Kind of a Lazy Day....

Sarasota, FL     High:  77      Low:   55

We are sort of taking it easy these past few days...Not going anywhere, really, other than errands. Sparky is doing her best not to make almost daily trips to Michaels craft store and the biggest Joann Fabrics store she has ever seen which just happens to be located one exit north of Fruitville at University Center and which she is able to navigate to and from by herself without getting lost. Mighty tempting!

Today we revisited Lakeview Park, which happens to have the highest rated disc golf course in Sarasota, a 3.5 difficulty course out of a possible 5 points. Probably for all the water hazards that are present on almost every hole. Did we play? Nope! Sparky just wanted to get some more long needles for her pine needle baskets.

Now the easiest way to do this would be to just scoop up armfuls of needles, shove them into a bag, and then come home and sort through them, saving a WHOLE lotta time. Does Sparky do that? Naw, she does things the hard way...She picks up the needle clusters one by one, measures how long they are and places them into her bag. She LOOKS like she's using drugs here, but she's just using her elbow to wrist to measure the needles!

Is this one too short? Does that one have a lot of mold spores on it? Are they long or longer than from her elbow to the middle of her hand--11 inches? There's a reason Sparky doesn't pick them up by the handfuls and shove them into a bag. There's TONS of Spanish moss, also known as long moss or "graybeard" mixed in with the needles that have fallen from the trees. The official name for all that hanging moss is EPIPHYTES. Who wants to say that? :-)  Sparky read that you don't want to handle the moss/epiphytes that are on the ground because they likely contain CHIGGERS---little blood sucking bugs that burrow into your skin and cause intense itching. UGH! By the way, should you get them, you take a cloth dipped in Listerine and wipe all your itchy spots. That's supposed to really help!  So Sparky continued to search one by one as Eldo patiently watched and wondered why the heck she didn't just pick them up by bunches. Now he knows....(I'm bringing gloves for Sparky for next time, says E.)

As Sparky was picking up needles, she saw something BIG fly nearby and saw this bird alight in a tree up above where the nest was. Maybe some kind of hawk?

We love this park, it's so beautiful. We will definitely come back for another round of disc golf. We were lucky the first time we were here, and didn't lose any discs, but we better come prepared with extras the next time.

For now, time to go home and see what's up at Sun 'n' Fun....See you later!

Jazz Jam at Ocean Blues

Sarasota, FL       High: 79      Low:   58

One of our very favorite places to go in Sarasota is Ocean Blues, a blues supper club with great atmosphere and really great food, and REALLY REALLY great entertainment in the form of talented local talented blues, rock, and jazz musicians. On Monday nights, it's Jazz Jam Session...So guess where we were last night? :-)  One of our favorite guitar players, Steve Arvey, was there.

Sparky's daughter, Kelly, introduced us to Steve Arvey a couple of years ago when she came to visit us, and we try to get to see him when we are in the Sarasota area. He plays all over, he's known internationally, and he often plays  the southwest Florida area when he's in town. He's a renowned electric guitarist.

Last night was a terrific night, with LOTS of guest artists....Sparky is sorry that she doesn't know the names of all the guests that were there, but it was an amazing display of many talents--one, a very talented violinist by the name of Lisa....

Some terrific drummers, a young man by the name of James..Some AWESOME trumpeteers--Shane was a standout trumpet player...

We caught a couple of names here and there, and of course, Steve Arvey put on a great show as always....

Steve kind of sponsors the evening and pulls in some wonderful performers...It's a big draw for the club. Different nights have different types of music, so if jazz is not your thing, you can come out another night and hear folk, acoustic, Latin or other types of music....check out the Ocean Blues calendar:
                                          Calendar of events at Ocean Blues

Another trumpet player started setting up his instruments at the table right next to us. Eldy struck up a conversation with him, as Eldy used to MAKE trumpets, flugelhorns, coronets, trombones and marching brass instruments.

We didn't catch his name, but he played his flugelhorn and trumpet and was terrific. The place really started "crankin' up", as the evening went on...

