Hot Bodies--A Florida Lifeguarding Contest at Hot Siesta Key Beach

You know that Siesta Key Beach has been rated #1 in the U.S awhile back? It still continues to get first class accolades from all kinds of places. It's got fantastic white sands, upgraded parking and upgraded facilities this past year, so it's a really hoppin' place for tourists. There's a wonderful playground for kids....

And interestingly, these concrete chaise lounges...Wouldn't think they would be very comfortable, would you?

It's a HUGE beach as well, the perfect playground for adults, too! And, the home of many special contests and events...Sandcastle competitions, beach volleyball competitions, and of course, lifeguarding competitions.

However, we don't go there much because there is ZERO shade other than a few concrete pavilions. Of course, silly Sparky, you don't go to the beach to sit in shade, but we do, because of skin concerns. We are of that age where spots are starting to have to be removed and we've both had  pre-cancer spots removed. But when Sparky heard that there was a LIFEGUARDING contest at the beach, she just HAD to go! (Sparky was a lifeguard for many years in her teens and twenties).

The U.S. Lifesaving Association Southeast Region Lifeguard Championships were being held. The purpose is to build camaraderie and competition and public awareness--"Swim Near a Lifeguard" bumper stickers were being given out. Smart advice! Sparky would swim near any of these lifeguards any time! There were over 200 participants from all over the state of Florida.

Competitions included a surfboat race, Ironman and Ironwoman, a surf ski race, a run-swim-run race and more. A team representing Sarasota County was among the lifeguards participating. Just think of all those hot bodies that were going to be in attendance! Yep, gotta go....Never mind that the temperature was record breaking hot as well--mid nineties...ugh....

Sparky only stayed for a short time, it was so hot! Where was Eldo? Playing golf that day, which now in hindsight, he is sorry he missed it. :-) Sparky texted him updates, like this one...Sparky thinks the Volusia team had the best suits and the best bods...lol...Heck, they ALL looked good to this 66 year old!

Once she got there, she observed that there were a TON of women there as well. Somehow, she thought it would be far more men than women. Nope! It was about 50-50 as far as gender. She observed the men's rescue boat races, several heats. 

And the women's...

All the competitors wore these colorful caps so they could be identified by their team as it was difficult to identify who's where in the water! Sparky was glad to see suntan lotion used, but not on a lot of these kids...tch! tch! (That's Sparky, clicking her tongue and shaking her head) 

Minimal suits needed....For increased speed and performance in the water, don'tcha know!

And yet, functional....

The oldest competitor was 81!!!!! And he looked pretty darn good for his age! His name was Tommy Hogan, and he was from the Town of Palm Beach. (That's the name of the town.) Sparky was trying to get his photo, but didn't want to be too obvious. She missed it...and then there were some REALLY young kids competing...

The participants looked like they were really enjoying the contests....

The boards were cool....

The swimwear was awesome...and sometimes interesting...Guess the guy is wearing the midriff tank for skin protection? Sparky was trying to read his swim trunks from a respectable distance, haha...

It was a fun couple of hours at the beach this morning...With the water temperature of the gulf approaching 90 degrees, Sparky didn't want to get in the ocean today....But, it was another wonderful day in paradise, even if it it too dang hot in the summer! Bye for now.....

Some Artsy Fartsy Stuff…..

Siesta Key Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sarasota. It was voted the #1 beach in 2011 here in Florida….It's wide, expansive, clean beautiful white sand, and soft on the feet. Lots of cool stuff happens at Siesta Key Beach…the drum circles on Sundays, the sand castle building festivals…the national sand volleyball tournaments…and sometimes just some quirky art stuff…

Sparky read about something called the "Sun Boxes" recently….So she dragged Eldo to the beach to check it out. An artist by the name of Craig Colorusso, designed some solar boxes to play music…He set up 20 speakers operating independently, each powered by the sun. The boxes sound a guitar note continuously in a loop. Together they make a Bb cord. The loops are different lengths, so once the piece begins, they keep overlapping and the music changes over a period of time. The music sounds like a spa record, or something you would hear during a yoga session. It's VERY relaxing and soothing….These sun boxes have been set up in different locations, moving around Sarasota this week and one of the last places they were set up today was Siesta Key Beach.

the artist is in the hoodie

They were so cool! The music was beautiful…Many people were stopping by and walking in and around the boxes, which changed the loop length as they interrupted  the power to the solar panels by their shadows.

That made the dynamics of the music be ever changing in the nature of the sounds. And as the sun peeked in and out of the clouds, that variable made the music change. It was great…..This little guy came up to explore one of the boxes, and when he saw Sparky with her camera, he just flashed the cutest little grin and posed for a photo by the box. Adorable!

