Visiting Venice /Sarasota

Mike at the Venice Pier
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It is getting tough to find places to stay since there are so many “snowbirds” here. We got lucky and found a nice camp spot near everything so booked it for two weeks. The weather is the coldest it’s been since we hit Florida. The spell is scheduled to last for about 5 days and it is chilly outside.

Mike’s sister Sally and her husband Larry are here in Venice for the month of February with a group of their friends. We got together with them for two golf rounds and a few dinners and had a great time. Venice is a great town and less congested than Naples and the Ft. Meyer’s area. We spent some time wandering around the quaint downtown area and had a great lunch at the pier. There are loads of bike trails here so we did our share of bike riding. The “Venetian Trail” runs for along the Intracoastal Waterway and there is another bike trail that runs inland for several miles. We also found a great local farmers market where we bought the absolute best grapefruit and oranges we’ve had.

Mike and Judi on the Pier
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One of our best experiences here was visiting the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. The museum is the legacy of circus entrepreneur John Ringling and his wife. The estate consists of Ca’ d’ Zan, the Ringling home and gardens, the Ringling Museum of Art and the Circus Museum. John was one of the famous Ringling Brothers of circus fame and made more money through real estate and oil wells. He once owned much of the property in Sarasota. He and Mable became interested in art and he acquired an extensive collection of paintings and antiquities. In 1931 he completed the building which houses the museum. In 1936 John Ringling died and left his collection and estate to the State of Florida who transferred stewardship to Florida State University. His art collection is valued among the top 20 museum collections in the country and the collection of Old Master paintings is amazing. The museum surrounds a courtyard which is filled with beautiful statuary including a copy of David which was cast from the original. The Ringling home Ca’d’Zan (the house of John) is absolutely beautiful. It was completed in 1926 and what a treat to wander through the beautiful mansion and grounds.

Venice Beach
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The Circus Museum is also something to see. It is loaded with circus memorabilia including rare handbills, posters, wardrobe, and circus equipment including beautifully carved parade wagons. Located in the museum is the world’s largest miniature circus which was built by Howard Tibbals and took more than 50 years to complete. It is an amazing thing to see. My photos don’t do it justice. It is a complete replica of Ringling’s circus circa 1938. We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Ringling Museum – a must see for anyone visiting this area.

Judi on the Bike Trail
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While we were in Sarasota we also visited St. Armands Island which was inspired by John Ringling’s vision (based on Renaissance Italy) of a people friendly place with a central park, broad boulevards, elegant shops and restaurants, beautiful homes, classical statues and lush landscaping. He created this in 1927 on St. Armands. The whole town is built in a circle and there are beautiful statues everywhere.

We also stopped at the waterfront park in Sarasota to see and photograph “Unconditional Surrender,” by artist Seward Johnson, which is a 26-ft. tall recreation of a famous photograph from World War II’s V-J Day celebration in Times Square. A nameless serviceman dipped an unknown nurse for a victory kiss. This statue was recently located in San Diego.

Biking along the Intracostal Waterway
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We have danced more on this trip than I ever imagined. Everywhere we go there are dances. We attended an Elk’s dinner dance, another “Oldies Night” at a local golf club and on Valentine’s Day we joined Sally and Larry and their friends at the Plantation Country Club (where they are staying) for a wonderful party.