ninja, sketchy conceal carry class and TP in the sky

i know i have promised a post about the cockroach, but that will have to wait a minute.

i am happy to say that things here are cautiously getting back to normal...not sure what that means, but they just announced at today's county meeting that they are dropping the beach parking restrictions. that is normal enough for me! they were restricting parking from 10 am- 9 pm, which basically meant that i could not park there for morning walks, so my motivation to walk 1.5 miles to the beach from cortez village was relatively low... but i've already set my alarm for tomorrow morning, thank you commissioners!

mama turtle tracks-it's season!

That said, i went yesterday after work, and they allow 2 hours parking. so i walked a little, then pulled out the hammock for a bit. my time limit came to an end and it was before the sunset, but i knew that if i wanted to get to the store, i needed to go because they have been closing by 8pm...and i needed some greens! i made it, but it was tight! i did a little splurge as well, but it was something that i'd been thinking about for awhile and the time had come. i had been putting it off because apartment living is the devil in disguise as far as space goes. i have so many kitchen items, but so little space in my kitchen. i did some researching, and i have several ninja products, so when i saw that they produce a toaster oven that flips up for storage, i was sold! and the walmart near me had said item.

there will be an abundance of roasted veggies in my future!

the roasted chicken and roasted peppers...yummers!

so mom and dad, next time you visit, we can actually make toast without firing up the oven...i may or may not have roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli for lunch, then roasted chicken, peppers and onions for dinner. it has already been worth every penny! and i may or may not have tried some mini blueberry turnovers...and sugar cookies. oops. #covidcurses

this past weekend was a good weekend- i went to help a friend lay a few patches of sod, then came home to celebrate my sister-friend's birthday on a zoom celebration...then after a little nap, met up with a couple friends to go do a little kayak/paddleboard adventure! same place as before, in the sarasota inlet....it was a strong current, so we stopped at the first clearing, knowing that the return would be brutal. there was a moment when shea's pup was chasing a stick by the point and could've easily been swept away, but fortunately ezzie and shea were able to man-handle the 100 lb beast and get him out of the current and move around the rocks toward the beach! all's well. on the return we saw some dolphins- it seems to be a good area to chance encounter these friendlies!

now, the parking may or may not have been blocked of, so we may of may not have parked in a secret-ish lot behind the abandoned tennis courts and hiked a quarter of a mile to the bay...worth it!

then mother's day was relaxing. i did get out to the beach, and parking was not an issue (still the 2 hour limit), no issue because rain had been predicted- in fact there was a 30-40 percent chance, so i had checked the doppler radar, and kept an eye on it. i got in a good little walk, then set up the hammock and it was beautiful! then as my 2 hour limit was approaching, there came that quick brisk breeze, which was my first indicator, i looked at my radar app, and it was upon us; thankfully my take-down time for the hammock is record, so i was back to my car just as the big raindrops began to fall from the sky. i love to be dry, so i was glad that i remembered the lessons learned from joe at kamp in regards to the weather!

it was slightly comical watching other running to their cars from my dry fortress...don't judge.

what else? well...i'm trying to help the local doughnut business- thank you, peachey's! they should be preparing for their fair circuit up north, but it seems rather uncertain right now, so we'll take advantage of them being in town as long as possible...it's kinda' like when you get ready to leave and you keep saying goodbye, and then running in each other again- like if you were in the tsa line and you keep seeing each other as you round the corner...only it's me showing up buying donuts, so not like tsa at all. whatever, make up your own anecdote if you feel you need one.

snicker-doodle glazed, and the most amazing buttery sourdough pretzel-just what the doctor ordered...yep...pretty sure i heard fauchi say this was the covid19 cure in one of those pressers...

