I have to hope it’s because I was a somewhat easy houseguest, but when my friends in Sarasota said that I could visit again, there wasn’t much arm twisting involved to get me to say ‘yes - please and thank you’! Although our winter this year was overall milder than many, it was also grey, grey and more grey - in fact statistically the ‘darkest’ winter, with the fewest number of days of sunlight, that we’ve had in a century. Combine that with the fact that we had some of our most significant snowfalls of the winter season starting late in February and continuing into March … I was very happy, and extremely appreciative, to have the opportunity to leave the Canadian winter behind. So for the last little while of March 2023 I was back to Pearson Airport and back on a plane, heading to the sunny south.
Fingers crossed that all this white stuff will be gone when I get back!!
Flying over Hamilton Harbour,
and Long Point National Wildlife Area,
before getting to where I like it best - above the clouds.
And then about three hours later - hello to Hillsborough Bay (part of the very large Tampa Bay),
and finally Sarasota.
Downtown Sarasota - thought these have great potential. The giving out of parking tickets perhaps not so unusual, but hiring one to sit in a parking spot and reserve it for you…now that sounds like a great idea!!
A juvenile brown pelican which I saw near Nokomis Beach.
Not too many people on the beach on a cooler, windy day!
Looking across Sarasota Bay towards the Ringling Bridge.
Another visit to the Venice Fishing Pier
A snowy egret!
I swear I’m not actively looking for alligators…but it’s pretty hard to go for a walk anywhere in this area and not see these signs!
Sunset from the backyard
How can you not LOVE this beach?!?!
Just in case there was too much sand in those photos, here I am a bit closer to the water’s edge.
In my friend’s garden - more hibiscuses blooming now,
and a bottlebrush.
What sign is that beside the walking path I’m on? Still no sightings … probably a good thing actually.
A glossy ibis with her babies.
Lots of ‘eyes’ looking at me as I was out for a walk today - I must admit I did a double take.
These lacy tree philodendrons are very interesting - and of course here they can grow into full trees, they’re not just a pot plant.
Woke up to a couple of foggy mornings … nothing beats the eeriness of fog.
A stop in Venice this morning on our way to our ‘real’ destination for the day, Lakeland. I’m going to do a separate post about why we went to Lakeland, but in terms of Venice, this is The Hotel Venice, built in 1926.
The Antique Automobile Club of America was having a car show in Venice today.
1927 Rolls-Royce
Some mighty fine looking Thunderbirds
1916 Model-T Ford
1934 Ford Woody (equipped with its own surfboard)
1912 E.M.F. Speedster
An Isetta microcar - not sure on the year but late ‘50s likely, or early ‘60s.
1954 Chevrolet Corvette
A Norfolk Island Pine - yes I am in Florida, not Australia.
Cardboard palm tree leaves
Yup - Florida, where you can pawn your jewelry and your guns.
Today found me doing something I haven’t done in years - trying my hand at kayaking! Not in the open water of the Gulf, but in the inter coastal waters between Casey Key and the mainland, through Dryman Bay and then into a river in Oscar Scherer State Park. I wasn’t brave enough to take my camera knowing chances were very good that it would get wet, so lots of thanks to my friend who is a much more competent kayaker than I am, and who did take a camera.
Passing by an island colloquially called “Pelican Island”
Working a bit harder against the wind at this point.
And eventually into the river that leads into Oscar Scherer State Park.
So peaceful!
A little egret
This mummy osprey got very vocal when we got close in our kayaks.
After our paddle we had to have a drink at a tiki bar by a little beach. Perfect place to stop and watch the people, the boats, the water, … life in general.
Where is this little pathway going to lead? … Back to my favourite beach!
For anyone who was wondering if those feet might really be mine, I’ve included my purple backpack in this photo so now there can be no doubt.
There’s no shortage of black-bellied whistling ducks around my friend’s place and they are so fun to watch and listen to.
This common moorhen, or ‘swamp chicken’ was not at all fussed to find me standing right where it wanted to walk.
Finally time to try alligator - it was on the menu of the restaurant I went to today. It will probably come as no surprise when I say it tasted like chicken, but with a bit more chewiness, similar to calamari.
The view from the restaurant.
We took a walk after lunch to, quite literally,…where the sidewalk ends.
The inter coastal waterways are full of little channels like this, with swing bridges across the roads that open and close constantly, on demand. The boaters have precedence.
The north end of Casey Key is a rather exclusive place, with a single road and homes that overlook both the Gulf of Mexico and the inland waters.
Always so interesting to see what is able to grow out of the rocks along the shoreline.
Nice place to put a couple of chairs, sit, and watch the water, or a sunset.
Not surprisingly, some of the houses are stunningly beautiful - some more traditional and others quite modern.
You can barely see the house in this photo - the white structure off to the left - but what I loved was the property next door…it’s own, private, ‘parkette’ filled with art sculptures.
Yup - it’s an exclusive road all right! No driving, bike riding, or even walking down it!!
Homeward bound, as always happens. I didn’t get photos leaving Sarasota - they didn’t dim the lights inside the plane on take-off, so all I could photograph was my own reflection.
It was a very dirty window, so even with the lights dimmed photography was hard - but it did produce some interesting light streams while landing back in Toronto.
