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Surprise!

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Illness visited my house last week, and because of that, I was not paying attention to the weather report._MG_1536-2

 Okay, let’s be honest, I never pay attention to the weather report.

Needless to say, I was surprised when I opened the curtains Saturday morning to see snow on the ground.

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We’ve all seen Daffodils push up through the snow, but I’m pretty sure my Redbud Tree had not seen the white stuff before.

Between spring snow and upcoming travel, my bike will remain quietly on the carport for another week.  Sigh …

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Monochromia Struttin’

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If you haven’t visited yet, you are missing out on some incredible Black & White Photography by some very talented photographers.

Be sure to visit Monochromia soon.

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Another image from a morning walk on Siesta Beach

To see this handsome fellow in color, visit this post on Life on the Bike

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Art & Whimsy

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On our last full day of fun in Sarasota, we were able to take another long walk on the beach,

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followed by opportunities to explore some of the downtown architecture, Farmer’s Market, restaurants, and street activity.

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We also visited the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy, where “part of the mission is to collect and preserve work of artistic and whimsical importance.  Our collection is bright and colorful.  The artwork will lift your spirits and, hopefully, inspire creative expression”.  It was a bright, sunny day, and these images do not do justice to the colorful, metal works.

Take my word for it, our spirits were definitely lifted!

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Before I knew it, the time had come to fly home.  What an incredible 3 days! I’m grateful to have friends who value this tradition as much as I do!

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Thanks for coming along with me on the adventure!

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Monochromia Sea Star

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My contribution to Monochromia this week

LB's avatarMonochromia

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I’d never seen a live Starfish before.  What a neat find during a morning walk on Siesta Beach.

A little Starfish research offered the following info:

Starfish come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, but they all resemble a star.  They have spines covering their upper surface and a soft underside.  Starfish are not actually fish. They do not have gills, scales, or fins.  They have tiny tube feet to help them move along.

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Gulf Coast Florida History: Spanish Point

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 After enjoying the water and wildlife of Lido Beach, we toured historic Spanish Point.

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Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Spanish Point is an “old Florida oasis”.   Many people think of Florida as Disney, Orlando, and beach front condominiums, but a walk through Spanish Point reveals what Florida was like before it became a tourist/ retirement destination.

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There are four main elements to the overall story of Spanish Point: Prehistory, Pioneer, Palmer and Plants, and we enjoyed a walking tour through all of those elements.  An archaeological record exists on the site from approximately 5,000 years of Florida prehistory.

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I loved learning about Bertha Honore Palmer.  “The Chicago socialite and widow of Potter Palmer came to Sarasota to establish a winter estate. She purchased thousands of acres for cattle ranching, citrus groves, and real estate development.  She named her 350-acre estate “Osprey Point” and preserved the pioneer buildings and connected them with lavish formal gardens and lawns.

She also had vision, and she used her influence to elevate the status of women.  She was quoted as saying that “women have no desire to be helpless and dependent.  Having full use of their faculties, they rejoice in using them”.

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photo credit HistoricSpanishPoint.org

Bertha Honoree Palmer also said “Freedom and justice for all are infinitely more to be desired than a pedestal for a few”.  What a progressive woman!

The Guptill house, built in 1901 and originally rented to winter boarders, is now furnished to reflect the Florida pioneer era.

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Mary’s Chapel was built in 1901 in memory of a young woman who died while staying at the winter resort.  Mary’s parents provided the funding for the Chapel, and it’s six stained glass windows.

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Those six stained glass windows were salvaged when the Chapel was reconstructed in 1986.

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This Gumbo Limbo tree is known as the “tourist tree” because the bark is red and peeling like a sunburn.

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Visitors to Spanish Point can “explore 30 historical, environmental, and archaeological acres at this irreplaceable outdoor museum on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida”.  I urge you to visit if  you are in the Sarasota area.

After all the walking and exploring, it was time for a cold beer, and where better to have one than in a Tiki Hut.

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Mother Nature and the local birding wildlife offered a beautiful end of the day show!

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Nest Post: Siesta Beach and the Museum of Art & Whimsy

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One Year Ago

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We Interrupt the posts about 3 Days in Florida to remember an incredible time.

One year ago, a group of intrepid WordPress Bloggers met in Washington, DC.

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Oh, what a time we had!  And although most of us had never met in person, within moments we knew we were sisters of the heart.

The next day, we were joined by three more WP Bloggers, and the happiness grew.

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And later that day, we met with another!

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Oh what a time we had!

Stories were told, adventures were shared, laughter bubbled up and out, and love was abundant.

We traveled around in the big red truck,

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and when we said goodbye at the train station in Lynchburg, the rain was a perfect metaphor.

Tears as we said goodbye, but many, many more tears of joy!

