Glow in the Dark Boobs and Nokomis Drum Circle

WHA-A-A-T?  Sparky is going to have a titillating blog today, (hehehehehe)...Yes, we are going to talk about boobs for a brief moment..after all, it IS Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Actually, this blog is going to be more about the Nokomis drum circle, which can be experience every Saturday night at Nokomis Beach in Nokomis. But plenty of bra tops and bikinis could be seen down here this evening. (WHERE? I didn't see very many bikinis at all, complains E.) AHEM! It was great to get back to the drum circle. We haven't been in months...We weren't sure whether it was still well attended in the SL-O-O-W summer months, so we stayed away...But Kristi, Eldy's daughter came down to Bradenton for a weekend of R & R with us, so that was one of the things she wanted to see.

But first, we got her in our pool....

Then, we took her to breakfast at the Anna Maria Island Gulf Gate Tiki Hut Bar and Grill which is undergoing renovations and expansion...It's just a really great atmosphere despite being under improvements. Not very many places can you eat your meal on the beach with the sand between your toes and watch dolphins swim by! The food is so-so, and the service can be very slow, but what the heck?! We've got all day, we retired!

We saw several dolphins swimming in the water aways out, but still a thrill to see them. And wouldn't you know, Sparky heads to the restroom just as we were about to leave and a WHOPPER dolphin comes in close to shore for Eldo and Kristi's benefit, and Sparky missed it! And no, they weren't in cahoots telling a whopper of a story, there really was one! But no one had a camera, so they didn't catch the moment.

And then, for her last night here, we took her to Nokomis Beach where Saturday nights reign as a well attended drum circle....We have the cast of characters down well....

The "Shaman"...at least that's what we call him...He performs ceremonial rituals as the sunset nears, chanting and using feathers and graceful movements in a prayer like manner blessing someone, something, we are not sure which or maybe it's both. This guy is BUFF for his age, don't you think?

And such a cool bowler hat....At sunset, he blows the conch shell....

The scarf ladies were there.....

The belly dancers were there....

The jester came...He's a retired school teacher...Teachers are game for just about anything to get  attention in the classroom, and sometimes we're still workin' it long after we leave the classroom..That enthusiasm for learning and life is still very much with us! (Oh yeah, I can attest to that, says E. Sparky is like a little kid often!)

The jingle skirted ladies were there in abundance....Masks were worn by several of the ladies, that seems to be the newest trend...

And a wee lass who's learning to participate at a very early age...She did a great job shaking her little jingle skirt right along with the grownups!

This little guy was having a pushup contest with another little boy....They sure get competitive early, don't they?

The cast of regulars in the rhythm section was awesome as always! And if you feel like drumming, bring your own set of drums.The tourist/participants along the sidelines had their own sets of drums and percussion, some very simple like a single tambourine, some very elaborate, like a set of bongos. Even little ones had their own.....

If you feel like dancing, get up and dance! All shapes and sizes have no qualms about getting out there and shaking their booties and other things as well....The rhythmic drumming really moves most of us..This little gal had had ballet classes, at first she was trying to pirouette and use her ballet moves to the hippy beat of the drums. Finally, she kicked off her shoes and just did her own thing to the beat.

Some of the little kids can really hoop it out there!

If you don't have a hoop, they are there for sale....

How about this glow in the dark bra top? That caught Eldy's attention! And everyone else's, too....It's hard to tell here, but it's NEON green and it was already starting to have a glow about it as she walked around.

It's a cool venue, that's for sure....People seemed to respect the circle for the most part, so people who had the hoops and the scarves had room to perform...

Although after awhile, Kristi said it seemed a little chaotic...Oh, yeah...That's what happens....Anything goes in the center, people performing, people pushing their children into the circle so they can film them, people taking pictures, people taking pictures of people taking pictures. It's a great photo op for everyone there! Love the two little girls on the right sort of oblivious to what's going on behind them...

We had a great time and were so glad the rainy season has ended this past week so that we had good weather this evening...We went from rain nearly every day in the afternoon and early evening from June, July, August and September, to five straight days of sunshine now...Temps are starting to come down, snowbirds are starting to arrive, and Eldy is complaining already about the traffic increase. You can really tell that October 1st was a starting date for snowbird arrival, at least for some...It feels funny to having gone from being a snowbird last winter to being full time residents and complaining about snowbirds coming this season! Maybe we'll meet some neighbors finally. Our street has been very empty since we moved here in June......We're ready to meet some people our age! Most of them are still up north, the full time residents that are here are in their seventies and eighties...Looking forward to "season" as they call it, experiencing it from the opposite end this winter.

Kristi left today..We'll have a quiet week, then Eldy's son, Brian, comes in for the weekend. He's going to get his dad out on the golf course a BUNCH!

Bye for now....Safe travels to our blogging friends who are on the move, wishes for great weather to our blogging friends who are staying put at the moment, and to everyone still reading, thanks for staying in touch. We miss the traveling, but we are loving our location and how our home is shaping up.....See ya later!