Manatee Lake SP, Sarasota, FL:  Today was a lazy day.  Really chilly again this morning, but it warmed up nicely by late morning.  I spent an inordinate amount of time backing up the laptop.  It seems my backup drive is getting full, since I back up both the laptop and the desktop at home.  So I got rid of a bunch of stuff that didn’t need backing up anyway.  After that we had to go back to civilization to get some batteries for our walky-talkies.  I walked to the front gate and Mike picked me up there.  Got the batteries and some groceries.  Then back and sat outside in the sun until it got later and the shadows got longer.  Tomorrow we head to Ft. Myers, FL, and the W. P. Franklin Corps of Engineers campground.  Most of the people in the park left today.  

Tortoises wandered through our site last year.  None this year.  Probably too cold.

The Ringling Mansion

Manatee Lake SP, Sarasota, FL:  This morning Mike cleaned the front cap of the fifth wheel.  Yay!  Looks so much better.  After that we headed out to the barrier islands off Sarasota.  At St. Armands Key we parked at a cute little area of shops and restaurants (built by Ringling) and had lunch at Cha Cha Coconuts, a little sidewalk café.  Mike had gumbo which he said was the best he’d ever had, and I had a really good Cuban sandwich.  After lunch we walked around a little.  Ringling sure did a lot for the Sarasota area.  Continued on to Long Boat Key and finally all the way up to Santa Maria Island.  Rt. 64 which our park is on dead ends on Santa Maria Island, so we took that back to our park.  A really pretty day.  It was 74 in Sarasota, cooler on the islands. 

The Ringlings had a huge art collection.  Most of it is now housed in this building.  Some of it is still in the mansion.

Front gate all decorated for the holidays.

Christmas tree in the park at St. Armands.

Skyway Bridge viewed from Santa Maria Island.

This kid was frolicking around in the water.  Water temp 66 degrees.  OMG!

Manatee Lake, Sarasota, FL:  A beautiful day under a cloudless cerulean sky.  Cold in the morning though. But it warmed up nicely. Sat outside in the sun reading for a while.  After lunch we walked down to the lake.  Manatee Lake is a pretty little lake that supplies water for a couple of counties in Florida.  Swimming is allowed, but I would worry about gators.  Sites are really nice here.  Ours is really private with nobody on either side of us.  Nice and quiet too.  Guess everyone was out shopping.  We wanted nothing to do with that.  Left-over turkey dinner tonight.  

Really pretty in here.  We're surrounded by trees covered in Spanish moss and palmettos.

Don't think so.

Pretty Lake Manatee

Mikey taking a break.

Manatee Lake, Sarasota, FL:  A really pretty day today, but a little on the cool side.  Enjoyed a couple of cocktails and watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Had our turkey dinner around 2:00 and stuffed ourselves.  Then watched TV and ate some more.  Zoned out.  Great day though.

Lake Manatee

Spider on the trail

Pasco Winter Quarters, Land-o-Lakes, FL, to Manatee Lake, Sarasota, FL:  Didn’t leave this morning until 11:00.  It’s a short drive and I told Mike I could drive the whole way.  I75 was torn up for a few miles, but then it was fine.  Got here and were set up by 1:00.  I even backed into the site, since I was behind the wheel anyway.  Did it perfectly!  Wow!  After setting up we relaxed in the sun reading.  Then went for a short walk.  Mike’s back is bothering him a lot today (sigh).  Poor guy!  Tomorrow we’ll sit around, cook turkey, watch TV and eat!  HBM!

Our site tucked into the trees covered in Spanish moss.

Pasco Winter Quarters, Land-o-Lakes, FL:  Rain was predicted for today, but this morning dawned bright and sunny.  No clouds or fog.  Beautiful day.  We had a bunch of things to take care of before we leave tomorrow.  Took care of that.  Took a walk around the lake and then sat outside enjoying this beautiful day.  Mike was looking forward to going back to Skipper’s Smokehouse in North Tampa.  Had a problem finding the place, but finally got there.  This place was featured on the cable program “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”.  Their specialty is gator ribs.  I didn’t even know alligators had ribs.  This is a quirky little place which reminds us of some of the quirky places in Key West.  Mike had his ribs and said they were really good.  I tried them last time, and they actually were very tender and tasty.  Back to our park and relaxed the rest of the evening.  Tomorrow we leave for Lake Manatee which is near Sarasota.

Quirky Skipper's Smokehouse

Mike's gator ribs.

Sandy and Dan....thinking...are they EVER going to leave?

Pasco Winter Quarters, Land-o-Lakes, FL:  Started out cloudy again, but cleared off nicely.  We headed over to Sandy and Dan’s around 1:00.  Mike and Dan went to get the truck washed and when they came back we headed to the Lucky Dill for an early dinner.  Great place!  They also have an awesome bakery and I bought some half-moon cookies and Sandy bought some rolls and split them with us.  Back to their place and watched the movie, “Fargo”.  Played cards for a while after that and then ate the rest of the chocolate cream pie.  Sandy made two batches of bread and gave us half.  We have so much food!  Will freeze the bread.  Tried a piece of the bread with raisins and cranberries which was delicious.   Back to our park and crashed.  Tired.