It is
sad getting older… it seems getting up and out of a sitting position becomes
measured; climbing a flight of stairs is sluggish and listening skills are
challenged. But what is definitely a red flag waving strenuously overhead is
when a day disappears and you don’t notice it until it is too late.
This happened to us on the 31st
day of January. We were so looking forward to our month of February we found
ourselves packed up and gearing down (ummm… northwesterly actually) to
Bradenton…. ONE DAY BEFORE WE SHOULD HAVE! Arriving at Horseshoe Cove RV Park
we were gently informed we were not expected until February 1; and they had no
where to put us; our site was occupied and even the overflow was over flowed.
Sub-panic began seeping into my toes working its way to my approaching
headache. Where to go? Alas, the
kindness of the park staff found us a site at a nearby campground and we
returned the following morning to level down for the month of February.
With
Bradenton as our port of call we hugged the Gulf for our month of discovery. Anna Maria Island shared its quaintness with
us as we traveled to Bean Point, the northern most point of this barrier island
that is only seven miles long and seemed always content in its mellowness with
beach and waves.
Traveling
the Gulf of Mexico Drive southbound the sights and sounds of the coastline were
ever-changing with the breezes, the waves and sunbeams. We enjoyed our many excursions during February
along this drive, that passes through exclusive resort and residential areas
and its sometimes narrowed roads. Always on our westerly shoulder are the
placid impressions on the white sands of wave prints, and horizoned aqua blues
and golden skies.
We
browsed St. Armands Circle, on Lido Key, where ultra-exclusive shoppes and eateries
are casual strolls surrounding the roundabout of this fashionable key. We
brunched at the Daiquiri Deck where we were able to quench our summer-like
thirst with frozen daiquiris and delicious lightly seasoned calamari. In our
quest to find the best calamari Daiquiri Deck placed in our top five.
Venturing to Lido’s southern-most tip is Lido
Key Beach. This is a marvelous spot to have picnics under shaded Australian
Pines, stroll along its nature trail or just bring a chair and cop-a-squat on
the white sands and enjoy the sounds of ocean meeting land and the skyline of
Sarasota.
We spent an awesome day at the Ringling Museum and Mcmansion, with its majestic placement on the Sarasota Bay, bittersweet history and world-renown art museum.
Florida
is a great state to travel. It offers a unique opportunity to only drive a few
hours and feel like you’re in a whole different place. And that’s a wonderful
thing.
Our
southern most trek was to Venice and nearby Nokomis, where we met up with
fellow Harbourites several times, and being treated to local fare. While in
Bradenton we shared a day with our good friends from Saint Louis and their
extended Floridian family, who have an A+ home in Tara Plantation…if there had
been a basement we definitely would have moved in!
Our
campground follows the winding Braden River that meets the Manatee River and
flows into the Gulf. Within the campground property is a refuge-type area where
mid-afternoon manatees move slowly along the walkways. At any given time we
would watch up to ten lumbering mammals floating along, submerging and then
popping up for a gulp of air. And being
so close to them we could see their little button eyes peering up at us.
One of
the amazing visuals of Florida is the wildlife…the manatees, alligators…and
birds. Along the shore lines are the
ubiquitous plovers…not exactly sure why they are named snowy plovers but these cute little birdies skitter along sands chasing
the waves and the tiny crabs left behind. And Ibis… is the plural ibises? Or like
hippopotamus ibi’i? These white wading birds always remind me of Jimmy Durante…
and the great blues slowly glide to the water’s surface to catch their brunch.
While
appreciating the treasure of waking each morning to the tropical sunshine and
warmth and donning shorts and t-shirts we found that we were beginning to miss our home; the four-cornered, brick-walled adobe where our property taxes are
listed. And so we shortened our remainder month by two weeks, visited with good
friends, The Glampers, from our
summer camping in New York.
While in their neck-of-the-woods we spent a day
touring Crystal River Springs, Homosassa and Dunnellon. And then we ventured northbound I-95.
Expecting to overnite on the way home we found the tires just kept on turnin’
and nearly 13 hours later we arrived at our driveway and put our heads down on
our ‘home’ pillows, after one hundred fifty-two days on the road, just over
three thousand miles on the Jeep and 2,214 miles on the rig.
And a good time was had by all!
And in
just a few short weeks we will pack ‘er up and boogie westbound to Saint Louis
to celebrate the high school graduation of our grandson, Alex, and recapture
memories of our nineteen years of living in the Saint Louis region. From there we journey to Syracuse for another
summer of elder care of Dave’s Mom and Dad.
We
appreciate your keeping up with the dcnkctravels and look forward to posting
again soon on the other side of the Mississip!
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| LIFE IS SHORT! ENJOY THE RIDE |
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