Ketch-up: Sarasota

Hmmmm....okay let's see, over the past couple of days we have been to about 3-4 Wal-marts, 2 Targets, 1 or 2 Best Buys, & a Radio Shack. J' wants to get a TV so we don't have to keep going places & spending money (out of our budget) to watch the games, so we have been everywhere that would sell the exact TV he wants. Found that no one carries it & we'll probably order online. We have also gone sticker shopping -I got a bad-ass ring too (we started collecting stickers from all the places we've been or just liked to put on one of our main 'bed' boards in the van). We spent a couple of days in Siesta Key on the beach, really only an hour or so because we get bored or I get hungry, then once we pick up to go and check on Savannah we always end up moving on...haha.

[caption id="attachment_2013" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Siesta Beach parking.Better get here early, they fill up fast![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2015" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I guess everyone is on the beach! Siesta Beach picnic area[/caption]

Then, today we finally got our TV. We ended up ordering it online and had it shipped to us down here, to a private postal service. Even though it cost $5, instead of the $3 they told us over the phone, I don't think it was that bad of a deal. I mean, we got a package on the road...how cool is that!? So yay, we got a TV!! Now we can watch the games and even have a little something to do at night when we both don't want to read or do computer stuff. I think it will be a nice break and a nice treat since we haven't had TV in almost two years!

[caption id="attachment_2016" align="aligncenter" width="300"] TV Time![/caption]

Since we had left the beach to go pick-up our new purchase, we decided to find a new place to hunker down for the day. We drove over to the place where they had the Farmer's Market that one day, Phillippi Estate. They have a huge park there and docking stations for kayak's to get into the river so we figured it would be a nice quiet place to spend the rest of the day (no overnight parking there).
So glad we did too. J' was able to work at a picnic table under a gorgeous tree, Savannah was able to do her thing, sneakily though since they don't allow animals in the park...tee hee and I walked around & took pictures. It was gorgeous there, glad we stopped for a few hours.

[caption id="attachment_2017" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Antique Rose Garden[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2018" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I thought all roses smelled the same. NOPE!! These roses smelled like mango & cherry candy… so yummy![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2019" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Such a neat little place this is[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2021" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Another beautiful rose, that smelled so sweet it almost smelled edible.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2022" align="aligncenter" width="300"] J’ working away in Sarasotaville[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2023" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Phillippi Estate[/caption]

PEACE

51- January day at Siesta Key by Ayevangabond

The Sarasota Idle

We moved around a lot today. We're not really getting the REALLY hot and sunny weather we had hoped for in Florida, but we do get spotted days and it's not totally freezing, like back home, so it's a plus anyway ya slice it. J' really had to get down and do some work so today was more of a work day than a play day but it's gotta be done. We put in a Borders in our GPS, got to it, loaded up everything to take inside and after our loooooong walk from the parking lot discovered that they closed their doors. Luckily, a Barnes & Noble (who probably put them out of business) was just a half mile down the street. We sat there for a couple of hours, until our computers were close to dead (only one plug-in and it was taken), then got back in the van, plugged in and drove "across the street" to the mall (Westfield Sarasota Square). It's a pretty nice mall. We sat in the Food Court and worked for a little while longer until J' couldn't take the exhaustingly slow internet speed there. From there we got back in the van, ate a little something and worked a little more.

[caption id="attachment_2029" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Internet at the Mall! YES!!!! Can you find the most interesting name on the list? haha some people…[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2030" align="aligncenter" width="300"] J’ working & me people watching at the mall[/caption]

J' really wanted to watch the game (Broncos vs. Patriots) so while he was working I was trying to find a place to go....again close and within our budget. We found a few places and went to three of them before we made a decision. We were looking for a good atmosphere with good seats and a good price. We ended up at a place called Crusty's Pizza.

[caption id="attachment_2031" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Crusty's for the game[/caption]

We walked right in, found a great spot to sit right in front of a bunch of t.v's! They had a plug-in right where we were sitting with free wi-fi...not that J' would want to work now, but at least it was there! The food wasn't too bad either. It was nice and we were able to watch the game without any annoyances and crowds & we barely paid anything. It was what we were looking for and we found it, so I don't think you can ask for more than that!

PEACE

 

Keep on Truckin': Back to Sarasota

[caption id="attachment_2122" align="aligncenter" width="207"] “Unconditional Surrender”
Kiss Statue in Sarasota[/caption]

Since we didn't get to spend a lot of time in Sarasota the first time around, we thought it would be a good idea to circle back and try it again. It's a really clean town and there are quite a few beaches (& dog parks).  We were driving to Siesta Key and ended up taking a small detour to The Phillippi Farmhouse Market. It was a Wednesday and we were surprised to learn they do a mid-week market, so you don't have to wait until the weekend! Now that's fresh food!! It was smaller, this day, we were told because of the inclement weather...but we still walked around and saw the venues that were there. There some pretty cool ones too!

[caption id="attachment_2124" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Bonsai guy. He says, “If you buy a tree and it dies,
come back and I’ll give you another one.”[/caption]

For a few days, we had been throwing the idea around of going to a campground to stay overnight. J' had seen videos and read some blogs on a certain campground/RV Park in Sarasota and we figured since we were right here that we would see what a night would cost and if it was feasible, we would jump in.... so we jumped! We drove over to the Sun'n'Fun RV Resort and booked ourselves in for the night. It's beautiful here. They have 2 Olympic size pools (which, I'm a sucker for an amazing lap pool!) a top of the line workout center (I think it was just opened the week before we got here). They have all kinds of sports, full on laundry facilities, bathroom facilities, they even have a dog wash! It's pretty sweet. I wish we could just live here! haha

[caption id="attachment_2125" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I could live here! I mean look at that pool!
Laps here I come!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2126" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joon Van in all of her glory at our campsite[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2127" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We took a walk…saw this sign on the path
Only in Florida!![/caption]

 PEACE

 

41- Sun'n'Fun Pools by Ayevangabond