13 Jan Days 121 thru 123 Sarasota

It was time to move on before we wore out our welcome at Anna Maria Island. (If we hadn’t already)

We could not meet with our mechanic for about a week, so we were in no hurry and had no real schedule like we did the last time we passed this area.

Our first stop was the Mooring field in Sarasota. We met up with our friends from Outta the Loop. We all toured the Art Festival that was going on downtown Sarasota. Then a nice dinner and a stop at an outside bar with a live band. We were some of the younger patrons in a group of seniors that thought they were still teenagers. It was a fun evening.

The next day Janet and I took the dingy across the bay to see the Mote Aquarium.

The displays of live coral flowing in artificial currents was amazing. Mote is not only an Aquarium but a research and rehab facility. They do a lot of work to preserve and re-establish our coral reefs. We appreciate their efforts.

Plus they had lots of pretty fish to photograph.

That evening we were invited over to Outta the Loop for a few decktails and a spirited game of Spades.

It’s an unwritten Looper thing that you let the host boat win, so that’s what we did.

It was a good weekend in Sarasota. It is a nice area and a great stop.

On Monday we were on the move South again.

Not as fast as this guy.

We stopped at the Royal Palm Marina in Englewood. The Royal Palm was just off the ICW. It was a little skinny going in at almost low tide but we made it OK. There is a little bar next to the marina, not fancy but nice people and friendly atmosphere. The bar had live entertainment and was just filling up when Bonnie came to pick us up. Janet has an old friend from High School that lives in Englewood and she came to pick us up and feed us dinner at her home. Bonnie and her husband are great hosts and have a very nice home on a canal lot.

If you ever need a Realtor in SW Florida, talk to Bonnie. You can find her at https://bonnieonthebeach.com/ She also has a YouTube Channel, but I can’t figure out how to link it here.