i had allowed my tx conceal/carry to expire, so i was all in when my friend mentioned going to take the class to qualify for the conceal carry permit here in florida. it was at a little mom and pop target practice place, and to be quite honest, it seemed a little suspect. the others in the class were all men, there was a very strange guy who sat up front-i don't ask questions, but he seems like the type who is probably not married and lives in a little cabin in the mountains (only there are no mountains here)...so i don't know what the equivalent here would be...burial mounds? idk. anyhoo. there was a guy at our table who didn't seem to have a firm grasp on the language, and a young buck who had probably never really spent much time around guns. then two older gentlemen who were former leo, or current guards. so the class was nothing like i imagined. you have to understand that in texas it seemed a little more serious. here it seemed like a bit of an after-thought, and even at that, the trainer said he was one of the more exigent of trainers in the area...(insert sketchy-face emoji here).
i mean...the classroom was under a tarp off to the side of the building, held up by branch poles and a ladder where the important documents were held. no video. no internet. nothing but a little story-telling and guidance. i wasn't sure what to think. actually, i was very glad that i had previously taken the course in texas, and had plenty of practice time. it was pretty close, and they do have a good membership deal, so i will probably go back just for the practice.

i may need to just take my own targets- i miss the place i used to go in plano!

in other news, i walked to the little mail kiosk last week, and on the way back i saw something going on in the sky, so i had the boys join me in the shade to see what was going on. at first, i thought it was a request or advertisement for toilet paper, but the plane continued to churn out more letters until the word TRUST was written in the sky. i don't think there was anything else, but i had to go back inside because: work. but it was something different!

i was amused at first, and then the pilot had to go on and make it philosophical...

and i have been trying to transition to hot tea in the afternoon instead of coffee because sleep is a good thing at night. anyhoo, i've tried to like hot tea before and it just never stuck. so i decided to follow some hints that noom dropped, and the republic of tea delivered! i think this could be a game changer...we'll give it a go. so far, so good!

i do enjoy both.

find your calm and wind-down zone, get out when you can, and always keep an eagle-eye on the strange guy in class!

julie

may we go back to may? part 3 (didn't realize it was a trilogy?)

like i said, may was a busy month!

shortly after the mock training, i was summoned to help support in ms, which was a good experience as well. i was able to help plan and then be available for additional support onsite. we had a good time, and it was great getting to know ann better!

the uber to the hotel was informative, it was like tourist-guide-ish. then we met that night to go over the presentation, and i didn't realize until after she'd dropped me back off, that my purse was nowhere...i couldn't get back into my room (but worse than that, my license was in there, and i couldn't help but think about my flight home!)...so i called a lyft to return me to the starbucks we'd been at...the hotel clerk offered her car, but i felt a little weird about that, so i waited and prayed! unfortunately the lyft driver had to go down several exits to turn around to get to me (20 minutes later) because there was construction along the freeway! fortunately the area where the starbucks was is in a great part of town and all the other shops in the little area had been closed before we finally left, and my purse, being black and sleek, was still hanging there, patiently waiting for me on the back of the chair out on the outside seating area.

our ticket out of the training!

the training went well, and i was off to the airport again, a good 6 hour wait for the next flight. ew.

then the following day one of my great friends from kamp came to visit! the great thing was that she has a job that allows her to work from home, so we were both able to work on friday, monday and tuesday before i took wednesday and thursday off! and since shea was also working, we played in the afternoons, and it worked out well!

fields of gold

old tree photo shoot

wembley photo shoot

lido beach waiting for...

hammocks on the beach, sunset pics, myakka park- we did see alligators, and the 'sea of gold' flowers were in bloom, which is seasonal, not more than two weeks later the entire meadow was under water... we got over to st. armands, lido beach, obviously we had to introduce her to the farmhouse donuts (the biscuit and gravy twist), fish tacos, nascrab races at a local favorite...then wednesday was our early morning and off to animal kingdom!

