Berkshires, Redux: Northampton

Smith College Art Museum

I was thinking that today we would attend the Scottish Festival in Northampton, about a 55 mile drive from here.  As it turns out, it was so hot that we couldn't imagine enjoying log tossing.  Instead, we went to the Smith College Art Museum.  They have very impressive holdings.  The special exhibit was of posters from the 60's, Summer of Love.  For the first time, I realized how much influence the Art Nouveau had.  It was a wonderful nostalgic visit complete with 60's music playing.  The remaining 3 floors of the museum included new acquisitions that impressed me with the effort put forth.  The focus seems to be on works that are contemporary works which address political and social issues.  One thing I liked was a variety of benches made by artists and intended for sitting a viewing the art.  First, they were beautiful and unique.  Secondly, how nice to consider art while sitting on art, a continuum.

Tanglewood

This evening we returned to Tanglewood for Wagner's Ring Cycle, 2nd Act, The Valkyrie.  To me the voices in this opera are quite harsh.  But I love the instrumental section of the flying Valkyries.  Everyone else was enthralled and applauded, applauded, applauded, cheered, cheered, and applauded more.  It was a wonderful evening and way to end our time here.  Tomorrow we return home.  

Berkshires, Redux: Dream Away Lodge

Dream Away Lodge, Becket, MA

It is southern hot today, in the 90's.  It's been this way since yesterday and is predicted to stay so through tomorrow.  We had nothing specific planned so opted for indoor activities where air conditioning is available.  At the Rockwell Museum we saw a Disney Snow White illustration show.  Jack Craib would love this.  Also, there was a show by Jarvis Rockwell, Norman's son.  His portrait drawings were elegant and beautiful.  But he is also a collector of mass manufactured plastic toys which were displayed....not so interesting.  Most interesting to me were photographs of him in recognizable poses for his father's paintings.  I never knew Rockwell used his son for that. 

Next we went to Edith Wharton's The Mount.  We have not been there in several years and it was pleasurable to see the progress they have made in restoration.  The plaster carved ceilings were impressive.  The only Wharton book I've read is Ethan Frome.  

This evening we went to a fun and funky place, The Dream Away Lodge.  I discovered it by reading a previous guest's notes in the guest book.   The drive is about 8 miles up the mountain, through deep woods, past a few homes; no cars were on the road.  One pulls up to a large white house on a small hill with dozens of cars parked on the lot.  Where did they all come from?  Directing parking, the valet was dressed in torn off shorts, red tee shirt, floppy gray felt hat and sporting a beard.  Immediately, I knew this would be fun.  The front yard sloped down to the road with a scattering of chairs and tables.  To one side a big fire pit was billowing smoke and hosting a few people who were cooling off with beer.  Kids were running all over.  We ate on a rambling porch that wrapped around the house.  Plenty more seating was inside in rooms that had never been altered to become a restaurant.  The center room held a stage and musical instruments.  Every Wednesday and Friday local musicians play.  Once upon a time, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie, etc have all played here.  What history.  After dinner we stayed for a bit of music from Podunk.  This will become a tradition, I think.   

The Berkshries, Redux: Williamstown Theatre Festival

Wayne in front of Louise Bougeois' Eyes, Williams College

Williamstown is a beautiful little college town nestled in the Berkshires.  Williams College is here as is the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Williamstown Theatre.  We spent the day there and took advantage of all these venues.  The little town has one main street that is filled with galleries.  My favorite is the Harrison Gallery.  This year the main show was a tribute to Henry Geldzahler with works by 4 artist who knew him.  Geldzahler was the first curator of contemporary art at the NY Met.  

Williams College is off main street and we walked to their little museum.  They were hanging a new show so all that was available to see was a bit of the permanent collection.  Most interesting was a maquette of Louise Bougeois sculptures that are on campus.  Eyes, Nine Elements was commissioned by the Museum in celebration of their 75th anniversary.  

Our next stop was the Clark, where a Winslow Homer show was in progress.  Sterling Clark owned more Homer's than any other artist, over 200 works.  I like Homer but Wayne does not.  Or, at least, does not like the ocean coast paintings.  This show had multiple wood engravings and watercolors, too.   I enjoyed seeing Homer's dedication to working and living in a place through his works.  

We still had time to kill before the theater and went to Bennington, VT.  Bennington is home to Bennington (duh!) Potters.  The pottery is very distinctive, stoneware with a speckled glaze.  We've bought things here over the years and today was no exception, coasters for our new table.  Bennington was readying itself for Midnight Madness that evening when all the stores open from 7pm to midnight with sales.  The town was jumping.  We had a great dinner at Allegro and then headed back to Williamstown.

Williamstown Theater is a nationally renowned summer stock theater that performs internationally recognized play writes and attracts significant actors such as Christopher Reeve, Blythe Danner and E.G. Marshall.  We saw, Hapgood, a play by Tom Stoppard starring Kate Burton.  I found it delightful.  The stage was perfect in deep grays and lit with a blue tone, perfect for the spy thriller.  The acting was so spot on, not a bit of over acting that I often feel is present on the stage.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Shakespeare and Co.

