Precious Puppies!!!

On the north shore of Tampa Bay, at a rest stop off Interstate 275 stands a small memorial park consisting of a flagpole, ship’s bell and anchor, and palm trees standing guard over a granite wall. The granite is engraved with the names of 23 men who lost their lives aboard the USCGC Blackthorn on January 28, 1980. The Coast Guard holds an annual memorial service to honor their fallen comrades which we attended with Phil Bucci and other Coast Guard retiree friends. The Blackthorn and the Tankship Capricorn collided nearly head on, causing the 180 foot Coast Guard buoy tender to capsize and lose nearly half its crew. It was a solemn, well-attended service with a helicopter escorted C-130 fly over, speeches by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Thad Allen, and laying of multiple flowered wreaths.

The Blackthorn Memorial.

Some of the wreaths and attendees of the Memorial Service.

On the 29^th we left Bradenton on a light note. Most mornings the Southeastern Guide Dogs, in Palmetto, FL, encourage people to come and pet their puppies!!! Since we had only a short drive to our next destination, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity that morning. The 23 wooded acre campus is a perfect place for training their guide dogs and visually impaired students. They open the facility to people who want to interact with the puppies they raise, so that they are used to human contact, and to walk their mature dogs.

We were directed to a long, cinderblock building where we were met by a gentleman who instructed us as to the dos and don’ts of puppy hugging. Then we were led into a large, airy room where nearly 20 people were sitting in a circle on the floor amongst a dozen 4 week old black and yellow Labrador puppies and their toys. There is nothing in this world as cute as a Labrador puppy and everyone, including us, was vying for their attention. One woman had as many as six of them sprawled along and napping on her outstretched legs. They were the cutest, softest, cuddliest things you’d ever seen.

They were soooooo adorable!!!

This woman had six puppies sleeping on her legs.

After a while, the 4 week olds were retired and out came a litter of rambunctious 8 week olds. They were about twice the size and a lot more active, but just as adorable. One little guy wanted some real leather to chew on and Jay’s Docksiders fit the bill. As we left, we could see younger puppies from two recent litters through glass viewing windows into the kennel. We left grinning from ear to ear and still reflect back on how fun it was.

This little guy found Jay’s leather shoes in preference to all the other chew toys.

The Greatest Show on Earth!!

One of the greatest joys of this lifestyle is the ability to visit good friends some of which live in the Sarasota/Bradenton area: Jay’s high school friend, Darrel Wade and his wife Alberta, and Jay’s favorite Boatswain’s Mate (besides Jessica) Phil Bucci and his wife Diane. The Buccis offered to let us park our rig in their yard and we did so for a week. Due to their busy daytime schedules, we enjoyed spending time with them and sharing stories in the evenings over dinner.

All of the RV parks require pets to be on a leash at all times. They cannot even be outside on a short lead attached to your RV if you are not in attendance. We were ecstatic to be able to let Max run loose in the Bucci’s fenced in yard while we occupied ourselves inside the trailer! Max didn’t share our enthusiasm and in a short time began whimpering and barking. We surmised that he was too used to being around people all the time. He’d never really been able to run freely, (except when he chased his tennis balls), as Jessica always had him confined inside her condo or on a lead outside her house when she lived in Oregon. When we were out of sight he just didn’t know what to do with himself, except dig holes to lie in and stay cool, that is.

Although Jay’s back had improved, since his Thanksgiving weekend ordeal, it still caused him discomfort and he longed for a pain-free existence. Back home he was treated by a chiropractor that used the ART (Active Release Technique) which releases spasms and stretches the muscles providing instantaneous relief. Practitioners were not to be found in the Miami area but he struck gold in Sarasota. We went to an appointment the day after we arrived.

The procedure is not exactly a walk in the park for the patient, as the muscle manipulation required can exceed the pain you want it to relieve, but you know what they say, “No pain, no gain”. Chris was in attendance and took notes so that she could continue the therapy while on the road and she again witnessed Jay’s facial and audible responses to the taxing treatment. The good news is when he rose from the bench he was a new man. Like we said, the relief is instantaneous.

