Knitters Abound!

Knitters have knitted and crocheted many rows while staying at the Ibis, with happy balls of yarn rolling under the couches while knitters revealed the secrets of finding and using the best yarns. One knitter could not fly to Florida without her knitting, at a time when knitting needles were prohibited at security checkpoints. Always the resourceful knitter, she took her circular wood needles and strung them with two dozen brightly colored beads and wore it as a necklace!!!! No problem in security and getting on the plane…….then once onboard, she unstrung the beads from the needles and resumed her rows of knitting across the thousand-mile flight to Florida. 

The Prosecutor

The Prosecutor

A near-retiring  US prosecuting attorney visited, on her way to the Middle East.  She was a Peace Corp worker in her younger years, then married a Samurai in a full Japanese wedding ceremony, and now continues to serve her country by leaving soon for Iraq, where she will “live in a box” for 2 years, teaching legal techniques to Iraquis.  Then she has put in for another 2 years in Afghanistan after that.  Her only hope was that she would not have a roommate in her residential “box”.    Hats off to you, and thanks!

The Plucky Plucked Rooster- TRUE Story from a guest!

During and after WWII there was a Canadian chicken farmer who fed his flock of chickens  free leftover grain from  a gin-making factory nearby, since chicken feed was hard to get in winter.  The hens weren’t too thrilled with the taste, but one rooster couldn’t get enough of it for a few days, and gorged himself finishing off the feeder contents.  The farmer found him lying in the yard, non-responsive and cold, looking very dead indeed.  And since they really needed his feathers in their home pillows, he plucked the rooster and deposited his carcass atop a pile of still-warm compost.    Later that day, they heard a rooster crowing and,  looking out the window, saw this plucked rooster strutting about the yard in the snow, shivering and crowing like a banshee.  Poor farmer’s wife felt so sorry for him she knitted a custom jacket for him to wear until the feathers grew back out…… which they did, but I wish we had a picture of that…..

Manatee Miracle

A young couple arrived still teary-eyed following a miscarriage, on a trip to Florida given to them by their coworkers.  Devastated, the couple looked for distractions and peace.  The innkeeper suggested swimming with the manatees in Crystal River, and although the wife was afraid of underwater diving, she agreed to go and arrangements were made.  When they arrived back at the Ibis Bed and Breakfast, they were glowing with peace, excitement and hope.  One of the baby manatees had approached her and she waited underwater,  and with its flippers gently held her and looked directly into her eyes.  This was a definitely a sign to this couple, that there was hope and promise for the future.

Lost Gator on the Loose

Alligator Lake has an overflow pond along 7^th Avenue, and alligator families have adopted the water as a nursery for years.   While walking a toy poodle near this pond, the innkeeper spied a 4’ long alligator on the loose and on the wrong side of the fencing, having sneaked through the gate.  Now the gator was trying to get back through the fence to his watery nursery.  Of course the poodle was too big for him to salivate over, and the poodle could care less about a loose reptile.  But there could be danger for that small alligator and for passing children wanting to catch him,  so a call was made to Alligator Rescue, Inc., “We Bag ‘em and Tag ‘em”.  But just an answering machine.  Second call was made to the City and they finally agreed to send someone out, and he arrived but refused to get out of his truck.   Meanwhile, the poodle is bored out of his mind and the gator is running back and forth at the fence.  Lo and behold, two trucks stop and 2 guys come out (dressed like the Lone Ranger and Tonto), one had a shovel and they bravely moved the snarling, spitting, jumping gator down the fence to the gate, where he slithered back in and headed back to his pond nursery, and smiles were passed around.  The innkeeper woke up the poodle and took him home.  The silver bullets were never found.

Froggy Comes to Stay

During slow summer months, toilets have to be cleaned even though not used, and when the innkeeper lifted a toilet seat to perform this duty, a 6” long green toad was staring at her from under the rim.  Since he was not a paying guest, a towel was grabbed to snare him and release him outside, and the problem was solved………….in a few weeks the toilet cleaning duty was repeated, and the same green toad was resting in the same place under the rim, staring at the innkeeper, daring her to disturb his rest. Since he had no credit card in his mouth,  he was escorted outside to the nearest pond to enjoy more natural surroundings, and the problem was solved……….a few weeks later the innkeeper lifted the toilet seat again and this time there was a 4” long green frog nesting under the rim.  Tired of this process, the innkeeper then took this frog to Alligator Lake down the street and let it loose to frolic with the alligators.   No frog has been seen again inside the Ibis, probably it got poor reviews in the Froggy Free Stays website. 

July 4th at the Ibis in Safety Harbor!

An old-fashioned July 4th in a quaint old-fashioned city! Cool antique
automobiles, hot Corvettes, Celtic bands, Army vehicles and Veterans groups
waved frantically to parade watchers of all ages on Independence Day! Back
down to the city marina for vendors and childrens activities, food and
music, and culminating in the best fireworks display ever in Safety Harbor!
Next year join the Ibis guests, grab a beer or glass of wine and wave at the
downtown traffic jams after the fireworks, while you relax another holiday
night at the Ibis B&B!

Rose Petals for Health

The teenage and adult children of a middle-aged couple arranged for a weekend stay at the Ibis Bed and Breakfast for their parents and when they arrived beforehand with a dozen flowers, a bottle of wine, and dinner for two for their mom and dad, the room was prepared as a kingly castle.    A daughter asked if she could drop some rose petals on the bed before they arrived, which she did.  It wasn’t until later that I found out the father was about to undergo extensive chemotherapy the day after they left the Ibis.   With tears in my eyes, I was more than happy to pick up the rose petals when they left, and wish him good health.

Safety Harbor Town Video

It's a beautiful day in Safety Harbor!  If you don't already know about the town, here's a quick video to familiarize yourself with the natural beauty of a little town on the bay. 

Safety Harbor Video

Brother, I know now where thou art!

Totally True Story:

Two brothers from opposite coasts of the United States, who had not been in touch for six months,  decided to come to Safety Harbor at the same time for a getaway with their wives, but did not inform each other of their plans.  Brother #1 checked in with his wife to the Ibis Bed and Breakfast, and the next day as they were returning who should be checking in but brother #2!

What are the odds of this happening?

What's this all about?

We are new to this, so please be patient! 

This blog will be a compilation of stories from the Innkeeper, daily musings and details about the sights and sounds of Safety Harbor and surrounding areas.  We hope you enjoy reading the stories, which are ALL COMPLETELY TRUE....with names changed to protect the innocent (big wink!).  Please feel free to leave comments and tell us your own stories of your travels.  We'd love to hear from you!

- Helene, the Innkeeper