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.

Milton Evacuation from Venice

 

Now that Milton has left the state of Florida and unfortunately left so much damage, I am focused enough to give a recap of the week.  Also, I want to thank all the readers who were kind enough to leave comments on Instagram as I updated that I was safe.

As the forecast and track became more and more dire, we had to make a decision on Sunday whether to stay and miss a planned trip, or evacuate early to get out in time and safely.  It is not an easy decision to evacuate and face the traffic on the highways, gas shortages and just leaving your house not knowing what you will come back to.  Luckily I live in a newly constructed cinder block house that is built for a category 5 hurricane and it already withstood Ian fine.  Right when we left, an evacuation order was issued for our zone due to flooding concerns too.

We packed the car, grabbed the dog because you can’t leave a dog in a kennel that will lose power and drove 13 hours in the middle of the night on Monday.  We made it to Atlanta (usually a 6 hour drive), found gas at one lone pump and went to bed early after a long day at the hotel I had reserved in advance.  Watching the hurricane hit from afar is not a great feeling and seeing the eye pass over Venice is surreal.  

We did not lose power, completely (just flickers off and on), so by watching our cameras, we could see that screens and a support from our pool cage are down and there was definitely a power surge because the dining room light somehow turned on.  We feel lucky about this for sure, because for many in Venice it was much worse, especially the beach areas that were already damaged from the Helene storm surge.

We now spend time with family and friends in Michigan before we head back to clean up our place and also help our community with ongoing cleanup.  

Please pray for recovery for all our favorite spots in Venice, Sarasota and Siesta Key.  Floridians have got this, but will need help, even if it is good thoughts across the miles.  

Post Helene Clean Up

 

Florida just keeps taking the hits this hurricane season and Helene left so much damage in my little corner of the gulf coast.  When locals say run from the water, hide from the wind, this storm was a perfect example. The power of the surge was not something you would want to be caught up in.  Many rescues were needed, beachfront homes flooded and belongings were tossed around.  Sand was deposited like snow drifts.  For my city it was primarily a beach event that will take some time to recover. Both the Venice Jetty and the Venice Pier are closed awaiting repair.  The beaches have been cleaned, but are still closed to facilitate clean up efforts.

And, that is what I helped with this week.  My volunteer group spent Thursday morning cleaning the beach pavilion area by picking up debris and palm fronds.  Also, while the deep sand has been removed from sidewalks and parking areas, there remains a layer of mud/sand that needed to be scraped off.  

You want to help where you can, and we are lucky to have first responders and emergency crews to make things safe for the willing hands to start the clean up.  Florida knows how to do this well and after one week, it shows.  But, as we learned with Hurricane Ian two years ago it, takes time. 

Finally, the damage in North Carolina is on another level.  It will require so many resources coming together to build back infrastructure, homes and put back together people’s whole lives.  So many lost and so much suffering.  But, Americans are strong and we help each other.  All will be well. 

Riding Out Hurricane Helene

 

 

We did all the hurricane prep yesterday and now we wait.  Because we added permanent storm screens, the process is much less stressful and much easier to do.  Anything that might fly, goes on the covered part of the lanai and down comes the screen with the press of a button.  We most likely won’t get hurricane force winds in the outer bands, but it’s always better to be over prepared.

Having ridden out Hurricane Ian, we know our house can take sustained category 4 winds, so we feel like old hands at this now.  We have become Florida people with hurricane supplies, a generator and a more laid back attitude to the whole thing.  The worst thing is being stuck in the house while the storm rages, but this one is a fast mover and the sun will be out by Friday.  

Hopefully people in the landfall area (most likely the panhandle) where storm surge will be high, evacuated as they were advised.  It is not fun to leave and wonder what is happening, but it is the price you pay for beachfront living.  It is times like this that I don’t regret our location close to the beach, but not right on the beach. So many pretty spots are in the path, but Florida knows how to do this, will be ok  and recover as necessary.

Today may get wild at times, the phones may keep sending emergency alerts about flooding and storm surge, but my little part of Florida on the beautiful Gulf Coast will be ride out this hurricane just as it has for hundreds of years.

