12/8/2010 TAMPA TO BRADENTON

WEDNESDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY:   39  NM

TAMPA SUNRISE

Time to travel again! Even though we were only moving to Bradenton, a distance of only about 39 miles, we were both ready to be on the move. We walked into town for some sweet rolls for our breakfast and found Lucy, a lady we met at the fruit stand over the weekend. She asked us to give her a call when we were leaving so she could walk out her door and wave to us. Sure enough, there she was waving up a storm and wishing us a safe journey. So long Lucy!

LUCY SENDING US OFF

While zigzagging our way through the greater Tampa Bay we sighted a manatee off in the distance. Since our visit to their warm water habitat at the power house, we now know what to look for. A few dolphin and the ever present sea birds escorted us out of their bay as we passed under the beautiful Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This brought us out of Tampa Bay and back into the Intracoastal Waterway.

THE SKYWAY BRIDGE

APPRECIATING THE BEAUTIFUL LINES OF THIS MAGNIFICENT BRIDGE

By 3:00 we had entered Anna Maria Sound and were approaching our night’s destination, a slip at the Seafood Shack. Reconfirming our reservation and seeking instructions to dock, we found that the dock master had already gone for the day and were told to where to tie up. Again, some nice folks grabbed our ropes and soon we were secured and hooked to power and water.

Bradenton is John and Joann Hull’s winter home and they graciously meet us at the dock and whisked us away for an enchanting evening at Sarasota’s Halley Hall for a performance by the Sarsota Orchestra. The program was delightful, the venue intimate and the orchestra fabulous. All this was followed by a wonderful seafood dinner and lots of good company. Thank you so much John and Joann!!

Image by Timothy Valentine via Flickr

 In our driving around Sarasota with the Hulls, we passed by this 25'
tall plastic and aluminum sculpture called Unconditional Surrender.  The original, life sized sculpture is by john Seward Johnson and was inspired
by the Life Magazine photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on V-Day, 8/15/45.









We were especially happy to see Joann up and about after her recent medical set back. After her hip replacement she developed an infection, had to have the new joint removed and a spacer inserted then had to stay off her feet for months while the infection cleared up. She just had the surgery to remove the spacer and reinsert the new hip joint about three weeks ago and is now attending PT. I couldn’t believe how well she was getting around after being grounded for so long.

WELCOMING COMMITTEE

HUGS ALL AROUND

Our weeks are filling up quickly. Steven will fly into Ft. Myers on 12/16 and leave from Key West on 12/27. Jan, Debi and Richard are joining us in Key West on 12/30 and skip out from Miami on 1/6 where Dick and Cheryl will come aboard either that day or the next. The four of us will head out for Bimini then on to Andros Island where they have rented Sissy’s little house for the last two weeks of January. During Barbara’s February break, the Wragas will join us in the Bahamas. That brings us back to FL for Dan’s two week schooling for his captain’s license. Then March brings tennis in MIA then we will start our trek back north. We are thankful every day for this opportunity to view the world from the decks of the Quest!