Greece 2008
My Yearbook 2003 -2007
My 45th Birthday Party
What I did on my Summer Vacation 2008/ Volunteered to Help Out on This Old Hous
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hello 7/2/09
Well, it has been a while since I blogged anything on this site. Lets see what is new....I have lost 40lbs since December 2008, I had a heart attack that should of killed me, and I got my spirit back. Well 2 out of three being good things is not too bad. Fortunately they caught my heart attack at the right time while I was at the right place (the Dr's office) and they stented me and sent me on my way the next day. I now take more medicine daily than my father-in law did.(God rest his soul). Loosing the weight wasn't that hard. Just an hour a day at the gym working out and that seems to have done it. I still have another 40 lbs to go. Hopefully we can skip the heart attack this time. Mentally I feel invigorated. Divorce takes a lot out of you. I really miss the kids, but that will change with time. Well, I plan to post some more pics soon.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Longboat Key Florida - Paradise
By A. Pawlowski
CNN
LONGBOAT KEY, Florida (CNN) -- Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Low season on Longboat Key, Florida, generally starts in May and runs until late fall.
more photos » This thin sliver of land off Sarasota on Florida's west coast is home to 8,000 people year-round, but come winter, the population swells dramatically.
Thousands of visitors from colder climates flock to LBK -- its shorthand moniker -- from January to April to enjoy its balmy temperatures and the sparkling turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Off season, however, the only crowds are the sea gulls grooming their feathers on the warm white sand, and Longboat Key feels like the closest thing to having a private beach.
On a recent late-September visit, the temperatures hovered in the mid-80s, palm trees swayed gently in the wind, hibiscus flowers bloomed and the sun's rays were on par with their intensity in July.
The only signs of fall were the pumpkins on display at the local grocery store, along with regular fare, like mango Key lime pie. See photos of Longboat Key's beaches, birds and sunsets »
Tell people you are heading to Longboat Key, and many will think it's part of the Florida Keys off the southern tip of the state, but LBK is about 200 miles to the north-northwest of -- and in some ways worlds away from -- Key West and its neighbors.
Key Facts
• Longboat Key is an offshore barrier island about 60 miles south of Tampa, Florida.
• The nearest airport is Sarasota/Bradenton International.
• The island is home to 8,000 permanent residents, but the population swells to 22,000 during peak months.
• Average daily high temperature in January: 72°.
• Average daily high temperature in July: 90°.
• Longboat Key incorporated as a town in 1955.
• There are no schools on the island.
Source: Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Nightlife on the island is likely to mean a moonlit walk on the beach rather than a drink at the bar, and the odds are good the locals will sport gray hair.
Elegant setting
Buffered by Sarasota Bay on one side and facing the Gulf of Mexico on the other, the Key is sheltered from the tourist hustle and bustle of mainland Florida.
At less than 11 miles in length and no more than a mile across in its widest places, LBK also feels like a secluded community with an elegant flavor of its own.
The surroundings are lush, upscale and serene. A trip down Gulf of Mexico Drive, the island's main artery, reveals golf courses, condominiums and homes ranging from newly constructed mansions to older, one-story houses.
The traffic is light, life moves at a slower pace and the mood is relaxed.
"You won't find mini-malls, towering billboards, or glaring neon signs," the local Chamber of Commerce promises.
Nonhuman island visitors also contribute to the mellow atmosphere. Dolphins regularly swim just offshore. Great egrets and great blue herons fish along the beach, while pelicans dive into the water in search of a meal. Birds of all sizes regularly patrol the palm-lined parking lot of the local supermarket looking for scraps of food from the lunch crowd.
Wingless creatures also pop up in unexpected places. Visitors walking into one establishment are greeted by a stern voice exclaiming, "Bear, no!" Bear, it turns out, is a curious 5-month old Chesapeake Bay retriever who insists on checking out all the customers entering the store despite his owner's orders to stay put.
Lodging and shopping
There are few hotels on Longboat Key, but rental homes and condos abound, so it's best to make lodging arrangements in advance, especially for visitors who plan to stay a while. Low season generally starts in May and runs until November.
