Several of the weather forecasters that we use were predicting rain for today so we decided to not do any more outdoor jobs on the boat for today and tomorrow for that is when the rain is forecast. Instead we went to Don Ce Sar's Arts Centre to register for the arts and crafts courses that we are interested in plus Barb wanted to head over to Tampa to yet another shopping centre. The registration happened over the telephone as the clerk at the centre could only give us the instructor's phone numbers. When we spoke to the watercolour instructor she asked for three of my recent works for evaluation but was prepared to accept me understanding that we were traveling on a boat and my "portfolio" was back in Canada. Honestly I have a feeling here that I won't make the grade.

As far as the shopping centre is concerned I can highly recommend the International Plaza Shopping Mall. It is definitely at the upper end of the pay scale and mall crawlers are so much discouraged that I didn't see any at all. You couldn't get into any of the high end jewellery stores such as Tiffany's without getting the once over from beefy security guards and although there is a reasonably normal looking food court there is also a large outside alleyway of bistros, bars, and clubs. Honestly, I can't understand why people tempt themselves with things that they can't have. It'd be like a fellow away from home for a year planting himself in the midst of a group of strippers. It will only serve to drive him nuts! How can you look at a bunch of jewellery that is out of our current price range and budget? Voicing that opinion was not helpful to my continued good health so off to Tiffany's we went. She went in, had a look, and came out assessing it at Birk's with attitude.

From there on the way back to the marina we decided to go to a movie in St Petersburg, but when we got there the theatres hadn't opened for day yet in spite of what the signs on the outside wall stated so we opted for a real American lunch in an old fashioned soda shop. We had root beer float and salad for Barb and a Sprite and "Original" hamburger for me. There were juke box machines at every table, the wait staff all wore wedge hats and since it was a soda shop there was not alcohol and the soda machines were right out front where you could watch the soda-jerk ply his or her trade. I felt like I had stepped back to the 50s and 60s.

The weather forecasters seem to have their heads somewhere else because so far there has been very little rain. I feel a bit guilty that we go so little done on the boat - holding tank pump out, lock on the aft head, and that's about it. Tomorrow will be a short day too as we will be going to the Tuesday Market in the morning and if there is no rain, maybe I'll get some other work done.

In the evening we fought our regular battle against the flocks and flocks of birds that gather here at the marina in readiness to depart somewhere inland to where they spend the night. It's kind of like they get together for a roll call before heading out. Barb had a great idea. We are going to get one of those kid's toys, you know, the Super Soaker, and drown the little beggars in the mast tops. Let them roll call that!