Wayne on the Grounds of Shakespeare & Co.

We have attended some of the best Shakespeare productions at Shakespeare and Co.  Founded by Tina Packer and originally performed on the grounds of The Mount, Edith Warton's Lenox home. The Company has moved to its own grounds in the center of Lenox. The extended facilities include training for professional and student actors, a footprint stage for a future replica of The Globe Theater.  Today we saw Richard II, first performed late in Elizabeth I reign.  This was also the time when Essex moved against the Queen to depose her.  The play was commissioned by supporters of Essex and seen as a means to help with the uprising.  It failed and Essex lost his head.  Elizabeth said, "Don't you know.  I am Richard II."  Chamberlain's Men (Shakespeare's troupe) were not punished.  You can see a bit of the play here.

The Berkshires, Redux: FDR Library

Stone Cottage at Val-Kill

It's a scorcher today, 90 degrees.  I love it.  Everything is soooo green and lush.  We drove to Hyde Park, NY down the Taconic Parkway with the glorious Catskill Mountains off to our west.  FDR's library was our destination.  We had been there in June to see the home and museum, but the library was closed for renovation.  The renovated library is very nice, beautifully captures FDR's personality and the period.  Boy, how I wish we had a politician like him again.  I think Bill Clinton came close to having FDR's empathy.  Of course, FDR had a Congress of his own party that backed his efforts.  There is so much today that echoes his era:  extreme disparity in wealth, efforts to undermine and extinguish social programs by business.  After, we drove over to Val-Kill.  It was closed but we could walk the property.  I am as much interested in Eleanor as Wayne is in FDR.  She was such a strong and caring person.  I find both of them amazing in their ability to empathize with the disenfranchised when they came from such privileged beginnings.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Mass MoCA

Rising Phoenix by Xu Bing at Mass MOCA

Our friends, the Lima's, left today.  They will continue their vacation in Philly.  We continued our's by going to Mass MoCA in North Adams.  Mass MoCA is a museum of contemporary art located in an abandoned mill which also offers a variety of music, dance, performance and education.  Thus, there are huge open spaces that offer wonderful opportunities for artists to come and built works.  Nothing is permanent here.  All shows are truly the newest works.  There were two artists exhibiting that I was interested in seeing. The photo above shows Wayne standing under the tail of one of Xu Bings sculptures of a phoenix.  For a better look visit  Xu Bing.  He has built two huge phoenix sculptures out of waste materials.  The other artist, Jason Middlebrook has pieces that address his relationship with nature.  He has taken vertical slices of huge trees and drawn or painted on them.  Both these artist's works are most impressive in person because the size and scale are so powerful.  

The Berkshires, Redux: Jacob's Pillow

This afternoon we went to Jabob's Pillow to watch Companhia Urbana de Danca.  Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space in Becket. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives as well as year-round community programs.  The Companhia de Urbana troupe consists of 7 men and 1 woman from the favelas of Brazil.  Their performance is a mixture of hip hop and Brazilian dance.  They were certainly impressive.  Watch a clip of their strength, flexibility and control on Youtube
This evening we ate at Bistro Zinc in Lenox, then returned home for a repeat performance of Friday night.  Oy!  

The Berkshires, Redux: Tanglewood

After a lazy beginning to our day (who can doubt that after our 2am bedtime), we drove to Great Barrington for the Berkshire's Annual Arts Fair.  It really is a nice fair with very high end goods presented by over 50 artists and performers.  None of us bought anything although we were tempted by some beautiful silk jackets and inventive glass vases.  There was an area dedicated to local artists where 2 were painting the surrounding mountains.  The fair is on the Butternut Ski grounds where a little slope was covered with wild thyme wafting its aroma throughout.  We left the fair to have lunch at a local Greek restaurant and then shop for tonight's Tanglewood picnic.  The shopping was something of a Whole Foods repeat performance complete with more smelly cheese and sweet things. The crowds this year seem light; very few people were at the crafts fair, and parking at Tanglewood was easy and close to the gate.  We settled on the grounds with our blanket, table and food for a full evening of Bernstein's West Side Story.  The rain even cooperated and vanished.  This is one of my favorite musicals.  I had the album as a teenager and know all the words to every song.  The movie has been re-released in high def and was shown on big screens with the BSO accompanying it.  "Tonight, tonight won't be just any night."  

The Berkshires, Redux

We arrived for our annual sojourn in The Berkshires around 4pm and waited for our friends Kathy and John Lima to arrive.  On the way in we stopped at Whole Foods to stock up on goodies needed for an uplifting week end.  All the foods we never need or should eat can be found there:  smelly ripe cheeses, salty fried crackers, deeply processed and very hard meats, buttery and sugary deserts.  Wayne bought dry aged steaks which were grilled after a period of swilling gin and vodka to wash down the aforementioned smelly cheeses and crackers.  Have you gotten the drift of the upcoming week end?  The steaks, btw, were delicious.  
We are staying at Fern Hollow in Becket, MA at the home of Kate and Greg Losi.  They, meantime, are staying in our Wareham home.  This is our 3rd year to exchange.  So far it is a mutually beneficial adventure.  Fern Hollow is set in a hollow about 1/4 mile off the road.  We are isolated and surrounded by woods. There is always the possibility of spotting a black bear.  We spend a lot of time on a lovely screened front porch where we can eat and relax beneath the giant trees.  
Our evening ended the next day about 2 a.m. after solving all the political, legal and familial problems (at least for the moment).  

