There’s nothing quite like the joy of being with family. After completing our SOWER project in Tampa, we headed to Sarasota to enjoy three marvelous days with Erik and Haley. Their new home is a beautifully decorated rental (Haley’s talented touch!) in a lovely neighborhood on the northern side of Sarasota.
On our first night together, we drove to the Longboat Key, hoping to snag an early table at the Dry Dock Waterfront Grill. The pina colada dipping sauce for the fried lobster bites and coconut shrimp appetizers was divine! The red snapper was spectacular and a perfect warm up for the peanut butter oreo pie. Haley and I thought we might share a slice, but thankfully, we each ordered our own, rationalizing that we could take any uneaten portion home for a late night snack. Suffice it to say, no pie left the table. It was fantastically scrumptious! Erik and Skip reveled in strawberry cheesecake.
Saturday included kayaking through the mangrove trees on Lido Key. What an unusual adventure, navigating along a canal carved through the roots and overhanging branches. A superbly grilled steak (Erik’s skill!), roasted potatoes, and cauliflower were complemented by cheesecake, tiramisu and fresh macaroons.
Sunday worship at the Bayside church with Erik and Haley was a gift. Brunch at a French café followed, including fresh croissants. A relaxed Sunday afternoon and evening were the perfect finish to the weekend. Monday included a trip to the Ringling Circus Museum where we saw the phenomenal, life-long passion of Howard Tibbals to capture, in miniature form, the life and culture of the American circus. The two buildings we toured included all kinds of circus memorabilia and history.
Fort Myers called us onward later on Monday for a visit with Connie and Dave, Skip’s sister and brother-in-law. We savored expertly prepared salmon for dinner (thanks Connie and Dave!). On Tuesday, we opted to visit Sanibel and Captiva. We saw hurricane Ian damage in many areas. Dave explained the shortage of workers for needed reconstruction and repairs, slowing the recovery for many people, especially those in homes or on the first level of apartment/condo buildings. We stopped for a mid-afternoon snack on the tip of Captiva. What a delight. Then, we waited for more than an hour in a traffic jam to get off the island. Such is the nature of Sanibel traffic.
African Inland Mission is our February SOWER project and thus our home for the coming three weeks. This beautiful property affords a wonderful retirement community for couples coming back to the U.S. after devoting their lives to missionary work in Africa. We arrived on Thursday with a warm welcome from numerous fellow volunteers. A pickle ball court near the RVs is an unexpected bonus. Pickle ball is a daily activity in the afternoons here. I’m planning to level up my game! Finally, on a walk through the property in a wooded area, Skip and I found clever models of safari animals reminiscent of the African continent were residents have served. We like it here.
Our work begins tomorrow. I’m told women will be washing windows for each resident’s home. What an opportunity for me to grow in gratitude while serving 🙂 Skip will be working with a team of men remodeling, repairing and building. Most evenings will include playing games with SOWERs and other volunteers. A Johnny Cash music night and a root beer float fellowship evening will add to the fun of our time here. And of course, there will be lots of pickle ball.
Our next post will come when we move to our third SOWER project at the beginning of March. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!
So glad it’s going well. Erik looks just like his dad. What fun!
you lead a wonderfully adventurous life! Lovely and affirming time with family too!!