Pickleball and Manasota Beach!

Well, our day began as it has almost everyday since we arrived at this CG.  We were up around 6:30, ate breakfast and were at the pickleball courts by 8:40.  Our games are getting better each day.  After about 5 or 6 games, we started playing with some other folks who were on the courts.  It helps you to improve when you are challenged by players you don't know!  We played many games, leaving the courts around 11.

Back to the CG to pack our lunches and change for the beach.  We were on our way to Manasota Beach by 12, both Ken and Chuck with their "Florida Snow Shovels".  What a gorgeous day to be on the beach.  I only sat long enough to eat my lunch.  I spent some of my time looking for shells for jewelry making and then Ken and I worked together searching for sharks teeth.  We probably found another 100 today.  It was Chuck's 1st time using his "shovel" and he found about 60.  Great job for a "novice".  Melissa was busy taking her great photographs!  We had so much fun that we only left the beach around 5:15.

The water was so beautiful and really glistened in
the gorgeous sunshine!

This beach has so many nice shells
for my jewelry making!

Today's find included 3 pieces of seaglass.
Melissa found an exceptional piece of pottery!

Back to the CG to shower and make dinner.  I made salads while Ken showered and then he grilled a hamburg and salmon burger while I showered.  We cleaned up and the 4 of us got together in Waldo to play games from 7:30 to 10:15.  The women won Skip-
Bo and Spades and the men won Pinochle.  Another fun evening.  But, we realize our time together is coming to an end and we both expressed how we will experience withdrawal.  Can't believe we have been traveling together for a month.  The time has flown by!

Touring the Area!

Ken and I were up around 7, got ready for Pickleball, ate breakfast, and called Polly, my Curvette friend, to sing Happy Birthday.  So good to talk to her!

The 4 of us left at 8:30 and went to the pickleball courts.  We played about 7 games and again, had a lot of fun.  We were back to the CG by 10:15, showered, packed our lunches, and left by 11:15 to take a drive up the coastline to check out some of the beaches.  Our 1st stop was at Siesta Beach.  We ate our packed lunches there, did some walking on the beach, and left by 1:15.

The Happy Foursome!

There are 5 or 6 Lifeguard stations on this beach and
each one is a different color.  Helps us older folks
from getting lost!!

Lots of pelicans on this beach!

After walking the beach, Melissa and I sat down and
got into some interesting conversations!

Hard to tell on this photo, but this is one of the widest
beaches we have ever seen!

We were amazed how "full" the beach was for this
time of year.  The sand here is composed of lots of quartz
which makes it very white and smooth! 

From there we north towards Sarasota to tour the Drum Circle Rum Distillery.  We had a 2:30 appointment, but before the tour, they gave us samples of their 5 or 6 kinds of rum.  They suggested you take a little taste before adding any soda.  So, I did - mistake.  By the time I had tried all of them, I was feeling "pretty good".  I am not used to drinking liquor with such a high alcohol content!  When the tour started I was feeling rather silly and Melissa wasn't far behind!  All Melissa and I had to do was look at each other and we would start laughing, but we got it under control during the tour.  It was a very interesting "lesson" on how rum is made.  It is a very involved process and it took numerous years for this small company to perfect it.  Now their Spiced Rum is one of the best in the country, having won so many awards.  The whole operation only has 3 employees - the founder, his close buddy, and his fiancee.  They make all the rums, bottle it with a hands on machine that only does 4 bottles at a time, then they cork each one, put on the labels, and use a heat gun to seal the bottle with foil.  A very Hands on operation.  They say their fingerprints are on every bottle!!!!  In December they will begin selling their toasted coconut rum, which we had a chance to taste.  It was excellent and will probably become their best seller, even beating their spiced rum.  Time will tell.

This is where it all began for us - the rum tasting room!

This is the owner and his fiancess!

Time for the tour to begin!  Melissa and I where at
a "Happy Place"!

This small area is the distilling processing place!
Not very big!!!  Their Spiced Rum is made with all
natural spices and honey, not flavorings!

This is the vats where the processing is completed!

The wooden barrels they use have been "seasonsed" from
whiskey or bourbon companies.  And now they are doing
a new kind of rum that is stored in used beer barrels.