Washington DC

National Portrait Gallery, Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Today was my kind of day.  It was saturated with art. As I've stated before, the hotel is in a prime location, and we were able to walk about 5 blocks to the National Portrait Gallery.  We began our visit with the  "Portraiture Now" series' seventh installation.  Last year we saw the sixth installation of miniature portraits that were amazing in their detail and realism.  This exhibition looks at the narrow boundaries that once defined drawing and portraiture with artists who explore the melding of painting, video, writing, computer technology and photography as well as drawing.  All the artists are meticulous in their work, probe the psychological make up of their subjects and use scale to a very effective degree.  Please take a look at their works here.  Each artist is listed to the side with links to view the works.  

We took a long look at the early works that documented the beginnings of our country from the earliest settlements through the Civil War and Reconstruction.  Particularly, I remember portraits and busts of Pocahontas, Abigail Adams, Booker T. Washington, John Brown and Elizabeth I.  

The American Art Museum is attached to the Portrait Gallery.  We crossed over to see an exhibit , The Civil War and American Art, that examines how American artists represented the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath.  There were amazing works from the Hudson River Valley artists, Bierstadt, Church and Gifford, and, for me, a new look at Winslow Homer. Here is a video trailer of the show.   There is a large, beautiful atrium that connects the two museums.  We sat there for a lunch and rest before heading out to the National Gallery

The National Gallery, about 20 minute walk, took us past the Naval Memorial.  It had lovely high relief sculptures circling a open area.  The National Gallery is exhibiting Pre-Raphaelites, one of Wayne's top see list schools of art.  He fell in love with them while attending Oxford University.  They hold several levels of engagement for him.  This show was a curator's coup.  Neither of us have seen such a large grouping before.  There were 130 paintings, sculptures, works on paper and decorative art objects.  It was a fabulous show.  

We ended our day with dinner at Caiba (pronounced Say-Bah), a Latin American restaurant near the hotel.  You can see my interesting fish dish on flickr.  We had Italian Cream Cake for dessert back at the hotel provided by Aunt Juanita.  A perfect ending to a perfect day.  Flickr Pictures Here.

Washington DC

National Women in the Arts Museum:  Freya Grand Landscapes

We are in DC staying at our usual Hilton Hotel which is in a perfect location for us.  We are about .5 mile from the mall and the White House.  After checking in and eating at Cafe Mozart, another regular dining spot when we are here, we walked 2 blocks to The National Women in the Arts Museum.  In a small gallery on the first floor was a show by Freya Grand of landscapes she painted from visits to remote uninhabited places in Ecuador, Peru, Scotland, Ireland, Botswana and the Pacific Northwest.  I am glad we saw this as Grand develops the compositions of her paintings and drawings in her studio.  This means she is using photography and memory to paint the idea and emotional content in the landscape rather than an exact replication.  She certainly captured that idea in her paintings of Scotland.  Having just been there it was so clear how she had captured the essence of the place. 
We met Adam at the hotel for dinner and caught up on family, work and future plans.  Flickr pics.

Woodbridge, VA

Driving Cat

We've been doing nothing but driving the last 2 days, 7 hours from Anna Maria to Walterboro, SC and 9 hours from Walterboro to Woodbridge, VA.  There were some traffic issues that slowed us a bit.  (And there was the funny incident of the driving cat.)  We had a grand welcome at Juanita's and Carlton's.  Sandra and her beau, Todd, were there.  Juanita, the grandest hostess of all, had a full meal cooked for us.  Discussions were lively as always with them.  We criticized the sequestration which is personally affecting Butch and Sandra, analyzed the newest and oldest of movies, elaborated upon the Ai Weiwei show at the Hirshhorn.  A soothing end to a long day of driving. 

Perfectus

Christy and the Sarasota Art Center

Today was the final day of a wonderful and most relaxing month on Anna Maria Island.  I have high marks for the culture, one of civility, cheerfulness and openness.  We were told that the house we have rented for next year would be available for a visit today.  Before noon we picked up the key and drove over.  We are thrilled with it.  The flickr link includes a video of it.  Following the house visit we drove over to Sarasota.  They have a small community Art Center we visited last year and were impressed with.  Again this year the members juried show was hung as well as two invitational shows.  The members show is surprisingly good, the best being unusual takes on a subject or creative use of materials.  One of the invitational shows is an annual event in which artists from around Sarasota produce pieces of fashion from avant-garde materials.  The most interesting pieces were ones which surprised me when I realized what the materials were, i.e. a glittery gown made from pasta shapes that I first thought was threads and metals.  The second invitational, Child's Play, challenged artists to portray their formative years where "they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group. ... Some objects represent joy, other works, images of confusion and sorrow.reflect upon their formative years, they were most likely a bully, victim, bystander or up stander-with the later being the least popular group."  From the Art Center we walked up the street to a gem and jewelry show.  I anticipated jewelers selling unique and intriguing pieces.  Instead, it was vendors selling low end beads.  Back home, we're all packed and ready to hit the road tomorrow.  First stop Walterville, SC.  Pictures and video at flickr.

