Sarasota Florida

Where do I begin?  I'm sorry I've been delinquent in updating our blog.  We have just been so busy I haven't had the time so I'll start from the time we arrived in Sarasota.  As you know from my last posting Debbie D. has been with us and we are all having a great  time.  The weather has been fantastic and the waters of the West gulf coast of Florida are just unbelievable.  It was foggy when we left and I had Jan and Debbie on the bow looking for crab pots.  It cleared up before we went under the Sunshine Causeway Bridge.  We stayed at a marina called Marina Jack's when we arrived at Sarasota. Super nice and convenient to most everything, plus they have a shuttle van that will take you pretty much anywhere.  We were going to stay for two days but decided to spend one more to see what we missed.  On our first day we met our long lost friends Mike and Gaile, from our Sea Ray Boat Club days, whom are from North Carolina, and are renting a house in Venice Florida.  We have been in touch since we left, so we could make sure to get together.   They drove over to see us in Sarasota and picked us up and drove us around to replenish our supplies and later that night we went to dinner at Barnacle Bills.  We had a great time and tried to get caught up on the past thirteen years.  Day after that Debbie and Jan went shopping and I went to the John and Mable Ringling estate and museum.   Now I can't speak for the shopping part except they had a good time, but the Ringling Museum was awesome.   If you ever been to a circus this is the place to go to learn the history and especially the Ringling Bros. history of the circus during the teens to the forty's.   The logistics of setting up, traveling by train, the animals care, the 1500 people that traveled with it was crazy. Next day we were headed to Venice to see Mike (Bubba) and Miss Gaile.  Can't wait to see what it's like being in a house again.

Sunshine Causeway bridge

Arriving in Sarasota

The girls and me in Sarasota

Ringling Bros. Muesum

John and Mable's estate

Chandler from the original Waldorf Astoria

Back of the house

Looking out the back

More Banyon Trees than you can imagine

The house of John

Memories

 

Colors of the water