A terrific find in Sarasota is Vintiquity Lane . The name is a combination of vintage” and “antique”, which should help you imagine what you would find here. Last time I was in this vintage marketplace, I found the perfect picture to take for this theme. 
And there they are – squares, rectangles, and ovals!
Mark your calendar – Vintiquity Lane is only open the 3rd weekend of every month.
These flowers would say “We’re going to Disneyworld!”
This display greeted us as we arrived at Epcot for the 2018 International Flower and Garden Festival. No one does flowers like Disney!!
Our grandson Graham’s first team sport is T-Ball
and we watched Saturday as he prepared to swing the bat – lining up his hands on the bat, taking his stance, and keeping his eye on the ball.
This past weekend we braced for Hurricane Irma as it appeared that Sarasota may be in its path. Wind and rain pelted our homes Sunday night. On Monday many of us dealt with power outages. As ours came back on, Tuesday my mother was ready to return to her home. As we took a ride down the newly opened Lorraine Road, we saw rows of uprooted newly planted trees.
As we drove from Lakewood Ranch, to Sarasota, out to Siesta Key, and then through downtown Sarasota, we noticed that most of the destruction left behind was fallen newly planted trees that had not been established yet and also older mature trees. This row of trees will be easy to set right up again, but many many trees did not fair so well in our neighborhoods. And now the clean up begins.
In a bowl…ing alley! Labor Day weekend was the annual “Good Old Days” event at Sarasota Lanes. Bowling, beer, soda, and hotdog prices were rolled back to one dollar each. Word was put out in our new Del Webb Lakewood Ranch neighborhood to introduce new residents to our local bowling alley. We filled seven lanes and will most certainly return another day!
Finally! I always felt we should have “Sarasota” painted on the huge blue water tower that is seen from I-75, located between the Fruitville Rd and University Parkway exits, and finally it’s happened! Sarasota wants to put their best foot forward as they host the 2017 World Rowing Championship at Nathan Benderson Park later this month and it was planned to have the “Visit Sarasota County” logos painted on the tower before the event. This is the first time this rowing regatta event has been held in the United States in over 20 years. Some 42,000 athletes and supporters from all over the world are anticipated to be here to enjoy the World Rowing Championship and experience all that Sarasota County has to offer.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, approximately 134,000 vehicles pass the tower daily. The two logos painted on the tower will be visible to drivers going both north and southbound. Local tourism officials hope that the logos on the tower will entice drivers to stop off in Sarasota. From Nathan Benderson Park, it is visible in the backdrop across the interstate.
Tonight we played a friendly game of Bocce Ball with some friends. Well, diplomacy can only go so far. Sometimes we need to get way down low and measure!
My mother-in-law, Laura, turned 96 this week. Oh my, the stories she could tell you. With these hands, she swung a bat on a baseball team in the “League of her Own” era and rolled her way into the Bowlers Hall of Fame. Laura and her husband, Everett, also owned a local auto body paint store here in Sarasota for years (Pete’s Auto Paints) and she mixed thousands of gallons of paint!
My grandson Graham finds it easier to brush his teeth by looking at his reflection. And brushing his teeth is just one of his many ploys to stall his bedtime when Grandma is babysitting!
“Snowbirds” are seasonal, so I thought why not share a picture of some actual feathered friends who are just that. The white pelicans “winter” in Florida; they arrive in the fall and depart in the spring. They usually stay in a geographically protected area, such as a lagoon, harbor, estuary, or mangrove islands. This picture was taken off the Swordfish Grill in the Cortez Village.
Other places you may find them in Bradenton are on the bayside of Anna Maria Island and Robinson Preserve. In Sarasota, you would have good luck at Myakka State Park, the Celery Fields out Palmer Road, Benderson Park, and Sarasota Bay.
52 week's of Marie's Life 