Visiting Friends

The past 2 days we have been privileged to visit with friends. Yesterday we were invited to have dinner with Maryann and Phil Bott.  We have known Maryann since 1973 when we were in Charleston, WV together.  Although we lost touch for a while, we are lucky to have reconnected and cherish our time together.  They have a beautiful home in Ocala and Maryann is a wonderful cook.  Their dog Elvis is quite the character too.  Wish we lived closer so we could see each other more than once a year, but we will treasure the time we do get to visit. 

Today we visited with Ted and Betty Grabowski, also living in Ocala but originally from Midlothian...back home.  Ted is on oxygen 24 hrs a day, but he can still carry on a great conversation, keeping us engaged.  Betty is always a gracious host, having plenty of appetizers for us to enjoy as well as our choice of drinks.  We also enjoyed dinner out at the Horse and Hound pub nearby.  I would recommend the shepherds pie...it was delicious.  We took some back for Ted since he was not able to go out, but we enjoyed the extra time with Betty.  We will try to get back again next year to visit. 

Silver Springs State Park

After a rainy start to the day, the skies cleared so we ventured over to Silver Springs for a visit.  The water park is closed, very run down, but the state has done a nice job of cleaning up the main park and the campground.  They say there are still monkeys roaming the park but we didn't spot any. There is a glass bottom boat tour but it would be better to be in a kayak to enjoy the river.  There is a $4 launch fee per kayak to launch your own kayak unless you haul the kayaks down a .6 mile trail from the campground. 

Pavilion Used as a Stage in the Park

The Actual Spring Area. 

Cedar Key

When we left Crystal River State Park, we headed north to Cedar Key, where we found beautiful waterfront views and a quaint town along two main streets.  This is a place I would love to stay in for a week sometime. 

CRYSTAL RIVER STATE PARK

Yesterday was a strange day with a mix of sun and showers, but we decided to explore anyway.  We drove over to Crystal River State Park where there is a great place to put in a boat or kayaks when the winds are calm.  Yesterday the winds were gusting a bit...maybe we will do that another day.  There are many trails for hiking and one for bikes as well.  The visitors center is small but the lady at the desk provided lots of information about the area.

Cà d’Zan grounds

After visiting two of the 3 museums on the grounds we walked the perimeter of John & Mable Ringling's historic home. The house itself has beautiful stained glass panels all around it, lovely gardens complete with statues, and is set along the waterfront which can be enjoyed from the large patio. 

From there we visited the Art Museum on the grounds, which houses mostly pre-18th century paintings, some very very large. No photography is allowed in the museum but you can go online the see some of what is on display there. 

Circus History

The 2nd floor of the museum provides a timetable of the history of the circus and how it fits in with world history, which was also very interesting.

Circus Museum, Part 2

Circus Museum in Sarasota

Aside from having to park almost a mile from the entrance to the John & Mable Ringling Museums, it was a beautiful day to explore the museums and the grounds.  Our favorite building is the one that holds a miniature replica of an entire circus village from the early 1900's.  We were able to walk completely around the village and also got to see much of it from the second floor as well.  I am astounded by the details and the craftsmanship in creating this display.  The photos below are from the first few sections, and I will post more as additional posts.

Clearwater

We always enjoy driving through Clearwater with its beautiful beaches and displays of turtle sculptures.  We even caught site of this "historic looking" ship used as a tour boat.