i decided at shea's suggestion to go ahead and get annual passes for the parks, and when we decided to parkhop to magic kingdom, i determined real quickly that it was so worth it! for parking, hopping, the pics, etc, it will pay itself off quickly enough! and to be only 2 hours away, it's an easy day trip. plus a great excuse (not that i need one) to go hang out in orlando with brandy, and not feel rushed at the parks! so yes, we went we conquered! we stopped to meet and greet pocahontas, walked through to see all sorts of animals, we caught the safari ride, everest, etc, then we wandered around a bit, we wanted to do the avatar ride, but the line...ohhhhh....the line! (although, in hindsight, i understand it may have been worth it, note to self, will have to return! even if only for this ride!) we ate in this land and loved it-such interesting burger pods and hot-dog bites and very unique drinks! it was almost a given we'd eat there, as we had prepped by watching a couple nights earlier with homemade ceviche!

at some point we decided that we would spend the second half of the day at the magic kingdom. we arrived as they were recognizing a veteran, followed by a small parade, which shea almost interrupted (oh the scolding)...

anyhoo, we took advantage of every photo op available! we did some of the smaller fun rides, as the lines weren't too ridiculous...probably the longest line was our meet and greet with ariel! yikes! but she did pull out the dinglehopper and combed shea's hair, so that was worth it! as was the fast pass on splash mountain!

celebrating our mentor, TRISH HELSEL's bday (who knew she'd just gotten proposed to!?!)

these are the pictures we love!

we caught the light show from one of the small diners, then tried to get to space mountain, but the line was ridiculous! we did end up doing the winnie the pooh ride, which i believe was our last of the night, and we took the ferry back. #productiveday

the following day, which i also took off, we did a little siesta key factory tour, and beach, then when shea was off, it was a little rainy, so we went down to the tiki-hut (we'd been wanting to try the food there to mark it off the list). it wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible, either. i'm pretty sure bmayes got the best option- hard to go wrong with coconut shrimp! eventually the little downpour passed by, and we made our way to a little ledge where you could sit and watch the sunset-which was pretty much set-still beautiful. and the lights were turned down because: turtle nesting season.

the following day, we got some more work done before taking bmayes to the airport for the late flight back. the issue on that 7:00 pm flight is always either traffic, or weather! fortunately we made it in a timely fashion, and despite all the other cancellations due to wx, hers went well!

and after that, i slept!

trick the youg-uns! oh deer (12 deers of Christmas)

yesterday was my first official full day of vacation. it kinda' started before that, as i got cards in the mail and a goodie packaged from the team at the home office in dallas. YUMMERS! fun tradition. i explained to suzanne that while it did not arrive in the prettiest of fashion (i think the only intact piece was the lemon bar), it made me feel like i had more...by the piece-count...and it really didn't matter, as the taste was not hampered! also packed in there was a sampling of chex-type-mix-ish, and a home-crocheted (that is not crotch-eted, it's crochet-ed...) dish scrubber from one of my colleagues-so thoughtful! let's just say it was a great effort to make holiday cleanup more festive! trick the young-uns, that's what i always say! (disclaimer: never said that before in my life, but i kinda' like it and you should expect to hear me saying it more often...if i can work it into a professional development, it's on! challenge accepted...surely there's a powerpoint slide for that...no? hold my rootbeer).

oh what fun it is to scrub!

yes, so that was the beginnings of fun, then after shea's atlanta/memphis fiasco flight, we went for one last beach hurrah, and seafood at the ole salty dog! good times!

 then it was home to finish packing. it had to be an early night because traveling mornings start early: 5:30 alarm!

the original plan was to stop in chatanooga and stay at a hotel, using points from southwest. well, their i-hotel voucher system is not top-notch in my book. i had a devil-of-a-time trying to get it booked, but i did find a baymont inn and suites that looked nice, pet-friendly, near the hwy, at the base of lookout mountain...sweet! i didn't have the actual voucher printed out, but i had the confirmation number and screen shots of the reservation, place, address, etc. put the address in my google maps and we were off!

i'd packed the car mostly the night before, so i put the boys' harnesses on, and of course they were thinking long walk, so i took them on a faux-sunrise walk...halfway down the block and turned around to take them back and get them in the car...trick the young-uns, that's what i always say! anyhoo, it worked. fueled up, and off to the races by 7. unfortunately not early enough to avoid the traffic melt-down in tampa near i-4...hot mess. of course it didn't help that it was a foggy morning- patchy, but heavy in areas. 

