New Beginnings, The Difference a Day Makes

So, here we are a couple of days past the inauguration, and one day later, people the world wide took to the streets to march and sing and speak about peace, health care, human rights, gender equality, tolerance, civil liberties, inclusion, and more. We joined a march in Sarasota. What a difference a day makes. And one day later on the Sun Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, the winds are blowing up a storm and rip tides are warned and the surf is wild.

So far we have done some riding on the Legacy Trail, where I saw a gopher tortoise, and other wildlife, and we have walked and ridden through some lovely places. We went to a few open mikes, and visited Clearwater.  And, of course we have been swimming, although today, the surf is getting wilder and wilder and we are staying put.

Here are some photos for you. My favorite I think is the Gopher Tortoise:

A collection of sunset photos from our deck and from the beach

When we look out from our deck at the gulf, we see the beautiful sunset colors.

A night time walk by the Rod & Reel Pier

Nearby, on the bay side, is a restaurant off a pier, where some people fish, and others dine.

Riding and Walking our Neighborhood

Clearwater Beach 

Riding the Legacy Rail Trail S. of Sarasota to Venice

The first shots are of a drawbridge at the intracoastal waterway in Venice Florida. The rest are parts of the rail trail. Some photos are of signage along the trail. Other photos of are the controlled burns along the trail and subsequent growth. I took some of these photos while riding, tool.

Beachwalking

Building up to a Storm 

Neighborhood walk before the storm

Sunset just before the storm

Aftermath of the Storm and Marine Forecast for Monday

This morning, after the tornado forecast, the deck furniture was strewn all around and the rollers and breakers are all the way out on the horizon, while the winds are howling.

Open mic excitement

We attended an open jam out in a country home south of Sarasota, and also a couple of open mics, one in Anna Maria, and one in St. Pete. We met a friend from up north at one. Here are some photos.

More Beach Photos with the waterproof camera

A mermaid

More Beach

Potato

 Breakfast

 Recently we stopped having toast with our eggs for breakfast. So, I have started to use potatoes as our bottom layer, then I cook the eggs with chicken sausage, and put it all on a bed of lettuce.

Women's Solidarity March, Sarasota, FL 21 Jan 2017

We decided to go to the women's solidarity march in Sarasota, as it was closer than St. Petersburg, and easier to get to. We were glad to be there. Stephen King, the author, gave an uplifting speech. Here is a link. According to accounts, the Sarasota march had more than 10,000 people. Not anywhere near the numbers for DC, Boston, Chicago, or LA and many other cities, including St. Petersburg, but it was a great day to connect with like-minded citizens and march over the bridge between Sarasota and St. Armands and back. Just before heading to the march, through facebook, I connected with a woman living on Longboat Key, near Sarasota, and we met her and stayed together with her throughout the march. She is a friend of a friend of a friend, and also a friend of another of my friends. This is how Facebook and our small and large worlds sometimes work. 

At the end of the day, we returned to Longboat Key and watched the sunset.