Eldy buffed the trumpets for Clint Eastwood's movie, "The Bird", a movie about Charlie Parker. Eldy has buffed instruments and spoken many with some of the top 100 jazz players over the years to get custom specifications for their instruments that they purchased from Blessings Music Company in Elkhart, IN where he worked 43 years--Red Rodney, Ira Sullivan, Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, for starters. AND--Eldy personally buffed MOST of the herald horns for the L.A. Olympics, working 90 some hours a week to get the horns done for the Olympics. He was one hard working dude in those days!

The music was just wonderful---toe tappin', booty shakin', and all around enjoyable! Check out Ocean Blues on Hillview Street when you are in Sarasota...it's great!

Monday Musings.....

Sarasota, FL     High:   69       Low:  52

A low of 52 is a whole lot better than a low of 35 which we had this morning. It's too cold to go to exercise swim class, so Sparky went to the fitness center instead and rowed for awhile and used some of the fantastic equipment they have at Sun 'n' Fun's five million dollar fitness center....

Hey, if you haven't seen Mike Wendland's Roadtreking.com blog, check it out. He's a journalist, recently turned RVer. Sparky really likes his blog and thought you might, too. Lots of different kinds of articles from RVers like yourselves and from Mike along with the story about his travels with his wife, Jennifer, in a Roadtrek RS Class B motorhome. They hit the road in early 2012.

This morning, Sparky spent some time online with her brother Rich, from Massachusetts, troubleshooting a printer problem. He had Sparky download Team Viewer, a software program for online support and online meetings. He's a great tech, program writer guy for Archimedes, a company out of Massachusetts. My brother has written apps for the iTunes store and is quite the computer guru. He's such a busy guy, we don't have much time to connect but this morning, he was able to see my computer and talk me through a couple of program glitches I was experiencing. He could see exactly what I saw on my screen, use my mouse to show me things, and I could watch as he worked his way through some screens. Pretty cool! He says it's a VERY secure program. Then Sparky ended up fixing her own computer/network problem getting our two computers to talk to the network without having to hook up the USB cable. Yay!

The rest of the day Sparky spent reading and crafting. Eldo went exploring in Venice....Nothing in particular in mind....This evening we went to Ocean Blues for Jazz Jam Session. Sparky got back too late this evening to tell you all about it, so you'll have to wait till tomorrow to hear about it!

So there's a little wondering why goin' on around the internet today.....It got Sparky wondering......

Why do banks leave big vaults open, but chain their pens to the counter?

Why do people order a Big Mac, a large order of fries, and a diet Coke?

Why don't you ever see the headline,  "PSYCHIC WINS THE LOTTERY!" ???

Why is the word "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why do lawyers and doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavoring and dishwashing detergent made with real lemons?

Ever wonder why the man who invests all your money is called a "broker" ?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called "rush hour"????

And why are apartments called that when they are all stuck together?

And if flying is so safe, why do they call airports "the terminal" ???

Just wonderin' why...........

Nothin's Happening Today...

Sarasota, FL        High:    59         Low:   35

Br-r-r-r-r-r....Even Sparky is cold today......But she still loves it! (Goofy girl! exclaims Eldo.) You can't take the joy of the seasons out of the Chicago girl, what can I say? But Sparky is getting used to permanent sunshine and warm weather, 'cuz that's why she's cold today. It's funny, she used to laugh at people who put on sweatshirts and jeans when the temperature dropped below 70 while she'd still be in tee shirts and shorts. We'd joke about how you could tell who are the northerners and who are the Florida residents and now she's the first one to change clothes at that same temp!

What did we do today? Went to breakfast at the Broken Egg in Lakewood Ranch again.....LOVE that place! It was another great breakfast....We just missed seeing Dick Vitale, the ESPN sports announcer, by minutes. We're not celebrity seekers, it would just be interesting to see a well known TV guy up close and personal.

