Welcome!

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Hello, Aloha, and Ni Hao!

Welcome to my travel blog! Please, come on in and take a load off! Don't worry about that dirt and sand you just tracked in, I'll get it, no, it's ok. Just bring your favorite drink over here and sit back and enjoy!

Seriously, let me introduce myself and share my blog with you. I would like to use this blog to share with you my travel past, present and future experiences or plans. I would also like to use this Blog to help answer questions about living or traveling to the United States. Not all my traveling has been for fun, most of my US travels have been for work. So I feel my experiences will be helpful to anyone looking to either visit the US from aboard or maybe someone who is looking to visit from the next state over.

A little bit about me, SirDude!

I currently live on Longboat Key, Florida. Longboat Key is part of a string of islands on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida that starts in the mouth of Tampa Bay and extends southward. "Beer-can Island" is the small island that you see in the very mouth of Tampa Bay if you look at Google Maps. It's name comes from pretty much being a party spot for boaters. No one lives on Beer-can, but when the weather is nice, there are sometimes hundreds of boaters out on the sandbars off the island just taking in the sun!

The first island with people living on it is Anna Maria Island (AMI), I lived on Anna Maria Island for about 6 years. It has a great laid back way of life. AMI is where I got my screen name. Years ago there was a group of teenage surfers living here on the island, (still a lot of surfers) but one day I was stopped by some them and they asked me (as only a surfer could while trying to be nice to the "old guy") "Sir, do you have like an extra 50 cents, Dude?" And from that day on I have used "Sir Dude" for many of my online screen names.

AMI is a great place for families to visit, or live. You wouldn't know it from walking around meeting some of the people, but it's like one of the few places that I know of where the rich retired CEO's sit right next to a Painter drinking a cold one and chatting about fishing.

Now that is not the case for Longboat Key.(next island south) LBK is best known for it's money, and they don't have any problems sticking it in your face, or parking their Mercedes Benz on your lawn and then blaming you for getting it dirty! haha It's not as bad as the east coast of Florida, but a lot of the people who own on LBK want to make sure you know what they paid for everything, or who they are. They worked their whole lives making money off other people's blood, sweat and tears and they want you to know it! ha ha Good wholesome fun on LBK! ha ha

Well, this is where I kick off my Blog, hope you visit me again, until then, take only pictures and leave only foot-prints! Or if you're from the big city, take only wallets and leave only finger-prints! ha ha

SirDude

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