Bradenton to Sarasota
Traveling Little Sarasota Bay to Sarasota...
January 23, 2023
Traveling from Bradenton to Sarasota was a fairly short trip relative to our other day trips. On this trip, Mary Brugger and Debbie Klinger rode with us to Marina Jack's. We did have a special experience of seeing the Coast Guard being called to a location prior to our passing of a boat that apparently had run a ground 4 days previously. The reason the Coast Guard was called was due to the obstruction of the waterway. The area the boat had run a ground by the radio description was the exact place Danny was worried about traveling due to shallow depths. We got there on a rising tide but it was still low. Shortly after passing the location, we saw the Coast Guard boat escorting the boat from Chesapeake, Va. The boat looked like it was in bad shape and probably had been out in the bay longer than 4 days were our thoughts. The stupid thing was you would expect anyone operating a boat would know to slow down and radio to ask about passing. We were on the port side (left) and another larger boat on the starboard side (right) of the Coast Guard and damaged boat. The Coast Guard officer was signaling for the guy to slow down by pushing his hands down so the wake would not make things worse. The guy on the other boat is waving to him like he thinks the Coast Guard officer is waving saying hi. The boat just plowed through.....People are amazing aren't they? Mary and Debbie enjoyed the trip.
It was good to get back to Sarasota. It seems we have been gone much longer than late September. It was also the first time since we left, we did not have to wear a sweatshirt so we welcomed the sun. Many of our friends were in town and we experienced a number of different activities. It was nice to see our friends! Once we arrived, we did leave in the Turtlemobile for 2 days to go to Fort Myers for a meeting of the Great Loop Association. The talks we attended dealt with the route options from Ft Myers to Norfolk. We picked up some good information and saw a number of people we have seen along the Loop since we started as well as making new acquaintances. In past years, people doing the loop come by boat here but after Hurricane Ian nixed that for this year and maybe longer. The marina in front of our hotel looked like broken sticks and then boats and large cement sections scattered on the ground. A very good reminder of the POWER of water!
It was good to get back to Sarasota. It seems we have been gone much longer than late September. It was also the first time since we left, we did not have to wear a sweatshirt so we welcomed the sun. Many of our friends were in town and we experienced a number of different activities. It was nice to see our friends! Once we arrived, we did leave in the Turtlemobile for 2 days to go to Fort Myers for a meeting of the Great Loop Association. The talks we attended dealt with the route options from Ft Myers to Norfolk. We picked up some good information and saw a number of people we have seen along the Loop since we started as well as making new acquaintances. In past years, people doing the loop come by boat here but after Hurricane Ian nixed that for this year and maybe longer. The marina in front of our hotel looked like broken sticks and then boats and large cement sections scattered on the ground. A very good reminder of the POWER of water!
Sarasota in prehistoric and Calusa Indian times was known as Yellow Bluffs due to yellow limestone in the land near the Gulf of Mexico. In 1885, a group of Scottish people came to the area to form a settlement. What they expected and what was reality were not the same. Some of them returned to Scotland and others toughed it out along with American settlers to form Sarasota in 1886. Like many other towns in Florida, a railway depot was put in place and shipment of fruit, citrus, vegetables, and wood were sent north and passengers brought south. The lines in Sarasota would connect through Tampa. There is also a significant Mennonite community in the center of town. Danny and I often go to their market during the summer for special items such as sugar baby watermelons. I noticed when I was on the road near the area many of them live, they had many buses from Indiana and Pennsylvania parked around their hotel in the Mennonite community.
One of our friends, Diane, raises puppies one at a time for about a year for the Southeastern Guide Dogs to hopefully assist a visually or hearing impaired person or PTSD veteran. Dancer is a beautiful girl and she paid a visit to our boat and was such a great guest. Diane, her trainer, is very dedicated to her puppies and always does a great job!
Many of you that have visited us in Siesta Key or live in Sarasota know Danny likes to follow the band, "Kettle of Fish". The marina where we were staying is downtown and across the street the first weekend was the Music and Seafood Festival. After going to the farmer's market, early afternoon, I heard a voice sounding very familiar. It was Dana, the lead singer for Kettle of Fish. Danny was off the boat and at the concert in no time. We enjoyed the music and being able to enjoy the outdoors.
We got to use out car while in town and of course I burned up the road. I enjoyed going to the gym with my MWF class and seeing my friends at the gym. Also went to the needlepoint store to see some of the women I have needlepointed with in the past and got some needlepointing done at the same time. Another thing I have participated in when I have been in Sarasota in early winter is SILL (Sarasota Institute for Lifelong Learning) which brings in lecturers with unique experiences. I was able to go with my friend, Mary to listen to a journalist speak about the European Union and the relationship with Putin. The programs are always good and this one was no different.
Celery Fields east of the city, I frequent during the birding season. Sarasota Audobon have naturalists out every morning from November through end of April to show birds in the area. They also have great stories about past experiences bird watching in nearby areas. In winter there are a number of species that are just traveling through the area on the way up north. The morning I went, I didn't see anything that is not usually in the area except for a large Woodstork.
Mary and I also attended a play, Birds of North America, about a daughter and father's relationship while they enjoyed their free time together observing birds. Both of the performers were very good but it was sad. It brought many memories of people I had taken care of in practice. You will notice that I did not mention Danny as he was not interested in participating in these activities. 😉 Everybody makes choices.
Danny and I did go to the Farmer's Market on both Saturdays and Danny went on Wednesday while I was at the gym. We always enjoy the items we get at the market. This time of year there are special oranges called Honeybells. They are Danny's favorite. Unfortunately, they did not have any at the market due to damage to the crop with Hurricane Ian. Sad for everyone. Danny did try a new hybrid tangerine called orange crush. It was very good not sour but sweet. The last Saturday we were in Sarasota after the market, we rode out to Siesta Key getting our mail and walking the beach to visit the lady at the coffee shop. She still knew my order, over 4 months later. I thinks that a good thing but maybe not...
We enjoyed going out on our dinghy to a bar around the corner from the marina, O'Leary's. Made us more comfortable in deploying the dinghy and me more comfortable in getting on and off. It wasn't pretty but it worked for me! The views and drinks were well worth it. Our trips were timed around sunset!
One of the surprises with our visit was a friend from Mary Washington was in Orlando for a conference. Lori Foster Turley and Craig drove over and we visited over brunch the day before we left. It was great seeing them both!
After Lori and Craig left, we found one of our life vest cartridge had been deployed, opening up the vest. We were not on the boat and all you could see was the bright yellow insides of the vest. Not sure why it deployed but this would make it necessary to go to West Marine to try to get a replacement. Danny finds what he thinks is the correct "bobbin". I asked him "Before we leave here, can you put it together in the store?" He thought that was a good idea, asked the employee could he do that, they said sure. So we are standing at the check out counter, I'm watching and Danny is working on the jacket and all of a sudden the cartridge is engaged and starts going off. The assistant manager looked at me smiling and said well it works, would you like to buy just that one or that one and another one. We bought the one Danny set off and left. Once we returned to the boat, he found out he got the wrong one off the shelf according to You Tube. So he has to wear the big bright orange life jacket until we get the correct materials which he ordered and should be waiting for us in Marathon. Unfortunately, spring training had not started before we left so we didn't to see the Baltimore Orioles play. Hopefully, we can catch some baseball when on the east coast.
Enjoy the snowy egret and one of my favorite banners at the Celebrate Our Differences display held every year in Sarasota at the Waterfront Park! Monday morning, as we leave Marina Jack's, the moon high is in the sky.
Next stop, Cabbage Key...
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