Adventure Logan

Nashville Day 1

We arrived here in Nashville, Tennessee at noon today. Marilyn and Danny Munroe drove here in their Motorhome and met us at the airport. The six day stay should be a great one as we have lots of plans and are very keen to see the sights and listen to the music. We started off with lunch followed by a much needed nap since we had been up since 3 AM and then on 3 different planes. At 7 we headed out to Broadway – core downtown Nashville.

Live Person Statue

Dan and Dave in front of the Wildhorse Saloon

For you Bob and Mary Daniels

Marilyn and I found Elvis

It was a real happening place and we walked from where we parked the car. The highlight of the evening was the time we spent in Tootsies (a unique spot for sure). There is a band or single performer in every store/bar front and no cover charge as a majority of bands play for tips. I was carded! LOL When he asked for our ID’s I was astonished and it took me a bit to find my driver’s license.

Marilyn and I at the bar in Tootsies. I am enjoying a few mouthfuls of Dave’s beer.

It is famous , it is old and it is small – those knees on the bottom right belong to patrons sitting on stools who are turned to  face the stage. The whole bar wouldn’t be wider than 20 feet.

This fiddler was fantastic!

Great boot outside a boot store.

Beach Days

With only 4 days left, the beach is our priority. The last two months have had above normal temperatures, so the water is warm. Each day we make a trip to the beach to sit and enjoy the water, the sun and the sand.

Liz and I love the water and the sun – our little boogie boards are fun too!

Today we arrived at the beach to discover that a wedding venue was set up there.

We had to take advantage of the situation and do some posing!

Dave and Earl were wedding crashers!

Sunset Cruise

We enjoyed a great sunset cruise on the Intercoastal – what a treat! The boat was docked at the Casey Key Fish House and the trip included over 2 hours of sailing. The weather was super – over 80 degrees and clear.

How the other half live! 

Sunset over the North Jetty The sunset was even more beautiful projected onto the clouds over Venice.

Snake Island

Blooming Spring

Sadly we are close to coming home – hate to leave the blue skies, sandy beaches, and palm trees. This is such a great time of year – spring  – there are so many flowering trees, bushes and plants that it is even prettier than usual. The ocean has been warmer than usual and we have been enjoying the very warm water (82 degrees) for over 3 weeks now. Usually we get those temperatures in May but with the record highs it has been warm enough for us to spend lots of time in the water through most of April.

Jacaranda Tree (blooms in April/May)

Beach Replenishment

Every 10 years or so they replenish the beaches here and this year it is happening.  It is something we have not seen before so we have been very interested in the progress so far.  It will be a 20.7 million dollar fix so it ought to be great. They have added about 15 meters of depth and lots of height. They have a pipe about 1 meter in diameter which runs parallel to the shoreline. Through it they pump water and sand and it is quite the sight.

Easter Dinner

We had a very busy weekend so we opted for Easter Monday to celebrate at the beach. There is nothing better than a beach picnic so we headed to Nikomis and set up for a BBQ.

Wine Tasting Party

On Saturday night of the Easter weekend we were invited to Daniel and Karen Thornhams for a wine tasting party. Each couple brought a red and white bottle of wine ($12-$15) as well as lots of tasty appetizers. The bottles were wrapped in tin foil and we had fun tasting and judging.

Good Friday Picnic

This afternoon/evening we enjoyed four hours at Nokomis Beach picnic area located near the jetty and the Intercoastal waterway. The weather was perfect and we got to spend time with the MacIntyre grandchildren and others. When there are 4 kids under 10 years old, the average age lowers considerably. It was so nice to experience their laughter and excitement. Gus barbequed hotdogs and hamburgers and we enjoyed sides and appetizers.

Officially a Senior

Where dies the time fly – it only seems like yesterday when Trevor and I flew to California to visit Valerie, Rick and Tara and to celebrate my 40th!

I had a perfect birthday – thanks Dave! Thanks also to those of you who called, sent cards, messaged me on Facebook or were lucky enough to be here in the sun with me.

Here in pics is the sight of a perfect day from beginninng to end.

 Arriving at Nokomis Beach – my favourite local beach about 15 minutes from our place.

The temperature was a balmy 85 and the white stuff isn’t snow.

If you are lucky enough to live near the beach – you are lucky enough!

Since I was born in March the beach didn’t figure into my birthday plans until I began to travel for March Break – but we Pisces love the water no matter what.

 First, but hopefully not the last orange ice cream from Nokomis Groves – needs to be experienced to be believed.

 One of my all time favourite meals is from Althea’s on Miami in Venice. It is Lobster Newburg – with Lobster, shrimp and scallops!  The owner added whole lobster when the sauce is usually the lobster part.

After supper the gang gathered for the weekly dominoes and then it was home to enjoy a piece of my favourite cake Raspberry Elegance and the end to a perfect day.

South Florida Museum

Wednesday we visited the South Florida Museum in Bradenton with Steve and Carol Hiltz. It was the first time for all of us and we enjoyed it very much. There were 2 special things that we wanted to do – the Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Manatee Aquarium and we managed both.

The show in the planetarium was awesome – titled Passport to the Universe (and narrated by Tom Hanks) it is an incredible journey from our home planet and the Milky Way galaxy to the edge of the universe. We sat under the dome and experienced a great virtual tour,  flew beneath the rings of Saturn, into the heart of the Orion Nebula, and out into the vastness of the observable universe. That little speck in space which is Earth suddenly seems pretty small.

The Parker Manatee Aquarium, designed to house three adult manatees, holds nearly 60,000 gallons of water, including a medical pool. The pool offers both deep and shallow water, allowing the manatees to maintain natural feeding behaviors. The facility is the permanent home to Manatee County’s most famous resident and the oldest known manatee in the world, Snooty. Born on July 21, 1948, at the old Miami Aquarium and Tackle Company, Snooty was the first recorded birth of a manatee in captivity. “Baby Snoots” was brought to Bradenton as part of the 1949 Desoto Celebration. Since then, he has greeted more than one million visitors. We were there for the lunch feeding (Snooty is hand fed) and very fussy, LOL!

We toured the other exhibits and then walked to the riverside to eat a late lunch at Pier 22. All in all a super day with great friends.