1189 January 20-23, 2025 Sarasota With Walt And Lisa
Happy Birthday, Debbie!!
We moved south to Sarasota on Monday the 20th. We keep coming south but the cold is right on our heels. There was snow and ice in the southern United States all the way to the panhandle of Florida…how crazy is this weather!
We arrived in Sarasota and it was too early to check in to our campground. We parked the RV at a Walmart and did some shopping for supplies. Then, we were having company for dinner so I walked across the street to Detwiler’s Farm Market. We got to the campground and I prepped a salad with greens, tiny sweet tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, and the delicious fig balsamic vinegar that we bought in Tarpon Springs. I found fresh pannochie pasta. It was especially ruffled with lots of nooks and crannies for the pesto to hide. I bought shrimp and crusty rolls. I got roses and wine and we were ready. Lisa and Walt came with more wine and delicious little shortbread cookies studded with cranberries. We hadn’t seen our friends for more than a year. We talked and laughed and feasted!
On Tuesday, the unseasonably cold temperatures persisted. It also rained. We decided that it was a good day to go to a movie. Walt and Tim really wanted to see A Complete Unknown. This is Bob Dylan’s life story. We all enjoyed the music and the movie. We wanted to know if the actors did their own singing. 29 year old Timothee Chalamet played the young Bob Dylan. He also produced this movie. Chalamet studied Dylan’s music for five years. He played the guitar and sang and he nailed his performance. The actress, Monica Barbaro, was Joan Baez in the movie. She had an incredible voice as well.
We went to McGrath’s Irish Alehouse for dinner.
On Wednesday, we had more rainy and cold weather. I think the high was 46 degrees. We walked but it was very unpleasant outside.
We went to visit Walt and Lisa for dinner at their condo. It was another evening filled with stories and memories.
Thursday brought even more nasty and cold rain. This was not the visit to Sarasota that we had imagined. We are grateful to be here as opposed to north of here. Temperatures at home have been brutal. Atlanta saw their second snowfall this week. Roads there were icy and impassable and the boys have been out of school all week. We are lucky to be here!
Today, Tim and I decided to drive to downtown Sarasota despite the weather. We walked along the bayfront.
There was a very cool display entitled “Embracing Our Differences.” The panels were about diversity and acceptance and love. The art was lovely and the messages were powerful.
We walked to Marina Jack for lunch. I was happy to see seafood chowder on the menu!
After our meal, we drove to Siesta Key to see the “most beautiful beach in America.” We must have taken the wrong road around the island. We saw lots of huge and gorgeous multimillion dollar houses on the water but we never did see the beach. Siesta Key was built up and crowded with lots of painfully slow traffic. It was foggy and raining and we just went back to the campground.
Tomorrow is moving day again!