I spend a lot of time planning our travels, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered ChatGPT…you simply type in your destination, time of year and ask for ideas.
You will get a detailed itinerary including suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m in the midst of finalizing our summer travel and one of the travel websites that I frequent, mentioned ChatGPT … what a great and useful tool.
Anyway, taking a break from planning … here are some photos from April in Paradise.
One especially beautiful day we headed across the Ringling Bridge to the Lido Beach Club for lunch. The joint was jumping. In a good way. Folks were enjoying the pool and the gulf. We enjoyed a great lunch enhanced by the happy cool vibe and very cool music. We had fun people watching as folks walked up from the beach to order lunch at the bar.
Did I mention that I’m on a mission to find the best fish tacos in Sarasota?
Tim’s wrap was served in a bowl, perhaps they ran out of dishes…whatever.
I took this photo one early morning as I was leaving the house for my walk. It almost looks like a sunset.
Another day in paradise found us at the Old Salty Dog on Longboat Key. Fabulous cocktails and my favorite (so far)fish tacos. We were taking a selfie, and then some sweet woman took this better pic.
Amazing views, great food and pleasant unhurried service. The unhurried service is key🩵
I wish my iPhone could capture just how beautiful the gulf is on Siesta Key.
Some walks are shorter than others, but I never turn around before I reach Patriots Pier.
And here we are back at Marina Jack’s …salad and wings for the win.
Those sweet potato fries 😊…and of course I’m having the fish tacos.
This is so special …the race sponsors waited an additional 15 minutes for this adorable couple to cross the finish line. #kindnesswins
It’s not unusual to encounter various fun run fundraisers on the weekend. I like to stop and cheer on folks as they cross the finish line.
Meanwhile…back at the pier.
There’s a cardinal in the tree somewhere…I swear.
Although I usually want to be near the water on a day like this, we couldn’t resist the pull of Florence and the Spice Boys. Timmy’s lamb flatbread included pistachios and pine nuts.
The sweet potato had a Japanese sesame sauce, Szechuan chili oil and crispy tofu. I cannot tell you how much we love this place.
…and as much as we love Siesta beach…it can sometimes be a challenge to find parking after say 11:00 am…so we’ve been heading over the Ringling bridge to Lido key and the peace and quiet (and ample parking) there.
We love this spot because it’s the very end of Lido Key … where the bay meets the gulf and you can enjoy the calm bay waters or swim in the more sporty gulf.
Bay side, Lido beach.
No caption needed.
Following are some favorite random pics I took as I walked our neighborhood:
Some kiddos and mommies meet up at Urfer park.
Sandhill Crane joining me as I leave our community for my walk.
And here he is upon my return 😊
Students on field trip to Urfer.
Busy working on a get out the vote mailing at Sarasota Democratic headquarters.
Timmy loves the chili at the Parrot.
Meanwhile back at the beach (Siesta).
So yes, I walked Siesta in the morning …then we headed to Lido in the afternoon.
We rarely see the gulf side this calm on Lido beach. But it is usually this peaceful and pretty much devoid of fellow beach goers.
Any wonder why we love Sarasota?
We watched this beauty all afternoon…he came and went and he seemed to enjoy our company … I waited for sunset to try and capture him in all his glory.
One day on Siesta…I came upon this family spreading their loved ones’ ashes.
The family sang some songs and it was quite moving.
I like to think of this as the road to my personal heaven.
We enjoy the monthly luncheon of Sarasota democrats.
Good friends, good food and a good cause. (You know, saving democracy).
There it is …my favorite Mai Tai…umbrella and all. It’d been a while since we took the scenic drive along the length of Longboat Key to Shore restaurant.
The drive is spectacular, the ambiance amazing and the food is always yummy.
So here I am waiting for Timmy to snap a quick photo…but he’s waiting for our delightful server to move.
Okay…here we go…big smile🩵
Another day at Lido beach.
We looked for our snowy egret friend, but didn’t see him.
Patriots Pier
At first I thought he followed me from Lido😁
Last day of the month on Siesta Beach
Water is warming up nicely.
This truck is owned by “Scooter of the Beach” he’s a long time Siesta lifeguard who has a Facebook page that he updates every morning. He also sells SOTB branded shirts and has a tie-in with the owners of Siesta Key Rum Distillery.
I snapped one last shot as I left the beach on this last day of April.
I really do enjoy updating this blog …just as much as I enjoy planning for our upcoming travels. We have quite a bit to look forward to…we’ll be out of the country for just about 8 weeks…spending time on both Crystal ships, with land vacations in the Discovery Islands Archipelago, the Cotswolds, and Iceland. So yes, I’m grateful to have discovered ChatGpt.
Thanks for following along♥️.
