MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK Sarasota FL 2/9/2024

Image of the ramp to the ticket booth

MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK 13208 State Rd 72, Sarasota, FL 34241 –
(941) 361-6511 myakkariver.org

Q-Tips say: $6.00 per car is the entrance fee for the entire day! 

Had a wonderful time with Chicago long time friends.

The only turtle we saw were at Phillippi Creek oyster bar that day:

Photo of Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar - Sarasota, FL, United States. Near Entrance

THINGS TO DO AT MYAKKA:
A VISITOR CENTER: w/ displays, movies and information. AIR BOAT RIDE/ TRAM TOUR, CONCESSION:, CANOE/ KAYAK/ BIKE – rent or bring your own. CANOPY WALK, GATOR WATCHING, BIRDING, BIRDWALK, NATURE TRAILS, HIKING, NATIVE TREE WALK, FISHING (Fresh water license required), PICNIC (picnic areas w/tables, grills – bring your own or buy charcoal at the concession stores), PLAYGROUNDS, JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM, RANGER PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, OVERNIGHT CAMPING or LOG CABINS – reservations needed).

Due the Holiday Season & snow-birds returning – very busy – many more people with younger families at this time visiting.

Mrs. Q says: A GREAT PLACE to spend the day for children of all ages. What fun to see Deer, Alligators, Birds, and listen/ or look for Feral Hogs, and maybe a Bobcat. Bobcats are nocturnal but often rest during the day in trees. Did see a few animals this time and the water level was fine.

When family visits they have fun walking the Canopy Walk.

Animals we saw the last visit: Alligators, raccoons in a cage, beautiful birds, and several two legged animals 🙂

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL & FUN PLACE. Go and enjoy! Alligator Entering the Water : Stock PhotoPhoto of Myakka River State Park - Sarasota, FL, United States

Photo of Myakka River State Park - Sarasota, FL, United States

IMG_1864

Canoppy Wakjwat

Canopy Walkway

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I CAN

Based on a true story, a couple’s adulterous affair leads to an unexpected pregnancy. They leave their spouses to begin a new life together, but their daughter, Katelyn, is born with a birth defect. While her dad believes Katelyn’s condition is God’s punishment for the affair, Katelyn, with only one fully developed arm, defies all odds with an incredible gift for softball. “I Can” is a story about Katelyn overcoming adversity, and her dad eventually finding genuine forgiveness.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. I Can is a faith-based sports biopic about young Katelyn Pavey (Danner Brown), who was born with one arm and becomes a star athlete who doesn’t see her disability as something that holds her back. Katelyn’s father and grandparents are positive role models who are encouraging and supportive. 

Mrs. Q says: It would have been nice to see more of the relationship between Katelyn and her mother, as well as Katelyn and her sisters (not to mention Eric (the father) interacting with his other daughters). 

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Circles waterfront at Land’s End Marina

1212 Apollo Beach Blvd Apollo Beach, FL – (813) 641-3275 – circleswaterfront.com

1/27/24 – Had a great visit with long time friends. RaeAnn & Chuck.

First we had Happy/Yappy hour at their house with delicious munchies & drinks & then out to dinner to Circles Rest.

Three people had: GROUPER SANDWICH (1 grilled & 1 blackened, 1 fried – Fresh Florida Gulf – Grouper (grilled, fried, or blackened), leaf lettuce,
tomato, pickle, tartar sauce, toasted brioche – sauces on the side.

Different Sides: Fries, Kale salad, green beans.

One person had: BACON CHEESEBURGER – Grilled 1/2-lb
steak burger, apple-wood bacon, cheddar cheese,
leaf lettuce, tomato, pickle, toasted brioche.

Inside seating
Outdoor seating
Burger
Grouper Sandwich
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Season’s 52

170 University Town Center Dr Ste 103 Sarasota, FL.,  

Phone number (941) 702-9652 –

www.seasons52.com

Q’s First Time Visit to Season’s 52 & went with a long time friend & had an enjoyable time with Happy Hour drinks & food.

Our long time friend had: Two Sangrias – A refreshing blend of red wine and fresh fruit. One with dinner & one for dessert.

Dinner: – Chipotle BBQ Shrimp Flatbread – Grilled pineapple, feta cheese, wood-grilled poblano peppers.

Both Q’s had: Happy Hour Cosmo & a cup of Mushroom Soup.

Dinner: Mrs. Q had: Philly Cheesesteak Flatbread – Beef tenderloin, cipollini onions, wood-grilled red peppers, provolone cheese sauce.

