A VISIT WITH LESLIE AND PETER, A SWANKY-DO NEIGHBORHOOD ON LONGBOAT KEY AND A WALK THROUGH THE MANGROVES OF DURANTE PARK

A WALK THROUGH THE MANGROVES IN LONGBOAT KEY’S DURANTE PARK

Waking up to 55F temps I was surprised at how much it had cooled off during the night.  With clear skies we were well on our way to a bright sunny day.  And would you believe when we rolled out this morning I snapped on the Jeeps heater for a couple minutes to take the chill out of the night air.

Kelly’s brother Peter and wife Leslie from Webster near Rochester NY generally like to spend the month of March in a rental house on Longboat Key here along Sarasota’s coastline.  They arrived a couple days ago so Kelly, Pheebs, and I headed on over to see them this morning.

ON FRUITVILLE ROAD NEARING DOWNTOWN SARASOTA THIS MORNING WITH THE GULF OF MEXICO STRAIGHT AHEAD

IF THESE FIRST FEW PHOTOS SEEM A BIT BLURRY IT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE….FORGOT TO SWITCH BACK TO AUTO FOCUS AFTER WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S MOSSY MOON SHOTS

Fruitville Road was it’s usual busy self as we wound our way westward towards the Gulf Of Mexico.  We were down close to old town Sarasota with it’s newer looking highrises and tall condo buiidings along the shoreline.  Crossed over the Ringling Bridge onto Longboat Key and hung a right making our way North up the Key.  It’s not too often we use our GPS but how nice this morning as Garmin Gertie took us right to Leslie and Peter’s door.

HEADING OVER THE BAY ON THE RINGLING BRIDGE

LONGBOAT KEY DEAD AHEAD

It’s a really nice 3 bedroom house they have rented on Longboat Key and this is their 4th year staying there.  They have been coming to Longboat Key for years. 

PETER, LESLIE, AND KELLY IN THE BACK YARD OF THEIR RENTED HOUSE

HEATED POOL TOO

SPENT OURSELVES SOME TIME CHATTING AROUND THIS TABLE

THEY HAVE A CANAL BEHIND THEIR HOUSE

THAT’S A NEIGHBOR’S 2 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE AND PROPERTY ACROSS THE CANAL

It’s a pretty swanky neighborhood they are in as evidenced from a walk we took down to the end of the their street and back.  The prices of these houses and properties boggle the mind and again Kelly and I felt like the Clampetts from the Beverly Hillbillies.  It’s a beautiful eye pleasing neighborhood with all it’s architectural designs, creative colors, and professionally done lush landscaping. 

HEADING DOWN THE CUL-DE-SAC FOR A WALK

PETER THINKS THIS HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET BELONGS/BELONGED TO A KNOWN CANADIAN GOLFER

THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY OVERLOOKING THE BAY WAS OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS JUST FOR THE PROPERTY….CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THIS ‘HUGE’ CONCRETE HOUSE WILL END UP COSTING….BOGLES MY LITTLE MIND

SARASOTA’S SKYLINE

PHEEBE STOPS TO SMELL THE FLOWERS

We decided to take both cars, head out and grab some Subs and make our way north up the Key a few miles to the Joan M. Durante Community Park for a walk in the Mangroves.  Found a picnic table to chow down our Subs and then headed off down a meandering trail through the groves.

WE FOLLOWED THIS BRAND SPANKING NEW SUBURU TO OUR DESTINATION…..IT WAS LESLIE AND PETER

EATING OUR SUBS BEFORE WALKING THE MANGROVE TRAILS

 

PETER LEADS THE WAY ALONG THE TRAIL WHILE LESLIE AND KELLY BROUGHT UP THE REAR

I WOULD LIKE CANOEING OR KAYAKING HERE BECAUSE IF I FELL OUT I COULD JUST STAND UP AND START OVER

‘NOW LESLIE!!’

 

Many times today I thought how lucky we were to have us a cooler day going on and with an ocean breeze we were right in our element as far as temperatures go.  For the longest time I couldn’t even feel any humidity in the air.  WOW, what a wonderful break for us.

HEY IT’S THE GULF OF MEXICO SO WHERE’S ALL THE SHARKS EH

PELICANS

‘WELL THE LAST MINNOW I CAUGHT WAS ABOUT THIS BIG’

BRACKISH WATER IN THE MANGROVES

AND BY GOLLY BOTH THESE GALS ARE RIGHT IN STEP

Back to the parking lot it was time to say good-bye to Peter and Leslie and maybe, just maybe the next time we see them might be in Sierra Vista, Arizona next January.