It took a long time for the temperature to creep up today...So we drove around looking at more Sarasota neighborhoods for open houses. We met a really nice realty couple at the last house we looked at this afternoon, a husband and wife team who work for Keller Williams Realty in Sarasota. Brenda and Craig Wilson were VERY interested in hearing about our RVing lifestyle. We sat for a bit in a beautiful house that had a courtyard pool and spa and talked all things RV for a few minutes. Nice couple! We invited them to come out to Sun 'n' Fun to see our rig and chat some more....

Sparky liked it that this last house had freshly baked cookies for prospective buyers. (Sparky is easily impressed, laughs E., especially if food is involved! ) Chocolate chip cookies at that! Needless to say, this house impressed her with its unusual layout and of course, the courtyard lanai and spa tub....

We looked at everything today from tiny little apartments to grand scale floor plans and housing styles, all with the idea of understanding more about different types of homes and residential areas in the Sarasota area. It was interesting to see how some houses had been "staged" for showing, such as furniture being removed to make rooms look more spacious in some homes, with artistically displayed floral arrangements, etc. And of course, every single light on in every single room to make it look as bright as possible. When Sparky sold her house years ago in South Bend, she had no idea about how staging works and how to best display a house for sale. But she was on the right track, as her house sold quickly that time. She had a sheet all made up about what her house was close to, what kind of neighbors were on the block, how close the nearest stores were, etc. AND--she had a cinnamon diffuser going to make the house smell like Christmas cookies!

Eldo gets an  "A" for doing a lot of open house homework this weekend....Sparky gets a "D" for goofing off and making stuff.  :-)

We're looking forward to chatting with the Williams's again about our RVing lifestyle....Nice to have met you folks. Call us anytime and c'mon over! We love sharing information about the modern RVing lifestyle and would love to show you our Tiffin Phaeton. (But Sparky's got to clean up her crafting corner first, before having company! insists E.) Uh, yep, that would be a good idea, it's a little out of control at the moment.  :-)

Later.......

"Better Fish to Fry"

Sarasota, FL       High:  69       Low:   41

Wanna see some "old Florida"?  One of the very remaining truly old Florida fishing villages? Cortez Village, FL is hosting the 31st annual commercial fishing festival this weekend, the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. The village of Cortez is located on the northern edge of Sarasota Bay and is a little over an hour's drive from Sarasota.

It's a tiny little town, population about 4200 people, and about 11 blocks long. It's a gorgeous village with lots of history behind it. There's even a maritime museum right there at the village in the heart of the festival. The houses are small cottages with commercial boats and fishing gear in the yards. A couple blocks down is a number of fish houses where local fisherman sell their catches.

The serious fishermen who live in the village have the true workingman's spirit...They appreciate the simpler things in life. We didn't get to see much of the village today as the commercial fishing festival--"Better Fish to Fry" took over the town today and will again tomorrow. Not quite sure what the significance of the slogan is, but maybe they are trying to tell the festival goers that here is where the better fish is fried!? Not that anybody has better things to do than go to a seafood/fishing festival, right? The festival's proceeds (3.00 to get in) go to restoring and preserving wetlands and uplands just east of Cortez Village. Now THAT'S a great cause!

There was great live music today...The maritime museum is there, but we didn't visit it today....

Nautical arts and crafts.......Over 50 vendors.....Sparky LOVES crafts...and anything nautical...

And kitschy garden art.....

Children's activities...Just loved this little girl's painted cat face!

Environmental exhibits....

A touch tank for young and old.....Talks and more exhibits down at the docks.....Ew-w-w-w--w! Octopus! A delicacy to some, but not to Sparky! They look like mummified octopi to her!

Sparky thought these stone crab claws were COOL! But she wouldn't want to eat them....

And more seafood than you can imagine...TONS of fresh seafood from local vendors and suppliers.

They even had squid fries, we kid you not!

We think there were lots more food booths than arts and crafts booths today.....(It IS a commercial fishing festival, ya know, chimes in Eldo, not really a craft show.)

Sparky wanted to sit and sample lots of food, but people were not emptying the picnic tables after they were finished so you could sit down and eat!

No idea what kind of seafood this is!

