Sarasota 5

After our exciting day at Palm Island, we were going to flop at Rose's but Alice called and said she would drive us to Nokomis Beach to watch the sunset. We made a huge chicken salad with avo and bacon and took a bottle of cold wine and Alice drove us to the beach in her white cadillac. It was really windy but we had a great time and the sunset was beautiful.
Today, Tuesday, we spent at siesta beach lazing, reading, taking a dip in the ocean and walking. With Alice and Shelby we had a buffet supper at the clubhouse followed by bingo.
Check out the photos below.

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Sarasota 4

Monday, after a late breakfast of delicious bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, Rose and I drove down to Cape Haze and caught a taxi boat to Palm Island where we had an amazing time. Have a look ....

This free scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Sarasota 3

Thursday 23rd I watched Rose in a play off doubles tennis match. It was great to watch and they just lost in a tie break. Rose stayed to watch the other matches whilst I went back to laze by the pool. In the evening we went to eat at the Lobster Pot in Siesta Key. The lobster was not great but afterwards we walked down to the beach and bought double scoop ice cream cones - one of their scoops is the same as two of ours! It was YUMMY! We walked on down to the beach to watch the lovely sunset before going home.

Friday we drove an hour to Warm Springs, a natural mineral pool at a contant temperature of 30°C. We thought we were in Russia! Of the hundred or so people there we only heard two couples speaking English! As well as walking around and floating in the water which smelt like rotten eggs, we joined in an aqua exercise class along with about half of the people there. We spent a couple of hours there being 'rejuvenated'.
One of the coiples living in Stoneybrook held a cocktail party to celebrate St. George's Day. Everyone had to wear something red and white. Great fun and lots of interesting people.
Saturday I should have gone on a bike ride with Rose and Shelby. I set off with them having taken a couple of ibuprofen for the shoulder pain I was suffering, but after just a block the pain from cycling was unbearable so I left them to do the ride, whilst I took the car and went shopping. In the evening Rose cooked a rack of lamb for each of us accompanied by asparagus and a bottle of pink champagne. Delicious!
This brings us to today, Sunday. I am writing this as we watch Angels and Demons. After morning mass we came home to read the papers before going with Shelby to thePlayers' Theatre to see the Who musical Tommy. Interesting with some disturbing scenes and loud music but of course, the amazing song Pinball Wizard.
We came back to Shelby's where her husband Dave had made a great spaghetti and salad supper for us. This was washed down with wine followed by coffee and key lime pie, a Florida speciality. After supper we sat out on their lanai and played Mexican Train, a great domino game. Must get it before I go home.

Sarasota 2

Wednesday saw us up and out early for an hour's drive to Stump Pass nature reserve on Manisota Key for a guided walk by a ranger at 9 a.m. We got there just in time only to find out that the tour is every other Wednesday and this was not the day! However, the ranger told us where to look out for the eagles and the horned owl and her two babies. It was a fantastic walk to the end of the key on sandy footpaths through mangrove bush. Walking along the beach at the end of tthe key we spotted a gue digging a shovel full of sand and shale at the water's edge the tipping it upside down ont the beach. He told us he was looking for sand fleas which turned out to be about the size of a heaped teaspoon and jellyfish like body with two feelers with which it burrowed into the sand. We helped spot for a while and then when we said we had to go he said he'd just catch a pompano using the sand fleas for bait. Rose said we couldn't stay too long but he said it would only take a minute. In fact, as soon as he cast his line he had a catch and repeated this a few times. Amazing. We waded part of the way back before rejoining the path. We saw the baby owls in their nest and mama owl on another tree, turtles and a variety of birds.
By the time we finished our walk, Shelby had arrived on the local public beach so we drove down and joined her. Rose and I had been going to stop somewhere for lunch, but Shelby had brought a cooler with sandiches, carrots & cellery and light beers so we stayed for a couple of hours and looked for shark's teeth. I only managed to find six whereas Shelby found around forty which she gave to me for Nya.
Back in time for a swim in the pool before supper at the clubhouse.

Sarasota Greetings

Having missed the stoppage of all flights out of the UK by a number of hours, I'm feeling very lucky to be relaxing in Sarasota. As it is the end of day five of my holiday I felt I give up the relaxing long enough to get something up on the blog.

I'll skip the shopping bit and just tell you about some of the activities Rose and I have been enjoying.

On Saturday morning we drove to Lido Key and parked on the key immediately over the Ringling bridge. We then walked across the bridge towards Sarasota and back again. In the afternoon we went over to Rose's brother Leon's park home where he lives with his lovely wife Patty. We picked them up and drove to a Mexican restaurant close by. Delicious food but American sizes so R and I had lunch for the next day!
Sunday after mass, we lounged around with the papers and coffee, before going to downtown Sarasota to the Golden Apple Theatre. Before the show, there is a buffet, so everyone is seated at tables eating and drinking. When the buffet is cleared away, the stage is pulled further out and we watch the show from our tables. Funny show, a revue really, called the Andrews Brothers, with songs from world war 2 period.
On the way to the show we had stopped at JC Penney's as Rose had a 20% discount voucher and we both invested in a pair of Skechers exercise trainers. Before breakfast on Monday, to try out our new trainers, we went for a 2.5 mile walk around the golf complex. Spotted two alligators sun bathing - at a good distance from us I'm pleased to report. Later in the morning we were joined by Rose's friend Shelby who lent me her spare bike and the three of us went on a 21 mile bike ride to Casey Key, stopping on the key for a cool drink and a walk by the beach where we spotted four dolphins. On the way back we cycled past beautiful homes of the rich and famous and stopped for a beer. In the evening, Shelby's husband joined us at Rose's and we played this great game called Mexican Train, a game with dominoes up to double fifteen. Got so engrossed, we ordered take away pizza's.
Today we went for a longer walk before breakfast - 3.5 miles, but the rest of the day was lazy. Slept and read on Siesta beach and then floated around in the swimming pool and we're lounging around in our pyjama's and going to eat salmon, asparagus and salad and wash it down with pink champagne.

Week 22

Pictures from the outside and Inside:
Also have a video of the scan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPK1i5r7VpQ