Tourists yearning to make the island a permanent home should bring along a big wallet. The average sale price for a condominium was more than $1 million last year, and it topped $1.5 million for a single-family home, according to the local Chamber of Commerce.
Spenders on a smaller scale can get their fix in neighboring St. Armands Key and its unique shopping circle lined with boutiques and restaurants. (The official motto urges visitors to "get out of the box, get into the circle.")
Shoppers can find anything from jewelry to knock-out shoes to sea shells of all shapes and sizes. Depending on your budget and appetite, a lunch break can range from a latte to a smoked salmon and brie grilled cheese.
St. Armands Circle is a great place to people watch, but it's good to know the tranquil beach back on Longboat Key is just a short drive away.
Shopping can be exhausting when sunny, lazy days in a blissful place are filled with doing nothing at all.
CNN
LONGBOAT KEY, Florida (CNN) -- Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Low season on Longboat Key, Florida, generally starts in May and runs until late fall.
more photos » This thin sliver of land off Sarasota on Florida's west coast is home to 8,000 people year-round, but come winter, the population swells dramatically.
Thousands of visitors from colder climates flock to LBK -- its shorthand moniker -- from January to April to enjoy its balmy temperatures and the sparkling turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Off season, however, the only crowds are the sea gulls grooming their feathers on the warm white sand, and Longboat Key feels like the closest thing to having a private beach.
On a recent late-September visit, the temperatures hovered in the mid-80s, palm trees swayed gently in the wind, hibiscus flowers bloomed and the sun's rays were on par with their intensity in July.
The only signs of fall were the pumpkins on display at the local grocery store, along with regular fare, like mango Key lime pie. See photos of Longboat Key's beaches, birds and sunsets »
Tell people you are heading to Longboat Key, and many will think it's part of the Florida Keys off the southern tip of the state, but LBK is about 200 miles to the north-northwest of -- and in some ways worlds away from -- Key West and its neighbors.
Key Facts
• Longboat Key is an offshore barrier island about 60 miles south of Tampa, Florida.
• The nearest airport is Sarasota/Bradenton International.
• The island is home to 8,000 permanent residents, but the population swells to 22,000 during peak months.
• Average daily high temperature in January: 72°.
• Average daily high temperature in July: 90°.
• Longboat Key incorporated as a town in 1955.
• There are no schools on the island.
Source: Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Nightlife on the island is likely to mean a moonlit walk on the beach rather than a drink at the bar, and the odds are good the locals will sport gray hair.
Elegant setting
Buffered by Sarasota Bay on one side and facing the Gulf of Mexico on the other, the Key is sheltered from the tourist hustle and bustle of mainland Florida.
At less than 11 miles in length and no more than a mile across in its widest places, LBK also feels like a secluded community with an elegant flavor of its own.
The surroundings are lush, upscale and serene. A trip down Gulf of Mexico Drive, the island's main artery, reveals golf courses, condominiums and homes ranging from newly constructed mansions to older, one-story houses.
The traffic is light, life moves at a slower pace and the mood is relaxed.
"You won't find mini-malls, towering billboards, or glaring neon signs," the local Chamber of Commerce promises.
Nonhuman island visitors also contribute to the mellow atmosphere. Dolphins regularly swim just offshore. Great egrets and great blue herons fish along the beach, while pelicans dive into the water in search of a meal. Birds of all sizes regularly patrol the palm-lined parking lot of the local supermarket looking for scraps of food from the lunch crowd.
Wingless creatures also pop up in unexpected places. Visitors walking into one establishment are greeted by a stern voice exclaiming, "Bear, no!" Bear, it turns out, is a curious 5-month old Chesapeake Bay retriever who insists on checking out all the customers entering the store despite his owner's orders to stay put.
Lodging and shopping
There are few hotels on Longboat Key, but rental homes and condos abound, so it's best to make lodging arrangements in advance, especially for visitors who plan to stay a while. Low season generally starts in May and runs until November.
Tourists yearning to make the island a permanent home should bring along a big wallet. The average sale price for a condominium was more than $1 million last year, and it topped $1.5 million for a single-family home, according to the local Chamber of Commerce.
Spenders on a smaller scale can get their fix in neighboring St. Armands Key and its unique shopping circle lined with boutiques and restaurants. (The official motto urges visitors to "get out of the box, get into the circle.")