This is their "huge" bottling area.  Note the machine
in front of him.  They can only fill 4 bottles at a time
and then another employee puts in the cork.  After that
they put on each label!  No huge machines for this
process!

After leaving the distillery, we went back to driving along the coastline, stopping at Coquina Beach.   We walked along the beach and checked out the sand sculpture they were creating for a sand sculpture contest this weekend.  Then on to Fire and Stone Pizza for their buffet.  Ken and I had been there 1X last winter and could not believe how reasonable and good their food was.  They have a delicious salad bar, homemade soups, and pizza with so many different and unique toppings.  You can go back as often as you like and then they end the meal offering you a choice of 5 different ice cream sundaes.  Amazing and all this for $8.39!  Wow!!!! 

A huge sand sculpture in the process of being created!
It had sea life on one side and symphony instruments
on the other.  There will be a concert on the beach
this weekend!

Beautiful Coquina Beach!  The mounds of sand are
in preparation for this weekends sand sculpture
competition!

Lots of birds on the beach!

What a great soup, salad, and pizza bar!

On the way back to the CG we stopped at Trader Joe's, a new adventure for Chuck and Melissa.  We were all so "stuffed" from our dinner, that we bought very little.  Made a stop at Wal-Mart so Chuck could buy a "Florida Snow Shovel", a metal shovel for scooping along the surf and then sifting through the sand to find sharks teeth and shells.  We are going back to Manasota Beach tomorrow and Chuck wanted to try his luck at finding more sharks teeth!

We got back to the CG at 8 and decided we would not play any games tonight, but work on our blogs and download todays photos.  It was a very busy day, but filled with special adventures!

What a Busy, Fun Day!

I was up by 7 and Ken around 7:15.  The sun was shining and it was in the upper 60's.  We got ready for the day and then I mixed a batch of pumpkin pancakes for the 4 of us.  We cooked and ate outside and it was the 1st time Chuck and Melissa had pumpkin pancakes.  The pancakes were a success!  I called my mother and the 4 of us sang "Happy Birthday".  Today is her 85th Birthday and she is doing so well.  We cleaned up and were on our way to the pickleball courts by 9:15.

We played at least 7 or 8 games and even played with some folks we didn't know.  Even though we were hesitant to play with "strangers" we all thought it "stretched" our playing ability and we got to meet some new people!  It was an all around good thing!!!

We got back to the CG around 10:45, showered, and then went to Tervis Tumbler Outlet for a 2nd time.  After purchasing a few tumblers, we left there and went to Costco for lunch - hey, where else can 2 people eat for around $5.00, including ice cream and then go in the store for some free samples!  It was a special day!!!!!  From there we headed to Wal-Mart for some groceries, getting back to the CG by 3:00. 

We left again at 4 to go to Nokomis Beach for the drum circle that celebrates the sunset every Wed. and Saturday nights.  There were about 300 people there and it increases to about 800+ in the winter time.  It is a fun event!  .  Ken calls the man who is there everytime, Featherman.  He has a "sun ritual" he does everytime at the drum circle.  There are usually belly dancers, hula hoopers, etc.  Tonight the sun got behind some clouds, so the sunset wasn't spectacular, but the sky definitely was exceptional.  The bright pink coloring with a sailboat near the shoreline was beautiful.  From there we drove down Casey Key Road to see the outdoor lighting at those gorgeous, huge "mansions".  We weren't disappointed!

Just walking onto Nokomis Beach around 4:30!
Note the sailboat!

Of course I had to look for shells and sharks teeth!

And of course, Melissa was busy taking photos for
her blog!  She takes great ones!

Another beautiful beach!

So many shells on the beach tonight!

This is Ken's, "featherman"!  He must workout!

I'm talking to my sister and Melissa is busy taking photos!

A beautiful sunset even though there were some clouds!

Gorgeous sky filled with birds!

Featherman is making a sounds by blowing into
a conch shell!

This is the sailboat we saw when we arrived, but
now the sky was magnificent!

The photographers were busy taking pictures of the
sailboat the the bright pink sky!

Isn't God's creation exceptional!

