Fall Visit to St. Augustine

 

It has taken me a bit to write this post, but I still want to share the fun we had in St. Augustine.  We got tickets to the James Taylor concert there, so it was a perfect excuse to explore the city too.  The drive is about 4 hours, so not close, but a pretty easy once you get through Orlando.  

We arrived a couple hours before the concert, checked in and made our way across the Bridge of Lions to dinner and the St. Augustine Amphitheater. Luckily it was a beautiful night and not too hot once the sun went down.  Seeing James Taylor live is a bucket list item for me and he played all the great songs (my favorite Sweet Baby James) and really still sounds so good for his age.  

The next day, we did the tourist thing.  We toured Castillo de San Marco (the fort), the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine  and stopped for brunch while shopping on St. George Street.  While raining in the afternoon we napped before dinner which was so relaxing.  Dinner was really good and the outdoor courtyard seating was something we missed in Florida all summer, because it is just too hot until fall.  After dinner, we went to a quirky martini bar  (best cosmo my favorite) and then headed to a nighttime trolley ghost tour.  It was cheesy and spooky, but fun.

We headed home the next morning and even made a stop in Disney Springs for some early Christmas shopping.

St. Augustine, the oldest city in America is filled with history and is very well preserved.  I didn’t realize that ghost stories are such a big business there, but it makes sense considering the many deaths over the centuries from Spanish soldiers to pirates to prisoners at the notorious jail.  We were very happy with the restaurants we picked, but barely scratched the surface of interesting spots.  The vibe overall is less Florida and more New Orleans and Charleston, but since we live at the beach it was a fun new adventure.

Hotel - Doubletree Hilton Historic District

Tapas Dinner - Odd Birds

Brunch - PK’s Roosevelt Room

Dinner- Harry’s Seafood

Martini Bar - Tini Martini Bar

Valentine’s Day - Beach Style

 

Rather than go out to dinner on one of the busiest nights of the year, especially during tourist and snowbird season, we decided to pick up dinner and go to the beach for sunset.  We grabbed drinks and our chairs and made a quick stop at Sharky’s Snack Shack for some delicious shrimp.  There are several beaches to choose from in Venice, but we like the one that the tourists don’t use as much.  It was quite crowded at a usually quiet beach,  but we found parking and it is easy to spread out.

As you can see, it was a beautiful sunset, quite warm until the sun went down and as usual, was relaxing sitting in our chairs, talking and enjoying a cocktail.  It never gets old that this is something we can do on a whim - no vacation plans required.  Life is good in Florida.

Life Lately - In Photos

 

After our European  trip, that was followed by another trip to Michigan to babysit, June has been a catch up month.  Catching up with friends, catching up on playing golf and catching up on so much trimming.  Florida is getting a typical rainy season after a few years of drought like summers and you are reminded it is the tropics after all; where a plant grows so fast it needs weekly trimming.

This weekend I will be back in Michigan for Melissa’s baby shower.  Everything I shipped arrived safely and all I need to do is pick up flowers at Trader Joe’s.  Lots of pink flowers I hope.  I will post photos next week, but our theme is a girly pink golf par-tee at their country club.  It is a couples shower, so I had to wrap my mind around pulling that off for a bit, but it should be a lot of fun celebrating granddaughter number two.  

Lastly, we had a great 4th of July weekend, starting with my birthday at a Mexican restaurant and also fireworks on the beach.  I always pinch myself watching the fireworks burst over the gulf.  So lucky to live where I do.  Also, adding a photo of a cute 4th of July girly that I get to see very soon.

April Life in Pictures

 

April in Florida is always a busy month; where snowbirds begin to fly back to their northern homes and there are a lot of last minute activities to fit in.  I enjoyed a fun golf scramble to end my Tuesday golf group’s season, a beach sunset happy hour, full moon beach yoga and a Good Friday tradition with old and new friends.  Plus some fun lunches, brunches and dinners with friends.

The alligator picture is right on my street and is a fact of life in April and May when the alligators move around at will during mating season.  It really is true though.  Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you.  It still can be a bit of a shock to see one walking down the street.

Finally, I have been busy with my volunteer group.  Writing the weekly newsletter is something I enjoy, but it does take time each week.  The feedback for me and my fellow editors has been positive since we took over and it is important to share the word of what we do to Sarasota County and City of Venice executives. Plus, Thursday mornings you will find me digging, planting and trimming all around town. Our latest project was working on removing salt damaged plants from Venice Beach.  6 months since the last hurricane and recovery is ongoing.

Happy Saturday!

Biking on Boca Grande

 

We have an annual tradition to bike on Boca Grande with a group of friends and today was the day.  It was a reschedule from a few weeks ago when we cancelled due to high winds, which would be no fun for biking.  The weather cooperated beautifully this time and it was sunny and a perfect high 70’s temperature day on the island.

Boca Grande is about 40 minutes south and is a village on Gasparilla Island.  There are bike paths and not a lot of automobile traffic.  Most residents use golf carts to get around.  The highlight is biking to the south end of the island with the gulf on your right side view the whole way.  There is a restaurant right on the beach, newly rebuilt from hurricane damage and we enjoyed the water view over a long lunch.

