The St Petersburg Looper

A minor, but painful, condition failed to respond to two days’ self-medication and Hoping For the Best, so this evening, not without some trepidation, we went off to Sarasota Memorial Hospital Urgent Care.
There was a moment of panic when the nurse announced that she was going to check my vitals, but this turned out to mean nothing more alarming than taking my blood pressure and measuring my oxygen saturation.
The problem was swiftly, professionally and kindly dealt with, but what amused me was that although the staff did not hesitate to tell us what everything would cost, they did so in an apologetic manner, and I couldn’t help wondering if they were like that with everyone, or if they thought that being British, we would begrudge the cost because it was free at home.
I didn’t begrudge it. It was worth every cent, and good value for money.

America may have given us Macdonalds and Burger King, but there are a lot of good, inexpensive eating places here too. This was today’s lunch, a Garden Wrap from Marketplace Express.

We’ve had a few good days taking in the Farmers’ Market and a Bikers’ Festival at Sarasota, watching the wildlife at Myakka River State Park and the excellent Museum of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, finishing with a ride (50c for me, 25c for Ian) on the St Petersburg Looper, an entertaining tour of the town.

But tomorrow it’s back to business. We have to be at Treasure Island (yes, really) at 8.30am for the survey and sea trial of the boat we want to buy.