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

Staying Alive in Sarasota

[caption id="attachment_2095" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Breakfast of Champions… Homemade Oatmeal!
@ Sun’n'Fun[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2097" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My lil’ begger, but she’s a good girl![/caption]

After we had a nice relaxing morning of breakfast, coffee, showers and laundry…~> DETOUR: oh, and we met a super cool couple across the way. They were in their mid 60′s maybe 70′s, I can’t remember now. Jim started to talking to J’ as he was coming back from a tennis match & we were packing up. After about 15 minutes of talking, Jim invited us to come and talk in the “cabin” of their RV. They had a pretty C’ class, with a nifty layout. His wife Denita came in right behind us. We probably talked over an hour about different campgrounds, RV’s and places around the U.S. to travel. It was really nice of them to invite us into their ‘home’. We’ll never forget Jim saying that he sings with a quartet and that they sing Baptist Hymns…but they supe ‘em up a bit!
After saying our good-byes we headed out and turned right onto the highway. While accelerating, we both heard a big sound, like a scream almost and J’ pulled off to the side and said, “That sounded like our belt!” Good thing my hubby is quite the man and unfortunately it was our belt. We tried to back down the exit ramp (for about 10 minutes at turtle speed because the Advance Auto Parts was exactly where we got on the ramp), and there was no way in hell that was going to work with the cars hopping on the Interstate at 65 mph. So, we bit down and prayed real hard that we could make it the mile and a half that we had to go (we had to go to the next exit, get off, get back on the highway and end up where we started). With J’ driving only about 35-40 mph we made it to the car place. And once again I am a lucky girl to have a handy hubby that knows how to change it. He did it himself and it was a bitch. He said I couldn’t really him so, I kept him hydrated!

[caption id="attachment_2098" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Our belt! I’m glad we were where we were and J’ knows what he’s doing.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2099" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joon Van looks all tore up due to J’ having to get his tools out of the back. (It normally doesn’t look like this!)[/caption]

The belt took about two hours to change out and then we were back on the road. We ventured over to Turtle Beach today. It was very different from Siesta Key, very low key, not a lot of people and not a lot of sand space. We walked the beach, there were tons of shells there. I found a huge Abalone, it was beautiful. I wanted to keep it but knew that it would probably only get broken in the van so I put it back in the sand, maybe an animal can make a home from it. We walked until right up to Sunset, another beautiful one at that.

[caption id="attachment_2100" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Turtle Beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2101" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Self-po[/caption]

When you travel as a couple sometimes you have to find a good place to put your camera to take a self-po! With better lighting by the sun, this wouldn't have been that bad of a pic! Oh well, next time.
PEACE

46- Waking up in Sun'n'Fun by Ayevangabond

Georgia to Florida

Well, we were finally able to take some time off for adventure! Woo-Hoo, slap your knee and call me Sally!! Actually I really don't like that name, so don't call me that... Before we departed we made sure that Joon Van had everything tightened up and bolted down as well as the house.

[caption id="attachment_2086" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joon Van is dressed & ready to mingle[/caption]

The 31st of December, we were ready for take off and we did just that. It took us about 5 1/2 - 6 hours to get to the Florida line. We stopped at the visitors center right at the border of Florida & Georgia, (Joseph O. Striska Official Florida Welcome Center I-75). We made lunch: cooked sausage on our grill and eggs that we took from our fridge so we didn't waste them. I was just going to have almonds, pb and almonds but J' talked me into a little piece of sausage!  We had Savannah on a leash by one of the tables they provide at the center. It was a beautiful day and it was glorious to have a tank top and jeans on and not be cold!

[caption id="attachment_2088" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cooking lunch in Sunny Florida[/caption]

For the first few days we found ourselves stopping at rest stops or pretty overlooks (where we wouldn't get run off) and taking everything out of Joon and rearranging so I wouldn't go crazy...we couldn't find anything! I guess it happens even in the smallest of spaces. 

[caption id="attachment_2089" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A beautiful rest stop right outside of Tampa going to Sarasota[/caption]

Before we left home, I researched some things for us to do that were either free or cheap. I found some pretty cool things. One thing that really made my trip was one of the first things we decided to join... a drum circle. There is a drum circle that goes on every Sunday night @ Siesta Key and Wednesdays too, at a different beach (Nokomis maybe??) We wanted something to celebrate our adventure & our New Years. After all it was January 1, 2012!! This drum circle was off the hook, it was pretty bad-ass. Totally 100 % free and totally freeing of your soul. We got there super early because we heard that it gets crowded, I thought there would be like 30 people....more like 300 people! Since we were there at the beginning, we had front row seats, that made it so much more fun. They had everything from drums to one solo guitarist, belly dancers, hula-hoopers, this guy with a feather that just totally made the whole experience for me and freedom. We all danced and people watched and just enjoyed the music and company of everybody around. We also were able to enjoy the majesty of the Sarasota sun sinking down below the water...now that is beauty!

[caption id="attachment_2090" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sarasota Sunset[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2091" align="aligncenter" width="224"] The awesome guy with a feather & a ‘hooa’[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="300"] It all started with one drum[/caption]

PEACE

11- Drum Circle gets bigger by Ayevangabond