We headed back to the village, stopping at an old fashioned marina, the beautiful Gasparilla Inn and finally a stop at a old Florida style village bar that has been open on the island for 78 years.  It was really nice to see the continued recovery of this lovely place after being hit by several hurricanes lately.  Blue sky, blue water, white sand, gulf breezes and a day with friends.  Just another day in paradise for us.

The Best Visit

 

Family came to visit and it was everything and more.  Megan, Adam and Audrey stayed for a week and it was a last minute surprise that Kevin and Melissa managed to come for three days and overlap.  So, we were all together, which is always special.

The weather was just about perfect too.  Not quite perfect for swimming, but we turned up the pool heater and it was comfortable.  Audrey loved the pool and the beach which made it so fun. We saw flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens one morning. We read lots of books, watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, blew bubbles and just spent a lot of time outside enjoying warm weather.  Their Michigan winter has been pretty frigid, so they all loved the sunshine.

I cooked a lot, but we also had some fun meals out and of course ice cream too.  Nana and PopPop made wonderful memories with so much one on one time.  When you move to Florida, live by the beach and build a pool, these are the memories you dream of making with your family.  Many more memories to come too.

Milton Evacuation from Venice

 

Now that Milton has left the state of Florida and unfortunately left so much damage, I am focused enough to give a recap of the week.  Also, I want to thank all the readers who were kind enough to leave comments on Instagram as I updated that I was safe.

As the forecast and track became more and more dire, we had to make a decision on Sunday whether to stay and miss a planned trip, or evacuate early to get out in time and safely.  It is not an easy decision to evacuate and face the traffic on the highways, gas shortages and just leaving your house not knowing what you will come back to.  Luckily I live in a newly constructed cinder block house that is built for a category 5 hurricane and it already withstood Ian fine.  Right when we left, an evacuation order was issued for our zone due to flooding concerns too.

We packed the car, grabbed the dog because you can’t leave a dog in a kennel that will lose power and drove 13 hours in the middle of the night on Monday.  We made it to Atlanta (usually a 6 hour drive), found gas at one lone pump and went to bed early after a long day at the hotel I had reserved in advance.  Watching the hurricane hit from afar is not a great feeling and seeing the eye pass over Venice is surreal.  

We did not lose power, completely (just flickers off and on), so by watching our cameras, we could see that screens and a support from our pool cage are down and there was definitely a power surge because the dining room light somehow turned on.  We feel lucky about this for sure, because for many in Venice it was much worse, especially the beach areas that were already damaged from the Helene storm surge.

We now spend time with family and friends in Michigan before we head back to clean up our place and also help our community with ongoing cleanup.  

Please pray for recovery for all our favorite spots in Venice, Sarasota and Siesta Key.  Floridians have got this, but will need help, even if it is good thoughts across the miles.  

Post Helene Clean Up

 

Florida just keeps taking the hits this hurricane season and Helene left so much damage in my little corner of the gulf coast.  When locals say run from the water, hide from the wind, this storm was a perfect example. The power of the surge was not something you would want to be caught up in.  Many rescues were needed, beachfront homes flooded and belongings were tossed around.  Sand was deposited like snow drifts.  For my city it was primarily a beach event that will take some time to recover. Both the Venice Jetty and the Venice Pier are closed awaiting repair.  The beaches have been cleaned, but are still closed to facilitate clean up efforts.

And, that is what I helped with this week.  My volunteer group spent Thursday morning cleaning the beach pavilion area by picking up debris and palm fronds.  Also, while the deep sand has been removed from sidewalks and parking areas, there remains a layer of mud/sand that needed to be scraped off.  

You want to help where you can, and we are lucky to have first responders and emergency crews to make things safe for the willing hands to start the clean up.  Florida knows how to do this well and after one week, it shows.  But, as we learned with Hurricane Ian two years ago it, takes time. 

Finally, the damage in North Carolina is on another level.  It will require so many resources coming together to build back infrastructure, homes and put back together people’s whole lives.  So many lost and so much suffering.  But, Americans are strong and we help each other.  All will be well. 

Riding Out Hurricane Helene

 

 

We did all the hurricane prep yesterday and now we wait.  Because we added permanent storm screens, the process is much less stressful and much easier to do.  Anything that might fly, goes on the covered part of the lanai and down comes the screen with the press of a button.  We most likely won’t get hurricane force winds in the outer bands, but it’s always better to be over prepared.

Having ridden out Hurricane Ian, we know our house can take sustained category 4 winds, so we feel like old hands at this now.  We have become Florida people with hurricane supplies, a generator and a more laid back attitude to the whole thing.  The worst thing is being stuck in the house while the storm rages, but this one is a fast mover and the sun will be out by Friday.  

Hopefully people in the landfall area (most likely the panhandle) where storm surge will be high, evacuated as they were advised.  It is not fun to leave and wonder what is happening, but it is the price you pay for beachfront living.  It is times like this that I don’t regret our location close to the beach, but not right on the beach. So many pretty spots are in the path, but Florida knows how to do this, will be ok  and recover as necessary.

Today may get wild at times, the phones may keep sending emergency alerts about flooding and storm surge, but my little part of Florida on the beautiful Gulf Coast will be ride out this hurricane just as it has for hundreds of years.