A Good Walk

Anna Maria, Bean Point

Wayne and I walked together today taking the beach route.  We walked completely around the end of the Island, known as Bean Point, over to the Tampa Bay side.  It was a good walk.  We stopped in at the Waterfront Restaurant again to repeat our experience with the fish tacos.  Still the best I've ever had.  On the way back to the house we finished off visiting any shop we had missed.  After a month we still love it here and are looking forward to next year.  Pictures of the walk are at flickr.  

Anna Maria

I began my day with a walk.  It is showing signs of spring here with plants that have new leaves and flowering trees.  I haven't seen any bulbs popping up.  But maybe they aren't prevalent here.  They might need a good freeze that doesn't happen here.  I think the plant pictured above is some sort of Magnolia.  The unopened leaf was about 12 inches long and the entire plant was approximately 10 feet tall and 12 feet around.  But it grew to the ground and was shaped like a bush.  I think it would make a nice painting.  Later, Wayne and I took a bike ride along our regular route which takes us to the end of the island and back along Tampa Bay.  

Singing in the Rain

Waterfront Restaurant, Anna Maria

It was pouring rain today; the first substantial, extended rain we have had since arriving.  We thought, "a perfect day to attend the movies and see Life of Pi".  We headed over to Bradenton for a 1:30 movie.  Upon entering the lobby I couldn't even see where the line began and where the crowds ended.  It seems everyone had the same idea.  Who would have thought on a Tuesday afternoon there would be so many people with nothing to do.  Well!  Anyone who thought for a second would.  The whole of the area is comprised of retired folk with too much money and too much time on their hands.  Before we could even have time to get bored standing in line, came the announcement, "Life of Pi is sold out."  Back in the car and back to Anna Maria we headed.  We changed our plans to shopping for Anna Maria Island t-shirts.  There are countless shops for such items.  In fact, every type store stocks tourist needs and wants; grocery, liquor, you name it, they have a t-shirt.  As we finished shopping, the sun came out and we decided to have our 2nd lunch of the day at The Waterfront Restaurant which faces Tampa Bay.  We had the best fish tacos ever!!!  No need to cook dinner when you've had two lunches!  

Friends and Neighbors

Kites Flying on Anna Maria Beach

Other than our normal day of living large, the only thing out of the ordinary today was that we locked ourselves out of the house.  That in itself would be annoying enough, but we also happened to be on the second floor deck.  Wayne had boiled some shrimp and we were enjoying them when the door slammed shut.  "I hope we're not locked out,"  I said.  And when Wayne tested the door saying, "oh, no,"  I of course laughed at his joke.  NO JOKE.  Although I did laugh a lot.  The deck is about 20 feet off the ground and cantilevers out.  No way to every get off without a broken bone or two.  From experience, we knew people would be walking past to see the sunset.  We bided our time and sure enough, Connie our neighbor came by.  Her first response was, "Jump.  I'll catch you.'  Now, the little added complication is that Connie has the beginnings of Alzheimer's.  It took some convincing to get her to go up the stairs and come in to let us out.  Thank goodness the outside door was unlocked.  At first, she just opened the door and was going to leave.  After some convincing, she came in and let us out.   
We walked down to the beach for the sunset.  Connie was there with Howard, her husband.  She lived in Lowell, MA and he is from Alabama.  It's quite convivial at the sunset ritual.  There are a lot of pictures of the sunset and day at the beach on flickr.

Just Another Day

Slim's Place

I realized as I began to write that each day has become more or less the same.  The usual walking and reading, beach sitting and bike riding occurred.  Yawn.   I thought could begin to write about some aspect of the Island that extended beyond my minute by minute activities.  So, alternatively I will delve into Island dining.  All the restaurants in Anna Maria are small, privately owned establishments; none of the chains are here.  They range from intimate such as the Beach Bistro to big and family oriented like the Sandbar.  Nearly all have outdoor dining space, the best being the Sandbar for its Gulf facing deck where we have pledge to go for at least one sunset.  Two of them sit at the end of piers that reach out into Tampa Bay where you can watch the dolphins entertain everyone.  The fare is, what else, seafood with some nods to steak and chicken.  Grouper and Mahi Mahi abound.  We've done our best to try all the establishments.  There is still the Waterfront Restaurant to be tackled.  Tonight we went to Slim's Place, which looks like a place I would never entertain dining in. It's only 2 blocks from the house and we walked.  From the outside it looks like a biker's joint.  But all the online reviews said it was surprisingly good food, and we felt it was worth the try. While there is a pool table and 5 TVs hanging on the walls, there is also a beautiful copper bar.  The view is non-existent.   I had a quesadilla and Wayne had a fish taco.  My quesadilla was deep fried and had no salsa. But there was enough melted cheese in it to sooth my disappointment.  Wayne said his taco was okay.  Bottom line, it's an okay place for lunch or last minute dinner.  It was inexpensive and price and quality aligned.