once we started getting close to chattanooga (around 6:30-ish), i began looking forward to chilling out with the boys and enjoying some quality hotel time. (is that even a thing?) it was dark, the fog continued up through georgia and into tennessee, and it was misting almost the entire trip- in spurts.

it was just kinda' meh all day.

this wouldn't bother so much, but any time i stopped for a bathroom break, i figured i should let the boys out to stretch as well- it was wet everywhere, so their little paws got wet, and since their bellies are so close to the ground, they were in need of drying off after every outing. eesh. and chaco hadn't drank all day-he doesn't when we travel, so i figured they were ready. upon nearly arriving, there was a huge traffic back-up, so google took us in a round-about way to the address she was given. when we arrived, there was no baymont inn. i was slightly mystified...so i pulled into an auto-store parking lot and began looking; this is what i found:

HMM... permanently closed caught my eye...

at that point, i wasn't sure exactly what the plan was to be, so i got on the i-hotels website, where i'd booked the reservation, and sent them a message-letting them know that the baymont inn i'd booked at was closed. there was a number to call, but it is in the UK, and has different time, etc...so message was the option. at that point, i just asked them if they could reissue another voucher. and, being short on patience and thrifty, i had zero desire to find another place to stay that was pet friendly, and have to shell out a bunch of money, when i was expecting to not have that expense.

 so i took the boys to wendys, peed, got a baconator jr. meal and a frosty (because how can you not)...then took the boys under the awning of the ace hardware store next door to 'walk'...finally bruno relieved himself near a bale of hay, and chaco then decided it was ok as well (number 1, if we're all on the same page as far as potty-ratings go, no pick-up necessary). then we went back to the car, i dried them off and sat them in the trunk, while i rearranged their travel space. if we were going to shoot for the moon and keep going, i was not going to make them stay in their kennels. so i removed to door from the bigger kennel and faced it to the middle, collapsed chaco's kennel and folded it up, pulled out the dog blankets and dog bed, and they had a little doggie motel in the back seat. i plugged in mom and dad's address and we were on the road again!

i'd been listening to true crime podcasts most of the way, and continued for a couple more hours before switching to music. eta: 3:30 my time. uf. i called mom to let her know about the change in plans, and told her i wasn't sure exactly when i'd arrive, because if i got tired, i planned to stop at a rest area to take a nap, so if they could leave the door unlocked and i'd just let myself in. it really was a good plan, and as i drove, i kept wondering when i was going to start getting tired...as you recall, i'd been up since 5:30, and if you know me, i'm not a late-night girl...that said, midnight rolled around, and i was still doing alright. got out of tennessee, making our way through kentucky, and i don't think i saw a single rest-stop after about 80 miles from chattanooga...then we hit illinois-which threw me for a loop, my geography hadn't prepared me. but it was only for literally 2 minutes, so we must have hit the southernmost tip of IL, and if i'd blinked, i would have missed the three signs saying leaving kentucky welcome to illinois welcome to missouri!  (6 states today, ya'all! and not the tiny delawares and new hampshires...) it was that quick and a couple of bridges! from there it was mostly back road.