Mr. Q had: Roasted Mushroom Flatbread – Portabella, shiitake, goat cheese, truffle oil, green onions & a glass of Wine.

The Seasons 52 Hawaiian Pineapple Cosmopolitan – South Coast ...
Happy Hour Cosmo
Mushroom Bisque soup

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK | Menu | Seasons 52
Philly cheesesteak Flatbread



BBQ Shrimp Flatbread
ROASTED MUSHROOM FLATBREAD
Roasted Mushroom Flatbread
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Twin Life- sharing mind & Life

on Prime – Conjoined twins Tatiana and Krista Hogan continue to grow and defy the odds against them.

Tatiana and Krista Hogan are conjoined twins, who are joined at the head. They share parts of their brains. The twins are happy together most of the time; they are the best of friends. Each controls parts of the other’s body. It is totally amazing how fast that they can run.

The film observes them as they play together and with other members of the family and other children. Looking after them all is a full-time job for both parents who are assisted by a set of grandparents, who are living in a house trailer parked in the driveway and, financially, by the government.

Q-tips say: YES, Watch this film. A real eye opener. We witness many medical appointments, with comments by many of the participants. Even members of the medical establishment are thrilled and amazed by the twins.

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The Holdovers

 THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

Q-tips say: Yes, we did enjoy it. You can stream it now on Peacock.

The Holdovers” has a message that’s realistic, not cloying. It’s treats Christmas not as an excuse to be nice, but as a deeply felt reason to be nice. At its core, it’s about old feelings and new friends. The movie succeeds in every way possible.

Mrs. says:  Life isn’t fair but we all need to know how to manage that.

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Your Christmas or Mine 1

Students Hayley and James are young and in love. After saying goodbye for Christmas at a London train station, they both make the same mad split-second decision to swap trains and surprise each other. Passing each other in the station, they are completely unaware that they have just swapped Christmases. Hayley arrives at a vast mansion in a small village in the Gloucester countryside to find a place where Christmas does not exist, whilst James heads north to a small semi-detached in Macclesfield and steps into the warm and chaotic pandemonium that only a large family Christmas can bring. When the entire country is blanketed in the biggest snowfall on record, our star-crossed lovers are trapped at the most manic time of the year. Christmas traditions are turned on their head, secrets are revealed, and family truths are told with hilarious consequences. The couple realize that there is an awful lot they don’t know about each other. Will they be able to swap back in time for Christmas Day? And will Hayley and James’ fledgling relationship make it through to the New Year?

Q-tips say: Yes, watch the first run of this movie. The first movie is better than the second one.

In YOUR CHRISTMAS OR MINE?, after meeting on their drama course, James and Hayley head to the train station to say their sad goodbyes before setting off to join the respective families. Though heading back home in different directions, on different trains, in an impulsive moment of romance, James jumps off his, to join Hayley. But what he doesn’t realize, is that Hayley’s done the exact same thing. Meaning they are both setting off to their partner’s houses, and given the snowy weather, simply returning to their own homes is not straightforward.

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Sound of Freedom

Sound of Freedom

 Based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

Q-tips say: Yes, watch it. This movie is powerful. Gives you a glimpse into the darker side of the world even where you live. We talk about the horrors of slavery yet this goes so far beyond. We are talking about kids, innocents and this is happening today. Liked this movie because it shows what’s going on in the world without people even realizing it. Children are not for sale!!

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Your Christmas or Mine 2

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … but will it be for James and Hayley? James’ father has invited the Taylors to spend Christmas in a luxury ski resort in the Austrian Alps, so they can meet his new American girlfriend. However, Hayley’s dad Geoff insisted on handling his family’s side of the booking and something clearly got lost in translation. After a mix-up with transport at the airport, the two tribes end up at each other’s accommodations, on different sides of a valley and opposite ends of the Tripadvisor ratings scale. Can Hayley and James’ relationship survive another turbulent family Christmas, or has their future together gone off-piste?

Q-tips say: Was ok but not really a Christmas movie.

Your Christmas or Mine 2 is a film that is centered on young love and the struggle to integrate two families that normally wouldn’t work well together because of their mentalities.

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Maestro

Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

Q-tips say: We did enjoy it. Was a tad slow at the beginning but later was good.

“Maestro” is a portrait of the artist as a conflicted man: The film follows the long relationship between Bernstein and his wife, and how their love and marriage was tested by the legendary composer/conductor’s homosexual dalliances, hubris and insecurities. It’s a solid biopic that struggles to find a focus and feels somewhat incomplete, though is boosted by a sturdy performance from the actors.

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