May is here—really, that fast—and it's Ace's birthday month. I decided to celebrate his third birthday early because of appointment conflicts.
We used an airport shuttle to head over to Tampa International Airport. Of course, it's a small one. The driver was very helpful, and we stopped in Brooksville/Spring Hill to pick up passengers. He was kind enough to ask if Ace needed to relieve.
The funny part was my request to be dropped off on the Red side. Somehow, the other passengers wanted the Blue side. I told the driver not to worry about it—Ace would know the way around. The driver helped me with my suitcase on my back.
Off we went. Ace guided me to an elevator so I could read the sign and check the color. I pointed at the wall—it was blue, and we needed red. Ace did a right-about and guided me around to the Red side. Then we went down to Level 1, and he knew the way to the relief area. So now he has two airports in his brain! It's much less confusing for me when I let Ace do his job.
We met up with my longtime friend with the help of her adult son, whom I call "Ma." I've known her for almost 30 years, and she helped me become fully rehabilitated by sending me to Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults. We've stayed in touch for over the decades, and she's enjoying retirement. It was such a nice reunion, and it finally felt like the right time to see her after all these years. The timing was perfect.
We spent quality time over lunch, chatting and catching up. It was wonderful to reconnect after a couple of years. And she finally met my third guide—she knew both of my late guide dogs—and she got to feel just how soft and handsome Ace is.
We checked into a hotel—lots of buildings around—just a few blocks from International Plaza Mall. I wanted a change of scenery and to experience something different. Of course, our room is conveniently next to the exit door with the stairs—bonus! The hotel staff have been amazing—some of the nicest people, very welcoming, and treating us so well.
I discovered something amazing—Ace knows how to navigate and guide me along the sidewalks in South Tampa. These sidewalks are far from perfect. They're broken, cracked, uneven, and in some places, things have been dumped with no care for resurfacing.
I seized the opportunity to have someone film us as someone was coming to meet us—Ace's puppy raiser! Yep, another reunion since December. It was incredible to watch Ace control himself after seeing his puppy raiser. He didn't even realize it was her walking toward us at first, and he remained in a perfect down-stay right beside me. It was flawless.
Then Ace got to show off his guiding skills right in front of her—how ace-mazing he truly is. He made it very clear that he wanted to get moving to St. Pete and not waste any time.
We made it to downtown St. Petersburg and stopped somewhere while waiting for our room to be ready. We found out the hotel had been sold out the night before because of a baseball game at the Tropicana Field.
I believe Laura chose a park leading to a small beach so she could watch Ace guide me across wobbly sand. She was so proud seeing him work up close—and not once worried that we might veer off the pier!
We're very familiar with the hotel we're staying at since we've been there before, and one of the valet attendants even recognized me. That's always a win-win. I also learned something new about the hotel, so we're going to explore and check that out. And even better—I found out the sun rises right outside our room window. I definitely need to catch the sunrise in the mornings.
Our morning trip started with a trolley ride down Central Avenue to the pier, where we met up with a friend of mine. Ace and I decided to seize the opportunity to walk the entire pier all the way to the tip before the meetup. Ace remembered the route from our last visit in December and guided with confidence.
We made it to the end of the pier and enjoyed the exhilarating sea breeze. Afterward, we headed back to the entrance just in time. As we approached from behind, we surprised my friend. It was wonderful to see her smiling again—it had been quite a long time since we last saw each other. Life had simply gotten in the way for both of us. My friend, Ace, and I truly made it a magnificent Monday.
The next morning, I felt motivated and made sure to be on time to capture the sunrise at just the right angle and position, so the sun wouldn't crop itself behind the building and tree. I did it—it was beautiful. Of course, I closed the shade so the sunlight wouldn't get in Ace's eyes while he napped.
We made an effort to explore downtown St. Pete a bit more before heading to The James. The James is a wildlife and art museum, and it's truly unique, filled with framed artwork throughout. The second floor was a little confusing to navigate—almost like a maze.
After that, I decided to take an Uber to Mazzaro's Italian Market. I wanted to see why it's such a popular spot, and it turned out to be shoulder-to-shoulder packed—even at 11:30 a.m. Miraculously, a woman who knew ASL asked if I needed help with ordering or finding anything. We ended up chatting a bit, and it turned out she's a Cleveland native. Her parents live in the same city as mine—what a small world! Thankfully, no one tripped over or stepped on Ace. He was exhausted and needed to rest in a down-stay for a bit. He had no energy left.
Before Ace and I take a night of rest, we stopped by Boujee Pet Boutique. I found something adorable that fit him perfectly—a green velvet bow tie. Since it's his birth month, why not? Toys aren't ideal for him because he's a power chewer and would not have any interest in them. He enjoys checking them out, though—and earning a few kibbles along the way.
As I was figuring out the agenda for the next morning as we prepared to depart St. Pete, it was our first time using Uber together to head over to Tampa International Airport. I was nervous at first because I was hoping there would be no denials, but it turned out we had a 100 percent success rate with Uber rides. I already had our airport shuttle arranged to pick us up and take us back home. It worked out tremendously well.
We spent quite a bit of time walking all over the three levels at Tampa International Airport, and Ace wanted to see Phoebe, the pink flamingo, one last time.
Here's a video that features several photos and videos woven throughout. Watch how flawlessly Ace guided me, especially his very best "shorelining." This is one you do not want to miss!
Next up, we are taking a break from traveling until this summer. It will be somewhere in South Florida. And Ace loved St. Pete so much that he asked me to come back in December. Here we go—we will be back!