Tuesday - A Trip to the Beach!

Ken and I had debated about playing pickleball today, but it was too cold - only in the low 40's.  So we started the morning by playing a few rounds of Hand and Foot.

After omelettes for breakfast and clean-up I did some work on my Christmas calendars and at 11 we went for a walk around the CG.  It had warmed up but the sun was in and out.  I didn't wear my SAS and my walk went a bit better.  We did stop to visit with Jeff and Carol from New Hampshire who have been in this CG the last several years and play pickleball.  It was nice to chat with them again.  

After lunch, we left the CG at 1 to meet Rick and Joyce at Manasota Beach, about a 1/2 hour drive.  By then it was only in the 60's with winds between 15 and 20 mph, so it was a bit chilly.  I have never seen such big waves and so many of them in the Gulf.  It looked like the Atlantic Ocean!  Ken and Rick took a long walk on the beach while Joyce and I looked for shells and shark's teeth and then sat in our chairs just chatting.  After 2 hours we were chilly and decided it was time to leave.  

We followed them to Briandi's, a small Italian Restaurant in Nokomis, that is one of those places you would probably drive by without giving it a second thought!  Lloyd and Deb had introduced them to the place and it was amazing!  I had lasagna for $10.99 and it included warm homemade bread, salad or soup, and enough lasagna for me to take home for tomorrow night's dinner.  This place definitely served authentic Italian food!

This was the Italian Restaurant outside of Nokomis!

These are the pictures Ken got to view while in the bathroom!

We went to Rick and Joyce's home from 6 to 9:30 and played a game of Hand and Foot (women won) and then we also were leading in double deck Pinochle when we left.  

We went to bed as soon as we returned to Wilbur after a fun day but there were also some unnerving events today.  Alton, a member of our Life Group, had surgery today to open his carotid artery.  Surgery was longer than expected and he ended up in ICU because they couldn't stop the bleeding.  Alton had a stroke the beginning of September and is still recovering from that, so this surgery was concerning.  He was improving later in the evening!  The other very shocking event - Scott Fetterolf, a young minister at LCBC, died in his sleep yesterday.  He was an amazing man and phenomenal man of God.  He will be missed by many.  We are praying for his family as Brenda, his wife, lost her brother and mother in the last 2 weeks and now the passing of her husband.  How tragic!