It's been a long, hard slog. We are all going a little stir crazy. A trip I had scheduled last spring was cancelled. So with the agreement of my better half, I made a trip to Anna Maria Island, Florida for a few days of sunshine and R & R.
I was fortunate to find a place in Bradenton Beach that was only a few steps from the beach. Bradenton Beach is the southernmost town on Anna Maria Island (AMI), the others being Holmes Beach and Anna Maria.
I didn't have much of an agenda on this trip except to hang out on the beach, visit my friend Janet, take a few pics, and do some reading and writing.
Love those sandpipers. They make me smile.
Wonder what these pelicans are thinking of the parasailers?
The beach is a great place to fly a kite.
My hotel was on Bridge Street. Here is a pier at the end of the street, where I later came to watch the sunrise.
Although AMI is more noted for its awesome sunsets.
As you'll see, I got a little carried away with the photos.
But, really, do you blame me?
When I would spend some time at my grandparents in the summer, we would position the lawn chairs to the west in the evening and watch the sun go down over the flat horizon. It wasn't so different from this.
Every evening, people would clap when the sun finally sank beneath the horizon.
Here is Bridge St. around 7:30 am. I think it looks like an empty movie set. I didn't get any crowd shots, but the place was hopping at night. There was a bar/restaurant across the street from the hotel with live music most nights. It really seemed like spring break for the AARP set. But there is a noise ordinance on AMI, and everything gets quiet at 10 pm.
I went down to the Bridge Street Pier for one sunrise, the morning of the time change.
These birds look like such tough guys. "Baaaad to the bone!"
With his two escorts.
A Caterpillar doing a little beach work.
My college friend Janet and I went on a self-guided kayak tour of the mangroves in Robinson Preserve.
I hadn't seen Janet in a couple of years. It was great to hang out with her!
We saw some blue herons. I think the one above looks dinosaurish.
The water was calm and shallow. The kayaking was easy.
Here we are. Ignore the sunscreen on my face.
After kayaking, we went to lunch in downtown Bradenton at the Bad Ass Cafe. We had delicious fish tacos. Then it was back to Janet and Jim's new house to meet Rudy.
Rudy and I bonded. Perhaps he could tell I was missing my Blaze.
Shall we move on to the next sunset? This was the only day that there were any clouds in the sky.
Love the panoramic option.
I hardly ate out at all on vacation, but one place I did want to check out was The Donut Experiment on Pine Ave in Anna Maria. I took the free shuttle there.
Yum, the donuts are made fresh, all vanilla cake. You then get to choose your frostings and toppings. I had vanilla, chocolate, and caramel frosted with bacon on the caramel and rainbow sprinkles on the other two.
What famous television show is that saying from? Who said it?
I also took the trolley to the northern tip of the island. The trolley runs the length of the island.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
I sat at a picnic table in the shade and wrote about my trip in a notebook.
I also wanted to check out that building in the distance.
The Rod & Reel! I was feeling nostalgic about past trips with family to Anna Maria Island. This was always a stop. Those were fun trips.
I think it's time for some more sunset pictures.
I wrote a poem about the sunsets called
The Evening Sacrament
Down I walk
Where the waves crest and lap the beach
Eternally
Or at least for a very long time
To watch another eternal event
The setting of the sun
The fiery ball has spent the day
Arcing the sky in slow motion
Thrown by the gods of rotation and orbit
Until it hovers over the horizon
A long orange reflecting tail
Undulating with the water
As the sun gets closer to the line
That is far as the eye allows
It seems to speed up
Dropping, dropping, now touching the sea
Now, only a half a circle
Turning the sky tangerine and the clouds cotton candy
Now just a glimpse of its bright light
The dark water swallows it up.
Gone, but only for the night.
Everyone claps.
Coquina Beach is next to Bradenton Beach. I read somewhere that it was a good shell collecting beach. I have collected so many shells on past trips that I wasn't planning to bring any back this time.
But I couldn't resist. Just a few.
Those birds! "Hitchin' a ride!"
One last sunset. I'll be brief(ish).
Good bye for now, Anna Maria Island!
Comments
Post a Comment