The Days Go Slowly By.....

It's been really difficult these past couple of months, being away from the kids at school. Subbing kept Sparky filled with a purpose and out of Eldo's hair for a bit. Sparky is not sure if schools will ever return to the same model, if subs are even going to be needed, or what that whole scenario is going to look like, when school resumes. BUT---we have our house on the market here in Bradenton, FL, and we are hoping, hoping, hoping, that the house will eventually sell, and we can get back to traveling full time in a motorhome, because we really, really miss it!

Last week was Teacher's Appreciation Week, a poignant time for many regular teachers missing their students, who are attempting to keep things going with the educational process at home with distance learning under great duress and exceptional circumstances...You wouldn't expect substitutes to be given a shout out, but Sparky's school honored their substitutes with a ding dong dash--a great sign and a little gift bag placed on the sidewalk...Awwww...one reason she loves her school she subs at so much!

In the meantime, we have worked hard at staying home with minimal trips to the grocery, wearing masks, washing our hands a bazillion times a day, and working on yard work and inside little jobs. Sparky has been crafting up a storm making cards for her shop, JeanBeanGifts on Etsy.

Card in a box

Eldy is researching, researching, researching motor homes, costs, and RV travel videos on YouTube. We'll be ready if the times comes! Things are looking better and better as campgrounds open back up. It will be awhile anyway, till we might be able to do anything, so fingers crossed!

We'll see if cards make a comeback now that people have to stay apart more and can't visit as much. Sparky has also been walking Celery Fields and "the Hill" in Sarasota, (the Audubon nature preserve) almost every day for three weeks, and has lost some weight, due to not eating out. Celery Fields gets a LOT of walkers and runners due to the challenging "Hill", 85 high, the highest point in Sarasota County. The high schoolers cross country teams come out and train there several times a week.

Gaillardia-blanket flower

Celery Fields, besides the acreage and many marshes where many migratory species and native Floridian birds hang out, has a nice little butterfly garden that attracts painted buntings, sparrows, cardinals and many other little birds to its bubbling bird bath and plant oasis garden where you can sit in a gazebo and bird watch. Lots of beautiful flowers planted there to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Now that the beaches are open...they first opened last week for a defined two hour stay only, then one week later, it's now back to regular times. Sparky and Eldo headed to Coquina Beach, to break up our daily stay at home routine, a welcome break for sure! 

Today, Thursday, the picnic areas under the shade of the pines were mostly empty, the beach--definitely not. There were quite a few sun worshippers, but they were spaced out and were following social distance guidelines. 

Sparky walked the beach for a bit.....

We stayed in the shade for about two hours, then headed back

home. It was a beautiful day! But LOTS of wind.....We always tell ourselves, "We need to come here more often!" And we will....

Bye for now......

Well, Hello Once Again!

Life really keeps us busy and time gets away from us....But every once in awhile, it's nice to get back to the blog to document our lives, and we always appreciate anyone who stops by to read.....What are Sparky and Eldo up to these days?


In November, Sparky's daughter and handsome little grandson came for a visit.....We went to Coquina Beach and he had a wonderful time! Coquina Beach is a nicer beach, in Sparky's humble opinion, than Siesta Key Beach. There is a lot of shade from Australian pines, and a shaded boardwalk that stretches for a couple of miles. You can walk or ride your bike from one end of the walk to the other and get some great exercise, or have a picnic at one of the many picnic tables along the boardwalk in the shade. There is a wonderful playground for kids, informational kiosks, and plenty of places to sit and watch boats come in and go out in the channel or you can fish along the shoreline.

Sparky took the kids to Marie Selby Gardens, in Sarasota. They have a fabulous rain forest garden for children. You can walk across a suspended wooden bridge and jiggle it as you walk to make anyone nervous that's trying to cross, (Grandma was naughty), you can play several different musical instruments as you travel through the kids' sections of the rainforest---marimba style, drums, and other percussion style instruments. There are cool sculptures for the kids to climb on. The gardens have fabulous displays, sometimes from guest artist exhibitions to holiday lights celebrations. The koi pond is cool with a waterfall and a special bell to ring that just beckons anyone walking by to ring it.

Sparky's favorite at the gardens is the huge tree--it's either some kind of fig or banyan tree, she can't remember....Grandson loved it, too....

And when not visiting the beaches or cool places, it was great to just rest and show Eldo how to play video games....

Got a lot more catching up to do, but right now, we gotta go......
See you again soon...we promise!

It's a Quiet Week.....

Sparky is anxiously awaiting the arrival of fall....Oh, yeah, wait a minute, we don't really have a fall...but it's nice to pretend. Temps are starting to come down a LITTLE...like high eighties all next week. Whew! Sparky loves to craft fall things, and when football comes on, that makes Sparky think of fall leaves, crisp fall mornings, and time to start knitting scarves and making fall items...Take a ride over to "Millie's Girls" if you'd like to see what Sparky has been crafting to get into the fall spirit.