google was taking us by way if poplar bluff, through "be-sure-to-get-gas-before-entering" land...because once you hit those back country roads, you may or may not see a gas station, and at 1-2 am, the likelihood of it being open is slim! as i drove through poplar bluff, i reminisced of the time trish and i drove there from k-2 for a dear friend, julia's wedding! good times! i thought about julia, as we've since lost touch-she was a great letter writer, and always included quotes. i started thinking about how to get a letter to her to see how she's doing...offer some encouragement... i realize that's so random, but so were my thoughts last night!  as i was speedster-ing junction tt, h and o, i was hyper aware, trying to be preemptive should a drunk teen or college student  be traversing these backroads; should the need arise, where would the least damage occur if i were to swerve off to avoid oncoming traffic? ...all too aware of the many losses. (sad-face-emoji)...and there to slow me down were deer. the first buck was stepping delicately onto the pavement on the other side and stepped back (it didn't help that there was still a bit of fog). all told, i would come across 12 deer. (like the 12 deer of Christmas, my true love gave to me...minus true love-and that there just made me think of the princess bride...this is getting out of control as deer in MO have nothing-nada to do with one of the greatest movies!) there were 2 singles, i'd love to have been able to hook them up, play cupid.. but one was in kentucky, the other in missouri...so distance would be a thing, and as they have hooves, communication via usps would not be an option, so i scrapped that idea...then there were about 3 couples...late night rendezvous, and the best was the group of deer (4 doesn't make a herd in my book, so i'm sticking with the lame choice: group); there were 4 of them, probably a party or a game of jenga...or perhaps planning on how to takeover the world (i'm sure gary larson, the far side comic genius would've known, but i'm not well-versed in deer behavioral analysis). 

travelling for Christmas and Thanksgiving always brings back memories of being in the backseat sleeping and waking in the dark little towns with their decorations glowing in the night, sometimes the magical flurries were floating...good memories!

only instead of snow, fog

it was a pretty awesome manger up on the hill

i still got it! (if 'it' is the stupidity that makes you go longer than you should, i don't really think that's anything to brag about, and in all fairness, i don't really want 'it')

anyhoo, i wasn't sure which side of town i'd be arriving on, but it was just in time, as the gas light came on...i should have enough fuel to last me the next few days, traipsin' about town.

today, i'm beat. my body will probably catch up by the time we leave. and i got an email message from the UK ihotel people saying: yes, we have your confirmation for comfort inn and suites, you should be set for the 19th. (it's the 20th dude. and i reserved a room at the baymont inn-ya' should've let me know that it had changed ownership since whenever you first started doing this hotel voucher business. keep up... and whatever you're smoking, just...stop).

hope everyone is having safe travels (even if it's just traveling from one room to the next)!
jrob

kinda feels like an oofos commercial

look, i know i just posted an entry today, but i'm not sure if i'll get around to posting again before i visit the folks! so double session! it's kinda like a BOGO (buy one get one), only it doesn't cost you a thing! does it get any better than that? i submit: it does not!

i got home tuesday at a decent time, and then wed-fri were relatively slow. i was able to get in a little pd of my own, and get my expense report in...i held onto it for a minute, hoping for those last minute expenses from pasco to show up, but alas, it's only after you've submitted the expense and it's been approved that the others come through. not that anyone really cares or is following this line of thought, so moving on-

on wednesday evening, i took one of my friends to the airport for her family Christmas (i think she was focused on getting some good Christmas pics with her pup!) and she was supposed to return today, but atlanta went and had a power outage-the worst! fortunately she wasn't caught there (that would be a nightmare)! but i'm sure it's not much more fun in memphis, especially if you get the short straw and don't get the lucky hotel room (they are limited); still better than being stuck in atl! no good can come of that!

anyhoo, what the above paragraph means is that i was stuck adventuring by myself. so i did. i'd seen an event on bridge street-out on the island by bradenton beach. so i figured i'd go down and park at coquina beach, and walk to bridge street (about 1/2 mile) and see what i could see! it wasn't quite what i was expecting...there were a smattering of booths set up, and the music stage was getting ready-some of the senior crowd were sitting in the chairs under the awning. but the weather was amazing, so who cares! fortunately the post office was right across the road, so it wasn't a total loss-yes, i'd brought the last of the Christmas post cards to make a drop! i then wandered down to the pier to see if i'd missed anything. i had not. that was it. so i went into the souvenir shop to get a little something i'd been thinking about, and made it back to the beach.

there's a resort that is completely tarped and it looks like where's waldo, only without as much mystery...or it's going above and beyond to win the HOA award for most festive and dressing like a candycane..?