Stay tuned for some marvelous festivals coming up. The season is heating up! The temperatures are cooling down….The snowbirds are on their way….A Renaissance festival, a blues and brews festival, and Sparky's daughter Kelly, is coming for a visit!  See you later!

And the Beat Goes On, Still Movin' Strong

Sarasota, FL      High:  73   Low:  59

It's our third time to visit the Siesta Key Beach drum circle, and it never gets old for us.....The cast is similar but never quite the same....This  red bandana drummer has been here every time...

We haven't seen this dapper drummer with the fedora before today....

This fellow has been here every time..He appeared to be quite unaware of his surroundings, totally enveloped in his music. Sparky wasn't even standing close, using a long zoom, but did she catch the look!

He's been here, too...One of the belly dancers was dancing very flirtatiously in front of him, he appeared to be enjoying it very much! Maybe he knows her?

The drummers are so awesome...they drum for LONG periods of time...the rhythms just make you want to move and sway.....

There were beautiful ladies there, different ones than before...This blonde was having fun!

This gal could really shake her bootie and the rest of her as well!

And the fellow who usually starts things off was there....Boy, is he in good shape!

He really adds a lot of energy to the drum circle....

Lots of cute kids with their own little hula hoops and costumes were there.....

And of course, the people watching is superb if you get tired of watching the drummers...Sparky never tires of the primal beat but sometimes it's great to look around and see what an eclectic bunch of people are in attendance each time we go......

The jester came later...He's the retired teacher and his costume really fits his outgoing personality...

If you are going to come to the drum circle, you need to get there an hour before sunset in order to find a place around the circle. This time the participants had drawn a ring to keep the onlookers from crowding into the performance area. That was really helpful! And after sunset, the lighted hula hoops come out with the dancers and some participants have some type of lighted swing around thingys. Two fellows had them this evening and it was really cool to see the intricate movements with the lighted rope ends, as they twirled and twirled them into all kinds of patterns around their heads and shoulders. They were swinging them in time to the rhythm of the music. Awesome!

We had a ball at the drum circle today!

Come and join us next time...Every Sunday an hour before sunset, if the weather is decent, Sparky and Eldo will be there while we are here in Sarasota.

The beat goes on at Siesta Key Beach......Check it out!

Last Day with the Grandkids

There was a lot of wind in the park today, we figured there oughta be some great waves at the beach. There were! Siesta Key is a VERY popular beach, given the best rating as the #1 beach in America back in 2010 and another year besides that.

Eldo and Sparky headed over to Siesta Key to spend a few hours with the grandkids and their mom and dad on their last day at Siesta Key. They had a nice little apartment on the ground floor that was a block away from the beach. They paid a fortune for it, and we think they were a LITTLE disappointed that it wasn't the same unit they thought they were getting for the money. It was a one bedroom efficiency on the ground floor, with a hide-a-bed couch for the kids, a one block walk to the Siesta Key Beach and it was VERY expensive! They had the use of a fantastic little pool outside the apartment, a pool that looked like a garden in paradise the way the pool blended in with the landscaping...It was gorgeous.

And of course, most of the time, the whole family was either visiting Papa and Jeannie...a.k.a. Eldo and Sparky, or frolicking at the beach. The kids seemed to get enough of the beach by the end of the week. They spent a lot of time in the little cabana which we gave to them, getting out of the sun. They were tired and sunburned.

But the last day at Siesta Key Beach was an awesome one for all of us...There was a LOT of wind, and the waves were HUGE! Sparky spent a lot of time in the waves, jumping and diving through them, and trying to either boogie board or body surf. It was FUN acting like a little kid again! Eldo had had enough sun, so he stayed in the shade and watched us all...You can see our SportBrella that we got to replace the little cabana as it is easier to put up and has more stakes for support in the wind.

Brian and Katelynne found some cool shells....

After the beach, we went to Woody's River Roo Restaurant on the water in Ellenton. The kids and the adults got pretty silly. Trevor, the seven year old, went around taking goofy photos of the adults with a camera phone.

Sparky wins, no contest!

Sparky took photos of Eldy's family....Cate and her best friend....

Eldy's son, Brian, and his wife, Lori.....

Papa even got a little group massage!

The family is leaving tomorrow morning, and we managed to get one last photo of Eldy and his son...

It was a wonderful week for Brian and his family...They got their wish for BIG waves even if it was on their last day at Siesta Key...We got to see the grandkids more than we thought we would, and everybody had a great time! We wish them a safe trip home back to Indiana.  Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! Hope it is a blessed Easter for all our family and our readers....