Day twenty-one, alligators and more fun

Hey everybody. Bet y’all been wondering what happened to me! Well, I have been busy writing these blogs (sort of), but sometimes the channels get clogged and blogged (pun) because of the heavy load of responsibilities on my partners who help put this online. Anyhow, I hope that these blog entries will be more current again soon.

Right now, I am sitting in the Starbucks in Gainesville, Florida. I’m gazing out a very clean window on a gorgeous sunny day. The surroundings are great, and they play ‘real’ jazz and unpasteurized music at this Starbucks. Gainesville is a nice place. I would consider moving here. This small town of 100,000 people (of which 40,000 are students) has plenty of bookstores, vegetarian restaurants, Indian food cuisine, coffee shops and lots of green grass and foliage. Yes, I like Gainesville, home of University of Florida. It’s a place to be.

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Me [left], enjoying coffee, highspeed and my surroundings [right] at Starbucks.

Yesterday, I trekked across a toll road known as Alligator Alley. I was wondering if I’d see any alligators. Probably if I’d had to stop at the side of the road with mechanical difficulties I might have; maybe even have an unwanted encounter with one. But I’ve been assured by the locals that encounters between humans and alligators are few and far in between.

Fortunately, however, I made it across the beautiful state of Florida, along Alligator Alley, with no problems. First stop was at School Stuff Inc. in Fort Myers, FL. I was able to meet with Donna, the manager, as well as with Jennalee, the store clerk. School Stuff is an enormous store with very high ceilings.

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Jennalee [left] and the inside of School Stuff [right].

Next, I drove to Giggles and Good Grades in St. Petersburg, where I was greeted by owner/manager Matt Wolfe. It is little wonder that Giggles and Good Grades is expanding. They are opening up a second store in Clearwater at the beginning of March. Matt’s effervescent personality and the great selection in the store make this a popular shopping place for local educators and parents. There are several different ‘themed’ learning centers within the store. This building was originally used as a bank.

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Matt [left] and the inside of Giggles and Good Grades [right].

Last night, I was a guest at the home of Neil and Mary. Neil is a math professor at the University of Florida; Mary is a retired grade five teacher. They were very friendly, flexible, and accommodating, especially considering I showed up 24 hours earlier than planned.

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Mary, my host for the evening.

By now, you must know about www.EducatorsTravel.com, a great network for educators to join and participate in accommodation and accommodating around the world. If you decide to join, please say I referred you. My membership number is 13357.

So long for now, I’m off on another day of driving, meetings, and excitement. Have a good one!