Sarasota, Florida

I woke around 5:00, did my language lessons, made morning beverages then we started getting ready to leave for the Gulf Coast. Most things had been packed in Mark’s Dodge Ram pickup last night, but we loaded the cold items and food items into the truck. Then we took the dogs for a morning walk before heading out.

Robinson Nature Preserve

After driving south on I-75 for about two hours, we arrived at Robinson Nature Preserve where we hiked, looked at birds and enjoyed the beautiful weather. By noon we were hungry for lunch, so we drove to Anna Maria Island. 

 Our friend, Steve Minor had recommended that we go to Coquina Beach on Anna Maria island. We enjoyed a picnic lunch of rice cakes and peanut butter and sat on the beach then walked along to the restaurant and rental area before  driving to Sarasota. 

Ringling Winter Home

We went to Ca' d'Zan, the winter home of the Ringling family where the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College was. We walked around the grounds after paying our entrance fee and looked at the well labeled plants and enjoyed the beautiful day. We sat on the veranda behind the house and looked at birds flying over the water. We especially enjoyed watching the osprey catching fish.

After leaving Sarasota and the Ringling family winter home, we made our way to the Airbnb in Bonita Springs. The three-bedroom house we had rented for the week was very nice in a good residential neighborhood. There were large TVs in the living room and every bedroom, and the Internet was fast.

On the veranda of the Ringling house

For dinner we decided to go to JR’s Old Packinghouse in Sarasota. We had been there at least twice on previous trips to the area and found the food to be delicious and inexpensive. When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated quickly. The decor of the restaurant was not fancy or elegant but was very comfortable. We remembered that the Cuban sandwiches at this restaurant were very good and the portions were large. I had a Cuban sandwich, and Mary had picadillo, which is a Cuban dish consisting of spiced ground meat with rice. Mark and I had margaritas with our meal, which were also good. We got peanut butter pie to have back at the B&B.

After leaving the restaurant walked to the nearby beach for sunset then we returned to the B&B to watch the Olympics before retiring for the night.