#19 - Dec 7th - Dec 12th

Dec 7th  OOHH! It is a nasty heavy wet fog day.  We are just hanging out this morning waiting for the fog to lift a little.  We cast off around 11:30 am and headed down the waterway. Not to far, only 20 miles to Gulfport near St. Petersburg. The anchorage was invaded by at least 50 fishing skiffs the next morning. they would rush from one place to another and cast their 14 foot nets over the water to catch the schools of mullet. All the boats in the anchorage were rocking and rolling. It lasted about 30 minutes and they were off to another area around the bay following the schools.

Dec. 8 We hung out on the boat, catching up on paperwork and chores till 1pm since it was another misty soggy-just short of rain kind of day. We slowly made our way south to Anna Marie Island, a whole 17 miles.

This is the  magnificent Tampa Bay Bridge off our Port side as we Crossed Tampa Bay for Anna Marie Island

Our plan is to visit Greg and Chris Louch, friends from our 13th Street days in Port Huron, MI. Arrived around 4pm, watching the charts, following guides -- and promptly ran aground!!
Since chart and guide data published, a sand bar had developed. No maneuvering got us off. The best investment we  ever made - Boat US TowBoat Insurance. We joined the "when" club of the "when, not if, you go aground"group. Ha!

Dec 9th  The 'free' dock was vacant so we weighed anchor and parked the boat there for the day. Greg and Chris arrived and we visited and caught up on their adventures of planting roots buying a house in Bradenton just across the waterway from where we were.

Chris and Greg took us on a complete tour of Anna Marie Island, Then on to their neighborhood where these wild peacocks roam. 

 They proudly showed us their new home and all the work that Greg has done. We were really happy to see they are doing well and love being in Florida. It was good to see them. After a great steak supper they took us back to the boat where we decided to just stay put rather than take the boat to anchor. The dock is supposed to be for day use only but nobody bothered us.

Dec.10th - We are off to Sarasota, 13 miles. at 9:30am. The skies cleared and the sun appeared. Less wind but still chilly!  What's going on - its supposed to be warm down here!
Sarasota is a beautiful waterfront city, Lots of condo buildings but they are architecturally attractive. Marina Jack's manages a mooring field in the bay and we got the no 1 ball closest to the Marina. Easy in to the dinghy dock and the city. We hadn't had breakfast or lunch but snacks so we found our way to The Columbia Restaurant, recommended by friends Don and April Gordon. Didn't take us long to find our way on Bus #4 to St. Armand's Circle (the elite shopping mecca of Sarasota) and the restaurant where we had their signature salad and Sangria prepared at table.

preparing....

Enjoying!

Named after our Granddaughter

 We headed back to the boat after dinner, Connie feeling poorly from what started out what we thought to be allergies, but the congestion was worse and a fever set in with aches and pains. Got lots of remedies on board and by morning I was ready to go to the Circus.
Sarasota is the home of the John & Mable Ringling 66 acre complex. Their home, palatial, on the bay, their extensive art museum, gardens and Circus museums.  We spent the whole day.

This is just the Big Top in miniature displayed depicting Circus Life

Every piece is handmade and painted. This tent is the menagerie where the animals were on display for patrons before they entered the Big Top

There were draft horse tent, barber tent, cook tent, dressing room tent for performers, blacksmith tent, performing animal tent,  - a tent for every facet of life needed to keep a community of 1800 people fed, healthy and housed. Roustabouts could put up that Big Top in 2 hours. Many of the performances were for one day only - they would knock down and be loaded on the trains for the next stop down the road for the next performance.

Ringlings donated their holdings to the State of Florida. But John Ringling died with $311 in his bank account.

These are Banyan trees. They grow roots from the branches to the ground. Fascinating! Many adorn the grounds around he Ringling compound.

This is truly a place to visit if you have an opportunity. We left around 5:30 and headed back to the boat. Stopped at Patrick's on Main for the "best burger" in town.  And it was very good.

Dec 12th - Of course, now Bill is not feeling so good, Connie is better so this morning slept in, then at 11 or so headed down the waterway to Englewood Beach anchorage to just chill out, rest and recuperate. Next stop will be Cayo Costa State Park. I want to take my chair and sit on the beach in the Sun!