Looking Ahead

Wayne, Shucking Oysters

We made arrangements today to take the house on Lakeview with John and Kathy.  Next year, we will be there for 2 weeks in January and all of February.  Kathy and John will arrive Jan 4 and stay through the second week of February.  The house sits on a dead-end short road with 2 other houses and backs up to a canal.  The island is riveted with man made canals.  The house is very near the City Pier and shops, a great location.  We drove over today and found a spot to see the back of the house on the canal. To celebrate we got a dozen oysters and slurped them down while watching the sun set.  Yahoo!  Pictures and video of the day at flickr.

Anna Maria

My Walk Past City Pier

I took a new route today for my walk; I passed the City Pier where people were sitting on the boardwalk enjoying the view, continued on around Bean Point  and back to the house.  I calculated it was 3 miles.  Later, Wayne and I rode the bikes and stopped in at Green Realty to check on the availability of a house we liked for next year.  It is not available.  In fact, getting what we want for next year is looking dire.  We spent the afternoon on the beach reading.  It was so very nice.  As we readied to leave, Wayne tossed our stale bread to the gulls.  We enjoyed another beautiful sunset before retiring to the inside. Pictures and video at flickr.

At the Movies

Fuzzy Pillow

The day started out cloudy and we made plans to go see Les Miserables.  The sun came out before we left but that did not deter us.  The movie was almost 3 hours long and not all of it interesting to me.  I did like all of the scenes to do with the French Revolution.  And, the art direction was interesting.  There were a lot of shots with points of view that the eye doesn't normally see, extreme angles, bird's eye views.  No pictures today.  Just a sketch of Wayne doing his thing.  

Out and About in Anna Maria

Anna Maria Beach Sunset

Today was dedicated to getting out and moving.  The last 2 days were cool and not receptive to outdoor activity.  I started the day with a 3 mile walk down the beach and back.  There were millions of preschool age children on the beach.  Okay.  That's a bit of an exaggeration.  But it has been so empty of kids around here that I was surprised to see them.  It is school vacation in the northeast; that may account for some increased activity.  After the walk Wayne and I road the bikes around checking out houses for rent that I found online.  One was quite suitable, right on the canal with a pool.  We talked to the neighbor who described himself as a Georgia Cracker.  He had cotton plants growing in front of his house.  Tonight's sunset was particularly beautiful.  After watching it, we walked to the Sandbar for supper.  It, too was crowded and we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table.  They have an outside dining area with benches where we sat and enjoyed the remainder of the evening sky.  See the sunset pictures at flickr.

Communing with Nature

Sarasota Bay

It was still a bit cool today.  We went down to Leffis Key, which is just across from Bradenton Beach on Longboat Key, to walk the Coquina Baywalk.  It is a tiny little key that has had the flora all restored to native plants.  One should be able to see dolphin, manatee and birds on a good day.  This day was not so good.  I think it is still early for the manatee to be in these waters.  At the top of one small hill, the walk affords a 360 degree view of the area.  From Leffis we explored an area of Longboat key that has a marine animal facilities: aquarium, research center, rescue center and a park.  One can see Sarasota across the bay.  We had lunch at St. Armand's Circle and then window shopped. On the way home we sighted a bald eagle soaring overhead.   Pictures of the Coquina Baywalk are at flickr.

At the Movies

Argo

No, we haven't been hanging out with Ben Affleck.  Although, I would certainly not say no to that.  Today was cold, really cold, 54 degrees.  So we put on our socks and sweaters and headed for the movies.  We mistakenly thought tonight was the Oscars and wanted to see Argo ahead of the awards.  We always cheer for our hometown boy, Ben.  And this time he truly deserves it.  The movie was fast paced, with just the right amount of tension mixed with humor.  It's about the rescue of 6 Americans who escaped the American Embassy in Iran during the hostage taking of 1979.  Now that we know the Oscars are next week, maybe we will take in The Life of Pi or Les Miserables.  

St Petersburgh, Etc.

Sunset over Tampa Bay from the Skyline Bridge

My Berlin friend, Carolyn, contacted me to say she was in St. Petersburg visiting her sister.  Wayne and I met Carolyn and Saundra in Gulfport for lunch at the Neptune.  Gulfport is, wait...wait, on the Gulf of Mexico and was part way to our destination of Dunedin.  It was a great visit and an opportunity to discuss art.  

Dunedin was having a week end arts and crafts festival of which we have seen several. They are mostly made up of amateurs who make ticky tacky kitsch.  I've had my fill.  But we had a nice stroll past a hundred or so booths, stopped for pizza and headed home.  The sunset was the best entertainment of the day.  See it on flickr.

