Down in Sarasota

We've had a busy couple of days! Sunday morning it started raining just as we were getting ready to go out for another club bike ride. So we changed clothes and got out the Scrabble board. We played all day! Finally around 5 PM when our eyes looked like little square tiles we went out for a walk. When we got back we played another couple of games and then gave it up.

Monday Dianne played tennis while I swam, and without warming up I timed my first 1650 yards (equivalent to the 1500 Meter swim in the triathlon). I was pleased with my time of 34 minutes, and finished with 220o yards total. Then we walked the 2 miles to the gym and I ran 3 miles while D worked out. We walked back, ate lunch, and Dianne's sister Jan came over. We drank iced tea, she looked at the scrapbooks from the Wyoming and West Virginia bike trips last year, and we played Scrabble. She is as good as Dianne! 

Tuesday morning Dianne and I loaded the car and headed down to Sarasota. We got a room in the last remaining 1950s motel on Lido Beach. There it sits among the fancy hotels and multi million dollar condos! We were right on the beach; what could be better!? we had thought we might go to some of the galleries and museums, but did not have time. I did get some photos of the marble statues sponsored by John Ringling of circus fame. Circus winter quarters is in the area, as is a Ringling museum. He was quite a patron of the arts.

After checking in we went for a bike ride down the keys to Santa Maria Island. There was a lovely bike lane most of the way. As we rode past the St. Mary on the Sea church it was ringing the noon Angelus, a very nice touch. We ate lunch at a cool little restaurant with an outdoor seating area. I had a luscious grilled grouper sandwich, my favorite Florida lunch.

As soon as we got back from the 30 mile ride, I put on my running shoes and ran 2 miles --the last brick before Sunday's triathlon. When I recovered from the run (hot hot hot) we swam in the Gulf of Mexico. The water was pretty rough so it was good training for me. Dianne says the water on Sunday will be calmer since it is on the Bay instead of the gulf.

We DROVE the mile to dinner, since I was too done to walk it, had a wonderful and very expensive fish dinner with wine, came back to our little 1950s motel room, played a few games of Scrabble and called it a day. 

It was raining lightly this morning and a rainbow came up over the beach just as we were leaving.  I'm still moving a bit slowly after yesterday's exertion, so I stayed back while Dianne walked to the gym. Gotta know when to quit! Now I am seriously tapering for Sunday's race.