Ken was back by 8:30 and after eating breakfast we loaded the car (Ken had done most of that last evening including loading our bikes) and by 9:15 we were on our way to Venice. We stopped at Detwiler's for produce before going to Rick and Joyce's house to drop of a key lime pie which Ken and I are taking to Lloyd and Deb's for dinner tonight.
The 4 of us drove to Nokomis Beach where we parked our cars, unloaded our bikes, and off we went for Ken and my annual ride on Casey Key Road. The homes, landscaping, and views of the Gulf are spectacular and we look forward to the ride every year and we were not disappointed. It was a gorgeous day for riding and we took a slight detour onto another section of the road that eventually becomes private and that is where the author, Stephen King, lives.
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| So many beautiful homes and amazing landscaping! |
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| So picturesque! |
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| Looks like it should be a postcard! |
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| This newer home has a lot of Oriental flare! |
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| We thought we should stop here and relax for we felt like it was calling our names! |
We did find an area where you could get down to the water without being on private property. We found some interesting shells and a few shark's teeth.
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| Maybe we should check it out???? |
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| We couldn't resist! |
Back to Nokomis Beach after about a 10 mile ride and we loaded our bikes, grabbed our lunches, chairs, and beach bag and off to the beach we went. Today was a positively perfect beach and bike riding day with lots of sunshine and temperatures near 80, but with a slight breeze. I am not sure why we took our chairs to the beach, for we spent all our time looking for "treasures"! The tide was great for bringing these treasures in and then going back out revealing the shells and shark's teeth. We actually spent about 2 hours along the water and the time passed way too quickly. We left around 3 and went back to Rick and Joyce's to shower and change to go to Lloyd and Deb's for dinner.
We arrived there a little before 5 and were joined by Frank, Barb, Alton, and Jane. We all got to admire the wonder job Lloyd had done installing their new kitchen. It looks terrific!
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| Lloyd and Deb did a great job selecting the cabinets, counter tops, appliances, etc..... |
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| ....and Lloyd did an amazing professional installation!! |
We enjoyed dinner on their screened lanai and watching the many different birds that "hang out" at their property. Woody the woodstock loves the meaty treats they give him.
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| Black-bellied Whistling Ducks! |
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| Moorhen Duck |
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| Lloyd feeding Woody, the woodstork! |
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| Juvenile White Ibis! |
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| Blue Heron and Black-Crowned Night Heron! |
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| Glossy Ibis! |
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| Blue Heron |
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| Woody, again! |
We had a delicious meal (everyone contributed) but Lloyd and Deb provided lots of goodies and then enjoyed an evening of wonderful fellowship. Lloyd, Deb, Alton, Jane, Ken and I will not see each other again until we are all back in PA, so we said our good-byes for now. We also won't see Frank and Barb again until they come to PA to visit or next year here in Florida because they are now permanent Florida residents. Ken and I will be with Rick and Joyce on Wednesday and hopefully one more time before we leave Florida next Tuesday morning! We are so grateful for these wonderful friends when we are here!
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| What a group!! |
Ken and I got back to the CG around 9:45 and both of us were exhausted. It was a long day but such a terrific one!
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