October 24

Even though it's October, there is still plenty of beach weather in Florida. October 24 is our wedding anniversary. And our favorite Florida place is the beach.

So we packed up our chairs and a yummy picnic supper and headed out to Pass-A-Grille Beach.
It was a warm but delightful evening.

I found some cool shells and we sat and toasted the sunset. And feasted on chicken and cold salads and chips and wine.



We topped it off with some gourmet red velvet cupcakes!

A perfect sunset!

Pops in the Park

One of our favorite annual St. Pete events occurred this past Saturday in Vinoy Park. The Florida Orchestra performs each fall along the waterfront downtown to thousands of picnicking families. Including us!

Allan was in charge of packing the basket and this year wine and cheese, Cuban sandwiches, fresh veggies, and chocolate chip cookies were gobbled up while listening to the beautiful music.

The concert always ends with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and, of course, FIREWORKS! Please pardon my camera – the batteries died just as the light show started! So no pictures of the fireworks.

This is by far the best free show in town! Plan on joining us next year!

Cheers!

A perfect moonlit night

The Florida Orchestra

Blessing the Animals

Monday, October 4th, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of animals. The families of St. Raphael's were invited to bring their pets for a special blessing by Deacon Jim. We gathered earlier this evening by the school sports field for special readings, holy water blessings and prayers. Everyone had a good time.

McGee looking around at all the other dogs!


Mom brought Socks!


Deacon Jim meets McGee and Socks