(Edit: this post was supposed to publish on the one year anniversary of the gathering, which will be April 3rd.  Sigh … ALSO, the last photo was taken by either Pauline or Boomdee, yet it has my watermark.  I apologize for both errors)

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Boomdeeada – Blogging About Life, Art, & Other Bits

Gardening Nirvana – Sharing My Life In and Out of the Garden

The Contented Crafter – A blog containing random thoughts, bits of life, creations from my art room and tales of a cat named Orlando and a puppy named Siddy

Defeat Despair

Peak Perspective

Arlingwords – Gardens, Food, and Local Pleasures

Visual Venturing – Because Everyone Likes Pictures

Displaced Beachbums – Exploring Washington, DC and Beyond

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Springtime in Florida

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For the past 3 years, I’ve had the good fortune to travel to Florida in March.  The snow and cold temperatures are left behind, and I am greeted by springtime on the gulf coast.  Tons of color, cooling breezes, gorgeous horizons, and dear friends.  The trip is never long enough, but 3 full days offers a welcome break from the routine.

I’m even getting comfortable with flying. Yes, as odd as it seems, the woman who rides a motorcycle has a tendency to be a bit nervous on a plane.

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The first day in Florida found us enjoying delicious food at Columbia Restaurant, followed by a bit of shopping and walking.

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The next morning, after coffee, yogurt, and fresh fruit by the pool (aka hot tub), we were walking Lido Beach.

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The camera was rarely out of my hand!!

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And thank goodness for that!

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This little guy was hunkered down in a footprint.

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And this guy seemed to be saying “what are you looking at?”

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After a couple hours of walking, it was time to find lunch and to explore some local history.

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Next Post: Spanish Point

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Blooming

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Spring is officially here and there are just two more days until a weekend without travel, and an opportunity to visit all of you.

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Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement

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The instructions were simple: sit quietly and wait to be served.

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The Sit-In movement was born in Greensboro, NC.  “Four African American college students walked up to a whites-only lunch counter at the local WOOLWORTH’S store and asked for coffee. When service was refused, the students sat patiently. Despite threats and intimidation, the students sat quietly and waited to be served”

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As the national Sit-In Movement grew, “participants would be jeered and threatened by local customers. Sometimes they would be pelted with food or ketchup. Angry onlookers tried to provoke fights that never came. In the event of a physical attack, the student would curl up into a ball on the floor and take the punishment. Any violent reprisal would undermine the spirit of the sit-in. When the local police came to arrest the demonstrators, another line of students would take the vacated seats”.

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To read more about that day in 1960, and the desegregation efforts that followed, please take a moment to read this brief article.

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That same Woolworth’s building is now the home of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, whose mission “seeks to ensure that the world never forgets the courage displayed by four young North Carolina A&T State College students, on February 1, 1960, and the hundreds and thousands of college and community youth in Greensboro, in the South and around the country who joined them in the days and weeks that followed which led to the desegregation of the Woolworth lunch counter and ultimately to the smashing of the despicable segregation system in the southern United States”

* Much of the preceding text was taken from the website linked above *

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It would be too easy to assume that racism no longer exists because the more obvious “Whites-Only” signs are long gone.  Sadly, as has been evident in the news of late, racism is still a battle not yet won.

We must never forget, though, the brave ones who led the way to desegregation.

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Pilot Mountain

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On the way home from a weekend in Greensboro, NC, I made a quick stop at Pilot Mountain State Park.

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I’d driven by this natural landmark hundreds of times, but had never stopped.  Despite the chilly temps and overcast sky, it was a nice way to recognize the Spring Equinox.

“Rising abruptly more than 2,000 feet, Pilot Mountain has been a navigational landmark for centuries”.

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Pilot Mountain is capped by two prominent pinnacles.  Big Pinnacle, with walls of bare rock and a rounded top covered by vegetation, rises 1,400 feet above the valley floor, the knob jutting skyward more than 200 feet from its base.

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The mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains.  To the native Saura Indians, the earliest known inhabitants of the region, Pilot Mountain was known as Jomeokee, the “Great Guide” or “Pilot.” It guided both Native Americans and early European hunters along a north-south path through the area.

The Redbuds are blooming!  Visit these links if you’d like to see more images of the beautiful purple / pink blooms that are some of the first signs of spring.

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The views were limited, yet still enchanting, on such an overcast day.

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The park offers miles of trails, camping, and climbing, and since it’s only an hour and a half from home, I’m thinking it will make for an excellent destination for a spring bike ride.

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Happy Spring Equinox!

Two weekends in a row spent traveling, bracketing full days in the office, leaves very little time for catching up with life, chores, and WordPress.  I miss checking in on all of you and hearing about the interesting things that you are up to, and I’m hopeful that I’ll find some time this week to visit.