A Super Saturday

Today didn't start out great; it was only 59* and very foggy.  We had talked about going to a yoga class but decided to go to the farmer's market in Punta Gorda instead.  We have been going to the market at the Fishermen's Village on Wednesday so we didn't really need any vegetables.  We are working on week two of the South Beach Diet so we couldn't buy bread or fruit or pasta.  What's the point you might ask?  It feels good to be outside and we wanted to see what was available so that next weekend when week two is OVER we can buy some good stuff to eat (in moderation, of course).  I don't want to get too carried away since I think I can see the beginning of a waistline.  

The market has lots and lots of wonderful looking food, including steaks, seafood, yummy looking Italian pastries, a huge selection of nuts

How about these beautiful strawberries...

and this broccoli that is completely unfamiliar to me.  It was labeled "crown" broccoli but Wikipedia describes it as "Romanesco" broccoli.  I don't know how it tastes but I like the way it looks.  When we eat up more of the vegetables in the fridge, we'll try some of this.  The market is open every Saturday morning till the end of March.

There is live entertainment.   Thanks to one of the vendors, we found a new coffee house.  After a short walk around the corner we found ourselves at Cafe Ruelle (coffee house & wine bar).  This is a cute little place hidden down a beautiful garden alleyway which not only has coffee and wine but also serves meals.  We treated ourselves to iced coffees and returned to the park to listen to the entertainment.  The sun came out and we just chilled for the next 30 minutes or so. 

From there we drove a short distance to check out the Punta Gorda History Park and were very surprised to see a number of people with very large cameras watching a bald eagles nest.  Again, we weren't very prepared since we didn't bring along any binoculars and don't own any large cameras.  However, we were able to see the adult eagle in the nest as well as one of the babies.  (You can click on the picture to make it larger and you should be able to see them, too.)  What an incredible sight; we couldn't stop watching. 

The park was created in 1994 in order to preserve a number of historic structures including the oldest known building in Charlotte County.  It includes 200 varieties of hibiscus, as well as a butterfly garden.  Unfortunately, due to the freezing temps earlier this month, much of the vegetation had been killed.  They are going to wait a few weeks before pruning to determine what might come back.  This blossom had fallen off the plant and was given to us by a volunteer.
It's huge, measuring 7" across.

 

My hands aren't that big but this gives you an idea how big the flower is.

I did take a restorative yoga class later this afternoon and Mr. Bill went to the gym after which we walked to our favorite coffee house.  We had to sit in the shade while drinking our coffee because it was just too hot in the sun. (poor us, I know) 

We tried a new recipe for dinner...spinach stuffed mushroom caps.  I added onion and garlic but thought they were still a little bland.  Personally, I think they would have been great if they were deep fried and dipped in ranch dressing.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)