Shoppers can find anything from jewelry to knock-out shoes to sea shells of all shapes and sizes. Depending on your budget and appetite, a lunch break can range from a latte to a smoked salmon and brie grilled cheese.
St. Armands Circle is a great place to people watch, but it's good to know the tranquil beach back on Longboat Key is just a short drive away.
Shopping can be exhausting when sunny, lazy days in a blissful place are filled with doing nothing at all.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cheap eats, worth the money, family-friendly
What makes a stellar salad bar? Options, for one, both healthy and not-so-healthy. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Those whipped-up pasta, bean, Waldorf, macaroni and potato salads that you try, but cannot, re-create at home. And enough of a salty-to-sweet ratio to keep you from having to order dessert. Here are some locales with just the right amount to gratify:
Ruby Tuesday
various locations, Sarasota, www.rubytuesday.com.
Second to the bison burger, the "Fresh Garden Bar" on the menu is the primo reason to hit Ruby Tuesday. The Rotini pasta salad with peas and ham is a signature, as well as the green bean salads, and the marinated mozzarella balls and grape tomatoes. While the dessert selection is sparse, there is usually an apple-raisin-mayonnaise salad concoction, dried cranberries for a mixed herb salad topper, and some grapes and cottage cheese for a sweet ending.
Sweet Tomatoes
4994 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 922-4908, www.souplantation.com.
The label "salad bar" does not begin to describe it. Try pasta bar, ice cream bar, soup bar, fruit bar, coffee bar and bread bar. Even though "healthy" is the subtext, it is not too difficult to engage in an eating overdose here, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. There are also monthly specials, from Greek salads to pineapple delicacies, vegan and vegetarian dishes and low-fat offerings. The "won ton chicken happiness" salad, the tuna tarragon pasta salad and the apple cinnamon bran muffins are personal favorites.
Whole Foods Market
1451 First St., Sarasota, 955-8500, www.wholefoodsmarket.com.
Diners with food sensitivities, dietary restrictions and a love for all things organic and antibiotic-free may elect Whole Foods Market as their salad bar hub. Though it is not an all-you-can-eat for one price type of offering (it is pay per pound), for $10 or less, there is a sufficient chance of filling up. The mushroom risotto, curried chicken, turkey salads, soups and fresh vegetables -- many with an ethnic slant -- make up the smorgasbord. Dessert? That is a separate expense in another aisle.
Golden Corral Buffet & Grill
5525 Cortez Road, Bradenton, 761-0872, www.goldencorral.net.
Though many people may not even know a salad bar exists at the all-you-can-eat Golden Corral, it is the restaurant's secret weapon. While incomers shovel fried chicken and mashed potatoes onto their plates, five times over, the silent minority is compiling a salad with fresh hearts of palm, artichoke hearts and baby shrimp. Even the salad bar bigwigs in the area do not carry those gourmet ingredients. And, neglecting the Corral's wicked desserts would be blasphemous, even on the healthiest of outings.
Courtesy of the Herald Tribune
By ABBY WEINGARTEN CORRESPONDENT
Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 12:10 p.m.
Ruby Tuesday
various locations, Sarasota, www.rubytuesday.com.
Second to the bison burger, the "Fresh Garden Bar" on the menu is the primo reason to hit Ruby Tuesday. The Rotini pasta salad with peas and ham is a signature, as well as the green bean salads, and the marinated mozzarella balls and grape tomatoes. While the dessert selection is sparse, there is usually an apple-raisin-mayonnaise salad concoction, dried cranberries for a mixed herb salad topper, and some grapes and cottage cheese for a sweet ending.
Sweet Tomatoes
4994 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 922-4908, www.souplantation.com.
The label "salad bar" does not begin to describe it. Try pasta bar, ice cream bar, soup bar, fruit bar, coffee bar and bread bar. Even though "healthy" is the subtext, it is not too difficult to engage in an eating overdose here, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. There are also monthly specials, from Greek salads to pineapple delicacies, vegan and vegetarian dishes and low-fat offerings. The "won ton chicken happiness" salad, the tuna tarragon pasta salad and the apple cinnamon bran muffins are personal favorites.