In the mean time.....it's our weekly jaunt to Anna Maria Island Gulf Gate Tiki Bar and Grill for breakfast, and then a ride over the Anna Maria Island City Pier to see what's happening there....Always something! Today it was a momma manatee and her baby swimming right in front of us under the pier and off into the distance. Momma had a scar, a small one...We think every manatee we've seen has had a scar so far....some really big, some small. Not sure if that's an encounter with a boat or something else that caused it, but always a little sad to see.....

There were lots of Great Blue herons there at the pier today...Several were on top of the building that houses a restaurant and a bar at the end of the pier.

One had himself situated just so....It's cool to see animals and birds in nature that obviously inspire people to design things---like tripod stands for cameras.

And this one was having a bad hair day!

And what else is new?  Eldy has lit a fire in himself to get in shape. He has gone from being an admitted couch potato, snacking and watching TV for hours on end, to a bicycling' road dude, dieting and whipping himself into shape.  He's lost 13 pounds in just a few weeks, and now cycles and average of more than 12 miles a day. He decided to take this cycling so seriously, he bought himself a road bike, and the biking gear to go along with it.

He is bound and determined to get his blood pressure down and his sugar levels through exercising. Neither one of us has to take medication, and we both want to stay that way. Sparky is really proud of him! Sparky, in the meantime, has sloughed off...The heat really got to her this summer, but she's starting to realize she needs to keep some kind of routine going for her.  Playing pickle ball once every couple of weeks is NOT enough to keep the pounds at bay...Time to for HER to get back to some serious exercise...She's just not sure what, yet...Walking isn't something she enjoys very much. Might take a zumba class, who knows? :-) Stay tuned.....

A Night To Remember

Sarasota, FL      High:  74    Low:   67

Sparky's daughter, Kelly, has a great musician friend by the name of Steve Arvey. Steve is an accomplished musician, and when we were here in Sarasota last year, he played at Ocean Blues, a wonderful bar and grill in downtown Sarasota. They have terrific entertainment there. He rocked the bar--he's a great blues, rock, and everything else guitarist and singer.  Steve is one of those people who are a straight shooter. He's genuine, warm and friendly, and a big teddy bear of a guy. He is very appreciative and supportive of our servicemen and women. Kelly has known him for several years.

So when Kelly found out that Steve was back performing in the Sarasota area, she wanted to bring her family to hear him. She didn't have to twist Sparky and Eldo's arm, we knew he puts on a terrific show. He so gets into his music. Sparky loves his expressions on his face as he plays his guitar as smooth as smooth can be. He makes his guitar talk and sing!

What was cool about last night was, you can bring children to Island Time, a restaurant on Anna Maria Island in Bradenton, FL. It has panoramic views of the gulf with inside and terrace seating. So Kristi, Eldy's daughter, and Brian and Lori and their two kids Cate and Trevor were able to come with us to hear the music. Now you need to know that Cate is a Beatles fan, a HUGE Beatles fan. She asked for everything Beatles for Christmas. (She got a Beatles beach towel for starters.) Kelly requested a Beatles tune for Cate as soon as we got there. Steve promptly complied with "Fool On the Hill." Cate beamed.

Cate, Eldy, Brian and Trevor

The night continued...Steve and his band were playing from 7:00-10:00 PM. They rocked the house with some great tunes and then a second Beatles tune...."I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends". Cate grinned even bigger. We were rockin' at the table...Trevor was playing a mighty air guitar...Cate was singing all the words....Kelly, Kristi, Lori and Brian, Trevor and Cate, Sparky and Eldo--we were practically dancing at the table. Yet, another Beatles tune..."Come Together".  Cate was texting her friends that she was having an "AWESOME" night! Finally, the next to the last song, Steve launched into "Dear Prudence" with an incredible guitar performance. What was even more remarkable was that the band--a bass player, the drummer and Steve, had never performed this song before together. It was amazing and a testament to fantastic musicians who can go with the flow and sound like they had practiced the set thoroughly. This was one of the longer Beatles songs, and Steve and company ended our evening with a fantastic tribute to the Beatles that all started with Cate's wish to hear a Beatles song, which sent the band in a completely new direction for the night. Afterwards, Steve came up to the table, talked to the family for awhile, telling us how appreciative he was with the request, giving him and his band a chance to perform new material and liven up HIS night! Then, to top off the night, Cate had her photo taken with him.

Thank you, Steve Arvey, for a memorable night!

Happy New Year, everyone!

On New Year's Day
and the whole year through,

I hope the kindness
you've given to others
returns many times to you.

May hope, love, and warmth
be in your heart's possessing,
and may the New Year
bring you and yours
many blessings.