I called my sister from the drum circle - she had some hip surgery today that was more extensive than planned. But it went well, and she was back home by mid afternoon.  We are hopeful that the pain she has been experiencing for several years will be eliminated.

We were back to the CG by 7 and got some photos of the full moon.  We ate a late, light dinner and then the 4 of us played 1 game of Spades and Skip-Bo.  The men won both!  By 10 we were all tired and called it another special day.  Can't believe we only have 4 more days together!  Our time with special friends is just flying!

The ending of another special day!

A Beach Day!

We were up around 7, got ready, had breakfast and were on the Pickleball Courts at 9.  It was a beautiful morning with plenty of sunshine and around 70 - perfect for playing pickleball!  We played about 7 or 8 games, again switching partners many times.  Just can't get enough of this game!

We were back to the CG by 11:30.  We packed our lunches and got ready to go to Manasota Beach by noon.  This is a beach south of Venice where Ken and I always enjoy looking for shark's teeth.  We usually find more on this beach than any other here in Florida.  Today was no exception.  We found close to 200 - most of them were relatively small, but still shark's teeth.  It becomes addictive for us - the more we find the more we keep looking!  I also did some shell hunting.

The water was warm and you could find some sharks
teeth just by looking along the shoreline.  We also
used our "Florida Snow Shovel" for scooping shells
and sharks teeth out of the water!

Beautiful Manasota Beach, just south of Venice!

Doesn't the water look inviting????

Not too many people on the beach this time of year!

A great days find!!!!!

We returned to the CG around 5, got showers, and Ken took a snooze while I prepared supper.  Chuck and Melissa came over around 7 and we played Pinochle, Skip-Bo, and 5 Crowns!  The ladies won Skip-Bo and Pinochle.  The men conceded in Pinochle after a bit of cheating!  They felt guilty when they won by 1 point and decided we really won the game, as it should have been!  We called it a day around 10:30, but it certainly was a fun one!!!!

Another Best Day!

I had only gone to bed around midnight, so not in a hurry to get up this morning.  Ken was awake early (he had gone to bed by 10:30) and spent time on his devotions and reading.  I only woke around 7:45.  While I got ready, Ken made us omelettes and cut up fresh fruit.  After breakfast and clean-up we talked to Lanie and Jamie and Ken did some work on his computer.  Seems like we have several hospital and Dr. bills from the medical procedures we had done right before coming to Florida.  How can this "stuff" be so expensive????  It just seems crazy!  But, we are very thankful that these "malfunctions" were found early and were able to be corrected!

Chuck and Melissa were having trouble with their air-conditioning in their motorhome and an RV Repairman came around 10 to try to solve the problem.  That meant we had to wait to leave the CG to play pickleball!  That was a bit of a hardship, but we worked through it!  Fortunately, their problem was corrected rather quickly!

We decided to eat lunch and then leave to go to the pickleball courts.  We played 8 games and had a lot of fun and some very good volleys.  On the way back to the CG we stopped at a fruit market that just opened today for the season.  They sell soft ice cream and the orange/vanilla swirl is what they are known for.  I think they use oranges from their orchards for the ice cream.  It was delicious.

Before going to our sites, we stopped to play 2 games of shuffleboard.  Not sure what happened, but the men won both games.  We get so close, but for some reason we just can't win!

We showered and relaxed before making our salads for dinner.  Ken started working on our itinerary for our trip out west starting in April.  Since Melissa and Chuck just did the western trip last year, we are going to spend time talking with them and having them help us plan the route and share with us which sites were their favorites.  We finished out the day with more card playing.

Life is so good!

Another Special Day with our Special Friends!

Ken and I were up at 7 to get ready to go to Church.  It was only 47 degrees, so Ken put on his jeans, a 1st for many months!  The 4 of us left for Church at 8:30 and returned to Suncoast, the Church we had attended and enjoyed so much last Sunday.  Again, we were thrilled with their service and came out with some "gems of wisdom" from their pastor!

We were back to the CG by 10:45 and by 11 we were on our way to the pickleball courts.  What a great morning for playing - cool but only a mild breeze.  The 4 of us just can't get enough of this game and the special part is that each one of us feels the same way!  We played 8 games, changing partners frequently and are thrilled with how we are improving and having such good volleys!  

