February 22-26, 2014. Culture, Camping and Hiking.

On Saturday we attended a Sarasota Orchestra sold out performance. Although it often sells out, this performance was special due to the recent hiring of Anu Tali as the Music Director. Anu is an internationally renowned, young, female conductor who has brought much excitement to the music community in the area. The concert did not disappoint...it was a wonderful evening. 

My friend Jan, regularly attends a music/lecture series in Venice on Monday afternoons. Monday's guest artists were two Juliard professors and I am glad that I went along with her to hear their presentation.  They were polished performers. One played classical guitar, and the other played the flute. After playing several works they discussed their careers, their music and their instruments. The finished off the hour playing several more pieces, entertaining a packed house.

After two weeks at Venice Ranch we unhooked "Precious" said our thank you's and good byes and headed for Lake Kissimmee State Park to meet our friend Catherine for a few days of camping. The three hour drive was easy, even though there was a lot of traffic on the I75. After heading east on the 60 the traffic thinned. The Park is located in about the middle of the State, far from city lights. The stars and the quiet are amazing. We had a great campfire and went to bed early. 

         

           

Today we went for a hike, covering several of the well marked trails in the Park. We saw wild turkeys, vultures, heard lots of other birds, saw evidence of hogs and armadillo and encountered one snake. Near the end of one trail we came upon a trail closed sign indicating that there was a controlled burn happening. The purpose of the burns is to prevent big forest fires.

                                 

                                    There is a turkey in the middle of this picture

Rain and cooler temperatures are forecast for today, but so far it is still a hot, sunny afternoon.  Looks good for another campfire and marshmallows tonight.

  

February 17-19, 2014. Two Golf Tournaments

Dressed in our Scleroderma blue and white, we spent Monday, Presidents' Day volunteering at a Scleroderma fundraiser golf tournament held at the Venetian Golf and River Club. Although we didn't know what our jobs would be, the organizers put us to work handing out goodie bags. We were very impressed with the organizers, all the volunteers, the amazing silent and live auction items and particularly with the amount of money raised...over $35,000.00! It was a great opportunity for Michelle to meet people from the American foundation and for both of us to meet some great people.

  

                                   

Needless to say, after spending nine hours at the golf tournament on Monday we were ready to relax on Tuesday. I did bike to the "pretty precious beautiful nail store" and got a great pedicure. We also spent some time at the clubhouse, using some bandwidth, had coffee at Black Gold coffee shop and did a lot of relaxing. Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do.

Today we played in the Venice Ranch fun golf tournament. The weather was great with temperatures in the low 80's. All six teams had good scores, with three teams tied for the win with a score of 65. After coffee and bandwidth at Janet's we spent the evening watching TV and reading.

February 14 - 16, 2014. Frisbee Golf, Breakfast and Concert.

This winter my friend Janet noticed a series of weird metal basket type contraptions strategically placed like "holes" at the Bird Bay Golf Course. When she found out that there was now a disc golf course set up alongside the regular golf course her curiosity was piqued and so she purchased a set of discs. On Valentine's Day we biked to Pinebrook Park to try and figure out how to play. According to wikipedia, Disc golf or Frisbee Golf, is a flying disc game, as well as a precision and accuracy sport.  The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end...sometimes through dense woods...getting a disc in a hole/metal basket with the fewest number of throws.The game is played in about 40 countries around the world.

Needless to say, we had lots of fun. We were alone on the course for the first nine holes. When three men came along and noticed that we were playing with one set of discs, they loaned us enough so that we each had two discs. We each had a couple of good shots, purely by accident, I am sure, as neither of us knew the correct way to hold the disc, let alone how to aim the thing. My knowledge of frisbee stems from tossing a disc around on Queensland beach many years ago.

We will play again!

                              The course layout and rules of the game

                                 

                                          

                                            Janet's putting pose

                            

          Michelle used the mid range disc for this hole

         

                              I am attempting to use the driver disc to get to that hole/basket

                                                 

On Saturday morning there was a breakfast seved at the club house. For a mere $5.00 you could order eggs cooked any number of ways, hash browns, crepes, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, bacon and sausages. What a feast.

After breakfast we drove to Englewood to visit a book fair. It was rather disappointing, with mostly vanity press authors in attendance. Fortunately there was a small outdoor market across the street where we bought some fruit, vegetables and kettle corn.

In the afternoon I joined Janet to attend a concert in Sarasota. Entitled Handel and Haydn rediscovered the performance included Handel's recently rediscovered Gloria, Haydn’s beloved Lord Nelson Mass and his Te Deum for Maria Theresa, with nationally acclaimed soprano Mary Wilson, the Key Chorale and chamber orchestra. In a word, the entire concert was spectacular. Mary Wilson' s voice, the enthusiasm and confidence exhibited by the conductor, Key Chorale and chamber orchestra kept us smiling and even grinning throughout. This was by far, one of the best concerts I have ever attended.

Unfortunately, our hunt for additional frisbee golf discs at Walmart on the way home ended in disappointment...the only disappointment on this great day!

