A Sunday with my English family.

It does not get much better than this!

My good niece Anne (daughter of my oldest sister Maureen and her husband Bernard) is on holiday at Disney with her excellent husband Stuart and their daughter Olivia (13)

I assisted at the wedding service for Stuart and Anne at St. Philip and St.Jacob Church in Bristol, U.K. back in Nineteen ninety ?? something.

So Stuart, Anne and Olivia came over to SRQ from Orlando today. (They have been here before),

First they came to my home where Anne fell in love (again) with my dog Penne; and the cats Ada and Adelaide decided that a simultaneous "sitting on Olivia's lap" was just the best thing. (Sorry no pics).

Then we went off to Marina Jack's restaurant for lunch.

see http://www.marinajacks.com/

It has been unusually rainy for this time of year, so we ate inside.  It was wonderful to be together.

On our way home we drove through SRQ's Pinecraft area, home to many Mennonites and Amish.  Few people know that SRQ has this Anabaptist community, fewer in summer and  more in winter.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinecraft_(Sarasota)

Anne and Stuart had many questions about the Mennonites and  Amish.  I told them as much as I knew, even as Olivia "drank this all in" from the back seat of the car where she sat with her mother

Pinecraft is the home of the Famous Big Olaf's Ice-Cream stand, well known to my brother Martyn and his son Sam  (but closed on Sundays)

http://bigolafs.com/

Back at home Penne sang for joy when she saw Anne again. (Yes Penne sings).  That greatly pleased Anne  (and me!)

Stuart, Anne and Olivia
 

Anne, "Livy" and me (I am trying to be goofy)

Penne in all her glory.






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Location: Sarasota, FL, USA

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