Random pictures of Sarasota

Bradenton Beach and Siesta Key

Here are some pictures of the beaches in Bradenton and Sarasota that we visited on Friday while we were driving around and exploring.

Sheikra (aka Shriek-ya!)

Wednesday morning I had a doctors appointment in St. Pete and was unable to volunteer at the library (instead I went on Thursday). After my appointment, Bill and I decided to head to Busch Gardens to ride the roller coasters. When we went to Busch Gardens in October, we rode all of the coasters except one -- Sheikra, which is supposed to be the best. Last time, just as we got to the entrance of the ride, it started raining and there was lightning in the area so they closed the coasters. This time we were determined to ride. Sheikra is by far the best coaster that either of us have ever been on. Your feet dangle, you go virtually straight up, then dangle before plunging 90 degrees straight down. It felt like we were parachuting. Awesome. We rode the other coasters too and saw a few of the animal exhibits before heading back to St. Pete. Unfortunately on one of the coasters Bill's sunglasses flew off. They are currently sitting somewhere at the bottom of the tracks, smashed into pieces I am sure.

Wednesday night we were very graciously invited to Jennifer and Emmanuel's house for dinner with Mary Alice. We had a great evening. First we had a walking tour of their amazing neighborhood (the historic Driftwood neighborhood in St. Pete) and waterfront. Jennifer and Emmanuel have a chocolate lab named Max who is basically the perfect dog. He is so well trained and can do the most amazing tricks. Of course we were in heaven.... And dinner was amazingly delicious (Emmanuel is a chef and owner of the Garden Bistro restaurant in St. Pete). Wow.

Thursday I volunteered at the library while Bill played golf. We had dinner (and Skip-bo) with Mary Alice Thursday night and came back to Sarasota Friday afternoon. Instead of driving back on the highway though, we took the long way through Bradenton, Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, and Lido Key. We also took a ride over to Siesta Key and visited the beaches. Beautiful.

and the thunder rolls

Here are some pictures of the thunderstorm that rolled in late Saturday afternoon. Beautiful, isn't it?

Selby Gardens

On Tuesday I went to visit the Selby Botanical Gardens here in Sarasota. Despite it's hefty entrance price ($17) I really, really enjoyed myself. It is 9+ acres of stunning plants, flowers, and trees -- all of which are immaculately cared for by 900+ volunteers. The Gardens are separated into different areas; there is a greenhouse, which houses orchids, etc. (and was even hotter inside than the 90+ degrees outside!), a bamboo section, a cactus section, a bonsi section, butterfly and wildflower gardens, banyan trees etc. And part of the Gardens is right on the water. There are benches in the shade throughout to sit and enjoy. The slideshow below is of some of the stranger and / or beautiful plants and flowers that I saw.

More Pics

Here are some more pictures of Atlantic City.

Atlantic City

Bill and I had fun with my parents and two sisters in Atlantic City this week. We flew out of Tampa on Monday and got back late Thursday night. We went to the beach, saw a Cirque show, enjoyed the boardwalk and nice weather, and of course gambled. Andrea and Amy treated me to a massage at Tropicana for my birthday. Afterwards, Andrea and I put $20 each into side by side machines while we waited for Amy who was on the phone. I was down to $4 without hitting anything when the bells and whistles started going off. I hit for $4500.00! Yeah. All of us were very excited to say the least.

We stayed at Caesar's, which was nice. We enjoyed the pool and the new Pier, which is shops and restaurants. There is also a really cool light and water show set to music at the Pier which we saw a few times. We tried our luck at Caesar's, Bally's, Trump and Tropicana and had a lot of fun. It was nice for everyone to be on vacation together.

I'll post more pictures later. Here is a link to a few for now.

Fireworks!

What a great firework show here in Sarasota! We were so close that it took Bill over an hour to clean up the debris that fell on sv Mary Elizabeth. It was a great night.

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone is having a happy 4th.

It is a beautiful day here in Sarasota. Mary Alice came down yesterday. She and I did a few errands and went food shopping while Bill dressed the boat in honor of the holiday. Doesn't Mary Elizabeth look so beautiful?!? Later the three of us tried a new restaurant on Main Street called Mosaic, which was delicious.

The marina is bus, and since we are on the (otherwise empty and quiet) transient dock, we have enjoyed watching the docking follies, etc. Everyone has decorated their boat with flags, etc. which is festive and nice.

We have had a lazy day of reading, watching golf, tennis, and the Red Sox, brunch, and laundry. Mary Alice and I walked up to Starbucks and got back a few minutes ago. We are looking forward to grilling out on the boat and watching the fireworks here in Sarasota tonight. They will be shot off from the park directly across from us. You can see from the picture below how close they will be! We plan on having a hose ready in case there are any stray embers....

Boat update

The guys have been working furiously, and have made a lot of progress. We really are so thankful that they have been able to get so many things fixed in just a few weeks.

DONE - The windex and lightning deflector have been added to the top of the mast

DONE - The freezer is now fixed (so both fridge and freezer are operational)

DONE - The DVD player and stereo have been replaced

DONE - Masthead foredeck lights are working

DONE - The bow thruster has been fixed

DONE - The air conditioning in the aft cabin is working (yeah!)

DONE - Water maker is all fixed

DONE - LED lights on the bilge pump and windlass are working

These are the things that are still on the "to do" list.

Work in progress - LED lights on the main control panel

Work in progress - Single Side Band radio

Work in progress - VHF

Work in progress - Radar

Work in progress - AIS system

Work in progress - Tacometer / engine instruments

Work in progress - tank indicators

Slowly but surely!