A Great Day with Fred and Doloris Martin, Fellow Campers From Back Home!

After loading the car with our lunches and beach gear, Ken put the bike rack and bikes on the back of the car and off we went to meet Fred and Doloris at the bike trail in Venice at 9:30.  So excited to see them and spend time together.

After hugs and catch-up time, we rode our bikes into downtown Venice so we could enjoy some delicious baked goods from The Upper Crust Bakery. 

Looks good enough to eat, so we did!!!

Full bellies put a small on all our faces!

Then back on our bikes for our ride on the Venetian Waterway Trail.  That is such a scenic ride and we actually got the Florida scrub jays to take the peanuts out of our hands.  Other riders stopped to watch the "spectacle"! 

Love this ride!

Saw many boats today - a lot more than usual!

Also saw some gopher turtles along the way!

So happy the Florida scrub jays decided to make an
appearance!

They ignored me at first, but were happy to sit on
Doloris' hand!

This one decided just to come and visit, peanut or no peanut!

They must have liked Doloris, because this one sat on
her head without  having any food for him!

I decided his visit deserved a peanut!

Then another one came and sat on my hand!  These birds
are so much fun and other folks on the trail enjoyed the show!

One of the many boats on the waterway today!

We took sometime to walk along the shoreline of Caspersen Beach before riding back to our starting point in Venice, about a 12 mile round trip ride.  It was a great weather day for bike riding.

A good crowd on Caspersen Beach!

Looks like the Ireland Coastline!

We enjoyed walking along the shoreline, but it was a bit
cloudy and cool!

We decided to go to Nokomis Beach with the hopes that the Red Tide would be better and fortunately, it was.  We spent about 3 hours walking the beach, chatting, and relaxing.  Actually Ken walked almost the entire time.  

We left the beach at 5:15 and Ernie and Noela had arrived to join us for dinner at the nearby eatery, Casey Key Fish House.  We drove slowly along Casey Key Road to enjoy the spectacular houses and the views of the Gulf. 

Looking out at the Gulf from Casey Key Road!

When we arrived at the Fish House, the parking lot was all but full and there were people everywhere.  We were told it would be an hour wait.  Noela had a headache and they decided an hour was too long of a wait, so they went back to the campground.  We were sorry to see them go.  Fred, Doloris, Ken and I enjoyed our waiting time chatting on the Adirondack Chairs along the Intracoastal Waterway.  What a peaceful, beautiful setting. 

Relaxing and having a good time while waiting for our
table to be ready.

Not a bad view while waiting!

Lots of people were waiting to be seated!

The wait actually was 1 1/2 hours but our time together and the delicious food was worth it.  We were on our way back to the CG by 8:40 with the promise of getting together at least 1 or 2 more times before they leave for PA next Thursday.

When we got back, we unloaded the car and I cleaned up inside while Ken put the chairs and awning away in preparation for tomorrow's rain.  Then it was time for bed after a wonderful day with very special friends.  Thanks, Fred and Doloris for sharing time with us!!!