I am having so much fun here in sunny Florida! Every day is a “microadventure” but the one I’m going to blog about is my Saturday excursion to Venice, Florida!
Venice is a quaint little beach town about 30 minutes south of Becky’s townhouse in Sarasota. As I mentioned, the challenge I’ve set for myself with these microadventures is every week to see a new place with another person and blog about it.
For this adventure, my “other person” was a very handsome and sweet Bumble date, John, who was an excellent tour guide as he’s lived in Venice for many years.
We met up at Centennial Park on Venice Avenue. John showed me this super-cool Kaleidoscope Spinning Flower Pot! Check it out!
There was 60’s music playing at the gazebo and an older couple was dancing out in the park. It was like a scene right out of Norman Rockwell. John said that music is often playing in the park and I made a mental note that I wanted to come back to hear more.
We were both hungry, though, so we left the park to eat at T.J. Carneys, a yummy pub with a fun vibe. The elegant woman who showed us to our seats looked to be in her 80’s, still with plenty of pep in her step! John ordered up a French Dip, and I, still motivated by my January healthy eating goals, had a delicious “Summertime Salad.” Ah! How awesome to have “summertime” in winter!
After lunch, we strolled the quaint shops along Venice Avenue, full of beachy treasures. I loved browsing and admiring the decor in beautiful shades of teal, pinks, and blues. There were all sorts of unique finds, like some cool aqua jelly-fish-shaped lampshades!
Unlike most guys I know, John didn’t mind shopping at all.. he was even the one who suggested it! He especially enjoyed this store that was full of shells and sharks teeth! He was very knowledgable about the different types of shark teeth and it sounds like he’s quite the collector! He told me that the best beach to find shark teeth was nearby Nokomis beach.
Venice Avenue not only had super-cute shops and restaurants, but the streets and outdoors were filled with whimsical painted mermaids and seahorses. I asked John to get one of me posing with the pretty purple mermaid to send to my sister (she likes mermaids like I like flamingos.)
And speaking of flamingos… you KNOW I had to get a picture of this guy, still dressed up for Christmas!
When we got to the end of the downtown row of shops, John told me that the beaches were just a little bit further! We both went in our own cars, caravan style, with our phones on and John still being a personal tour guide as we headed for Venice Beach and Fishing Pier.
The weather was perfect.. sunny and in the 70’s. Everywhere I turned, there was beauty — in the sky, the shore, the water, the pier.
This gull was proudly holding a shrimp he’d caught for photo-snapping tourists like me! At one point, he dropped his shrimp, and John retrieved it and he picked it right out of his hand as though he were a pet bird.
Our final stop was Nokomis Beach. John had some other errands to run, so this is where we said our goodbyes. It was close enough to sunset that I wanted to stay and enjoy the beach a little longer. I didn’t find any shark teeth, but the beach was just full of beautiful shells, perfectly in tact!
I never get tired of looking at this scene. It fills me with a sense of awe and peace.
When someone asks, “What is a perfect day for you?” I would have to answer it’s a day like this one!
