A Saturday trip to No-Where

March having been the busy month it was...and April had already had it's business with some inside projects..it was time for a little Saturday kick-back time.

We headed towards Anna Maria Island to our favorite eatery...Gulf Drive Cafe.
Lunch with a view.....you can't beat it.

The last time we were in the area the Bradenton Pier was closed, we decided to see if it was open. It was and is beautiful. The renovations are wonderful. The decking is great...picnic tables and nice porch swings at the end and plenty of places to fish and even a place to clean them....they did a great job. 

We saw some feathered friends on the walk to the end...caught this one coming in for a landing.

And this one was waiting for some free fish....he was banded, we wondered why.

After sitting and swinging for a while, we decided to head back to the mainland and towards home. We made a detour at Neal Preserve...it was small, but made for a nice walk through the marsh and mangroves.

They have found artifacts in this area dating from 3000BC to 1000AD....Florida is OLD....just like most of us that live here...LOL!!!

This tower overlooks Sarasota Bay....the view from the top was nice....

Denny was enjoying the breeze and the view.....

Had been a nice slow day and was time to head home, we had some steaks waiting to be grilled

.....next weekend....Disney.

Women's Retreat ..Lake Aurora

Every year, before it gets too hot in FL, we ladies have a retreat at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. We arrive on Friday....get checked in, have some free time, dinner and then a workshop. After dinner there's anything from games to a hayride to a movie...or hit the bed early...whatever works for you. Saturday morning we start early with breakfast and worship time. Then some time for more workshops/classes...then so free time for crafts, foot-soaking...or just sitting, it is beautiful here. You can do as little or as much as you like, it's YOUR time. I don't go every year, but did go this year. There were 6 of us that went....this was our weekend program/guide and theme. As women, we can be broken in many different ways, by many different things....but if we turn it all over to God, He can make something beautiful from the brokenness....

I'm not much of a cabin girl...so I stayed in a Holiday Inn down the road. Now, if I had an RV, they do have an area that can handle tents to big rigs with hook-ups...but alas, I don't have it yet...so, off to the hotel for me. The cabins are great for kids...a/c...bathrooms...but with bunbeds and 20+ women, not my idea of a good evening....so I just enjoy the rest and am grateful the Holiday Inn is close.

Therefore, we didn't arrive much before dinner time...but that was fine, we found the others and had a nice fried chicken dinner. Jenny needed to work longer in the day like me, so we road over together. 

We had a "welcome" before dinner, and some explanation on how things work

The inside of the dining hall is gorgeous, the accoustics are not great, but it's pretty

Outside the dining hall...a wrap around porch that faces the lake...beautiful.

This cross is very nicely placed

On our way through the woods to the chapel for an evening workshop..

After this class we made our way back to the dining hall for our first workshop with the keynote speaker. At the end of her workshop we were all instructed to write something on one of the small tiles that were on the table that we wanted to turn over to God...then as we left in silence, we could bury that problem in the cement that would help create a stepping stone...pretty neat idea.

I headed off to the hotel and the others headed to the cabin or the movie. The next morning, I was back in time for breakfast...the sun hitting the lake and the cross was beautiful

The dining hall porch always looks inviting...

One of the students from Johnson Univ that had just visited our church lead the singing all weekend.

 After the singing, Debra Clark gave another workshop....much food for thought

Then we had time to attend 2 workshops on our own....

Then we had some free time....it was geting very hot so I decided to ride around the campus and take some pictures.

Swings, gazebos and climbing course...all by the lake

The office......

Volleyball....

The Zoom Floom...for anyone daring to go down the slide. Paddle boats and Pontoons

The RV area...very nice, with a nice bathhouse for tent folks

Some of the cabins....with many cars parked around

Frisbee golf....

Soccer field.......

Our group in front of the newly completed James and John Building. 

The inside....great class rooms as well as a nice bedroom and bath for the camp director or visiting speaker.

It's a wonderful camp and can actually work as 2 camps at once. With cabins on both sides of the central buildings. For this event we use all the cabins...it's very nice and the facility is well maintained. We had a nice lunch and headed home...another nice time.

Well done Lake Aurora Team, we'll see you again.

Happy Easter

We decided after the busy March we'd had, we'd earned a little get away to our favorite spot on Captiva...so we jumped in the Jeep on Saturday morning and off we went. We love The Captiva Island Inn. It has the coolest bungalows...this time we stayed in Sunflower, was a new one for us but it was just fine. It's about a 2hr drive, was very easy.  We were starving so we stopped at the Island Cow for lunch on Sanibel. Denny had a burger and I had shrimp and fish tacos....YUM.

 We knew we wanted to attend Easter service at The Captiva Chapel by the Sea so we stopped by to see what time service would be held. It had been decorated with Palms for the Palm Sunday servcie the week before.

This pisture hung on the wall showing the chapel from its beginning. It was built in 1903 as a schoolhouse. In 1921 was purchased by the Methodist Church as a mission building. At this point fairly regular services were held. But in 1948 the regular season, services Nov-April, began and continued. In 1952 The Chapel incorp and purchased the chapel from the Methodist and in 1965 built a parsonage for the seasonal ministers. It is now on the historical registry...and it's just adorable.

Yes, the sky was really that BLUE....gorgeous.

After checking on the service we checked in and changed into suits and headed for the Mucky Duck. A great place at the end of the street and right on the beach. We sat here for a long time, and just enjoyed.

Beach go-ers, parasailing, and a really bad guy playing music, but it was funny to listen and do nothing.

Eventually we headed back for a shower and over to The Bubble Room for dinner. We were not too hungry so we split a dinner and bought a piece of their famous Orange Cake to split later. The decor in the Bubble Room is just too funny...there is stuff everywhere.

One thing we love about Captiva is that once you park the car you walk or bike to everything. The weather was wonderful, and it was so nice to be away.

We slept good and up the next morning and headed to The Chapel....

Today it was beautifully decorated for Easter....many folks had been busy very early.

I think the Chapel holds about 130, but there were LOTS of chairs set up outside. We got there a bit early so we did get to sit inside, but it was amazing. The told us there would be about 500, I think it got close. We really enjoyed the service, the music was wonderful, a soloist, pianist and violinist....very nice. 

The cemetery next door dates back to the 19th century. Very interesting. The land it is on, was supposed to be the homestead for a young woman back in 1895....however, she died before she could build her home, so she is buried on the 1 acre lot and it became a cemetery. Such a neat place to walk through.

After the service we got some breakfast at another favorite place...Keylime Bistro..then we headed home. Was a nice get-away.

Now it's time for some house work....wood flooring, good-bye carpet...and some outside painting...so we'll be home for a bit, but it'll be worth it.

Happy Spring Everyone!!