Anna Maria Island From Our Sarasota Base

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We headed the Jeep back up to Anna Maria Island on Friday via Bradenton with a quick stop at a Flea Market. Wes always has a short "shopping list." This time, he wanted a narrow belt, suitable for dress pants. He found it! Me? I am not a very good flea market shopper. Bradenton has artsy, fancifully painted geckos on the walls of businesses. A nice local arts touch, sort of like the "Horses of Lexington or Saratoga!"








Our purpose in heading for Anna Maria was mainly to sample the Sandbar Restaurant out toward the north end of the island. The Sandbar has a lovely beach location, we nabbed a great Gulf-side table where we could comb the talc-soft sand with our toes, the food was good, and the service accommodating. One little glitch, perhaps picky of me, involving ersatz crab, but I should have asked "Is it real Crab?" Here, in southern Florida, where the bobbers of crab pots dot the Gulf like bugs on the windshield it just didn't occur to me that a nice restaurant would say "crab" when it was surimi! The savvy waiter didn't argue the point; but made up with a very "real" key lime pie "on him!" Well trained server! The owners of the Sandbar have other locations worth mentioning- The Beachhouse, which like the Sandbar looks like a beautiful spot for sunsets at Bradenton Beach, and Mar Vista at the northern end of Longboat Key. We'll give them a try sometime.






After lunch, we looped around the island and found ourselves near the public pier where "Anna Maria Friday Fest" was just getting started. This homey event had a fantastic "kid band," "The Island Rockers" doing the warm up for the post adolescent bands to come. We loved listening to them. We might be getting a bit jaded about the ubiquitous "craft fairs" every weekend; but here we found THE PELICAN, two feet tall and sculpted out of cedar! We had been in the market for one for weeks AND the price was right! Viva Anna Maria craft fair!





The Anna Maria City Pier across from the Friday Fest has a restaurant with what might be the nicest view of Tampa Bay and the stunning Sunshine Bridge (where overnight camping is no longer allowed) in all of Florida.






Back in Sarasota, we followed a brochure map and found the 3rd Friday Art Walk at a quaint artists' neighborhood called Towles Court. We chatted with artists and gallery owners, sipped their wine, nibbled their cheese, and admired their work.

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Photos

The Sandbar Beach Restaurant
The same owners also have the Beach House near Bradenton Beach and Mar-Vista on North Longboat Key!

The Flower Girls of Sarasota
The same florist that we met at Turtle Beach for a windy wedding a week ago was setting up for an Anna Maria Island wedding.

Kids Listening to Kids
These two boys were fun to watch as they listened (note one has his ears plugged) to their peers. Members of the Island Rockers band looked to be between 9 and 13. They were great and their teacher was on stage playing and singing along with them.

Fun Little Guy With a Bubble Gun!
We miss being with our grandchildren; this little guy was having so much fun it inspired a fun purchase to bring home for Easter Baskets.

City Pier Restaurant
At dinner time; people were walking out this long pier in droves bound for the restaurant!

The Restaurant at the City Pier Anna Maria Island
We shall return here - Anna Maria keeps secrets - like this gem of a local restaurant with an amazing view over to St. Petersburg/Tampa!

Towles Court - Art Walk Night
"Coastal Living" has named this a top ten artist colony!

Towles Artists Colony, Sarasota
Taking photos inside the score or more of studios and galleries was a no no! The complex of depression era bungaloos had gone throug some rough times. Then in the 90's it was developed as this quaint arts center with a scattering of restaurants. Artists were givin tax breaks if they agreed to live and work here! Love this type of urban re=development that preserves history through architecture!

Community Collaborative Art
Everyone at this opening was invited to add to the blank canvas and become part of the creative process. Stay tuned!

Painters, Yes! Artists, No!
Such a fun way for a gallery to get interactive. This gallery - Expressive Arts Florida - is owned by a team of four women. They offer a community collaborative art adventure to the public each month during Art Walk.

Comments

[Ellen]

Relatives in Sarasota
Michael and Cathy Rainey live in Sarasota. Perhaps you'll cross paths!!!