Christmas trees at the pier

my kind of december! this agrees with me!

they had a BOGO, so i couldn't pass it up, now i'm officially ready for visitors! 

it was a fairly slow day, which was surprising for a saturday in the mid-low 70s! i was able to set up my hammock in the perfect spot- near a lifeguard stand, near the bathrooms, near the concession stand, near the volleyball court, near the ocean! (come visit, i'll share the spot!) the trees were just a little too far apart, so fortunately i had extra straps in my trunk (as i have 4 hammocks back there...again, come visit, i have enough hammocks to share!)...anyhoo, i made it work, then i listened to a great podcast called: TRUE CRIME HISTORIAN; i heard about it while listening to BEST CASE/WORSE CASE...the guy reads old crimes from multiple sources and follows them through several clippings/articles...it's great because they are focused in the golden era of news-writing when they crafted stories, not just straight up facts...comical at points, although he's not a comedian.

anyhoo, it was warm enough that i did get a bit of a sunburn on my face. so i went back today-again great weather, upper 70s...and although it was a bit busier, i got my same spot! i really like this area, because it's the perfect spot for an all-day outing-i already mentioned the amenities, there is also a picnic table, several australian pines if you need to get out of the sun, and grills for lunch! (the only thing that could make it better would be if it were pet-friendly).  on sundays from november-july they have a market as well, so there is plenty to looky-loo through. i usually put on my sunglasses to not make eye-contact, that way i don't have to pretend i like something or am interested.

once i'd gotten enough sun, and enough ocean to last me through the Christmas vacation, i decided to check the wares. wouldn't ya' know it...there was an OOFOS tent! what?! i've seen their ads plenty on my facebook page, and i had JUST asked if any of my friends had a pair. now...i'm not a big shoe person. i don't own a closet-ful of dress shoes...my money is spent on chacos, tennis shoes and now oofos.

sharp looking...i could probably wear these to work...ok, only the work from home portion..

super thick soles

the design is so comfortable!

just look at the contour! it takes the pressure off the front of the foot

can you kinda see where that blister is forming?

let's back up just a second. yesterday i got to my last straw, where flip-flops are concerned. i am a flip flop girl now. i'd purchased a pair awhile back while visiting shea, and i'd gotten used to them (adidas, cushion-y, pillow-soft) and love them...then back in may, when i met julie k and pam in fort meyers for a training, i stopped at target to get a cheap pair. well. they last me until yesterday. that mile to and from bridge-street..murder she wrote...my feet were murdered; i got the worst blister on my pads...on the way TO the event, coming back was worse! them there flippers go out in the trash tomorrow. hence my need. so i spent more than i should, but when i got home and wore them for awhile, it felt like walking on clouds! LOVE! when i tried them on, they were a perfect fit on my feet! i can't even begin to express my happiness!! i may even try to wear them as long as possible up north because that's how much i like love them! (if i were in 4th grade, i'd have drawn hearts all around that)! 

anyhoo, that's what's up. if you want to make your feet happy: oofos!
julie

remember when i used to be consistent?

alright, so...here goes nothing.

i realize that i have been remiss in my blogging efforts-oops. i've had a few people give me the 'just do it' speech. the worst thing is that so much time has passed, and so many things have happened, so this will be a picture/comment recap for the most part for perhaps the next two rounds in order to get caught up. and i will try to keep it in chronological order as much as possible!

this was the boys' last walk in our apartment complex before they went to hang out with mom and dad in mo, so that i could get things packed and cleaned up without worrying about entertaining and working around them-it was so strange to not have them around!

one of those times i hang out with nicolette and a short trip to get a mani turns into a full day-not complaining because i got to eat my last nami food truck meal at klyde warren park, and it was a perfect day!

