resident would love to know about are: Cost of living-real estate-Art, music and other cultural amenities-all about the enjoyment of the outdoors-shopping-schools-finding jobs-property taxes-History of St. Petersburg-Boating and beaches- media-Fishing-Sport teams and just about everything else you would want to know. In pictures and words, this is a must have book if your considering a move or even for locals who really do not know much about the many things available to them would like this book. Barb and I are happy where we are now, but after looking over this book we’d certainly consider St. Petersburg as the next best place we’d move to in our retirement years!

The book is published by the Voyager Media, Inc. Copyright in 2014 by Cindy Dobyns. We met her and received our signed copy. Yes, after review we can highly recommend this book-Period! Check the book out on Google! Or go: ISBN-978-0-9899523-3-0 in soft cover. The book is also available as an e-book.

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Kingfisher Fleet Showed Us Where they Live-Offshore for Grouper, Snapper and a Dozen Other Species

Offshore with Kingfisher Fleet and mate, Matt holds one of the 15-grouper caught and released by Barb!
Barb offshore with Kingfisher Fleet and mate, Matt holds one of the 15-grouper caught and released by Barb!

APtravelnews-Dec. 20th, Punta Gorda, FL.-Offshore in the Gulf of Mexico–It was a laid back day and the seas were laid down too! Mostly calm with a 3-foot following sea as we headed out from Port Charlotte towards where concentrations of ground fish held among rocks and bottom cover. Our quest: catch em up and release the ones out of season (grouper) but take some porgies and Key West large grunt and a snapper or two for dinner for our group. Successful by end of day, yes and yes! The Captain and Mate performed their jobs perfectly! The Captain found the fish, the mate assisted us all in uhooking, baiting the hook with shrimp and cut fish, we Barb, yours truly and Bob Nesoff, writer from New Jersey pulled on some fiesty fins that of course in no way wanted to visit with us, topside. We got a workout, pulling and reeling them in. Yes, it was great fun for us all! None of the fish that shouldn’t have been kept were and they all scampered back to their bottom homes with only a tiny hole in their lips, much less damage than a gal or guy with a piercing in their tongue, lip or elsewhere, unmentionable! Take a fishing trip or excursion with the King Fisher Fleet. For info.: www.kingfisherfleet.com located at the Marina at Fishermen’s Village on Punta Gorda. Stay tuned-next up will be our fabulous adventure at the 90-thousand acre, Babcock Wilderness! 

A Remora fish. It has a suction-cup head and it sticks by "vacuum" to larger fish and travel with their hosts picking off the crumbs of the larger fishes (sharks, marlin, etc.) meals. A very interesting specialized fish!
A Remora fish. It has a suction-cup head and it sticks by “vacuum” to larger fish and travel with their hosts picking off the crumbs of the larger fishes (sharks, marlin, etc.) meals. A very interesting specialized fish!
Looks a bit rough, but it wasn't this time! Just nature turbo-charged at its best!
Looks a bit rough, but it wasn’t this time! Just nature turbo-charged at its best!

Fishermen’s Village 30 Shops, Great Seafood, a Quality Resort and Marina=Valhalla!!!

Fishermen's Village has the best candy and chocolate shop, ever! The Village was all dressed up in their holiday lights and "festive" is the word! We loved it!
Fishermen’s Village has the best candy and chocolate shop, ever! The Village was all dressed up in their holiday lights and “festive” is the word! We loved it!

APtravelnews-Dec. 19th,-Bob and Barb writing from Fishermen’s Village, Punta Gorda, FL.–Its really hard to say anything else then; Barb and I really loved this place. So many animated and excited folks-from children to old timers really having a ball, looking at the lighting, meeting Santa, tasting chocolates, buying gifts, visiting a real Military Museum with hero Veterans talking about past wars and their recollections and through it all; friendly shop-keepers and visitors! We ate seafoods, destroyed sumptious desserts, a few cocktails and after dinner libations as well. We stopped to listen to chorals of the season, popped into the Village Fish Market (www.village-fish-market.com) for the aforementioned seafoods such as the ubiquitous shrimp done many ways, crab cakes, scallops, fish dishes, delicious’ too! Our dinner was hosted by owner Sue Randall.

We ended off the evening with a Christmas Canal Cruise through Punta Gorda’s canals with the Kingfisher Fleets excursion boat loaded with all kinds of appetizers-we sure do travel on our stomachs too! www.kingfisherfleet.com  Stay tuned! Much more coming of our trip to Punta Gorda!  Go for some great info: www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com

Scallops and very tasty side dishes we all love! Fabulous meals all around!
Scallops and very tasty side dishes we all love!
Fabulous meals all around!
The Military Museum had wonderful Veterans who we stand with anytime of the year, described the realities of their times in the past war theaters!
The Military Museum had wonderful Veterans who we stand with anytime of the year, described the realities of their times in past war theaters!
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The way it used to be. Local Indians coming in to trade in the “Islands” depicted in this giant mural at Fishermen’s Village! The old mingled nicely with the new!
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The whole town and dozens of waterfront homes seen on a Kingfisher Charter, all decked out in Christmas Lights WOW’d everyone in the Holiday frame of mind!
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Tasting goodies at the Simply Sweet, A Confectionary Cafe’. Homemade fudge, flavored popcorn, a great sweet note that we experienced and will not forget! https.//facebook.com/simplysweetaconfectionarycafe