The Thrift Shop Romantic: theater of the sea

I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of sub-zero temperatures and snow. I mean, yesterday it creeped up to a whopping 30 degrees instead of -2, and it felt like a heatwave.

Worse, it's affecting my... (gasp!)... thrifting! It's been so unpleasant out, I haven't dared stir from my home or office. So I decided, in protest, what would be in the Treasure Box for you this week would be photos-- photos of things that are not in my home, or anywhere near me...

Yes, I was noodling around with some of my extra photos from my trip to Florida last year.

Like this cutie...

Just look at that sweet whiskered face! He was down at the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Florida. And you'd never believe, this was a fairly distant photo that the wonders of technology allowed me to crop into this handsome portrait...

Dig those big brown eyes and teeny-tiny little ears!

He was a talented fellow, too, that sealion. He originally thought he might want to play for the Lakers...

But his jumpshot wasn't great. Sorta the same problem Shaq has, I guess. So what he discovered he really wanted to do was sing...

This just made me laugh. I'm sure the dentist has no problem checking out those molars, either.

A bit of cropping meant I could show you a closeup on our dolphin pal here, too...

And an action shot with another flippered friend...

I'd have cropped more, but I couldn't bear to cut out those gorgeous, gorgeous palm trees! Just what we need now, right?

Now we can zoom in so nicely on Mr. Polly Parrot here...

And it's funny, but I usually do get stared at by parrots. I suspect it's because of my red hair they may think I'm one of them...

I am fond of crackers and sunflower seeds.

And, you know, some of these parrots work hard for the money. No vacation in the tropics for them! No sir, this one makes daily graceful commutes on this barrel...

And then we go from parrots, to parrotfish!... Have you ever seen such coloring on a fish?

But alas-- our trip to the tropics is, as always, over too soon. We try to take time to smell the flowers, like this giant hibiscus...

We pause, to enjoy the cool greenery of a mini-rainforest...

But then... then we must slowly mosey along home...

I suppose I haven't really tortoise anything at all today, have I? :) Ah, well. There's always this coming Sunday.

Or you you check out last Sunday's post on Thrifty Tablescapes for Valentine's Day.

Keep warm, my friends!

We're all thrifty here at The Thrift Shop Romantic. I mean, if there's a way to have big fun on little money, we know all about it, right? So that's why today I'm taking you on my Thanksgiving trip to the Florida Keys...

And you'll never have to pay a dime for airfare... You won't have to worry about accommodations... And the food? It's a feast for the eyes and totally skinny on the wallet...

Are your bags packed? Well, just blink, and we're there!...

Ah! Here we are in Florida. Just feel that balmy breeze! And what do you know?-- it's Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving means you folks, and my dad and I will all be going to the Whale Harbor Inn for an amazing buffet dinner....

Because, ya know, it's hard to bring turkey and all the fixin's on that plane. Airlines have gotten so restrictive about what you can take in your carry-ons. (I hear the turkey gravy can only be in three ounce bottles.)

Well, no worries here, because the turkey is all you can eat...

But if turkey's not your thing, there are more seafood options than you can shake a crab claw at...

And don't forget the dessert! Key Lime pie and flan are just two of the choices...

I simply can't move, can you?

Courtesy of the Whale Harbor's helpful fun house mirrors, here are Dad and I before we ate, all nice, skinny and svelte...

And here we are after eating, fat and a bit blurry... Overindulging will do that to you, I guess.

So let's all go outside to walk it off. And gosh, what a view!

And we meet some local color...

And some more, er, local color...

The next day, we drive to Miami for a bit of antiquing and thrifting. Our route is through the Everglades...

Our first stop is Homestead, in an area of historical buildings and quaint shops...

There's a wide variety of things, including Depression glass, furniture, Victoriana, and even 70s retro finds. (I'll show you what I uncovered on this week's "Treasure Box Wednesday" post. You are, um, too busy finding great things of your own to see what I got.)

Heading up further, we hit the Goodwill thrift store, and the Antique Mall Y'All (I will never tire of that name).

Then, exhausted, we have a bite of dinner and head back South to the Keys.

The next day, we get up early to go garage saling and hit the local flea market! I uncover a few other goodies that I'll unveil on Wednesday (you negotiate for your favorite collectibles). And then we head to the Florida Keys version of Sea World, "Theater of the Sea"...