Arts and Amish in FL

From Ft. Meyers we traveled north to the surrounding Sarasota area because we heard it was a great arts capital. I definitely see why retirees enjoy this town. There was so much life and cultural activities going on every day. I wished we had time to take in the opera but that wasn't in the plans for this stop. Instead we spent the day exploring the Arts Community Center that held a free art show of local artists' work (and workshops in which I wished I could stay and participate). They were so talented that I think I enjoyed it more than if I had visited the florida arts museum that houses a vast collection of period American art. I found the contemporary artists very inspirational. We ventured to find the gallery area but somehow missed it and decided to go eat instead.

Leave it to Adam to find the most authentic experience in the area. He discovered an Amish restaurant called Yodder's that is known for their pies. First of all, it was 4:30 and we were starving, so we thought we would go for an early dinner and maybe it would not be crowded. 1) We should have known from our time here in Florida thus far that 4:30-5pm is probably their busiest time for dinner. 2) The handicap spaces are always full in this state! Good thing the lot was small and there were chairs outside because the line was out the door. I took that to be a good sign and many Amish folk were waiting in line too. Sequoia was curious about their uniform dress, but he kept quiet. An Amish woman even asked me why he got to come into the restaurant, so I explained he's treated like a person not a dog when he is working. I'm not sure she liked the idea of him entering the food joint.

While we were waiting in line I met a spunky group of Massachusetts snowbirds who just raved about the place. We got to talking because of the dog and by the time we were all seated they were waiving to me from across the room. It was hilarious. I must have been on a social high that day because earlier, when I stopped in the visitor's information center, I ended up meeting a woman from Philadelphia who went to elementary school with my parent's friend and whose daughter lives in Boulder. She told me she was single and trying to meet a guy. She practically hugged me before I left and I walked out of there with her daughter's name in my pocket. I like this town.

I didn't know this before I came to FL but the eastern side of FL is like the Northeast in the south. The western side of FL is like the Midwest of the south. They even drive differently. The speeds are 70 mph on the highways and on the eastern side it is crowded and they drive about 85 mph on average. In the west the roads are less jammed and speeds seem to average much slower. I'm much more comfortable on this coast. Guess I'm a true Westerner at heart. You can take the girl out of the West but can't take the West out of the girl!

The next day I toyed with the idea of going to see the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburgh, but opted instead to visit the only surviving plantation in Florida, the Gamble Plantation. Being that I have never toured a plantation I was kind of excited. Adam had no interest in another house tour, so I went myself. It was a grand white building that had weathered several hurricanes and was still standing. It was rescued by the Daughters of the Confederacy in the early 1920's and restored at that time, so it is still showing some wear. At the time of restoration it was being used to house manueur, so they had to renovate it completely and guess at each room's function. They replaced the furniture with period pieces. The most interesting thing I learned about the architecture was that they built a two story house with no stairs. Instead they used rope ladders and had two entrances to each upstairs bedroom. They were afraid of a Seminole raid so they could run up the ladders, quickly pull them up, and get everyone into safety in the bedroom through the double doors. They also surrounded the house grounds with sand to keep away fire. It was raked nightly to keep an eye on what came close to the house at night. I'd say I got a good flavor for the plantation history on that tour.

I headed back to the park where I discovered they were holding a St. Patrick's Day happy hour. People were sitting around in big green hats and green clothes. Funny. I didn't stay because I wanted to take advantage of their dog park while it was still light out. The only problem with this area is I have started to be eaten again by the "no-see-ums." These are tiny mosquito type bugs that love my legs. When they bite it tickles and you can't see them to kill them. The bite starts to itch the next day and lasts quite a while. The more I scratch the bigger the welts and the more they itch. Last time I got bitten like this was at Cape Canaveral and it took more than two weeks for the red bumps to stop swelling. I looked like I had chicken pox of the legs. So, Adam bought me this anti-itch treatment called After Bite that is basically Ammonia and supposed to relieve the itching. All I can think about is that dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was right! Windex is the key to resolving this illness. Too bad it only lasts for a couple of hours at a time. Sequoia has also discovered acorns in this park which I have heard are not so good for dogs. We held the acorn dog test since he ate them by the mouthful and so far so good. I don't think they were digestible, but at least he did not throw up. As much as I like the woods, I think we need to move on. Get away from the buggies, acorns and crazy hats and on to something much more civilized like Disneyworld!
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