When we were leaving the courts at 1:30 Melissa said she heard Sonny's BBQ calling our names!  She said she was starved and felt we better pay attention to the "calling".  Since it was only about 5 minutes away, we were we to do.  As per usual, it was delicious!

We left there and went to Tervis Tumbler Outlet.  I wanted to return 2 defective tumblers, and Melissa and Chuck wanted to buy their 1st ones!  Unfortunately, the outlet no longer replaces them.  You either have to mail them to the company or return them to the factory, which is only about 4 miles from our CG.  Melissa and Chuck made their purchases and later this week Ken and I will take ours to the factory for replacements.

After a phone conversation with my mother, the 4 of us went to play a game of shuffleboard.  It was an extremely close "bully game", but the men won!  We stopped after 1 game, since Chuck was having a problem with tiny black bugs that kept biting him.  For some reason they only "picked" on him!  Not sure what that means!!!!!!

Ken and I found a new use for the shuffleboard sticks -
chin props!  Maybe we should go on Shark Tank
with a new invention!

Back to Waldo to watch some football, get some birthday cards ready to mail, and then download photos and work on my blog.  Chuck and Melissa came to play games around 7.  Women won Spades and Pinochle, but the men won Skip-Bo. Chuck was having some shoulder pain from pickleball and I thought I could help him with some cold compresses.  The cold pack won't stay on his shoulder so I got some green tie ribbon to try to hold it in place.  Didn't work very well, but it was fun trying.

Nurse Bonnie at work trying to attach the ice pack!

I really wasn't doing a choker hold!  Just trying
to put the tie around his upper arm to hold the
cold pack in place.  We gave up!!!!  I needed
a more cooperative patient!!!!

 Another fun day in Paradise!

A Fun Weekend with Some Chores "Thrown In"!

Saturday, was a day filled with "fun things" and some necessary chores.  It was a cool morning when we got up at 7:30 with temperatures in the low 50's and extremely windy!  Because of the gusts, we decided pickleball was not an option.  So, left at 9 and drove to downtown Venice to go to the Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  Not sure if it was because of the weather or maybe the market hasn't started for the season, but it wasn't there.  But, to our surprise there was a wonderful craft and art show on the main street.  We had so much fun checking out the talented crafters and artists and their willingness to talk so easily about their work.  The famous sculptor, Mauro Pozzobonelli, was fascinating and his work amazing.  He can spend up to 8+ months designing a "drawing" in sand negatively, then pouring a kind of cement to make it a positive plague or picture, and then painting it.  The designs are so detailed. 

Here we are with Mauro Pozzobonelli and his
beautiful artwork.  Positively amazing and such
a nice gentleman!

Some interesting metal work!

We lost the "boys" for a few minutes at the art show
and this is where we found them.  Relaxing in the
swinging chairs.  The chairs had  movable head and
foot rests and a side table for drinks.  Very fancy!

A very large art and craft show!

 

These swinging chairs on a metal framework were
extremely comfortable.  We just couldn't figure out
how we would transport them in our Motorhomes!

Of course, we had to stop to have another delicious scone with cream at the Upper Crust. You have to try one to believe how good they really are!

We had planned to take a walk along Venice Beach, but it got too late and it was too windy, so we went back to the CG by 11:30.  We decided to meet again after dinner, since all of us had some necessary chores to do.  Ken and I went to the laundry (it was only our 2nd time since we left home and it was a necessity!) and had plenty of wash to do.  While I stayed there, Ken did some bill paying, etc. on his computer.  After lunch, we headed to Costco to get a few items and gas (it was about 20 minutes from the CG).  As soon as we got there Ken realized he didn't have his wallet.  So, he dropped me off at Wal-Mart (about 15 minutes from the CG) and I got groceries till he returned with his wallet.  Then on to Costco and Total Wine.  By the time we returned it was already 5.  Ken continued working on his computer while I prepped and made dinner. 

At 7, we went to Chuck and Melissa's to play more games.  It was another fun time.  With the change of time we were in bed by 10:15.