What’s more fun for a kid than searching for that perfect shell in the warm waters off the Florida coast? For our daughter it’s that AND getting the chance to hold a fish, AND a live shrimp. Goodness, she doesn’t get her courage from me!!! You wouldn’t catch me holding a fish, or a shrimp, or anything like that!!! But, as we walked the beaches in Florida this past week, Emily was thrilled to come across some fishermen who were all too pleased to feed a little girl’s curiosity as to what in the world is swimming in those beautiful blue waters. The nice fisherman even gave up one of his catch so that Emily could throw a fish to one very pesty bird pacing near-by. While this beach provided us with a wonderful wind-in-the-hair walk in the sand, another was the perfect spot for shell-searching. In fact, everywhere you stepped were these tiny little shells, or pieces of shells. Ziplok bag in hand, Phil helped Emily gather her treasures before we headed off on more sightseeing.
We’ve vacationed in this area several years and always try to find something new to do and explore. This year we took a tour of the Ringling Mansion located on Sarasota Bay. Ca ‘d’Zan was the summer home of the circus king John Ringling and his wife Mable. You can read about the Ringlings’ love of Italy- especially Venice- and how it inspired their vision of this magnificent home. https://www.ringling.org/ca-dzan
Food is always a big part of vacation fun and our search for someplace new to gobble down a delicious meal led us to Harry’s in Longboat Key. This combo restaurant, carry-out and corner store did not disappoint. We especially loved the corn salad side dish- so much so that after lunch we walked over to the store to grab a pint of it to go. And lasagna and bread and… 🙂 http://harryskitchen.com
All of that yummy-ness plus making s’mores out on the patio before watching the sunset, it was a perfect family get-away. Emily even came home with a sand dollar. She’s been searching for one for years now, never seeming to find one that isn’t broken. During a stop for ice cream Phil left for about ten minutes and returned with a big surprise for Emily. A sand dollar he’d found at a little shop. Emily was thrilled, and while it’s not exactly the same as finding one yourself, she’s so happy to keep it as a placeholder on the dresser in her room until she finds her own– maybe next year!???? Fingers crossed.
