Jan1/2010 -HAPPY NEW YEAR to all from FL

We ushered in the new year with a torential rainfall which lasted on and off all day. Was a good day to just kick back & read & do needlework.

Jan2/10

We drove out to Bradenton to have our new computer scanned and info transferred from the old one. Enjoyed lunch at the China King Buffet, really fresh and a huge variety including lots of seafood. We then drove down to Sarasota, a city first inhabited by the Tocobaga Indians from around 900 ad to 1500 ad when the Spanish arrived and wiped them out by disease and violence. As the 1800s arrived, so did the early pionerrs who began homesteading the areas along the rivers and coast. Farming & ranching eventually spread across the state shaping it into what it is today. Sarasota specifically was an area that attracted the wealthy from the north and brought with them the culture for which they are known. Most noteable was John Ringling, who moved here in the 1920s bringing with him his now famous art collection and his circus empire that used Sarasota as its winter home. We crossed the Ringling Causeway to Longboat Key and up the key over draw bridges to Anna Maria Key before heading back to Wauchula.

Jan3/10

We drove back out to Bradenton to have Verizon do an update to our new computer so we could use our air card. Had a very nice Mexican lunch at a local eatery. Good -but not as good as La Casita Dos in Blythe !! Today we took the toll road north to St Petersburg where I spent some time at the Salvador Dali Museum and Gallery. He has always been intruiging to me since university days. It is a lovely facility with not only paintings but also his gold, silver & bronze jewellery, glasswork and sculpture. Could really have spent a lot of time there reading but knew Norm was patiently waiting in the car. We then went out to St Pete Beach, Treasure Island and several other small beach communities that all seem to run together, ending at the north end of the key at Clearwater. We checked out a park in Dunedin where a friend winters however he was not around. From there up to Tarpon Springs, a historic small city with an unusual mix of Greek culture and Victorian & Floridian architecture. It is full of parks,bayous, brick streets, antique shops, boutiques, galleries & museums. It is also home to the internationally reknowned Sponge Docks. There are sooo many neat restaurants. We will definitely be going back for at least a couple of days.