Saturday - Another Special Day!

Ken was up at 5 to do his reading and then woke me at 6:45.  It was only 45 degrees and because we had a busy day planned I decided not to walk.  Ken left with Ernie at 7:15.  I spent that time getting ready for our day with Rick and Joyce followed by dinner at Lloyd and Deb's house where we get to see the new kitchen Lloyd recently installed.  I also did my devotions and worked on this blog.

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.  

So many beautiful homes and amazing landscaping!

So picturesque!

Looks like it should be a postcard!

This newer home has a lot of Oriental flare!

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.

Maybe we should check it out????

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!  

Lloyd and Deb did a great job selecting the cabinets, counter
tops, appliances, etc.....

....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. 

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks!

Moorhen Duck

Lloyd feeding Woody, the woodstork!

Juvenile White Ibis!

Blue Heron and Black-Crowned Night Heron!

Glossy Ibis!

Blue Heron

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!

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!

Friday - Sunny, Breezy Day with Low Humidity!

Ken was up at 5 and it was 59 degrees.  When I got up at 6:45 it was 50 degrees - rather chilly for Florida in March!  It did get to the low 70's but the breeze made it a little cool.

We left at 8:45 for the Food Pantry at Edgewater Church and this is the last time we can help this season (they do not have it when there is a 5th Friday in a month)!  Twelve of us went to Outback for lunch and had good fellowship and food!  Next Friday we are going to have a Pot Luck at the church so the snowbirds get to say goodbye to this special group of people.  I think Ken and I are departing 1st.  We are really going to miss these folks!

We were back to the CG by 3:15 and Ken read while I did my devotions outside and then some x-stitch.  Ernie, Noela, Ken and I headed to the shuffleboard courts and the women won both games - Yeah!!!  It was a lot of fun!

We decided not to get together tonight because both Ken and I had some e-mails to "catch up" on and I wanted to work on this blog.  We have been very busy and it appears that will continue until we leave for PA.  We are certainly not complaining, for we are thoroughly enjoying everything we are doing.  It was a relaxing evening and I even found time to do some x-stitching.  We were in bed by 9:45 after another day of celebrating life!

Thursday - Mild, Sunny, Windy Day, with Low Humidity!

Ken was up early to do his morning routine and woke me a little before 7.  We watched 15 minutes of the news and then Ernie and Ken left for their walk at 7:15.  Noela and I decided to take the morning off!  

Ken ate breakfast and was on his way to help unload for the food pantry at 8:45.  I did a load of wash, hung it outside, scoured and cleaned Wilbur, and did my devotions.  Ken had stopped at Wal-Mart for groceries for dinner this evening and got back to the CG around 12:15.  

We ate lunch outside and I brought in the wash while Ken read and rested.  I did some game playing on my tablet and then had a nice long chat with our daughter, Jamie.  They are going to have a very busy swimming weekend with Bria and Cali.  I made potato "packs" and salads for dinner while Ken spent time outside cleaning up our sitting area and putting unnecessary things in their proper place.  

Charles, a friend from the food pantry, got here at 4:30 and we had a nice time chatting.  He also toured Wilbur because he is thinking RVing might be of interest to him.  Ken grilled hamburgs and potatoes and we were able to eat outside.  It was breezy but so nice!  He had to leave at 6 to help lead a Step Study at Edgewater Church.  Ken did the dishes while I downloaded photos and worked on this blog.

Ernie and Noela came to play cards around 7:15.  We played an entire game of Hand and Foot (4 rounds) and after 3 rounds the ladies were losing by about 3,000 points.  The men ended up winning, but only by 400 points - rather amazing!

Wednesday - A Day on Boca Grande!

The 4 of us did our usual morning walk and when Ken and I returned, we had breakfast, cleaned up, and I packed our lunches and snacks while Ken loaded our bikes and things for the beach.

By 9:45 we were on our way to Boca Grande, about 35 minutes away, to meet Rick and Joyce.  What a great day for the 4 of us!  We parked at the old lighthouse and rode our bikes north to the marina right before the bridge that you cross to get on the island.  It is such a beautiful ride and the paved path is separate from the roadway, making it a perfect place to bike ride.

So scenic!

What a great trail for bike riding!

A beautiful marina!

The bridge one Boca Grande!

We did some small detours on the way back to our cars seeing some beautiful homes and stopping at a beach area.  

Another beautiful place for a photo!

So peaceful!

Time to look for shells and shark's teeth!

Plenty of  piles of shells to search through!

This is an entrance to a home right off the beach!

This huge home sits right at the edge of the beach!

We enjoyed lunch under a small pavilion on the beach.  After eating, we spent some time walking the beach where we found a few shark's teeth and nice shells.

The old lighthouse that was refurbished several years ago.
It was so rusty when they began restoring it!

Quite a nice place to have lunch!

Beautiful shades of blue!

Nice beach area in front of the lighthouse!

Back on our bikes for the 2 mile ride to Gasparilla Island State Park on the southern tip of the island.  There is a lighthouse there too that is a museum and gift shop.  We did some shell hunting because there were so many shells along the shoreline.

The lighthouse museum and gift shop!

More shells!

The search continues!

Ships used to come into this area from central Florida loaded
with phosphate!

View from the boardwalk area!

Stalk (flower) from a yucca plant!

We rode back to the car parking lot, loaded the bikes (it was now 4:45), and stopped at McDonald's for chicken Nuggets and hot fudge sundaes.  Then Rick and Joyce joined us at the CG for some card playing.  The gals won both games of double deck Pinochle, but the men just beat us at Skip-Bo.  What an amazing day with special friends.  They left around 9:45 and we went right to bed.