Sarasota Adventures

     We've been in Sarasota (Florida) now for just over a month,and I've been totally negligent in my postings.  So today I'll try and catch up a bit.  We have settled in at Sun-N-Fun Resort in Sarasota which is conveniently located a short distance off of I-75.  Now if you've never driven I-75 during the snowbird season, you should buckle your seat belt nice and tight, and give it a try.  Debbie and I have decided that Florida has the most aggressive drivers in the country, which doesn't work well when you factor in road construction and traffic congestion.  Just because the speed limit is 70, doesn't mean that you get to go 70.....unless you're on I-75!  ZERO traffic enforcement means rodeo time on the interstates, mixed in with lots of down time as the authorities clear the wrecks from the highway.

     But I digress.... Roughing it Smoothly definitely describes our chosen lifestyle!  Debbie sets up a pretty comfortable campsite wherever we settle.  Our Vermont friends, Dean, Joanne, and Mrs B, joined us for some smoked corned beef as Debbie's latest gadget, the Instapot, turned out the the vegetables in about 20 minutes.

 The Green Mountain Grill came through with a tender corned beef which I smoked for about 6 hours.  I took this "before" picture when we started, but we moved right into the eating part when it came out.  Dean and Joanne stayed a few more weeks camped out here at Sun-N-Fun, but headed north to Vermont in early April.  Dean called recently and advised it was 34 degrees and snowing in Burlington, and there was no need to come north.  Debbie and I comfortably sat back, knowing we weren't headed north till early May.
      As Dean and Joanne continued with their healthy activities including pickle ball and bike riding, Debbie and I moved to our next adventure which features our favorite pastime....boating! Last year at the Sarasota Boat Show, Debbie and I joined the Freedom Boat Club, which has given us access to boating all along the coast of Florida, up eastern seaboard into Virginia, over into Michigan, and even Lake George.  

 It's just a quick drive from the Resort over to Marina Jack's at Sarasota Harbor, and we're soon out enjoying the Inter-Coastal in one of the variety of boats provided with our Freedom Boat Club membership.  We have to take a driver's test and get certified to venture out in the "blue water" and Debbie's not quite sure she want to do that yet.

 Tomorrow, we're going down to Pine Island and using a boat out of there, which will put us out in the inter-coastal with lots of water all around us.  We'll see how Debbie likes it.  We'll be in a 21' Key West, so I think we'll do just fine.  Debbie is the navigator, and these are some of the charts we use to navigate.  Not too confusing is it??  But once you've tried it, it really is quite easy.  When we return to the dock, we pay for the gas we used, and walk away.  Freedom Boat Club cleans and stores the boats, and makes them ready for the next member.
   

 As you can see, I get to drive when it's a go slow pontoon boat, while Debbie like to "see what she can do" on the open water!  And she's looking pretty radical keeping the hair our of her face!!  Now you might think that there's plenty of water all around, but with the tide comes varying water depths, so it's best to stay between the buoys.  Debbie's job is to work the charts and keep us there.  There are lots of restaurants, and beaches to pull into, and there's quite a party atmosphere out here on the weekends.  My next goal is to figure out this salt-water fishing.

  Of course, we also need to include a visit up to Gainesville for a visit with Aunt Anita.  She's pushing 92, and still managed to bake a cake for her "favorite nephew"!  We love visiting with her and hearing the stories of growing up in Corinth.

Her mind is as sharp as a whip, but the knees aren't as strong as they used to be.  She still manages to amaze us, and we can only hope to be as active as she is when we get that age.  How she managed to raise 9 kids and bake a cake every day is beyond me!
      We did a day trip up to Tarpon Springs yesterday, with a visit to Historic Tarpon Springs and the Sponge Exchange.  I'll pick that up in the next blog.  Right now, lunch and the pool is calling.  Stay safe everyone!