Livin' the Dream: March 2017

Sunday, March 26...

We left early this morning (okay...early for us) around 10:15. Wendy and Dan drove us to visit the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. We made good time even though we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for beverages and the bathroom, arriving at the gardens around 11:30.

Fountains at the entrance

First up...the Tropical Conservancy!

Volcano Queen

This one hangs upside down!

My favorite photo of the day!

This red and white one had a great fragrance.

Nice little photo area near the exit.

This is just outside the Conservancy.

Photo by Wendy

This field of salvia is new since last year and it overlooks Sarasota Bay and the Ringling Bridge.

Love this tree...

When you gotta go ;o)

Next up was the butterfly garden and the chrysalis enclosure where there were a number of caterpillars eating and waiting to become butterflies.

Guess butterflies like these plants since they were planted in the butterfly garden.

Shrimp Plant

Dutchman's Pipe

There were a couple of plein air artists at work across this tidal lagoon

and Dan was kind enough to strike a pose

what a dork

Captured this fisherman in the bay.

Wendy was brave enough to try the yarn swing.

From here we walked back along the way we came until we reached the Selby House Cafe where we bought lunch and ate it outside.

We left there and headed toward the Koi Pond, passing a number of different bamboo trees.

Then the pond, always a very restful place.

Photo by Wendy

We decided to pass visiting the Children's Rainforest Garden but couldn't pass a photo op at the base of the huge banyan tree.

We have been to the gardens several times but never noticed this tree in blossom before. It's a Shaving Brush Tree.

I don't think I would want to clean up after it tho!

From the Mangrove Walkway we saw a sailboat that was stuck in the sand and listing badly. We also saw this Best Party Boat Ever!

We stopped in Venice to get gelato, then headed home.

When we buy one more large gelato, we get one free! Woohoo...the ultimate discount.

At home, Bill sat in the shade on the front porch enjoying a cigar while the three of us huddled in the shade under the umbrella on the deck and drank homemade strawberry daiquiris. Wendy and Dan also enjoyed a rum and Coke.

We had really good filets for dinner then took Titan for a walk along Rt. 41. We watched a show on HGTV about people looking for a vacation home on an island I have never heard of - Nevis. Learn something every day, or so they say.

Monday, March 27...

The four of us walked Titan along the Linear Pathway to the parking garage. They were willing to watch him while Bill and I used the bathroom, which is the main reason we walk to the garage ;o)

We ate lunch at home, then they went to Hurricane Charley's to have adult beverages and "borrow" the pool, we went to Publix to buy cake for Wendy's birthday celebration later. We sat in the shade on the deck until they came home but we all ended up inside reading because it was so hot on the deck.

Bill fixed an early dinner of pasta carbonara, which we ate early so we could walk over the bridge. We left the house about 6:30, parked at Hurricane Charley's, used the bathroom and headed over the bridge. Every three minutes we did 12 walking lunges. When we reached the other side, we did 30 seconds of squats before heading back and we added 12 incline presses every three minutes to the lunges. We stopped just past the center of the bridge to watch the sunset and do another 30 seconds of squats.