Our Sunday was full of adventure! I wish we could upload videos to this blog but we can’t seem to figure it out. We have put a few short videos on Instagram if you’d like to see them – Footloosefounders. That morning we packed up a lunch in our backpack and headed out on that trail that we found the other day. The last bike trip out was only a couple of miles before we turned back toward the house so today we were excited to explore as much of the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail as we could tolerate. The path is asphalt with a few road crossings so we were able to bike side-by-side and chat most of the way. We did have other users on the path but could maneuver to accommodate any traffic we experienced. We followed the path for 10 miles until the paved trail ended at an intersection just before the causeway that crosses over to Boca Grande Island. There was a fishing pier close by so we decided to take a break for a bit, have a snack and watch the anglers do their thing. There wasn’t too much excitement on the fishing pier, but just off the side there was a variety of wildlife to watch. Iguanas, pelicans, egrets, dolphins and even a baby raccoon were hanging out in the vicinity.
Lunch was peanut butter and jelly on the side of the bike trail while we took another break. This trail is wooded on each side with rich vegetation that is so foreign to us. All along the path are signs that warned us of alligators and to not feed them. That will NOT be a problem for us. Our senses are in overdrive about reptiles ever since we saw our neighborhood alligator.
After the bike ride, stopped at the local grocery store and picked up a few provisions for dinner and hung out at home with the dogs. They LOVE being in one place and have made friends with “Libby” and “Bailey” our canine neighbors. Chichi and Larry are Bailey’s parents and have lent us a portion of fence in order to enclose my parents yard so the boys can play out there. We’ve also met Paul, who lives across the street but he doesn’t currently have a dog.
Monday was an adventure up North. Brad remembers traveling to Sarasota to visit family as a child and loved Turtle Beach so I was interested in seeing it. We decided to drive along 41 up to the Sarasota area hitting every thrift store along the way. I LOVE thrift store shopping so this was the perfect start to a perfect day. By the time we hit our 6th store, the sun was shining and getting warm so we took the dogs to the beach. We spent the rest of the day on the beach watching pelicans fish (this was amazing!!!) and dolphins swim.
(I know you can’t really see it but there are dolphins swimming out there in the ocean while I was taking this photo!)
The sand here is broken up shells which is awesome for me because I am not a huge fan of finding sand everywhere. This sand is larger grain and doesn’t seem to bother me as much. Turtle Beach was exactly as Brad remembered. He even identified the condo that cousins owned 30+ years ago. After lunch on the beach of pineapple mango salsa that we bought at the farmers market and pb&js, we drove to the Legacy Trail for another walk in tropical foliage. Again, alligator warnings but this time we had the dogs with us to protect us. Turns out – no alligator sightings this day!
Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz has been our go-to for evening fun for the last couple of years. We found a local brewery that was hosting the game in the neighborhood and headed that way. The dogs loved it as they were celebrities there and got lots of attention. While we are usually high scorers at this game, I think we were too out of practice, having not played for a bit. We tied for second – which would seem like a pretty good ranking except there were only three teams! and we lost the tie breaking question! How many minutes does it take the international space station to orbit the earth? Any guesses? We were way off. We needed you on our team, Shadan.
Yesterday, we were hoping to get a package delivered but turns out the mail carrier didn’t think anyone was at the house yet and my parents didn’t have a mailbox (due to an unfortunate accidental run in with a neighbors car). So we took an adventure to Home Depot and bought all the supplies for fixing that problem. The neighbor Paul across the street allowed us to borrow tools, including a saw and sledge hammer, so we didn’t have to purchase those. The mailbox needed to be installed on his side of the street which made it convenient for him to lend us tools and his expertise. Afterwards, we got to go on a tour of his house, which he bought about the same time as Libby’s family purchased their house. He has been doing a lot of the renovations himself and we got to see his skill at tile work. We shared a few beverages on his beautiful back screened-in lanai that faces the canal. I kept my eye out for alligators.
On our evening walk around the neighborhood, we saw Harry & Sally (our big bird friends) flying overhead. We pretty much spot these two in the neighborhood every single time we leave the house. I put a video of these two on Instagram today, too. They are famous! I know we have posted this photo before but I wanted to remind you of them.
A text tonight from a good friend showed us an article from the Cherry Creek Chronicle that featured SAME Cafe. While this isn’t the first press SAME has gotten since we left, it is great to see. Brad, Tish and the crew are really knocking it out of the park. Every time we see/hear an update, we are filled with pride. Today, we spotted some photos of a fresh coat of paint in the dining room and some new bistro style lighting. We are so excited to see it in person when we return to Denver – eventually! We are having too much fun here in Florida for the time being.
The weather is finally cooperating! We got to have a beer at an outside beer garden and walk around the city center of Savannah with the pups. Savannah is a beautifully historic town with many squares and open spaces right on the water. We had dinner at Paula Dean’s restaurant The Lady & Sons and enjoyed walking around the city. Since we weren’t really tired we decided to move on down the road a bit and see if we could put a few more miles under our belts. We stopped at a nice rest area somewhere in Georgia for the night.
