Bonus Blog - Coquina Beach, Fla.

I almost forgot to share photos of the beach in Bradenton.  Coquina Beach is one of the longest beaches on Anna Maria Island.  It is rated one of the best beaches in Florida.  Marcia and John go there almost every evening to watch the sunset and, of course, end up at Moore's for dinner.   Their favorite spot on the beach is where the bay and the Gulf of Mexico meet adjacent to a draw bridge between Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.  We enjoyed the white sand and clear blue waters one evening. 



Coquina Beach looking toward the bay.



 

     Beach Artwork


There is plenty of shade on this beach.



Looking for shells.




Marcia, Me and my Bobby Bowden (FSU Coach) hat.



Looking out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Of course, we took pictures of wildlife.

 



.

We watched the boats cruise out to the Gulf of Mexico.



Finally, it was time to watch the sunset.

We finished our last night in Bradenton with dinner at Moore's.  I had lobster, shrimp, scallops and grouper.  It was heavenly.  Thanks Marica and John for your wonderful, generous and gracious hospitality.  We loved it.

Sarasota is for Sailors......

While in Florida, we got to see the more expensive side of town.  It is called Sarasota.   We had lunch at the marina surrounded by luxury yachts.  Marcia invited one of her longtime friends, a retired teacher named Peggy Williams.  Peggy brought her beautiful granddaughter, Rachel.  Here are pictures of how the wealthy Floridians live:



The white building with the blue windows is the restaurant where we had lunch.

Here is a picture looking out to the marina.




Friends are friends forever.




Beautiful Rachel




I was having a bad hair day.

We took a stroll around the marina and looked at all the yachts.  This is one I "pretended" to own.   Since I can't afford any of them, I might as well pretend to own a big one.  ha ha



Determination- Jupiter, Fla.

The marina is right in the heart of downtown Sarasota.  Come take a stroll with us.



Marica is waiting on her slow brother.





Condos on the water.




After the stroll, it was time to get something cold to drink in the shade of a little thatched hut.

The reason I said "Sarasota is for Sailors" is because of an unusual statue memoralizing the celebration of V-J Day in Times Square.  You might remember a classic photo of a sailor kissing a nurse on the cover of Time.  Well, Sarasota has a bigger than life replica of that event.

The 26-foot, 6000 pound statue arrived in Sarasota in 2012 from San Diego, CA.  Some artsy folks in San Diego detested it and although it was the most popular tourist attraction in that park when it arrived on loan in 2007, complained until it was removed in 2011.  I am glad Sarasota welcomes this iconic replica of a historical moment.  Californian liberals hate anything patriotic or having to do with the U.S.A.  Good riddance to them!   One guy looked up the nurse's dress just for a photo op.  There is one in every crowd.

Later in the day, we went to see Marcia's school - Booker Elementary School.  Marcia has been a teacher for 38 years and loves her profession.  I have talked to her about retirement, but she says she has at least three more years.  John has quite a few more years before he wants to retire although the thought of fishing every day does appeal to him.  Here is Marcia in her element:

Heart of Booker Nation.

Mrs. Frederick Rules!

We are proud of you Marcia.

Showing off one of her class projects.

Our visit was just too short, but it was time for us to head home.  We drove back through the Florida panhandle and stopped in Tallahassie for the night.  I watched a large storm cell approaching which produced a lot of lightning.  My cat, Nawlins, and I sat in the dark and watched the storm pass through a tall stand of mature pine trees.  My little cat is fearless.  She isn't afraid of anything.  We stayed in Baton Rouge the next night before making it home the following day.  It was a great trip, but we are always glad to return home.   Thanks for riding along with us.




My two favorite sweeties - M&M.

 



Jungle Fever!

 

Bradenton was the Best.....

Melissa and I visited Bradenton, Fla. to see my sister Marcia and my brother-in-law, John.  We stayed in Cortez, Fla. which is just across the causeway bridge to the many island keys off the western Florida coast.  The first order of business was to meet John and Marcia for dinner at Moore's on Longboat Key.  The restaurant is located right on the water and the seafood was excellent.  Melissa told me it was the best seafood she had every tasted.  We returned there for our last night to enjoy the food.  We also were told that peacocks roamed the key in that area, so we took some pictures of them the next day.

 

Marcia is my older sister, but she has stayed in shape and has a lot of energy.  She had a whole week of activities planned for our visit.  However, we soon got tired and she graciously allowed me to take naps in the afternoon so I could keep up. 

The island keys were tropical paradises.  The first island we saw was Anna Marie Key.  It had beautiful blue-green water, tropical plants, white sand and that special Jimmy Buffet-type atmosphere.  We walked along the city pier and then relaxed at the local watering hole, the Sandbar, to enjoy the beach and pina' coladas.



The 776-foot pier was built in 1911 to accomodate visitors to the island arriving by steamship.





This picture does not do this beach justice.  The water
was spectacular.

 

We ate at Marcia's condo that night and dined on steak and fish.  We sat around their firepit in the back yard by the tennis courts until late in the evening.  I managed to take a picture of "George" the egret that walks around their place.



"George" the Egret

The next day the weather was cloudy and it looked like rain, but that didn't stop Marcia and John..  They took us on a dinner cruise aboard the Marina Jack II.  We cruised around Sarasota Bay and Bird Key while dining on prime rib and salmon.  We saw Jerry Springer's house on Bird Key (the one dysfunction built) and watched the dolphins jump alongside the boat.



Marina Jack II

John's 60-foot boat, "Big Daddy",was in the shop for an upgrade to the twin outboard motors, so he opted for his other yacht - the Marina Jack.  ha ha  We did get to see it on Longboat Key.

Big Daddy

On Monday, we got an early start and visited the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus museum in Sarasota.   It took us five hours to see the museum and the Ringling palatial estate called CA'D'ZAN or House of John.  It was wonderful.

 

 

Sarasota was the winter quarters of the massive circus.  They stayed in Sarasota five months of the years practicing their acts and building up the circus.  It was the Disneyland of the 30's and 40's that attracted visitors from all over the world.  It was a combination circus, zoo, sideshow and train yard.   The circus employed over 1500 people and feeding, housing and transporting them and the animals was a major feat.  The U.S. Army took note of the efficiency of the circus and studied their logistics and methods for moving such a large contingent of people and equipment.  Sarasota has four generations of circus families living in their area.  Many are still performing in the circus.  There is also a circus university that teaches circus performers.  We found this part of the local history very fascinating.

One of the exhibits was a miniature display of the whole circus as it looked like at its' peak.  It covered several acres and included many tents.  Here is what it looked like.

The John and Mabel Ringling estate includes a Venetian Gothic palace completed in the 1920's surrounded by lovely gardens and embellished with Italian statuary.  It sits on Sarasota Bay and has all the original furnishings.  Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

 



 The rose garden planted by Mabel Ringling was in full bloom.  Mable was one of the founders of the Sarasota Garden Club and served as its first president.  Here are some pictures of the flowers and some of my photography tricks.

The afternoon ended with a frozen fruit drink in the Starbucks onsite.  We came back tired, but happy.   More on Sarasota in the next blog.