Biking on Boca Grande

 

We have an annual tradition to bike on Boca Grande with a group of friends and today was the day.  It was a reschedule from a few weeks ago when we cancelled due to high winds, which would be no fun for biking.  The weather cooperated beautifully this time and it was sunny and a perfect high 70’s temperature day on the island.

Boca Grande is about 40 minutes south and is a village on Gasparilla Island.  There are bike paths and not a lot of automobile traffic.  Most residents use golf carts to get around.  The highlight is biking to the south end of the island with the gulf on your right side view the whole way.  There is a restaurant right on the beach, newly rebuilt from hurricane damage and we enjoyed the water view over a long lunch.

We headed back to the village, stopping at an old fashioned marina, the beautiful Gasparilla Inn and finally a stop at a old Florida style village bar that has been open on the island for 78 years.  It was really nice to see the continued recovery of this lovely place after being hit by several hurricanes lately.  Blue sky, blue water, white sand, gulf breezes and a day with friends.  Just another day in paradise for us.

The Best Visit

 

Family came to visit and it was everything and more.  Megan, Adam and Audrey stayed for a week and it was a last minute surprise that Kevin and Melissa managed to come for three days and overlap.  So, we were all together, which is always special.

The weather was just about perfect too.  Not quite perfect for swimming, but we turned up the pool heater and it was comfortable.  Audrey loved the pool and the beach which made it so fun. We saw flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens one morning. We read lots of books, watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, blew bubbles and just spent a lot of time outside enjoying warm weather.  Their Michigan winter has been pretty frigid, so they all loved the sunshine.

I cooked a lot, but we also had some fun meals out and of course ice cream too.  Nana and PopPop made wonderful memories with so much one on one time.  When you move to Florida, live by the beach and build a pool, these are the memories you dream of making with your family.  Many more memories to come too.