February 11-13, 2014. Kayaking, A Warm Welcome, An Author and Golf.

On our last day at Fort de Soto we went kayaking. We had rented from the same outfit last year and so knew that there was lots to see in the bay. The water was calm, the temperature was around 75 and so we decided to go out for a couple of hours. Although there were no dolphins in sight, there were plenty of fish jumping and lots of birds to entertain us. I was particularly taken with a couple of osprey guarding their nest. As I paddled closer to their tree they squawked and flapped to warm me not to come any closer.

                                

After kayaking we drove across the Sunshine Skyway and were somehow reminded of a restaurant that someone recommended to us. Fortunately we came upon it, stopped, of course and had a delicious seafood lunch. We learned last year that it is wise to share an entree as the portions here are rather large. This restaurant's portions were no exception.

As we approached our site at Venice Ranch Park we noticed a beautiful plant in our driveway. We knew who it was from before opening the card...our friends at Venice Ranch are such thoughtful people! 

 

On our Wednesday morning walk we struck up a conversation with a woman we met on the walkway in Venice Palms. To make a long story short, we ended up sitting in her living room talking about her books. She is an award winning children's book author. One of Joan Hiatt Harlow's books takes place in Newfoundland at the time of the tidal wave in 1929. Since my father and grandfather lived through this event, she and I were able to exchange tidbits of information. Before we left, she gave me a copy of THUNDER FROM SEA which I will read and return to her before we leave the area.

In the afternoon, we joined the Venice Ranch golfing gang and played 18 holes at Bird Bay. A cappuccino at Janet's after the round, a thunder and lightening storm to watch, a salad for dinner, a look at some Olympic events on TV and then sleep.

Today we did laundry, caught up on emails, got some groceries, and I managed to squeeze in a much needed haircut. 

February 10, 2014. Cruising around in 17' with 90 hp.

Last week on one of our bike rides to Tierra Verde we stopped at Tierra Verde Boat Rentals to inquire about boats and prices. We took a brochure and told the guy that we would be back. Today was go back day. With temperatures in the low 70's and light winds it was perfect for boating.

We packed a backpack, got on our bikes  and rode Tierra Verde. Since I had reserved a boat, it was ready for us when we arrived. After filling in a few forms, signing a waiver and getting a 2 minute lesson on  board, we shoved off. With chart in hand and big grins on our faces I eased the throttle forward and headed for the Gulf of Mexico. 

Once out through Pass-A-Grille, I let the 90 hp motor do its thing. Going fast was so much fun! Following the buoys and the chart we went as far as Egmont Key before turning and taking a narrow, shallow but well marked channel that led us towards Tampa Bay. The scenery was spectacular: white sandy beaches, birds perched atop channel markers and dolphins...lots of dolphins. 

A cruise along the Sunshine Skyway Channel, a fast drive across Boca Ciega Bay (where I sailed with my parents in the 80's), a short trip down a section of the Intercoastal Waterway and it was time to head back to port. Back at the dock, we replaced the 8 gallons of fuel we burned, paid our bill and declared that we will be back next year.

                    

 

February 4-6, 2014. Biking, Water Heater Anode and Fog.

We bike a lot here...to the office to use the internet, to the washrooms, to the store and along the Pinellas Bike Trail which runs throughout the park and through to Tierra Verde. On Wednesday we biked about 30 kilometers and rewarded ourselves with a delicious "fish fry" late lunch at a restaurant in Tierra Verde, overlooking the water. We stopped at a boat rental place and made plans to take out a 17' speed boat before we leave here.

Getting hot water in the van was a problem we faced when we decided to try it. The water went in the tank, but immediately flowed out. After much research, it was determined that when the van was de winterized after I purchased it someone forgot to replace the anode. Fortunately, a RV repair place in Largo (about 20 minutes away) had the anode and were good enough to install it. It was easy and inexpensive. 

The fog has rolled in every evening, starting around 5 pm. Although it hasn't rained, there have been a few showers and more are predicted for tonight. 

Evening fog at Fort De Soto

                                                     

February 1 - 3, 2014. Fort de Soto and happy Birthday Joanna

We arrived at Fort de Soto Park on Saturday afternoon to find that there was a water problem. In short, there was no water in the entire park. People attempting to enter the park for a day of fishing or a day at the beach were being turned away. Fortunately for us, campers were still allowed to go the camping area of the park. The park supplied us with drinking water and "flushing" water. 

Although the broken pipe was replaced yesterday, we are still under a boil order from Pinellas County. Apparently, the order will be lifted tomorrow. How fortunate to be self contained in my RV which I have named "Precious". We are finding it very comfortable! Comfy bed, great fridge, air conditioning, flat screen TV, microwave and plenty of headroom. We still enjoy being outside as much as possible and like using the good old Coleman stove, camping chairs and hammocks. 

This is our third year in a row at Fort de Soto. There is much to do here: biking, hiking, kayaking and relaxing with a good book in a hammock.

Happy Birthday Joanna!