Follow Folly: Beach Bumming

We've been slowly inching our way down the gulf coast of Florida and are having a wonderful time. We are in no rush and it would be a shame if we were. This part of Florida has much to offer and we would be missing so much if we didn't stop now and again to enjoy and explore.

Since we were anchored in fairly shallow water when we were in Clearwater Beach, we had to wait for high tide before we could leave on Tuesday. As a result we didn't make it very far that day and ended up stopping in the cool town of Golf Port. Lucky for us our friend Sharon lives close by and she came by to visit us. It was so great to see her. That evening we enjoyed a fantastic meal at the "happening" O'Maddy's Bar and Grill. Thanks Sharon!!! We had a great time!

From there we sailed across Tampa Bay and stopped at Longboat Key where we still are. Here there's a great anchorage that is not only protected but has everything we could ever want very close and easily accessible. We had every intention to leave this morning but at the last minute we decided to stay. Turns out we made a good decision because we had a phenomenal day!

Just a short dinghy ride away is a dock on Anna Maria Island and right across the road from that we discovered an amazing beach! I was totally in my element, being the nerd that I am, walking the shore and collecting shells. I could have done that all day but there were other things we wanted to see so we jumped on the free trolly and took it to Anna Maria Pier at the other end of the island. On the way back we had a great time getting on and off the trolly and stopping here and there to shop, eat, and sight see. This truly is a lovely, delightful, beachy, and laid back place and I am so glad we took the time to experience it.

Once again, we will be moving on tomorrow but don't have a definite plan as to where we'll stop. We have a few options but I guess we'll just have to wait see how we feel when the time comes. We want to go to Cayo Costa but realize it's a bit too far. We'll leave that for another day...but...more about that next time.