‘WAS THAT MINNOW REALLY THAT BIG PETER?!?!’

‘WELL KELLY’……………..

Deciding to take a different route back to our rig and see some more scenery we headed north up the Key then crossed over to the mainland and slipped ourselves East through Bradenton.  I noticed a difference in the traffic right away.  Gone was the helter-skelter antics of maniacal Sarasota drivers.  Traffic was comfortably slower with driver’s well spaced.  No drag racing from traffic light to traffic light. 

BRADENTON BEACH

HEADING BACK TO THE MAINLAND

YEP, WE’RE DOWN TO A CRAWL…..WELCOME TO I-75

I FAIL TO FIND THE HUMOR IN THIS BACK WINDOW STICKER

We were back to the rig around 2 and after a rest headed over to Aunt Jean’s about 4 where Jean had some fine fixins of roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, and a cucumber salad waiting for us:))

IT’S VERY RARE FOR ME TO COMMENT ON ONE OF MY OWN PHOTOS BUT I DO LIKE THIS CANDID SHOT OF A LITTLE GIRL AND HER DOG ON A TEETER-TOTTER…. I TOOK THIS PHOTO IN THE DURANTE COMMUNITY PARK TODAY

GROANER’S CORNER:(( For two solid hours, the lady sitting next to a man on an airplane had told him about her grandchildren. She had even produced a plastic-foldout photo album of all nine of the children.  She finally realized that she had dominated the entire conversation on her grandchildren.  "Oh, I've done all the talking, and I'm so sorry. I know you certainly have something to say. Please, tell me... what do you think of my grandchildren?"

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- “Back in the days when the guillotine was first used, people wondered, is this what we may beheaded for in the future?”

- Why did the tomato blush?  Because he saw the salad dressing!

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A southern minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great statement he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."  With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river!"  And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river!Sermon complete, he then sat down.  The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: 'Shall We Gather at the River.'"

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A FEW WORDS AND A FEW PHOTOS IS ABOUT ALL I COULD GATHER TOGETHER TODAY

Not much to write about today so I will just leave you with a few mossy tree Moon photos taken Thursday night outside our rig.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A new monk arrived at the monastery. He was assigned to help  the other monks in copying the old texts by hand. He noticed, however, that they were copying copies, not the original books. The new monk went to the head monk to ask him about this. He pointed out that if there were an error in the first copy, that error would be continued in all of the other copies.  The head monk said, "We have been copying from the copies or centuries, but you make a good point, my son." The head monk went down into the cellar with one of the copies to check it against the original.  Hours later, nobody had seen him, so one of the monks went downstairs to look for him. He heard a sobbing coming from the back of the cellar and found the old monk leaning over one of the original books, crying. He asked what was wrong.  "The word is 'celebrate'," said the head monk.

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I WAS STUCK FOR PICTURES TODAY…..UNTIL WE WENT OUT FOR SUPPER TONIGHT

THAT’S SPEEDY GONZALES AT THE WHEEL WITH HER SIDEKICK PECOS PAT RIDING SHOTGUN …. PECOS IS SAYING, “GOOD JOB RUNNING THAT YELLOW LIGHT AMIGO”

One of the overall positive things our annual winter RV travels do for us each year is to give Kelly and I a very true and thankful perspective of the great country of Canada we live in near Bayfield Ontario.   We are so lucky to live where we do near the clear water shores of Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario’s rural farm lands and forests.  We will be glad to get ourselves back ‘home’ again in a few weeks.  We are so fortunate to have a home where we can finally get out of the Motorhome for the next 6 or 7 months.  That is a big plus for us.  And I am soooooo much looking forward once more to resuming the quietly simple morning country road Jeep rides with my very much most bestest furry little Pal of ever, da Pheebs.  We can hit all our old favorite spots and walk our serene forest trails with only the sounds of birds, frogs, and crickets to accompany us along the way.  No traffic, no noise, no people, no problem……………..

