I've just started my sixth house and pet sitting assignment
since May of this year. Two of them were
on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, and this one, like the rest of the
others have been in the state of Florida.
I arrived here in Naples Florida the morning of 9 October
after about an hour and a half drive from home. I've been looking forward to assignment since
meeting with Joe and Judith in March. Venice
is located in Sarasota County just south of the Tampa Bay area of Florida. It's a coastal town with older style Florida
homes as well as modern upscale homes.
Joe and Judith's home is ideally located within walking distance
of historic downtown Venice and the beautiful white sands of the beaches along
the Gulf of Mexico.
Upon my arrival, it was like returning to visit old friends.
Not only was I greeted by the homeowners, but also Lily, their West Highland white
terrier equally made me feel welcome.
After the homeowners left, I did as I normally do which is
spending time with the family pet minimizing their stress. Although Lily is about 13 years old and has
aging joints, she still likes to go outside even though she doesn't run and
play. She enjoys walking in the grass,
smelling squirrels, and the other Florida wildlife living in the area. As the afternoon sun rose, she enjoyed lying
on the pool deck like a typical Floridian.
Like many small Florida towns, Venice has a farmers market
Saturday mornings until around noon. After
a short walk to the farmers market, I wandered around looking at the wares of
local craftsmen, various small plants and of course fresh homegrown vegetables.
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| Welcome to the farmer's market |
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| It's a small market with plenty of vendors |
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| And local artist painting what their eyes see |
I had one destination to get to today and went the long way to get there. Looking at a map, I missed a bridge crossing the intercoastal waterway. In the end, the walk took me on the Legacy Trail, something I probably would have missed.
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| A look at a bridge on the Legacy Trail |
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| The intercoastal waterway |
Sarasota County was once home for many, if not most of the
Ringling Brothers traveling circus crew.
As such, they held an annual parade, walking the animals through the
town of Venice before boarding them on the train. Now, the Venice Train Depot is now a
beautifully restored (at least the outside) a restored tourist attraction; it
was closed at the time of this posting so I can't vouch for the interior, but I
will return and update.
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| The refurbished Venice Train Depot |
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| The adjoining park |
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| Tracks to nowhere |
Well, it looks like we're in for a couple of rainy days so I
guess it's time to work on at least one of the on-line courses I'm taking...
Until next time
Mike
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