This photo is from their website because AGAIN we forgot photos! We ordered a dark roast and a decaf Provence tea and were told that we could pay between $2-4 each. They took payment through Square and we waited outside on the tight patio with the dogs. A unique twist on the model but cool to see it in action.
getting to see the Air & Space museum, 
and parallel parking the camper! Sorry – forgot a photo of that!
They were also great helpers with walking the dogs. Their cats weren’t so happy to have us visit! We are sure they were glad when we said good-bye!
Libby grew up with Toby. He lived right around the corner from her in Bloomington. His distinguished military career has moved his family all around the country. Recently, they have found themselves in VA and we were happy to get to spend quality time with them. And, we got to add another brewery to our list.
We had a quick bite to eat before making our way to the water’s edge were we got to dip our toes in the ocean. This was Leo & Gemini’s first salt water experience. 
We sat and visited for a couple of hours before heading out to try the local brewery, Canton Brewing Company and to go to George’s for burgers. Our conversations were rich and filled with stories of the café and all the cafes we have been visiting along the way. We have known Denise since 2005, when we went to visit her café that was in Salt Lake City. It is no longer in operation but she was able to come to Denver when we were first starting SAME and lived right around the corner renting an apartment on Vine St. She would meet contractors and inspectors while we were still going to our other jobs. She painted and tiled the original kitchen along with us and even made curtains for the bathroom and front windows. We typically see Denise once a year at the One World Everybody Eats conference. Our time is so packed at that event, that we rarely have time to really dedicate to catching up. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the time and energy Denise has put into this movement and especially to SAME Café.
This city is nestled right next to the Ohio River and has many amazing bridges and tunnels that we got to experience. The city itself was impressive with interesting houses and older architecture. We stopped and found a labyrinth at Chatham University in the heart of Pittsburgh. 
This is Brad walking the labyrinth.
After taking in the space, we approached the counter and decided on our meal based on the chalkboard menu and the example plates. We ordered a little bit of everything that was offered. We each ordered a soup and salad and sandwich. We paid the suggested price at the counter with a credit card and were given all the options of payment – volunteering, paying it forward, paying the suggested price. We were told a volunteer would deliver our meal which they did promptly. 
We got to visit with both Kevin and Mary, who gave us the grand tour when we were done eating. We were blown away by the amount of space they have. In addition to the large dining area that probably seats 100 people, they have a huge banquet room that used to be a movie theater. They have a walk-in fridge and freezer and a decent size kitchen. It was awesome to offer Mary an understanding ear as they are in their first year of operation and had lots of questions. She sent us with some food and drinks to enjoy later and after visiting with some volunteers and staff, we said our good-byes.
We thought we might get to tour Rolling Rock but it turns out they don’t actually brew that in Latrobe anymore. Our local craft beer stop was just as good, if not better, plus we got to bring in the dogs, use their wi-fi and play a game of Skip-Bo – Brad won! We found our camping spot for the night in the pitch blackness of 5:30 p.m. Pennsylvania time and snuggled into the camper for the night. When we pulled in, we were one of only three campers. Our spot was full of a family of deer. Not sure exactly what this state park looks like, but hopefully, we will get to explore a bit in the morning before heading to Washington, DC. . 
Table One was a nice stop to see another cafe in action. This makes 13 cafes on the list. This cafe is following in the footsteps of One Bistro. They did a huge renovation to this space and it looks great inside. The space is large with 70+ seats and a banquet room. It was fairly quiet when we came in. Our server was very friendly and clearly cared about her time in service in this space. We ordered off a very familiar menu and heard lots of tales from Rev. Miracle about his spot on the main drag through town. 
We met regular volunteers and customers alike. Everyone shared how much they loved this place, a sentiment we hear over and over at community cafes. We took our food to-go because we were still full from breakfast. I ordered a spinach salad and Brad ordered a BLT. We were sure that we would enjoy them later and we did!
We loved visiting with Jill and hearing all about this location and how it’s going. Their space is so bright and vibrant
We ordered from a volunteer server a 1/2 Rueben,1/2 Greek salad, and a garlic 4 cheese pizza. The food arrived quickly and while we were eating we visited with two board members who stopped in to say hello. We got all the updates on this location and got some great ideas, too! One great idea we saw was they have businesses sponsor tables as a fundraiser- we hadn’t noticed this at other locations.
We spent time with Erik and Shannon who have two blonde pixies and a Great Dane. Tina and Molly have a brood of four babies, two fur and two human.
These two families have been so fun to hang out with since our college days and have hosted us for the last two nights. We also need to add 3 wild turkeys to our list that we saw walking down a Dubuque street on our way to Eagle Point Park.
FootLoose Founders 