About 25,000 people are expected to attend the festival..Parking is limited and fills up early..Best way to find a parking place is to drive to Coquina Beach in Bradenton on Anna Maria Island, and hop on the city bus and for $.60 for seniors (60 and up), ride the bus back into Cortez where they drop you off right at the park.  When you've eaten all the seafood you can eat, seen everything you wanted to see, hop back on the bus, and for another $.60, back to the beautiful Coquina Beach you go! Or, you can park at the G.T. Bray Park (5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W., Bradenton) Coquina Beach is absolutely beautiful...We're going to go back for a picnic lunch one of these days. Nice shady parking lot, a bike path to ride along the ocean...WOW!

Coquina Beach

We had a great time at the festival today.....Sparky got to eat after all, not at the festival, but at Anna Maria Oyster Bar on Cortez Rd. in Bradenton. EXCELLENT food and a lot of it for a very reasonable price! Eldy said it was the best fish he ever had!

Tomorrow, severe cold hits Sarasota...We'll probably stay inside to keep warm! For the adventurous and hardy souls, the Sarasota Art Fair is tomorrow as well as the Cortez Fishing Festival, both for the second day. Would you believe a high of 58 and a low of 36?  (Say it ain't so! says E.) Yep, but it won't last long...Monday, back up to 70 and a low of 52. But Sparky will LOVE the one day cold spell.....She'll probably go ride her bike some....See you later!

Beaucoup Birds

Sarasota, FL        High:  72       Low:  52

Some people would not find the beauty in a rainy day...We think rainy days are awesome! First of all, you don't get that many in southwestern Florida. We've had a few sprinkles here and there, an eighth of an inch here and there, but it passes over so quickly, you forget that you had any rain at all during the day, the sun comes back out so fast.

We had a very steady rain late this morning. Eldy likes to sit out outside under the awning and both listen and watch the rain come down. Sparky does, too, if she sits long enough. But, as it was, Sparky crafted and Eldo researched places to go looking at model homes for fun on this very rainy day.....But first, it's very important that you eat a good breakfast before starting out your day, right? How about this breakfast at the Broken Egg restaurant in the Lakewood Ranch community, where Dick Vitale, announcer for ESPN basketball, hangs out when he's not announcing?


It may not be very good for you, but it tasted GREAT! Hey, there are lots of green peppers in the colorful potatoes.

He wasn't there today but lots of his fundraising stuff for pediatric cancer was....

After breakfast, we went looking for places to look at....We found a few.....We went to an area called River Strand in Heritage Harbor, a development made up of several subdivisions in Bradenton. The models were unremarkable today, but the wildlife and the grounds of Heritage Harbor WERE remarkable!

While Eldo waited for a salesperson to give us some information, Sparky looked out the back lanai and saw 1) two squadrons of white pelicans --yep, one of several names for a big flock of these birds.....hmm-m-m-m-m, does that make it a platoon?  At least 5 great blue herons, a pair of woodstorks and a bazillion ducks, and lots of anhingas or cormorants sunning themselves. WOW! She wants to live here! Right here in this end condo unit. No such luck, Sparky...it's the builder's model/office and it's already sold. No wonder, you had your own  semi-private golf course view with an estuary/bird sanctuary right outside your door!

"If you get any closer with that darn camera phone, you're asking for trouble!"

Does the pose of the wood stork standing on one leg remind you of anything?

Eldo says it reminds him of Sparky's water exercise stretch where she has to grab her ankle behind her and the exercise leader yells out, "POSE"...which means hold that stretch for a bit.....Sparky was actually standing on one leg with the knee tucked under just like the stork, only the pool current caught her off balance and she's starting to float away!

Back to nature, Sparky digresses (easily!)....These wood storks look like they are horny little devils with the little protrusions on their heads. Hm-m-m-m...wonder if it's mating season yet?

Did Sparky have her camera? NO-O-O-o-o-o-o.....Wahhhhhhnnnnhhhh! Just a few cell phone photos...sigh! Then we saw some Florida sandhill cranes at the development's park called Central Park.

Beaucoup birds today....Love it! Had fun looking around at the different neighborhoods, and then got to see a lot of nature too. A beautiful rainy day it was, and then the sun came out for the rest of the day!