Whole Foods Market
1451 First St., Sarasota, 955-8500, www.wholefoodsmarket.com.
Diners with food sensitivities, dietary restrictions and a love for all things organic and antibiotic-free may elect Whole Foods Market as their salad bar hub. Though it is not an all-you-can-eat for one price type of offering (it is pay per pound), for $10 or less, there is a sufficient chance of filling up. The mushroom risotto, curried chicken, turkey salads, soups and fresh vegetables -- many with an ethnic slant -- make up the smorgasbord. Dessert? That is a separate expense in another aisle.
Golden Corral Buffet & Grill
5525 Cortez Road, Bradenton, 761-0872, www.goldencorral.net.
Though many people may not even know a salad bar exists at the all-you-can-eat Golden Corral, it is the restaurant's secret weapon. While incomers shovel fried chicken and mashed potatoes onto their plates, five times over, the silent minority is compiling a salad with fresh hearts of palm, artichoke hearts and baby shrimp. Even the salad bar bigwigs in the area do not carry those gourmet ingredients. And, neglecting the Corral's wicked desserts would be blasphemous, even on the healthiest of outings.
Courtesy of the Herald Tribune
By ABBY WEINGARTEN CORRESPONDENT
Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 12:10 p.m.
Arts festival to extend next year's season
Sarasota will soon be home to an international arts festival that will present new, classical, original and cutting-edge performances and extend the traditional winter cultural season into early fall.
The Ringling Museum of Art and the Baryshnikov Arts Center of New York announced plans Monday for a five-day multidiscipline arts festival to be held every two years, beginning next fall in Sarasota.
The Ringling International Arts Festival, scheduled for Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, 2009, will include music, visual art, dance and theater. Some of the works will be commissioned specifically for the festival by the Baryshnikov center, which was founded and is led by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The idea of the festival was praised by Sarasota arts and tourism leaders as a magnet for visitors and creativity in the community. The news came one day after the Hermitage Artists Retreat on Manasota Key announced the new $30,000 Greenfield Prize to commission new works each year from artists of different disciplines.
"This will set the stage for more new work being seen in Sarasota," said Bruce Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage. "I think the more the merrier. The more that you're exposed to it, kind of like vegetables when you're young, the more likely you are to acquire a taste for it."
The festival will be modeled after the 31-year-old Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., which features 100 performances of music, dance and theater over a two-week period.
Stanford Makishi, executive director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, said the Ringling festival will "have its own personality. We hope this will be a reflection of what we do at the center, the kind of artists we support, which tend not to be always mainstream, but who represent artistic excellence."
The Baryshnikov center, a multidiscipline creative lab that was created in 2005 to house the activities of the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation, will be responsible for the artistic programming and overall vision of the festival.
The Ringling Museum will deal with organizing, managing and marketing the event on its 66-acre campus, including the courtyard, the museum's Historic Asolo Theater, and the Mertz and Cook theaters inside the nearby FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
Baryshnikov visited the museum about a year ago "and he really was so taken by the beauty of the grounds and the three theaters on the campus that he thought, 'Sure, why not. Let's do a festival,'" Makishi said.
Baryshnikov's visit came about through a connection with Ringling board member and former state Sen. John McKay, said Dwight Currie, the museum's curator of theater programming.
Currie said the initial festival budget has not been set but likely will be at least $750,000. He said money is set aside for the event, and he hopes tickets will be kept in the $25 range.
Details of the performances will not be announced until mid-January, Makishi said. But the festival will open Oct. 7, 2009, with a concert of music by Liszt and Beethoven. It will be performed by the Festival Orchestra, led by Atlanta Symphony Music Director Robert Spano and made up of musicians from Florida. The concert will feature pianist Pedja Muzijevic, director of music programming at the Baryshnikov center.
Currie said such a festival was part of the master plans that led to redevelopment of the museum grounds and the creation of several new buildings in the last few years.
"What we want to do with the festival is publicly and in a very big way, announce that the arts season really starts in October now," Currie said. "It is no longer the traditional January, February and March."
That is good news to Virginia Haley, executive director of the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said October is a "huge need time" in terms of tourism.