THE GANG ROLLS INTO APPLEBEES FOR SUPPER TONIGHT

Needing a few groceries and things Kelly headed out this morning to browse around a bit.  I could have gone but elected to stay home with the Pheebs.  I’ve had enough of the maniac drivers and traffic congestion. Sitting quietly in the rig reading with my soothing ambient music playing I was definitely in the right place for me to be.  Thankfully there was some cloud cover and a nice breeze earlier today holding back the heat and humidity for at least a little while.  I am so much looking forward to quieter times and cooler dryer air soon in good old Ontariariario, Canada:))))))))))  (still haven’t figured out what changes my printing color)

KELLY, SPEEDY, AND PECOS

THIS IS MY GRILLED CLUBHOUSE WITH MASHED POTATOES AND MUSHROOM GRAVY

KELLY’S CEDAR PLANK SALMON WITH MASHED SWEET POTATOES, GREEN BEANS, AND STEAMED SPINACH (WHEWWW, GLAD I DIDN’T HAVE TO EAT THAT)

Talked to our new neighbors this morning for about an hour.  New neighbors??  David’s sister and husband who are just  3 weeks into RVing for their very first time are parked around the corner from us near the pond in their new Mercedes Benz Class C Forest River.  This is their ‘shake-down cruise’ and they will be here until Sunday. Everything is new to them so we had ourselves a bit of an RV chat.  Really nice folks and I know they will fit into the RV community just fine wherever their future travels decide to take them.

WE ALL PILE BACK INTO THE ‘SPEEDY GONZALES MOBILE’

Aunt Jean, her friend Pat, Kelly and I headed of to Applebees for supper tonight.  If I don’t stop eating like this I’ll soon not even fit through our Motorhome’s door.  And I had been doing so well at losing some weight this past month too.  With the places we have been going the food is so good and there is always so much of it.  Hard to leave anything behind……………..

HEY ALLAN WANNA SEE ME BLOW THROUGH THOSE TRAFFIC LIGHTS UP THERE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Bob had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work.  After a few weeks of this, his boss was mad and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it.
So Bob went to his doctor, who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed. He got a great night's sleep and actually beat the alarm in the morning. After a leisurely breakfast, he cheerfully drove to work.  "Boss," he said, "The pill my doctor prescribed actually worked!"  "That's all fine," said the boss, "But where were you yesterday?"

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The father of five children had won a toy Lion at a raffle. He called his kids together to ask which one should have the present.  "Who is the most obedient?" he asked. "Who never talks back to Mother? Who does everything she says?"  Five small voices answered in union. "Okay, Dad. you get to keep the Lion."

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PHEEBS AND I MAKE IT OUT FOR A MORNING JEEP RIDE

Left our windows and door open to let in the cooler night air which also happened to let in all the nice morning sounds.  Roosters, Horses, Birds, Burros, Llamas, and a few barking dogs in the neighborhood.  Strange, but no train whistles anywhere.

RECOGNIZED THESE FELLERS RIGHT AWAY AS SAND HILL CRANES

I’M GUESSING THIS CHAP AS A WHITE IBIS

Figured Pheebs was needing a Jeep ride so I loaded her up and off we went.  I was curious to see if we could find us a few quiet back roads to relax and enjoy some backwoods scenery.  Headed east out Fruitville Road on a very busy two lane highway with everybody driving with the pedal to the metal.  People seem to in such a big hurry here.  It was not until we reached Myakka Road and turned right then turned right again that we finally got ourselves some respite from the manic traffic. 

SOME PRETTY SCHNAZZY HOMES AND PROPERTIES IN THE AREA

WHAT A TREAT TO FIND SOME ROADS WITHOUT TRAFFIC ON THEM

AND WE EVEN FOUND A GOOD OLD DIRT ROAD AS WELL

NOW THERE’S A PROPERTY THAT WOULD INTEREST ME

A LOT OF HORSE AND CATTLE RANCHES EAST OF SARASOTA WITH SOME PRETTY FANCY MAIN GATES ON SOME OF THEM

Found much of the countryside to be similar to rural Ontario while other sections looked more like one would expect Florida to look like with moss draped trees and swampy areas with big green leafy plants.  We didn’t stop anywhere for a leg stretch because I was leery about Pheebs running into poisonous snakes.  It wasn’t a long drive we had and we were back to the rig about an hour later.

WE WERE SOON  BACK TO THE PLACE WE WERE STAYING AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THE REAR END OF OUR RIG LEFT OF CENTER

We soon had to close everything up, crank up our fans and turn on the A/C.  Never ventured outside again until it was time to go over to Aunt Jean’s place.  It’s Sirloin Steak night at Miller's Ale House so Kelly and I took Jean out for a steak supper while Pheebs held the Fort down at Jean’s place.  Kelly was the only one ending up having steak, Jean had Chicken Fingers and I of course had myself a big old hamburger.  I’ve never been big on steaks.

YOU SAID THAT STEAK WAS HOW MUCH??!!!!

