Spent Time Checking Out Venice!

I was up by 7 and Ken by 7:30.  After breakfast, the 4 of us drove to guess where???? - the pickleball courts.  We decided to try something different this morning - NOT!  It was the perfect morning to play with temperatures in the low 70's and very little wind.  We had some really good volleys in many of the games.  We played another 7 or 8 games before leaving around 10:45.  We drove to downtown Venice to walk through the Farmers Market and then of course, we had to have another scone.  Ken and I think the raspberry with the added Devenshire Cream is the best! 

The Pickleball Foursome!

The downtown Venice Farmers Market that is
held every Saturday!

One taste of the Kettle Corn and it was a "must have"
for Melissa!

Downtown Venice!

Homemade scone time at The Upper Crust!
They just don't get any better!

The Devenshire Cream makes the scones even better!
I didn't think that was possible, but Melissa said the
more cream the better!

After leaving there we drove south of Venice to the local park area that was just built about 2 years ago.  It is right beside Sharkey's, a famous eating place on the Gulf with a fishing pier that is open to the public.  Sharky's was in the midst of a major building project last winter and it is now completed.  It includes a second floor restaurant, beautiful fountain, and a covered area where you can wait to be seated.  These eateries are always so busy because of the exception view and all the outside eating areas.

Water flows freely down this "board"
and there are knobs you can turn to make the
sharks move!

A view of the fishing pier from the 2nd floor of Sharkey's!
What a setting!

The photo of the beach below the fishing pier!

;

Looking back at Sharky's from the fishing pier!

A close-up of a snowy egret!

From the very end of the pier!

The same snowy egret with a tasty morsel - a shrimp!

Enjoying our time in the great outdoors of Florida!

The park was busy today because tomorrow there is a Olympic Triathlon and the participants will swim in the Gulf, bike, and then run.  Lots of the folks were warming up by swimming and doing some biking.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate, for it started raining later this afternoon and is supposed to continue until tomorrow morning.

All set-up in the park for tomorrow triathlon!

Swimmers in the Gulf warming up for tomorrow race!

An Anhinga!

A woodstork!  No real attractive!

This is the finish line for tomorrow's race!

We returned to the CG at 1:15, ate lunch, and then started to do some prep work for leaving on Monday.  We put the outdoor rugs away and tablecovers away, packed up the grill, and dumped our black tank.  I did some prep work inside too.  At 2:45 we headed to the Putt Putt Golf Course ( that's what people from Tennessee call it, while us PA folks call it miniature golf!).  It started to rain when we got to the last hole.  So, we hurried back to our motorhomes to shower, relax, eat dinner, and then get together around 7:15 for game playing!  I hope this fun never ends!!!!

Putt Putt Golf at the Campground.  What for name
is that??????  It's a Southern term!!!!