The Magic Behind Decorating a Home for under $1,500!

Reduce! Reuse! Repurpose!

Taking a leap into the Sunshine State after many years of RVing, this couple from Cleveland, Ohio have settled very comfortably in a double wide manufactured home. It is in a quiet, neat park just west of Tampa.
Their new home had great bones but was decorated in dark colours and traditional, stuffy furniture.
So they literally drenched everything in white; walls, cabinets and furniture to display an eclectic collection of finds. This allowed Cheryl a clear canvas to express her personality.
Then came the hunt. Culling collectives from their winter home, they added finds from the roadside, thrift shops, Habitat for Humanity, and a local hotel liquidator.

Creative Art from Recycled Materials

The new buzz word - upcycling!

At the Fine Arts Festival in Tarpon Springs, it was apparent that the selection committee was impressed by artists using recycled materials. Upcycling was the aim of many participants; silver spoons appeared in jewellery, driftwood in carvings, barnboard in framing for stained glass, lake glass shards in pendants, and on it went.

The miniature creatures created Melissa Menzer were intriguing. She uses pieces of jewelry from the 1920's and 1930's, wiring them onto each bird or animal by hand.

For a truly whimsical use of recycled paper, bottles and cans, check out Joyce Curvin's website at www.joycecurvin.com. Her collection of almost life-size dogs, cats and birds are adorable. All in bright colours, they amuse and remind us the cartoons of our childhood. Somehow she makes the paper mâché exteriors look like clay.

A nice way to browse a way a warm Sunday morning in Florida.

A Closer Look at Tarpon Springs
By Jacky Crawford

Tarpon Springs still bills it seek as the "Sponge Capital of the World), although the heyday of the sponge industry was in the thirties and the forties. The Greeks, arriving in the early days of the twentieth century, came in droves to bring their diving skills to their new land. But a red tide, fatal for the sponges, wiped out many of the beds. The industry did not restart until the sixties. By that time there was fierce competition from man made sponges. Today there are still some sponge boats with plucky divers who plunge one hundred and fifty feet to the ocean floor to harvest sponges. Other Greeks now run interesting shops selling these sponges, sea shells and olive oil soaps. Perhaps the first tourist spot selling more sponges than t-shirts!

Of course, there are more bakeries and restaurants with Greek fare. Just walk along Dodecanese Boulevard across from the docks; pick one and dig into some amazing moussaka, gyros, baklava, etc.

If you want to delve into Greek culture, there are many options. Visit the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral fashioned with some sixty tons of marble in the Byzantine style. The Epiphany Celebration is in early January. some 30,000 people come to watch young boys dive into the chilly Spring Bayou in pursuit of the Greek Cross thrown in by the Bishop.

Any visitor will easily find the two beaches, Sunset and Fred Howard Park which come complete with - sand! No ring of condos and large hotels, minimal commercial activity at Sunset Beach.

Biking has to be the best way to see the interesting architectural mix around Tarpon Springs. There are many grand Victorian homes around the five sapphire blue bayous to gape out, but if you go into the surrounding residential streets, attractive examples of the twentieth century homes with tropical landscaping around every corner.

Tarpon Springs has many festivals through out the year, as do the surrounding towns. Truly, a spot of Florida not too be missed.

Notes from a Tin Can Tourist

After many years of endless condo building and strip mall proliferation, there is a movement afoot to protect and even display, the real Florida. I know firsthand that it can be enjoyed from the waterways, but previous land bound visits had left me soured on finding places apart from mansions, malls, and multi-lane highways. It seemed that there was no escape from Flager's heritage. Could this one man have doomed the entire state to an entirely coral pink future?

However, a short but luckily victorious bout with cancer left us with an overwhelming desire to relax in the sun. The grey cold of a bitter Canadian winter was too much too bear; we packed our recently acquired motor home in frigid temperatures and fled South.

Arriving in Florida found us with plenty of sunshine although a bitter wind was blowing. But we could shed our coats and mukluks!

Armed with our Camping in Florida pamphlet, we located and checked into the city run Manatee Cove Park, just outside of Titusville. It is an excellent park, and an inexpensive way to visit DisneyLand (note to self - perfect for a grandchild visit) and to view space launches. For this reason, it is often fully booked. Call ahead.

We wanted to stop at the first lock on Lake Okeechobe, but they were full. With a view of the canal and a resident family of alligators, we knew this to be a peaceful natural site. It is state run and inexpensive for boaters and campers. However, they had been booked months ahead, so that left us with Indiantown Marina and Campground.