Haley also said the festival could be a good way to promote the area's cultural life after the Sarasota County Arts Council canceled the 2009 Arts Day festival.
"This fits within our advertising campaign to go beyond the beaches," Haley said. "It's that wide offering of cultural activities that differentiate us from our competition."
Makishi and others from the Baryshnikov center were due in Sarasota Monday night for meetings and more specific planning on how the festival will be set up.
Makishi, who is also an artistic adviser at the center, is working with Baryshnikov and Muzijevic to develop lists of possible performances.
"We want to consider more than we could possibly program so we have the right mix of dance, theater and music that makes sense programmatically and represents our artistic point of view," he said.
Courtesy of the Herald Tribune
By Jay Handelman
Published: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 1:01 a.m.
The Ringling Museum of Art and the Baryshnikov Arts Center of New York announced plans Monday for a five-day multidiscipline arts festival to be held every two years, beginning next fall in Sarasota.
The Ringling International Arts Festival, scheduled for Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, 2009, will include music, visual art, dance and theater. Some of the works will be commissioned specifically for the festival by the Baryshnikov center, which was founded and is led by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The idea of the festival was praised by Sarasota arts and tourism leaders as a magnet for visitors and creativity in the community. The news came one day after the Hermitage Artists Retreat on Manasota Key announced the new $30,000 Greenfield Prize to commission new works each year from artists of different disciplines.
"This will set the stage for more new work being seen in Sarasota," said Bruce Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage. "I think the more the merrier. The more that you're exposed to it, kind of like vegetables when you're young, the more likely you are to acquire a taste for it."
The festival will be modeled after the 31-year-old Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., which features 100 performances of music, dance and theater over a two-week period.
Stanford Makishi, executive director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, said the Ringling festival will "have its own personality. We hope this will be a reflection of what we do at the center, the kind of artists we support, which tend not to be always mainstream, but who represent artistic excellence."
The Baryshnikov center, a multidiscipline creative lab that was created in 2005 to house the activities of the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation, will be responsible for the artistic programming and overall vision of the festival.
The Ringling Museum will deal with organizing, managing and marketing the event on its 66-acre campus, including the courtyard, the museum's Historic Asolo Theater, and the Mertz and Cook theaters inside the nearby FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
Baryshnikov visited the museum about a year ago "and he really was so taken by the beauty of the grounds and the three theaters on the campus that he thought, 'Sure, why not. Let's do a festival,'" Makishi said.
Baryshnikov's visit came about through a connection with Ringling board member and former state Sen. John McKay, said Dwight Currie, the museum's curator of theater programming.
Currie said the initial festival budget has not been set but likely will be at least $750,000. He said money is set aside for the event, and he hopes tickets will be kept in the $25 range.
Details of the performances will not be announced until mid-January, Makishi said. But the festival will open Oct. 7, 2009, with a concert of music by Liszt and Beethoven. It will be performed by the Festival Orchestra, led by Atlanta Symphony Music Director Robert Spano and made up of musicians from Florida. The concert will feature pianist Pedja Muzijevic, director of music programming at the Baryshnikov center.
Currie said such a festival was part of the master plans that led to redevelopment of the museum grounds and the creation of several new buildings in the last few years.
"What we want to do with the festival is publicly and in a very big way, announce that the arts season really starts in October now," Currie said. "It is no longer the traditional January, February and March."
That is good news to Virginia Haley, executive director of the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said October is a "huge need time" in terms of tourism.
Haley also said the festival could be a good way to promote the area's cultural life after the Sarasota County Arts Council canceled the 2009 Arts Day festival.
"This fits within our advertising campaign to go beyond the beaches," Haley said. "It's that wide offering of cultural activities that differentiate us from our competition."
Makishi and others from the Baryshnikov center were due in Sarasota Monday night for meetings and more specific planning on how the festival will be set up.
Makishi, who is also an artistic adviser at the center, is working with Baryshnikov and Muzijevic to develop lists of possible performances.
"We want to consider more than we could possibly program so we have the right mix of dance, theater and music that makes sense programmatically and represents our artistic point of view," he said.
Courtesy of the Herald Tribune
By Jay Handelman
Published: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 1:01 a.m.
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