...and what better game to end with, than scrabble!

 then i got to hang out with this group of ladies who make me laugh-so many times we had to laugh so we didn't cry! not pictured: joanne-who had to leave early, but i am SO glad she was able to join us, as she has played such a huge role in my growth while i was at Cabell, and a dear friend after! (i'm certain the boys would go crazy if they could come to your house again!)

after the few choice goodbyes, it was time to travel. let's be real, i was a little nervous about towing the car, but dad said i could do it, so i believed him! the entire time i kept mumbling to myself 'pull through only, pull-through only' to remind myself not to get stuck, because you can't reverse that junk!

truth is, i felt pretty cool parking with the 'big-guys'...until i opened my door and smelled urine in the lot-i'm almost certain there must have been some uncivilized men who were too lazy to go inside to use the restroom and just did the back porch relief....ew. 

the boys didn't get to travel with me, as they were still with mom and dad, but i did keep bruno's moose on the dash (i strategically asked my parents to keep bruno and chaco long enough for me to settle in, so that they could drive them down and fall in love with my area!)

and i pulled 'rattle-a-gator' in from the car to be my guard-alligator. it worked. 

finally i arrived! day one!! 

 the first sunset-document everything, right? it was beautiful sitting on the piling right off bradenton beach.

luckily before shea took off, we did a good walk down coquina beach to the jetty-perfect welcome back!

and a quick visit to the pet store to visit puppies! i think we checked out like 3 or 4 to play with-kinda like a library! shea has puppy fever!

once shea took off for her two week trip to amazing places, i got out to the beach to begin my morning walks routine. i'm working on my identification skills and trying to learn the differences between the gulls and terns, the cranes and the herons, the ibis and the other white birds...yikes. and it's going to get worse in the winter, because of all the migratory birds! ayayay!

morning walk looking east over the bay at the sunrise-you have to walk back into the neighborhood (which is literally 1 or 2 blocks)

this has become my favorite place to go park my car between cortez beach and bradenton beach because you can park and still see the ocean! heart! so i bring my coffee and partake at the beach while preparing for the morning walk. walks vary, depending on my mood. 

love this little entrance to the beach with the ever-popular sea-grape vegetation lining the dunes

when i opt to walk the park, the trail runs parallel to the beach, so i get glimpses as i go, but i can go at a decent pace, as it's a paved path, and on sunday early mornings, there is a fun little booth/market place...

i LOVE our bike racks (we live in manatee county, market, market, market!)

at the south side of the park, there is a small entrance to the bay, and across the channel is the hammock beach...

also at the south side of the park-beautifully landscaped with short palms.

i'm trying to get the timing right so that i don't get caught waiting for the drawbridge! but on my walk i usually cross the drawbridge into longboat key, because the have a great sidewalk-system, for walking!

view south from the drawbridge (hammock beach)

view north from the bridge-the south end of the park

i will say that i am so glad i finally made it to florida and that it worked out to make the move and continue working with istation! my dad was telling me about one of their church friends who suggested that i probably wouldn't like it for long, because of all the bugs, the heat and humidity, etc. i laughed a little. it reminds me a bit of HONDURAS, as the vegetation is similar, we have the pichetes (tiny lizards), i'm used to bugs (although i don't love the gnats and mosquitos, they haven't been as bad as expected this year), the heat-nothing compared to sps! and humidity doesn't scare me...and it has been rainy and stormy since i've arrived-much like rainy season in sps...again, not new, in fact comfortable. i wasn't too excited that two separate storms blew down two separate palm trees that i had to cut up into 4 ft or less segments so that yard waste peeps would haul them off! i was here for about 2 weeks before mom and dad were able to come down to visit and bring the boys to their new home! i will have to share how the move-in went, as it is a 'furnished rental.' start asking yourself how it was furnished...i'll let you think on that and get back to you!

coming soon: summer visitors, summer trainings, summer conference, other fun stuff, and then we'll start to get back on track! thanks for coming back, i'm trying to be better!!

say a prayer and send good thoughts to those on the texas gulf, and the areas inland dealing with flooding...we'll see what the aftermath leaves tomorrow- sad face emoji.

it's good to be back! much love!
julie
jrob
jules
juan
hey you