4th of July Weekend

 

I have always loved 4th of July weekend, because it has always been a lovely extension of my birthday at the end of June.  I also love all things patriotic; the flags, the songs, the fireworks and really anything red, white and blue.  I grew up in small town America and that kind of upbringing sticks with you.  A small town 4th of July parade will show you the best of America.

For our 4th, we golfed and then went to fireworks on Venice Beach.  There were a lot of people, but also, so easy to get to with free parking everywhere, unlike many beach towns. It really has a small town feel in our little beach community.  We reminisced a bit about fireworks we have attended over the years.   Being on the beach and watching the fireworks burst over the gulf is special, but we also loved the fireworks at our country club with our girls and their friends running around, Greenfield Village (Dearborn, Michigan) with the Detroit Symphony playing along and even one time watching from the bridge over the Mississippi River, when we lived in Memphis.

This is our 7th year and counting of fireworks on the beach.  We do love Florida life.

Happy Sunday.  Wedding day is 12 days away!

P.S.  Megan sent this photo and can’t wait to see this cutie girl so soon!

Tropical Rain

 

Rainy days and Mondays.  Starting on Monday, we have had a week of tropical rain; band after band of both light and heavy, with only a few breaks.  We were desperate for rain, but like many things it is feast or famine and nothing in between.  There has been local flooding, especially in Sarasota and Miami, but just soaking wet by me.  The good news is that the retention ponds are all full again and the grass will green up nicely when the sun returns.  More good news is that it looks like we will be returning to our typical summer weather pattern with quick afternoon thunderstorms.  Those have been missing the past couple of years and will be very welcome.  It is tropical south Florida after all, not the desert.

I am feeling a little house bound and will definitely try to make it to the beach soon.  The errands I need to run are at gardening centers, so I hope to find a dry window tomorrow for that.  Planting might have to wait, because this is too much rain for new plant roots.

Other news is that this is the start of Melissa’s bachelorette weekend and luckily they chose a different part of Florida that will be beautiful and sunny.  They will be in the panhandle in Rosemary Beach celebrating the bride to be.  Megan, her matron of honor, has worked really hard to make it a lovely time for all.  I can’t wait until the photos start appearing.  One month and 6 days until wedding day.  It is getting real.

Life Lately

 

It is a few days past Easter and April is already whizzing along for me with a lot on my calendar.  Melissa’s bridal shower is fast approaching and I am hoping for a flurry of rsvp’s to come in this week, so I don’t have to follow up with people.  I am working on menu cards and some table top signs and still need to place a flower order at Trader Joe’s.  Otherwise all is well with that.  3 months until the wedding!

I didn’t take any photos on Easter, but do have a few fun shots of our Good Friday.  As is our tradition, we went to Stations of the Cross and then did a mini bar crawl in the afternoon.  This tradition dates back to our parish friends in Michigan and we see no reason to not continue in Florida.  There was one big change and it was very Florida centric. Instead of stations of the cross in church, there was a procession through downtown Venice.  This was the first year for this and it was really quite special with several hundred participants on a beautiful day under a bright blue Florida sky.

Happy April!

The Best Visit

 

It has been a week since my family left and it has taken that long for me to collect my thoughts.  Having us all together, including our granddaughter was so much fun and really a dream come true.  We were busy, but also spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool. We took the baby along to some fun restaurants and also let her parents have a date at their favorite Venice restaurant too.  The baby had a lot of firsts including first plane trip, first pool time and first time at the beach.  She is the happiest and sweetest baby, with so many smiles for her Nana.

I cooked a lot, but cooking is my love language.  My daughters always appreciate my cooking and a nice table setting.  It makes me happy too.  My house was filled to the brim with baby toys and other necessities and it felt really empty after everyone left.  I now own a portable crib and hope it gets a lot of use in the years to come.

Luckily, we have many dates coming up to see each other, including the bridal shower and christening in a few weeks.  And, of course Melissa’s wedding in the summer.  There always seem to be big occasions to get together, but in all honesty, it is the times just sitting around the dinner table that really make me the happiest.

Happy Thursday!