Days Two and Three

Yesterday I took Martyn, Sam and Jay out to the lovely Myakka River State Park
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I drove with considerable confidence to the north gate of the park, forgetting that it is open only on holidays.

With even more confidence I drove on, certain that I would find a north south road which would take us down to State Rd 72 and back to the main entrance of the park.

We drove and drove, and drove on one of those rural Sarasota County roads which are as straight as an arrow, and have no turnings. Following my nose got me nowhere, so in due course I did that most un-male of things, I asked for directions.

We were only about 30 miles to the east and north of the park!

So a journey which should have taken about 25/30 minutes lasted for1 hr 40 m.  My guests saw more of rural Florida than they had bargained for.

At the State Park we enjoyed some good sandwiches at the little cafe, and then the three visitors took the air-boat ride around the lovely semi-wild lake, enjoying the fauna, the birds .....  and of course the alligators.

Early evening Sam and Toby splashed around in the pool at the home of my friend Ben, whilst Ben, our pal Bob, Martyn and I enjoyed a leisurely poolside drink.

The four of us went to Barnacle Bill’s restaurant for dinner.  The food was good. Toby ate smoked salmon (for the very first time in his life). Sam and I tried some fried alligator as a starter.

It was very hard to sustain a conversation at table as Sam, Toby, and even my brother Martyn fell under the spell of our very lovely waitress.  She beguiled us into giving very generous tips!

This morning “we four” had the greatest on jet skis down at the intra-coastal waterway. Naturally Sam and I let the “lads” do most of the driving.

Martyn and the boys are even now en-route to Sarasota’s Circus Museum whilst I elected to stay at home to prepare the ingredients for dinner at home this evening