Anna Maria

Sunset over Gulf of Mexico

We spent the day visiting Realtors and checking out possible rentals for next year.  We are going to share with Kathy and John.  They will begin in January, we will overlap 2 weeks in January/February and we will finish the last 3 weeks of February alone.  It will be fun to have another couple around to share with.  There were 1 or 2 houses that fit our wish list.  We will continue looking.  We rode bikes again today.  It's a good way to explore the island and get a feel for the neighborhoods.  The sunset was good, AGAIN!  On the way back, we met our neighbors, Howard and ????  They've lived here for years and have only good things to say about the area.  Sunset pictures at flickr.

Tampa

Tampa Bay Museum of Art

We've had the first rainy and cool day which gave us a good opportunity to visit the Tampa Bay Museum.  They have a exhibit of 100 works from the Phillips Collection that is marvelous, fabulous and just wonderful.  Duncan Phillips used his inherited wealth to begin a collection in the home he shared with his mother that eventually became the Phillips Collection of Washington DC.  He described the project as "a memorial...a beneficent force in the community where I live - a joy-giving, life-enhancing influence, assisting people to see beautifully as true artists see."  It was nice to see his collection so soon after visiting the Barnes and compare the French influence of Barnes' collection to the American influence of Phillips'.  Among my favorite of the day were Richard Diebenkorn's Girl with Plant, Ernest Lawson's Spring Night, Harlem, Walt Kuhn's Plumes, and Guy Pene Du Bois', Blue Arm Chair.  In reality there were few works that I could not say were wonderful to look at.  
The museum has little in it's permanent collection, one room of Roman/Greek antiquities and one room of contemporary works.  The museum is located in a lovely section overlooking the Hillsborough River with the Hunter Museum in the distance.  Rainy day pictures of the Skyline Bridge are on flickr.  

Venice

Coy Wayne posing with Koi Dolphin

We drove down to Venice today.  Alice had said she and Henry liked the area.  We want not to discount anything as a possibility for next year.  It was more metropolitan than Anna Maria, a bit of a low key Naples.  But we still prefer Anna Maria.  And there is always St. Armand's Circle if we want a Naples day.  The main street was peppered with dolphin and turtle painted sculptures.  Check them out at flickr

Anna Maria

My Cutie with Oysters

We hauled the bicycles out today and road down to the city pier and then along South Bay Boulevard.  There are some lovely homes facing the bay that are for rent and sale.  It's more and more tempting day by day to sell and move here.  Still, time will tell.  We mustn't be seduced by sun in February.  Bike riding was fun and exhilarating.  We ended at Poppos Taqueria for chicken burritos.  

Back home I did some drawing and Wayne went to the fish market.  He returned with oysters (see the happy man in above picture) and mahi mahi.  There was another beautiful sky this evening which we enjoyed from the deck with our oysters.  We prepared the mahi like we had last night at Eat Here.  

We watch President Obama's State of the Union speech tonight.  It has been nice to be removed from politics while here.  I gave up on the speech about 3/4 through.  It was too long and too dull.  I went to bed to continue my book, Dennis Lehane's Live by Night.

A couple of more pictures are at flickr.

Anna Maria

Wayne Reading on Anna Maria Beach

After a lazy morning reading the paper, we walked the several yards to the beach and settled in.  I walked what I think was about 2 miles along the surf line to the north point of the island. There are many houses set along the beach there that would be great to rent.  There would be beautiful sunsets every night.  

We ate at a restaurant called EAT HERE.  It turns out to be owned by the same people who own The Beach Bistro where we ate the first night with John and Kathy.  We both had Mahi Mahi which was excellent and about half the price of the Bistro.  Tonight we stayed in watching tv and eating Wayne's blueberry pie.  flickr

Sarasota

Banyan Tree at Marie Selby Gardens

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are practically in downtown Sarasota.  It's surprising to find 7 acres of lush landscaping adjacent to busy roads and skyscrapers.  But once one is inside the compound, there is little evidence of the nearby city.  Two sides of the property are bordered by water, Sarasota Bay and Hudson Bayou.  The Selby's, William and Marie, bought the property in the early 1900's.  William and his father formed the Selby Oil and Gas company which later merged with Texas Oil to become Texaco.  Hmm, yes, a bit of money there.  Marie was the gardener and upon her death, will the estate to the city of Sarasota.  The gardens have an emphasis on epiphytes with hundreds of bromeliads.  There is a conservatory, too, with a chocolate tree.  I've asked to have one for Valentine's Day.  :-)  

Koi Pond at Selby Gardens

After leaving the Gardens, we explored further down the keys onto Lido.  It was blanketed with high rise condos and hotels.  The drive home was arduous with traffic moving at about .5 miles per hour.  Note:  never leave the island on a Sunday.  We went to Fresh Market and bought supplies for a blueberry pie.  Love that cook of mine.  

