Happy First Day of Spring

Guess what we did today...

After breakfast, the farmer's market, Wal-Mart and Publix, we ate lunch at home and went to the art festival at Laishley Park. 

 

 

Lots of vendors and nice things for sale but all we bought was a $5 lemonade.  

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

A Slow Day

It was a quiet day today in Southwest FL.  As usual, we took the dog for a walk.  From there we packed him in the back of the car where he promptly fell asleep while we drove south to Ft. Myers.  Mr. Bill's sister gave him a certificate for Omaha Steaks at Christmas and there is a store in FM.  (I didn't even know they had stores, I thought it was all mail order.)  They were having a 50% off sale so we got a lot of good stuff for not quite as much money.  Mr. Bill decided on salmon fillets, filet mignon and sirloin strip steaks.  We have to wait till tomorrow to enjoy one of these tasty looking entrees because frozen chicken was slowly unfreezing on the kitchen counter.

We gave Sir Titan a shower tonight in the "beautiful" bathroom.  It's great because you walk right in, no sides to step over, and the shower can be hand held.

Is this a great looking bathroom, or what?  Anyway, Sir Titan was not all that excited about the whole procedure but between Mr. Bill and I, we got 'er done.  As a rule, the dog is not excited about the first time for anything so I figure, next time it will be easier.  Right?  He didn't even make a big mess when he shook himself off, thanks to a terrific job of towel drying him first by Mr. Bill. 

These were "under construction" last year but have been completed.  I think they are pretty cute, what do you think?

They are murals painted on the bathroom doors at Laishley Park.


Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Walk the Walk

Last year we got into the habit of walking along the Peace River every day.  We would start at the Fishermen's Villages, walk along the river through Gilchrist Park, under the highway, through Laishley Park to one of the small fishing piers and back.  Laishley Park was completely rebuilt after the hurricane in 2004. This year, however, because Gilchrist Park does not allow dogs, we park in the Best Western lot and leave from there, walking to the farthest little pier and back.  This takes us a couple of hours.  Of course, we all have to make a potty stop, or 3 or 4 (for the dog) rest a little at the pier, sit in the sun for a minute or two, get a drink from the water fountain (which precipitates more potty stops) and finally return to the car.

This serves two purposes...Mr. Bill and I get some good exercise, which burns calories, which creates some weight loss. It would if we didn't come home and snack on M&M's and potato chips :o( Sir Titan gets some good exercise, which makes him very tired and laid back.  Consequently, he spends most of the rest of the day like this...

 We are all happy when Sir Titan is tired.  He did play with his rubber duck in the yard for awhile this afternoon, which adds to his relaxed state.

He are a few photos of our walk...

 On the left is the bridge between Pt. Charlotte and Punta Gorda (Rt. 41, Tamiami Trail)

 Boardwalks make up a couple of the sections of the walk.  The condos were built after Hurricane Charlie.

I see this handsome man walking his exceptionally well behaved dog everywhere I go.  I think he is stalking me.

A quiet moment in the sun.  (You can't really blame the handsome man, can you?)

We use these decorative posts to work on Sir Titan's heeling by weaving in and out so that he has to follow us and actually think about where he is going.

As you can see, it's a really nice place for a walk!

Tomorrow is another farmer's market (our favorite) and the first CRAFT FAIR!  Woo Hoo.  I won't buy anything but it's fun to look.

Thanks for stopping by... (don't forget to feed the fish)
;o)

Leishley Park

I thought I would create some posts about our favorite places.  Yesterday we spent the morning, as representatives of the shelter, at the Taste of Punta Gorda at Leishley Park.  I have blogged about the park previously but  have not shared the monument/sculpture titled Spirit of Punta Gorda.  This monument was dedicated in 2004 as a testiment to the strong people of Punta Gorda after Hurricane Charley. 

The phases of the moon section of the monument.

Prior to the hurricane, this park was here but other than a gazebo at the other end, the park was nothing more than an open space.  Since the hurricane, the park is home to a playground with a dancing waters fountain, a very nice restroom facility, a walking path that has many benches along the way, numerous "doggie poop bag" dispersers (this town is very dog friendly), the monument and a stage.  The path continues behind some new condos along the river to a fishing pier.  The Laishley Crab House is also here, overlooking a marina on the harbor.


Bill and I walk from Fishermen's Village, along the river, under the Rt. 41 bridges, to a bench near the monument (about 35 minutes; 2 miles) where we sit and relax for a few minutes before returning to FV and a well deserved coffee.  We took this walk with David and Paula during their visit.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)