Sarasota

We are still in the Sarasota/Bradenton area of Florida while Kevin is recovering from surgery. It went well and after 3 days of staying in a hotel, we moved back onto the boat.

Bev has been coming down to this area since she was in her late teens. Her family had a winter condo out on Longboat Key which has since been sold. There is so much culture in the area, starting with Ca’ d’Zan, the original winter home of John Ringling of the Ringling Brother’s circus. They run tours through the 56,000 foot mansion located on Sarasota Bay. The mansion is just amazing. Also located on the property is a circus museum, a museum of art and the Asolo Theater which runs plays throughout the year.

Did you know that this is the winter home of the Amish. Every winter they board buses and travel to Sarasota as snowbirds fleeing the bad weather up north. Some of them work in local grocery stores and the Amish restaurant. This year has been different than prior years as they have discovered the joys of electric bikes. It is interesting seeing them in their traditional clothing scooting along the roadways. Our thoughts were whoa, what are they doing on these bikes. Well, ever the internet sleuth, Bev researched electric bikes and Amish and it seems that half of the communities up north have embraced the technology for their members. It appears they have also embraced electricity provided by solar.

We have taken kayak tours through the mangroves out on the barrier islands and seen the Manatee’s close up. Mangroves are large bushes that protect the shorelines from erosion of the sea. A lot of them have been removed to make way for water front Condos, unfortunately.

Just this last week, some members of Bev’s family visited an elephant rescue just south of town. It looked entertaining from the videos they took.

This area is beautiful, has wonderful soft sand beaches, great restaurants and fun things to do. Check it out!