Unbeknownst to us, Alberta Wade is football fanatic, whereas Darrell couldn’t care less. Kind of like the reverse of Jay and Chris. But, it gave us a good excuse to get together and we did so for the NFL playoffs on January 24^th.

The following day Darrell took us to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. The aquarium displays had a wonderful variety of Florida marine life from the rivers to the bays to the reefs. A huge, two-story high tank housed Hugh and Buffett, two manatees that were born in captivity and have lived at Mote since 1996. One of them was swimming laps around the tank at a surprisingly brisk speed. Other low, open tanks allowed us to be up close and personal (but couldn’t touch) a variety of sea turtles that had come there for medical treatment years before and stayed on. Experiencing the size and beauty of these sea creatures that close was truly a special treat.

Max seemed content to stay in the RV when we went out but, Darrell enjoyed him so much that he offered to babysit while we visited the Ringling Museum. It was the residence of John and Mable Ringling while the Ringling Brothers Circus wintered in the Sarasota area early in the 20^th century. The 66 acre grounds contained Ca d’Zan, their 56 room, Venetian style waterfront home, that overlooks Sarasota Bay, the last of the Gilded Age mansions. Chris wished she had her tripod and more time to photograph its intricately ornate architectural features, one of her favorite subjects.

The Ringling’s winter home, Ca d’Zan.

Detail of the roofline of Ca d’Zan.

Detail of an interior ceiling in the Ringling home.

The Ringlings traveled extensively in Europe and developed a passion for collecting art. They amassed an impressive trove of paintings from masters such as Rubens, Titian and Velázquez and antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. John built the palatial, U-shaped, Italian style Museum of Art to display all of their precious acquisitions under one roof. Each elegant gallery is uniquely decorated and seems to compete with the priceless artwork for your attention. A replica of Michelangelo’s David watches over the central courtyard and its fountains, reproductions from Rome and Florence, and the casts of renaissance sculptures. We felt as though we were guests of some royal personage and had free reign of their palace and grounds as we progressed through the day.

A fountain in the Ringling Museum of Art courtyard

Jay before some of the incredibly beautiful artwork in the Museum

One of the elaborately decorated rooms in the Museum

Although we were awed by the splendor of the house and museum one of the most amazing things we encountered was the Howard Bros. Circus Model, a replica of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus from 1919-1938. Howard Tibbals spent over 50 years creating this ¾ inch scale model that occupies 3800 square feet. It consists of eight main tents, thousands of hand-made pieces including 1,300 circus performers and workers, 800 animals and a 59-car train and is the world’s largest miniature circus. We were awestruck by the intricate detail as we viewed it through ceiling high Plexiglas windows and walked completely around the display enabling us to absorb the entire scope of the model. One could visit it weekly and still find something they hadn’t seen before.

An idea of the scope of the Howard Bros. Circus model.

Detail of the train section of the model.

Detail of one of the scenes in the model.

The Side Show section of the model.

Detail of the Big Top interior.

The Circus Museum building contained some of the original, completely restored circus wagons in all their gilded glory, the human cannonball vehicle and John Ringling’s private Rail car. Mannequins on tall platforms wore brightly colored, heavily beaded and sequined costumes adorned with feathers and ruffles. A special display housed the clown, Emmett Kelly’s costume, complete with his broom, hat and big floppy shoes. They even had the 1952 Academy Award winning movie, The Greatest Show on Earth playing all day. (When we returned home, we immediately put the movie in our Netflix queue so that we could watch it.) There was so much more to see and experience that we really needed at least another day, but other commitments took priority.

The Band Wagon, sometimes pulled by as many as 40 horses during the entry parade.

The Human Cannonball truck.

Emmett Kelly’s costume.

One of the elaborate beaded and sequined costumes.