The sunset was grand tonight.  We were sitting on the front deck around dusk watching the locals stroll past for the beach and thought they must know something about sunsets.  So we walked down and caught the end.  No one applauded except me.  I guess that practice varies with each community.  
See pictures from the day at flickr.  

Sunset on Anna Maria Beach

Anna Maria

Wayne totally relaxed

We saw our friends Kathy & John off today.  They are going home to PA.  Wayne and I took a 2 hour walk after they left.  We're getting a feeling for the place.  There are a lot of art galleries, none of which has any information on open studio drawing.  I'm thinking there must not be anything.  After all that walking we stopped in at Vinny and Cheryl's Italian Kitchen where I bought 2 sfogliatelle, a most mouth-watering ricotta filled pastry.  I'm doubting I broke even on calories in (sfogliatelle), calories out (my walk).  

We've been following the Nemo storm that has hit New England.  95% of Wareham has lost power and received 2' of snow.  To complicate matters it is 5 degrees there.  Many people will have no heat.  We're very happy to be in Florida.  

We spent the afternoon at the beach doing the usual: reading, napping and sketching.  Tonight dinner was left overs.  Kathy emailed they are in Knoxville and it is 44.  Pictures of the house are on flickr.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria Island

For the last two days we have had a fairly normal routine as if we are residents.  Kathy and I walked yesterday while Wayne and John shopped and arranged a chartered fishing trip for today.  In the afternoon we spent a brief time at the beach trying to read.  The wind was so strong and cool that we only lasted about an hour. The house has a big wagon that is perfect for hauling gear to the beach.  There is also a beach umbrella and some rickety chairs.  There are no beach towels to speak of.  In fact all the towels are chintzy.  The beach is beautiful with that silky white sand.  A variety of birds keep us amused; the pelicans dive for fish and the gulls stand nearby begging for scraps of food.  There are schools of sting rays that swim just below the surface at the water's edge.  There are few people on the beach that is directly in front of the house.  Further north it is more congested where parking and a restaurant and bathrooms are available.
After a morning today of getting ready to fish, the captain called and said he couldn't get his boat to start.  He wanted to reschedule but Kathy and John are leaving tomorrow and that was not possible.  It was disappointing but better to find out the engine is gone before we leave than when we were miles off shore.  So instead we drove to Cortez, a village that had been described as quaint, old Florida with shopping.  After driving around Cortez and unable to find anything quaint, we determined what old Florida means is double wides, pawn shops and junk shops.  There was a big fish market and processing area.  We decided to head back to Anna Maria and sit on the beach.  The wind was up again  and our stay was short.
Wayne picked up steaks for dinner which he grilled.   I recreated the strawberry salad we had at Beach Bistro.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria City Pier

It was a perfect Florida day.  The kind that is written about in travel magazines.  We packed a lunch and headed to the beach.  The road our house is on sits perpendicular to the beach.  Our house is the 5th one up from the beach or about 100 yards.  There is a boardwalk bridge that spans the beach plants leading directly to the sand.  We saw a big tortoise at the bottom of it.  We read, walked; I drew until about 4 pm.   A few hundred feet from our area we discovered a beach front restaurant appropriately named The Sandbar.
After, we drove to the city pier.  The whole area around the pier is packed with shops and restaurants and is really walkable from the house.  John bought us all hats.  The pier is built out about 100 yards into Tampa Bay.  People were fishing off the end.  You could see big fish schooling just below the surface.  There is a small bar.  We met a couple from Chatham who have a home here.  She took our picture and gave local information about good restaurants and charter fishing.
We ate at The Sign of Mermaid tonight.  No one liked what they ordered.  We will not return.  Pictures at flickr.

Sarasota

The Howard Brother's Circus Model

We revisited the Ringling Center for the Cultural Arts today.  John and Kathy had never been and it is certainly a place one can revisit.  We had not visited The Circus Museum our first time and so did today.  The cornerstone of the Museum is the world's largest miniature circus, a model replica of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919-1938.  It took Howard Tibbals more than 50 years to build.  Other circus memorabilia  in the museum were costumes and wagons, games and posters.  
The John and Mable Ringling home on the grounds is a 5 story, 56 room palatial winter residence modeled on the Venetian Gothic style. This web site will give you a good idea of the grandeur.

Finally, we visited the Museum, which is now Florida's official state museum and houses over 500 years of the history of European art.  Our group voted one of the new acquisition as a favorite.  It is a glass sculpture, about 10 inches high, of a seated woman by Nicolas Africano.  The above image is not the sculpture we saw, but it is one that gives you an idea of his style.  The transparency is so beautiful.  
Tonight we drove to St. Armand's Circle to have dinner at Columbia, a Peruvian restaurant, recommend to us by Jack and Julien.  It was a warm evening that made for a beautiful stroll around the circle following dinner.  Pictures at flickr.

Anna Maria

Anna Maria Beach

This is our first day spent just relaxing and getting to know Anna Maria.  I took a walk this morning that went far beyond my intended goal.  It ended up being about a 4 mile, hour and a half trek.  Half was walked on the beach and half back through the streets.  When I left the beach it seems I had walked all the way to Holmes Beach.  So I walked the neighborhoods on my return as the sand can be tiring to walk on.  Most homes have rental signs in front.  So our options can be many should we elect to return here next year.  

