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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

florida december beach

the very next day after i went to cedar key with hubby i headed south to anna maria island with a dear long-time friend to spend a girl-day at a few of our favorite haunts.




we started out at "ginny's" antique shop and tea room for shopping and lunch. inside this unique and quaint gift shop --among all the wares for sale (new and old things)- tables and chairs have been placed throughout with seating for 2 or 4 or 6 with no two tables of like-kind. the food fare includes homemade quiche, sandwiches, soups, desserts and coffees. the creamy aspargus soup we chose to begin with was out of this world good.

across the street lies one of florida's quiet beaches. we walked over the wooden ramp to sugary white sand and clear blue waters.
december weather in florida is most often ideal, tourista perfect. this day it was warm in the sun and cool in the shade. we parked our chairs as close to the shoreline as we could and commenced to chat for hours.

of course we walked up and down the beach for a long time too... but always keeping pace with our ability to talk.




as long as i've lived in florida- all my life actually since i'm a native- the sights, sounds and smells of any beach quickens my soul and enlivens every fiber of my being. it is peaceful and restful there and yet everything about it is so alive and active.






















the restaurant where we ate dinner is a walk-off-the-beach experience. our table sat in the sand facing the sunset.

i must remember not to wait too long for my next visit. i guess this is why so many people from the north come here this time of year... the beauty and perfect temps are delightfully alluring.

10 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place! I'm not sure if I've ever been there... I think I visited briefly years and years ago... maybe. I definitely want to go sit on that beach and just inhale the smells and sounds. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear/smell them right now. 8-] Sounds like as perfect a day as is possible.

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  2. The beach sounds nice...wait I was just there, but it didn't look like that. Oh, that's because it was Virginia Beach and it was in the 30s. While the FL beaches definitely calm during the winter months there is still activity. In Virginia Beach, it is dead. Shops and restaurants alike close for the winter.

    I've only been to Anna Maria twice, but enjoyed it both times. I really would like to go and really explore some time.

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  3. meems,
    my family says that things I add to my stories make things sound better than they actually were!! I think your camera might do a bit of the same thing!!In any case, all I want to do is BE THERE!!
    It was another wonderful day doing what we love most, trying very hard to out walk our talk, on the beach, let's do it again very soon!!
    p

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  4. Meems, I just love all the pictures you have posted about the wildlife along the coast. It reminds me of the trip to FL we took last march. We drove to St Pete to visit family, then to Punta Gorda to visit some friends. To our delight we found out about a Loggerhead Kingbird that was being seen in Key West so we drove down there to see it. We often travel around the country to see birds and since we were so close we made a run for it.

    We stopped on several Keys to look for birds and other wildlife. I can't remember the names of the Keys but it is a beautiful area.

    I like FL when it isn't so hot. It was plenty hot for us during March. I just like the different "feel" and look of the area.

    I love your poinsettas. You are lucky to be able to have them outside.

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  5. What makes a Floridian jealous? A Floridian living on the beach. So pretty!

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  6. sophie: you know you would have to cross over that beautiful skyway to get there. :-) i can promise you it would be worth it!

    jane: oooo - that beach doesn't sound like any beach i know...
    30's wouldn't be too much fun near the water. I bet it is lovely in the spring though.

    p: photos are fabulous little story tellers... i want to be there again soon... let's help each other remember.

    Lisa: you were fairly close to me when in St. Pete and my dad actually lives very close to Punta Gorda- down near Charlotte Harbor. :-)Key West was quite a drive from that point but i'm sure very worth the extra time and miles... it is so beautiful.Did you get to see the Kingbird?

    March is usually delightful weather in Florida - although it can turn hot at times. We were 83 degrees and sleeveless today... you just never know here.

    wg: thanks for stopping by. i would SO love to live on the beach... although the gardening dilemmas would be altogether different there.

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  7. Beautiful pics...beautiful day...beautiful friends...I'm glad you got to enjoy a beautiful birthday. You deserve it!

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  8. Yes, we got to see the Kingbird. We had to stay overnight. Ugh that was a jolt to the wallet.

    Do you grow staghorn ferns?

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  9. mlm: it was a rare, beautiful day spent relaxing and doing a few of my favorite things. Thanks.

    lisa: good- i'm glad you saw what you went for... i've been known to stay somewhere unexpectedly just to get a few photographs.:-)
    yes, i have one staghorn my dad gave to me a few years ago. they are very slow growers. do you have them up there?

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  10. And... are Floridians jealous when we have snow for Christmas? ;-)

    Beautiful photographs of beautiful scenery. Again, what a wonderfully diverse world we live in and how thankful we can be!

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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