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| Masterfully decorated pumpkins...…….left to right, Beth, NaNa and mine |
We're in the middle of a three week stint on Anna Maria Island (AMI). I've blogged so much through the years about the island that I'm running a bit short of new material. I can say that although the calendar shows it's the end of October, it still feels like summer. The high temperatures have been in the 90's many of the days. This is the least crowded time of the year on the island, although there really isn't too much of an off season anymore. The construction on the new city pier is coming along pretty nicely now and it is expected to be opened in April. As always, we've been enjoying the magnificent sunsets most evenings.
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| Framing and roofing the new Anna Maria City Pier |
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| Every sunset is different and they never get old! |
We did manage a couple of cultural outings last weekend that we really enjoyed. On Saturday Beth and I were able to get away for a few hours to St. Petersburg. We're really enjoying the lively waterfront area overlooking Tampa Bay. They have a nice Saturday morning market appropriately named the Saturday Morning Market. It runs from the beginning of October until the end of May in the parking lot of Al Lopez Stadium. There were plenty of vendors selling all types of foods and products. We arrived toward the end of the market (hours are 9:00-2:00), although it was still going strong as we walked around. We were able to take advantage of one the food trucks that was getting ready to close for the day. Our intent was to order a couple of bbq sandwiches, but when they offered up their last full slab of ribs at a discount, we jumped on them without hesitation. They were so meaty and plentiful that we shared them with a nice couple from Toronto who were kind enough to share their table with us.
Saturday Morning Market
With full bellies we then headed for the Mahaffey Theater for an afternoon concert by The Florida Orchestra. The music was "Latin Pops" which was fun and lively. While living in Texas we had season tickets for the Fort Worth Symphony Pops Series for a number of years. Neither of us have a discerning ear for music but we do like the symphony pops music. I'm not sure we'd make it through a classical symphony concert but the pops concerts are a lot of fun.
The Florida Orchestra
Mahaffey Theater
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| The Florida Symphony Orchestra! |
We continued our "cultural weekend on Sunday. This time we went a little south of AMI to Sarasota to see "The Fantasticks" at the Players Centre, a non-professional community theater that is currently celebrating it's 90th year anniversary.
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| Pre-theater lunch at O'Leary's Tiki Bar and Grill on Sarasota Bay |
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| O'Leary's is located in Bayfront Park |
The play, which was written in 1960 is billed as the world's longest running musical. It's the story of two fathers who devise a plan to use "reverse psychology" to get their son and daughter together. The plan calls for them to constantly "feud" with one another in hopes that the kids will fall in love and marry. Of course there are twists and turns along the way, but it has a happy ending. The acting and singing were very well done by the entire cast which made for a fun afternoon.
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| The Players Centre for the Performing Arts |
The Players Centre for the Performing Arts
Beth's mom, NaNa, loves doing crafts. There are paintings out by her pool that she helped paint a few years ago that she admires on a daily basis.
We decided to have "craft day" once a week while we're here. We kicked it off last week with pumpkin decorating. As you can see from the lead picture in this blog, there's a lot of talent in this house!
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| NaNa proudly showing off her creation |
Tuesday we invited NaNa's sister (Sally) and her husband (Duane) along with their daughter (Shelly) to join us for a project using canvas, paint and buttons. We quickly discovered that talent runs deep in this family and that Sally is a big fan of abstract art! It was a hilarious couple of hours. Beth, Shelly and I enjoyed listening to the unfiltered comments that age allows you to make while everyone was working on their masterpieces.
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| NaNa, Duane and Sally diligently working on their art. |
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| After all that crafting we had worked up a hearty appetite! Thanks to Shelly for providing the majority of a delicious lunch! |
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| Clockwise from the top left...…..Sally, Shelly, mine, Duane, Beth and NaNa's finished products |
If you're looking for some art instruction give me a call. If you're looking for quality art instruction, call Beth!
