Back to Ramblers Rest & Venice

On Thursday, we said our good-byes to Jerry and Pam and headed west to Ramblers Rest in Venice, Florida.  As we traveled through the middle part of southern Florida, the countryside is surprisingly unpopulated.  Just cattle ranches everywhere.  If it wasn't so green, I would have thought we were back in Texas.

Ken and Bonnie had arrived at Ramblers Rest the day before us and we got there around 11:15 on Thursday.  The first site that the had assigned us was very tight and we were beginning to dig up the neighbor's yards trying to back into it so we went back to the office to see what else they had available.  The only other site they had available appeared to be very muddy from the 3 inches of rain that had gotten yesterday.  After checking another nearby campground to see if they had availability (which they didn't), we decided to try backing into the alternative site.  With Ken and Bonnie's help, Chuck got us backed into the site and we got leveled up without getting stuck which was our biggest concern.

After getting all set up, Ken and Bonnie went with us to run a couple of errands and for a late lupper at Sweet Tomatoes which was delicious because none of us had eaten any lunch.  We played some cards (of course) later that evening before calling it a day.

On Friday, we played some very good games of pickleball on the courts at Ramblers Rest...

...and then met Barb and Ray at Rib City for a delicious dinner of baby back ribs.

On Saturday, we loaded up the bikes and drove down toward Boca Grande.  We met Ernie and Noela at a beach access in Boca Grande where we parked the vehicles and went for a walk along the beach.

They began almost immediately finding sharks teeth and other seaside treasures.  I saw a few treasures too:

Doesn't this look like the head of a duck??

After walking on the beach for about 45 minutes (and trying not to get our feet wet), we got on our bikes and began riding down toward the Gasparilla Light House.

The roots grow straight down out of the branches on
this unusual looking tree.

We rode by the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse...

...and continued riding to the end of the island to the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse.

After parking our bikes, we began walking along the beach where there were piles and piles of these shiny thin shells.

On the point, there were some waveboarders waiting and watching to catch that perfect wave.

We continued walking around the point and I found this shell.

Look how big it is!

I also found this pretty piece of coral.

We walked about as far as we could...

...and then turned around and headed back to the lighthouse where we spotted these two pelicans closely watching a nearby fisherman for any lost bait.

They were kind of cute!

Look at their big feet!

Ken trying to make friends with the pelicans.

The fisherman caught a sheephead fish.

They are called "sheephead" because their teeth look like sheep teeth.

We got back on our bikes and headed back to where we had left the vehicles.

After loading the bikes, we rode a short distance to a nearby picnic table where we nearly froze in the wind eating our lunch.

And how do you top off a delicious picnic lunch in the cool wind?  By going to the nearby ice cream shop!

On Sunday, we went to church with Ken and  Bonnie in Englewood and then went to Ernie & Noela's to change clothes and head for Manasota Beach.  As soon as we got all our beach gear set up, I went for a 1.5 mile walk up and back to the north.

We ate our picnic lunches and enjoyed relaxing in the sun.

They all found a lot of sharks teeth and even a few pieces of seaglass.  I went for a second walk for a round trip of 3.5 miles to the south side of the beach.

I found the cross I had walked by a couple of years ago.

On Monday, Chuck and I had several errands to run that morning and then we got together with Ken and Bonnie for another couple of hours of some very good pickleball games.  It is so much fun!

Tuesday was our last day in the Venice area and what better way to spend your last day than at the beautiful Manasota Beach!  I began walking south again on the beach and went by the Great Blue Heron I have seen almost every time I have walked this way.

I walked about 2.5 miles and then turned around and headed back.

The beach is a lot less crowded here!

On my way back, I ran into Chuck, Ernie and Ken.  They wanted to walk a little further looking for some gigantic shark's teeth so I walked back with them to the sea wall where I had turned around earlier...

...and then we turned around and headed back.

By the time we got back, we were starving!  We ate our lunches and enjoyed resting awhile and visiting with Cindy & John who had joined us today as well.  Both of our beach days have been nearly perfect with light winds and nice temperatures.

We left Manasota Beach around 4:30 and then went back over to Ken and Bonnie's to play Pinochle and SkipBo which the men won.  Congrats, men!  Rrrrrrrr!

Tomorrow, we leave Venice and head for Bradenton for two weeks.