As I'm watching the news on Hurricane Ian hitting the gulf coast of Florida, my eyes can hardly believe it. It feels like just a few days ago that we tip toed off a plane to go enjoy our first vacation since Covid began in 2020. We carefully planned the trip, looking for grocery stores and good beaches, booked Bentley into the kitten hotel and took off for Florida. The days on little Siesta Key, off of Sarasota, were nothing less than magical. Topaz and clear water, so clear you could see the fish and even manatees swimming with you. I loved it so much I picked up my drawing pens and drew the places that felt so serene and peaceful to me.
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| Point of Rocks |
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I spent hours sitting by the mangrove tree, drawing away
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| Sketching on a rainy beach day |
Vivid colorful sunsets nearly every night were a painters paradise.
The people of Siesta Key are also some of the nicest I've met on the east coast. Many of them, coming to visit on vacation from Ohio, just decided to never leave and set up their shops. On little Siesta Key you can't find any chain restaurants or hotels, just small businesses and family owned restaurants with kind good people. I loved going there. I loved seeing the flag wave. I loved feeling the powdery soft white sand under my feet.
One other place that I greatly enjoyed was the Ringling Museum of Art. John Ringling, the circus entrepreneur, built a gorgeous art gallery in Sarasota. We went on a Monday afternoon and loved seeing the collection that he and his wife acquired. The gallery is so close to the ocean, and I really hope that these precious works of art don't get damaged...
I pray that this storm passes quickly, and that Our Lady, Star of the Sea protects Florida with her mantle.
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