She's Here!

Sarasota, FL     High:  63    Low:   41

While waiting for Kelly to arrive today, Sparky and Eldo headed to downtown Sarasota just to look around. Sarasota has THE KISS....a really big 25 foot statue you can't miss....There's some controversy behind the statue...some say it violates a copyright of a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt's couple kissing on V-J Day published in Life Magazine in 1945. This Sarasota statue is based on another photo of the kissing couple by Victor Jorgensen, another photographer whose photo is in the public domain, so no copyright infringement. Sparky thinks it's still cool, but some Sarasotans think it's tacky.

We took a walk around the park downtown. It's a really nice park with lots of waterfront views almost all the way around. There was some artwork in the park...

We looked at the boats and sat on the park swings. We watched the boats in the harbor for awhile and speculated about who owns the big yachts and if they are charters or not. We looked at the gnarly trees and roots and wondered if they were banyon trees....

We ate a burger at O'Leary's Tiki Bar and Grill, a fun place. They have steel drum entertainment a couple times a week. We definitely want to go see that.....

And finally, the moment arrived....KELLY and Moxie....They are here and settled in.... Yay!

Tomorrow, more family arrives....We'll see you later.....IF, for some reason, Sparky misses a blog, it's because things got really hectic around here....But she shouldn't miss more than a day here or there, as we catch up with family and show them the ropes around Sun 'n' Fun....

Buddy, the Elf, showed up at Sun 'n' Fun's Bar and Grill last night. He was so in character, he was a riot! He was a resident of the park dressed up like actor Will Ferrell's Christmas character, Buddy the Elf.

Will Ferrell in the Buddy, the Elf movie

He pranced around the dance floor, flirted outrageously with the ladies, and had everybody in stitches. A great way to introduce Kelly to Sun 'n' Fun!

By the time you read this, it will be Christmas Day, so Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Season's Greetings, everyone! We think we are going to follow Buddy's example of how to eat on Christmas Day....NOT!

Have a wonderful day today, folks! We'll see you tomorrow...