Old Friends, True Friends....and Valentine's Day!

Sarasota, FL        High:  82   Low:   59

When we first started full timing, Sparky thought it might be a lonely existence, just Eldo and Sparky in this great big country of ours. She was a little concerned about leaving friends back home in Indiana or having friends to talk to while out on the road, or even a friend to do something with BESIDES her better half, Eldy...How can you make new friends when you are moving around the country all the time?

Well, it would be hard if both of you were withdrawn, shy, kept to yourself, didn't participate in community or church activities when you were home in a sticks and bricks house, or stayed inside your home most of the time. If you are outgoing, sociable and like to yak, like Sparky does, then it's not difficult to meet new people and become friends with them. In this dynamic duo, Sparky is more the yakker, and Eldo is the shy, slow to get to know guy.  BUT NOT ALWAYS. So you both don't have to be outgoing to make new friends, but if just one of you is a talker, then you won't have any problems making new friends. Even though you might move around a lot your first year full timing, because you are so excited to get out there and see the country, you still will meet people in each park that you stay. With fuel prices the way they are, we are spending more time in one spot or campground, which makes it easier to get to know people.

RVers tend to make new friends easily.  We want to get to know people and time is of the essence, because we know we or they will be moving on soon. We RVers know that even if people we meet are going to move on, chances are good that we will see them again some time. RVers are generally a  friendly, curious, helpful bunch. They watch out for each other. They see a guy bending over his grey/black tank bay, messing with something for awhile, they will tend to come on over and see if you are having a problem. Anything they can do to help? Well, maybe NOT the black tank bay, or the "wet bay" as they call it, but generally speaking, all you have to do is stand around and scratch your head and somebody will be by shortly with an opinion on what might be wrong or how to fix it.  At least, that's been our experience.

Here at Sun 'n' Fun, Sparky has met new friends through swim exercise class and biking. She met Joanie, a Michigander, on her first long distance bike ride, and a really nice couple, Annette and Paul, also on the same bike ride, who are now following us on our blog.

Snowbirds tend to travel geographically in roughly the same cycles and circuits. We want to go north in the summer, and south in the winter! Rvers strike up conversations quickly and common interests--travel, blogging, photography and nature, and where's the best place to eat in town? (that's on Sparky's top ten list of conversation starters, smiles E.) usually head up the list. We know that if we sit outside on a nice day, and Eldo starts his rockin', SOMBODY is going to stop by and say hello, or make a quick friendly comment. And from there, sometimes great friendships begin.....Sometimes you know in a heartbeat, that some people are going to be instant friends, like you've known them all your life!

Two Decembers ago, we met Nick and Ritchie Boersma at Florida Grande in Webster, FL. Ritchie came over just a few minutes after we had set up, and introduced herself. She very quickly had Sparky laughing and thinking, "What a nice, funny lady!" Soon after, we met her husband, Nick. And from there, it all went downhill....Naw, just kidding...They both turned out to be the warmest, caring, funny couple we had met since we had been out on the road. We spent over five weeks getting to know them at Webster, and then, it was time to move on...sniff, sniff....But what do you know? Some time went by, and darned if they didn't show up at another RV park in Florida where we were staying!

This year, we caught up with them at the Tampa RV show. They are staying in Clermont, FL, and were passing through the Sarasota area, so we hooked up with them again for a visit today, on Valentine's Day.

We had a great visit with them....

And because Ritchie is of Scottish descent, we suggested lunch at MacAllister's Restaurant, a Scottish golf themed pub/restaurant, over in Lakeland Ranch on Main Street. The food was great, the company even better! Thanks for coming over today, Ritchie and Nick. We'll be going to see them in March somewhere here in Florida.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Sparky said, "NO CHOCOLATES!" So Eldo surprises her with a BEAUTIFUL card and these:

Oh, boy....Sparky is going to have to ride, ride, ride, to get rid of some of these calories! It was a terrific day with terrific friends....Happy Valentines' Day to everyone...We love our readers, we love our friends, we love and miss our families....