1072 Sarasota With The Fords January 4-8, 2024

We left Atlanta on January 4th. The boys got on the bus to go back to school after a fun filled winter break. Tim and I got into the Jeep and drove to Snellville to get the RV. We organized our belongings and we were on our way. We traveled south on 75 from Georgia into Florida. We stopped for the night at the Gainesville Walmart. We used this opportunity to stock up on all of our essentials.

On Friday morning, I took a walk in the huge complex of nearby stores while Tim did his yoga and strength training. Tim had been strict with his exercise schedule in Atlanta but I had not. It was time to get back on track!

We arrived in Sarasota in early afternoon and got settled at Sarasota Lakes RV Resort. It was a gorgeous day and it was so nice to be in the warm sunshine. We met our good friends, Lisa and Walt, at their condo and went to Lakewood Ranch for Music on Main. We walked through the outdoor mall, chatting and drinking and shopping and snacking. Afterward, we went to Sculler’s for dinner.

The four of us had planned to ride bikes on Saturday but we had hours of heavy rain. It was nice to have a quiet day. The weather finally broke in the afternoon. Tim and I were in a great big hurry to get out and move and I got a great walk in. I saw four wood storks on a patio here in the park.

We set up DISH TV and Tim was able to watch the Ravens game while I worked on the blog and did laundry.

Sunday we had more early morning rain but we were did get to meet Walt and Lisa for a 15.25 mile bike ride. Lisa made us all a delicious lunch.

We are very close to the airport. Fortunately, the planes stop flying from 10pm to 6am!

Monday, we had more rain and I was forced to cut my walk short with my hair dripping and my glasses covered with splatter. We went to get a few groceries. It was clear enough that Tim and I drove to Nathan Benderson Park with the bikes. We got in a good 7 mile ride.

We saw a flock of more than 30 parakeets! I have never seen parakeets in the wild!

In the early evening, Lisa and Walt picked us up and took us to downtown Sarasota. Lisa and I walked around town. We started at the marina.

This HUGE yacht was docked in the harbor. It made all of the other boats look like tiny toys.

We met the guys at El Melvin, the home of Sarasota’s best margarita…indeed!!! We enjoyed a great meal. Tim’s fajitas were prepared with tasty seasonings and mango! My enchiladas in a green sauce were amazing!

Downtown Sarasota is really beautiful I would like to come back someday and explore some more!

We had the best time visiting. Tim and Walt have been friends for more than fifty years and I have known Lisa for more than 20. They are the best kind of friends. We have made a lot of memories with them and we look forward to many more years of shared adventures!