Knowing what to expect at a somewhat primitive location was a plus. We had spent a month there on board our trawler. Nothing comes close to being other than basic, but the managers and the people there are friendly. There are many old salts willing to share their sailing adventures with you. As Florida's past is definitely linked to boating, and not just the huge pleasure yachts dotting the waters around Miami, this is a glimpse into that world.

Still in search of the real Florida, we left after a weekend and headed across to the Gulf side. We tracked down Canoe Outpost  (www.canoeoutpost.com). Bingo!

A very small campground, but there was a cement pad for our rig, BBQ, and two sets of tables and chairs. Waving grasses gave us great views from the motor home, a short walk took us to a winding stream, and there were kayaks and canoes to rent. The owner should get an award for the most unusual restroom facilities - full of Florida kitsch and you could literally shower under the stars!

Encouraged by our stay at Canoe Outpost, we hit the road again and headed to Frog Creek, (www.frogcreek.com). They have every amenity, landscaped grounds and many organized activities.
Disappointingly, it was hard to forget you were in a campground because there were no opportunities to walk or bike anywhere.

Our following week was spent in the Happy Traveller Park which had cheaper fees and was set among many live oaks. Less rule bound than the previous spot, it was not as pristine, but had an interesting mix of campers and permanents. It is opposite a gigantic flea market, which is a more lively option than shopping at the mall. A visit to nearby Myakka State Park gave us a nice respite I  lovely natural surroundings. Our favourite part of the day was the view from the seventy foot tower - after we had caught our breath!

Feeling that I had more of a grasp on picturing and finding good campsites, I booked a week stay at Bayshore Cove in Tarpon Springs. Again, bingo!

A brief memory of a visit to the sponge docks some twenty years ago inspired me to think that this area might have it all. It does - a town based on fishing, not just tourists, that sits near the Gulf and has some beautiful homes with lovely bayou views.

The campground was full of snowbirds who stay for five of six months at a time. The few spots serving transients seemed to be mostly occupied, so booking ahead would be safer. Unlike any other spot, we were not given a package of rules and information. For awhile, I didn't even know there was a laundry. No pool, no pet leash laws, and not a lot of space between sites. But everything was in biking and walking distance with wonderful views that made you eager to jump on your bile and do mundane errands at the library or the grocery store. Within a week we were much healthier and fit.

A Winter Get Away

Winter Get- Aways

Two part Series by Jacky Crawford

Our Singapore Fling

It was hot and steamy. I should also add, exotic.

We might live in the southern most part of Canada, but January holds only coldand windy days topped with grey skies. Stepping out of the Singapore airport is to be instantly transported into another world. Lush and verdant vegetation greets you: trees in unusual shapes and warm air folds around you like a velvet cloak.

Acting as my own travel agent, I had messed up on only one detail, but it was a whopper – I though we were arriving as seven in the evening, but we got in at seven am. Having been assured that we could easily use the ATMs and credit cards, we were bereft of even a Singapore dime to use the public phone. I missed my cell already!

An Avis salesperson gave us a dime and welcomed us to Singapore. He was to be the first of many helpful locals that gave us directions, advice and smiles. Adding to the fact that this city state is extremely clean, graffiti-free and safe, you have a worry free springboard to your introduction to Asia.

We had travelled Singapore Air. They are somewhat of a legend in the service they provide. The quality of the meals, served with very little in the way of plastic utensils or dishes, was superb and the attentative stewards (women coiffed and groomed as for a catwalk) was reminiscent of the days of BOAC.

However, the effects of a twenty-one hour flight is still a major case of jet lag. We kept our first days low key. Our initial outing was to the peaceful Botanical Gardens. It was filled with families strolling the many paths and gazing at the flowers and birds. This little oasis has many sculptures and all the unusual plantings are labelled. The food court was a noisy shock – we had to settle for strawberry smoothies, as we didn't have enough energy to decipher the menu, even with the pictures!

A few days later we were ready to do some serious sight-seeing. We had already found the taxis to be inexpensive. The bus and subway system is cheaper and almost as convenient. Arming ourselves with an e-z link card, we just swiped and took a seat, often on a double-decker that afforded great views.

We visited each ethnic section of Singapore in turn. Each was like entering a different country, Singaporeans have a great street life. People are to be found eating outside, shopping and bar-hopping almost twenty-four hours a day. It is not only the tourists that jam the many small streets, walking around and choosing a cafe', snapping pictures and then deciding to get one more drink before calling a cab, but the locals too. It leaves inside activities quite flat. The Museum of Civilization, interesting and beautifully presented, was quite empty, even though it was Saturday and there were areas set up to children to experiment with hands on materials.

Return to this site to read about Singapore's Streets!