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A wife and her husband were having a dinner party for all the major status figures in Rome, Italy. The wife was very excited about this and wanted everything to be perfect.   At the very last minute, she realized that she didn't have any snails for this dinner party, so she asked her husband to run down to the beach with the bucket she was handing him to gather some snails. Very grudgingly he agreed.  He took the bucket, walked out the door, down the steps, and out to the beach. As he was collecting the snails, he noticed a beautiful woman walking alongside the water just a little further down the beach. He kept thinking to himself "Wouldn't it be great if she would even just come down and talk to me." He went back to gathering the snails.  All of a sudden he looked up, and the beautiful woman was standing right beside him. They got to talking, and she invited him back to her place.  They were at her apartment a ways down the beach, and they started messing around. It got so steamy that he was exhausted afterwards and passed out there.  At seven o'clock the next morning he woke up and exclaimed, "Oh no! My wife's dinner party!"  He gathered all his stuff together, grabbed his bucket of snails and fled out the door.  He ran down the beach all the way to his apartment. He ran up the stairs of his apartment. He was in such a hurry that when he got to the top of the stairs, he dropped the bucket of snails.  There were snails all down the stairs. The door opened just then, with a very angry wife standing in the door way wondering where he's been all this time.  He looked at the snails on the steps, then he looked at her, then back at the snails and said, "Come on guys, we're almost there!"

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FINALLY FINISHED WASHING THE RIG THIS MORNING BUT OH MY……..THE HEAT:((

Noticed first thing this morning it was cloudy so figured that was a good opportunity for me to finish washing the Motorhome.  With just the passenger side left to do I didn’t waste any time getting at it before the heat began to build.  Cleaned all the outside windows after finishing up the wash job on the rig as well.  Despite no hot sun the morning’s humidity soon turned me into a soggy mass and I had no choice but to retreat inside and throw myself into the shower.  There was no going back outside for me after that and especially after the Sun came out.  Stayed pretty close to our A/C unit until it was time to head over to Aunt Jeans for supper later this afternoon.    Kelly had ventured out earlier this morning to browse around some stores in the area.  Came back with some fresh strawberries.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’VE HAD A CLEANLY WASHED MOTORHOME SINCE BEFORE LEAVING BAYFIELD BACK IN LATE DECEMBER

 

Aunt Jean fixed us up a nice ham and scalloped potatoes supper complete with yummy lemon squares for desert.  For 90 years old she is still as sharp as a tack and although her better golfing days may be behind her she is still up early every morning and out for a walk.  She likes to be able to check on her favorite constellation Orion.

On the Fireball 500 I-75 racetrack heading back to the rig we could see a beautiful sunset happening way off to the West and soon as we got back I was able to hop out of the Jeep and get a few parting shots of it.

So much nicer now seeing our Motorhome looking spic n span again.  One of the advantages of owning our Congress house was the fact that each time we arrived there I could always haul the hose out and wash all the road grime off the Motorhome.  Normally leaving home the third week of October like we usually do and unless we hit rain on the way the Motorhome stays relatively clean but leaving in December like we did this year our coach was salted up soon as we left our Park that morning and there wasn’t a darn thing we could do about it.  My plan was to get the coach professionally washed in Yuma but with only two quick overnighters on Ogilby Road west of Yuma that just didn’t happen.   Anyway it’s done now and should stay that way for a few more weeks until we head home and probably run into another whack of snowy slush, ice, and salt infested roads again.  Oh tis quite a life we RV’ers lead…………..

GLANCING TO THE EAST KELLY NOTICED A BIG FLORIDA MOON RISE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( While watching a football game, two friends are talking during a commercial. One guy says, "My wife said I put football before our marriage."  The other guy says, "Oh, she's exaggerating." First guy says, "I thought   so, too, because I just took her out for a really nice celebration of our third season together!"

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You Might Be A Redneck If::

1. You've ever had to lug a paint can to the top of a water tower to defend your sister's honor.

2. Your wife's hairdo has ever been destroyed by a ceiling fan.

3. You go to your family reunion to pick up women.

4. Your richest relative buys a new house -- and you have to help him take the wheels off it.

5. You think a six-pack and a bug zapper is quality entertainment!

6. Your family tree does not fork.

7. You've ever been too drunk to fish.

8. You've lost more than two teeth opening beer bottles.

9. You helped your cousin move his refrigerator -- and the grass underneath it has turned yellow.

10. You owe the taxidermist more than your annual income!

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Are you really that bald or is your neck just blowing a bubble?

