Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, Florida
The LORD appeared to Abram (in Shechem where Canaanites were living) and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he (Abram) built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. ~ Genesis 12:7-8
God will continue to work His plan, despite our disobedience. Nothing we can do (or not do) will thwart Him. But there are always consequences to our disobedience, including loss of blessings we might have gained, along with loss of fellowship with God.
I woke up this morning singing “There’s Got to be a Morning After”. Probably because all was finally calm outside. No more 20-25mph winds! Yay!!
And we enjoyed another day at the beach! It wasn’t planned because it’s a bit of a drive, but we thought to incorporate it with some other sightseeing. However, Blaine came down with a pain in the neck (it wasn’t me!) so we walked the beach some and then drove all the way back home.
It was a lovely drive, and we passed a surprising number of horse and cow ranches and even some donkeys. It was too difficult to get a picture of them though, so I have none to offer.
but when we crossed over the water, we saw nothing. Hmmmm . . . .
Our final destination was Siesta Key Beach located in Sarasota. According to visitsarasota.com, it’s billed as
the #1 Beach in the U.S. in 2020 by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards™, you will quickly understand why when you feel the quartz-crystal powdery sand between your toes, and experience the soft waves and the abundance of sun & fun at gorgeous Siesta Beach. Thanks to the large parking area, concession stands, the free trolley to get around on the island, and nearby fun Siesta Key Village, you can plan your whole trip centered around this gorgeous Key without getting bored.
All we did was walk the beach. But we were impressed with the set up here – large, free parking lot, a few nice little pavilioned picnic tables, lots of room to get around people, large, clean restrooms. And at least four manned lifeguard stations. As you can see from the pictures, the beach is extremely wide and white. It’s easy to walk on because it’s packed down pretty hard, so we were fine in our sneakers.
We’ve never seen signs like this at a beach! We suspect it’s one of the reasons for the #1 vote.
but by the time you got to the lifeguard station, it was hard as can be.
Someone turned on the wind machine here and it was blasting on medium-high as we set out to the right. On the way back though, we walked with the wind, so it wasn’t bad at all.
It was the wind. Without it, it would’ve been a positively perfect day!
But notice the color of the sand and shells? . . . .
It feels warmer now. : )
We noticed an inordinate amount of Amish and Mennonite people enjoying the beach. We’re from northeast Ohio, so we know Amish and Mennonite. In fact, I went to school where only a handful of us were not. One of my best friends in the sixth grade was an Amish girl named Christina Michaelson. She was pulled from school at the end of the year to help out on the farm. The Amish believe a 6th grade education is enough.
Anyway, the beach is not a place you’d expect to see these people. I thought it would be rude to take a bunch of pictures, so I didn’t.
Later, we learned that there’s actually a few hundred Amish/Mennonite who call Sarasota their permanent home, but during December, January and February, thousands of Amish from all over the United States and Canada, call Pinecraft home for the winter. (Who knew! Amish Snowbirds!) In the 1920s, they were persuaded to come to Sarasota because they were told the ground was good for growing large celery crops. But it wasn’t. Still, they liked the weather (imagine that!) so they stayed. They live in a neighborhood called Pinecraft, and they welcome visitors. We’d love to go visit sometime during our stay and see if it reminds us of home!
I grew up with these people, I never knew any of them traveled to Sarasota, Florida for the winter! And no. they don’t take horse and buggy to get there. Many of them travel in a special ‘for Amish use only’ bus, like a Greyhound, but strictly for their use.
Blaine went for a bike ride this evening. I don’t know what I was doing – most likely either making dinner, or working on the blog. 😊
And that’s all I have to say about today. Tomorrow will prove to be most exciting!