Sarasota Sun

While Orlando was great, the real reason for our trip to Florida was family. It was so wonderful to see my Grandpa Wells and Elaine again! Their Sarasota home is beautiful, with a screened-in pool (lanai) that backs onto a golf course. Living the dream.  I hope the company of great-grandkids made the dream a little sweeter still.

Annika immediately set to work finding critters.  This tailless Gecko was a cute one, even if it did nibble Annie's shirt.

Enjoying dinner together.

Pool time!  These fish were in the water every chance they had.

Moving on to fur family, meet Angelina!  Elaine's beautiful cats, Angelina and Smokey, are her pride and joy.  This gorgeous Maine Coon weighs about 25 pounds and loves to be pampered..

Florida is a bird-watching paradise.  Egrets by the pond, and sandhill cranes wandering the streets.

Back to the water.

Grandpa bragging about his hole in one on the golf course.  He and his friends couldn't figure out where the ball had landed until they finally looked in the pocket.  His golf prowess was even recognized on the radio!

Next adventure: Myakka State park.  What do you see?

This heron made a catch.  

Look over the other side of the bridge and you'll see half a dozen gators.

Definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Expanding our culinary world with Gator Bites.  Thanks for the treat, Elaine!

Annika wasn't quite certain about eating fried alligator at first.

Eventually we all gave it a try.  Delicious!

I think the squirrel was jealous.

Embarking on a short, flat hike.  Not too many hills in Florida!

This tower was closed but fun to see anyway!

NomiAnn's feeling pretty pampered.

That evening we headed to Siesta Key beach to enjoy the waves and famous sugar sand. 

NomiAnn in her happy place on the water.

Annie's feeling crabby.

I might not want to live in Florida permanently, but it's sure a beautiful place to visit! 

While my Mom, Eli, and Annika all stayed with Grandpa Grandpa and Gran-Laine, I needed a different place because of my cat allergies.  Their super kind neighbors kindly let me stay in their beautiful home.  Thank you!

Sharing Legos with grandpa.

That afternoon, Elaine graciously invited us to the Big Cat Habitat and Sanctuary.  This is one of her favorite places.

The kids got to feed a Syrian bear, then hung out with the goats.

Such cute kids!

The tortoise seems to like all the attention.

Goat kid kisses!

I loved watching my Mom talk with her Dad.

Fun ostriches, but watch out!  They're a bit nippy.

Alligator John.  It usually costs five dollars to hang out with this former marine and his gator, but he invited Annika to hang out any time for free.  He noticed her scar and felt a connection since he has had a heart transplant.

Thank you!

Our final hurrah included VIP seats for the Big Cat show.  Elaine completely spoiled us!

Love the lemurs!

It's not every day you get to hang out with a liger.  

We ended our amazing stay with an Eco Boat tour that Elaine's friend recommended.  This Sea Life Encounter, run by Sarasota Bay Explorers, is super cool because it is hosted by a marine biologist affiliated with the Mote Marine Aquarium.

She brought all sorts of interesting species aboard so that we could look and learn.

Even without the educational aspect, the tour would have been worth it for the gorgeous views of Sarasota bay.

There are some mighty snazzy houses out there!  This one was super cool because it had dolphins hanging out around the corner.

The sea birds were just as fascinating, especially as we passed their protected nesting grounds.  So many!

The best part was when we trawled the bay and learned about all the creatures that got caught in the net.  My favorite was a puffer fish that was hugely inflated.

Deflated, he looked much less threatening.

Learning is fun!

All in all, this tour was another great success and a beautiful, educational way to get out on the water.

A few more Sarasota photos from our final morning.  I went for an early morning run and caught the sunrise.

Grandpa and Elaine's home on Torrey Pines Blvd.

Hugs goodbye.

Grandpa and Elaine, thank you for welcoming us so warmly to Sarasota!  May we see each other again soon.  We love you!

Enjoying the Orlando airport.

No matter how you look at it, Florida with Family gets two thumbs up!