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GOT ME SOME DUDS AT THE SALLY ANN AND JEAN TREATED US TO SUPPER AT THE VERY CROWDED MILLER’S ALE HOUSE

WE WERE CRUISING AROUND IN ‘THE SPEEDY GONZALES MOBILE’ LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THAT’S SPEEDY AT THE WHEEL NOW

Couldn’t seem to drum up any energy or enthusiasm for finishing up the wash job on the passenger side of the Motorhome this morning.  I’ll have to wait for that little bit of inspiration to strike me again.  Maybe tomorrow.

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Needing a second pair of shorts we headed off about 4 miles to a big Salvation Army store Kelly had been to last time here.  Found me a couple pairs of shorts, two short sleeved shirts and a new belt.  I actually outs-hopped my wife for a change.  Fancy that eh.  I’m quite a fashion trend setter with my used clothing line.  Last ‘new’ short sleeved shirt I might have bought was probably back in the early to mid 60’s.  I’ve been rather Thrifty in Good Willing it at the Salvation Army stores over the years:))

 

KELLY MADE ME PUT THESE TWO CANDID PHOTOS IN TO SHOW MY WARDROBE FROM THE SALLY ANN THIS MORNING

I seem to be more mentally tuned in to the Sarasota traffic than I was last time here.  I just kind of look at it all as a multi-laned stock car track and he who drives craziest wins.

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Although we do have some activities in the planning stage for the next couple weeks you may find my daily posts a little on the bland side as I struggle with things to photograph and write about each day.  Maybe even a few days with no posts.

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They sure have a mild spell going on back home in South-western Ontario and I hope that hangs on for our arrival home sometime around the 21rst of March.  And what a cold snap they have had out West where we just came from.  I think cooler weather is much healthier than hot weather but I’m glad we missed that western cold spell.  Nothing healthy about being below the freezing mark.

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We slipped over to Aunt Jean’s about 3 o’clock this afternoon and I used Jean’s washer and dryer to get my laundry caught up.  Jean had a little photo project needing done by tonight so I took care of that as well.  Leaving Pheebs at Jean’s place we all piled into Jean’s Toyota, (the Speedy Gonsales Mobile) picked up her friend Pat a few doors away, and sped off through the manic Sarasota traffic to Miller's Ale House.  

I THINK WE WERE DOING ABOUT 105 MPH HERE

When we got to the Ale House the parking lot was totally jammed with cars and people were all bunched up around the door waiting to get in.  Kelly and Pat jumped out of the car and made a mad hatter dash through the door to make a reservation while Aunt Jean and I cruised around and around and around and around looking for a parking spot.  I wonder what people thought when we went by with a little 90 year old white haired lady at the wheel and there’s me ‘Mr Daisy’ sitting in the back seat.  Finally did find a parking spot and I backed Jean’s car into it then helped Jean walk the distance back to the Ale House where Pat and Kelly were still waiting outside.  Ten minutes later we were inside and seated.

 

THAT’S JEAN AND KELLY SEATED AND THAT’S PAT IN THE PINK SWEATER…NOTICE ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND WAITING TO GET IN…REMINDED ME OF THE LINE-UPS TO GET INTO ANNA MAE'S IN MILLBANK ONTARIO

THIS IS A SPORTS BAR KIND OF PLACE SO LOTS OF BIG TV SCREENS EVERYWHERE FOR SPORTS EVENTS

AUNT JEAN AND HER BEST FRIEND PAT…THEY’VE BEEN GOLFING BUDDIES FOR YEARS

I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTIONS OF EATING THAT WHOLE ORDER OF BBQ RIBS BUT I DID…..COLE SLAW, MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY TOO

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Catholic Definitions

- Choir: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.
- Holy Water: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.
- Hymn: A song of praise, usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation’s range.
-  Incense: Holy Smoke!
- Jesuits: An order of priests known for their ability to found colleges with good basketball teams.
- Jonah: The original “Jaws” story.
- Justice: When your children have kids of their own.
- Kyrie Eleison: The only Greek words that most Catholics an recognize besides gyros and baklava.
- Magi: The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.
- Manger:
1- Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn’t covered by an HMO.
2- The Bible’s way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.
- Pew: A medieval torture device still found in Catholic Churches.
- Procession: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass, consisting of altar servers, the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.
- Recessional: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass—lead by parishioners trying to beat the crowd to the parking lot.
- Relics: People who have been going to Mass for so long that they actually know when to sit, kneel, and stand.
- Ten Commandments: The most important Top Ten list not produced by David Letterman.
- Ushers: The only people in the parish who don’t know the seating capacity of a pew.

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