Wayne went exploring in the car while I was walking and found a good little fish market and a bakery. We needed hor d'oeuvres for Kathy's and John's arrival.  We had dinner at the Beach Bistro.  Everything about it was what we liked:  sophisticated atmosphere with just the right noise level, extensive wine list, and inventive menu.  I liked the strawberry and arugula salad best.  A few pictures are at flickr.

Day Trip to Fort Myers

Fort Myers Art Festival

Today we drove down to Fort Myers in order to visit their annual art festival.  It's a 2 day event with over 200 artists, music and food.  The sun felt so good as we walked around.  The art was mostly commercial and did not appeal to me.  Some of the jewelry was nice and the leather purses.  But the prices were very high.  We stuck to a $5 pizza.  Tonight we are in watching the Ravens dominate the 49ers.  Half time has just ended with Beyonce doin' her thang.  She's amazing.  A few pictures are at flickr.

Daytona Beach to Anna Maria Island

Entering Anna Maria Island

It was a short 3 hour drive today from Daytona to Anna Maria.  We cruised right past Orlando without a thought or temptation to visit Disney World.  Although, we did consider Gator World, one of our favorite places.  
Anna Maria is a very small (1 sq mile) municipality on Anna Maria Island.  The Island is one of several keys that lie west of Sarasota.  Last year we stayed here for a week on Longboat Key.  The keys are connected by causeways.  Our house is large but dated.  We think it may belong to a young couple who have inherited it from parents or grandparents.  We base this on the generational pictures everywhere, the plastic coverings on furniture and the dated kitchen gadgets.  It is raised with parking under the house.  This allows for a great balcony where one can view the water.  We are about  50 yards from the beach.  
We are settling in tonight after shopping for essentials and having hot dogs.  

Daytona Beach

North Turn Restaurant

John and Kathy showed us the Daytona Beach area today.  The beach here is 23 miles long and hard packed sand.  11 of those miles allow cars to drive along it and park during the day.  John drove us down those 11 miles.  At the end we pulled out onto the road and into The North Turn Restaurant which is located at the original Speedway's north turn.  It was warm enough to eat outside and enjoy the Atlantic.  After lunch we drove around looking at the different neighborhoods and finally stopping at John D. Rockefeller's summer home, The Casements.  It is an unostentatious house which is now the cultural and civic center for the City of Ormond Beach.  Some of the rooms retain original pieces, pictures.  Our final stop of the day was at The Daytona International Speedway.  While I know or care nothing for racing, it was interesting to see something so famous.  There was a walk of fame with winner's hand and foot prints in the walk.  Dale Earnhardt was the only name I recognized.  This evening Wayne and John cooked steaks for us.
More pictures can be seen here at flickr.

Savannah to Daytona Beach

Savannah River

We started the day with a walk along the Savannah River waterfront.  The entire area is one long road of gallery, shop, and restaurant after another on one side of the road facing the open river.  My mission was to find the best peanut shop I have ever been to.  Twice, I've bought nuts here, but this time I couldn't find it.  However, the weather was warm, the walk pleasant.  It is early spring here and the trees are blooming.  It was about a 3 hours' drive to Daytona where we are staying with John and Kathy.  The house is beautiful with two outdoor living spaces with fireplaces.  John had prepared oysters on the half shell, crab legs, shrimp and cheese.  For dinner he served the wonderful mussels and pork dish that he is soooooo good at making.  Some photos are here at flickr.

Savannah

The Olde Pink House

Most of today was spent driving from Durham to Savannah.  We're listening to Ian Rankin's latest Rebus book, which helps the time pass and also reminds us of our time in Edinburgh where the book is set.  Our hotel is on Bay Street overlooking the Savannah River.  It is a perfect location to enjoy the sights of Savannah.  Tonight we walked one block to The Olde Pink House, a significant historic home turned restaurant for dinner.  We have eaten here before and knew it to be good.  This time we did not make reservations but walked in and requested a table in the cellar tavern where jazz is played.  On our first try we were there an hour before the Tavern opened so we walked to a local pub, The Churchill, to kill time.  There the bartender chatted with us about the trip.  He had recommendations for restaurants in Daytona Beach.  Back at The Olde Pink House we worked our way through throngs of people and waiters to the cellar.  It was packed to the gills with diners.  Playing jazz at the piano was quite a character; a woman of significant age wearing bright red sequined gown, bright red plumed hat and lipstick to match.  Her voice was so-so.  The room is very nice with  a large fireplace lounging area, an end to end bar and small tables along the wall.  We were told there would be a 1/2 hour wait.  We stood and listened to the chanteuse for about 15 minutes.  The hostess told us there was a table cancellation and took us to a small domed adjacent room where the wine was stored.  It was delightful.  We overate but had great fun as we were catered to by a charming waitress from Maine who knew of Joe and Lex.    See some more pictures here.