Oscar Scherer State Park 2/16/22

1843 S Tamiami Trl Osprey, FL 34229, (941) 483-5956

Q-tips say: YES, go. Entrance fee for a day only $5.00. The park has walking trails, camping sites, lakes & so much peace & quite. Yes, you can go fishing, providing you have a fishing license & also can swim. When bringing children to swim, make sure there is an adult watching them – no life guards are on duty. After our visit, off to Rosebud for dinner.

Photo of Oscar Scherer State Park - Osprey, FL, United States. The canoe and kayak launch
Canoe & kayak launch

Many animals to see: alligators, birds, butterflies & armadillos & turtles, etc.

Photo of Oscar Scherer State Park - Osprey, FL, United States. Young armadillo at our campsite
Armadillo Photo of Oscar Scherer State Park - Osprey, FL, United States. Pileated woodpecker
Photo of Oscar Scherer State Park - Osprey, FL, United States. Pileated woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Photo of Oscar Scherer State Park - Osprey, FL, United States. Great blue heron
a Great blue heron.
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SWORDFISH GRILL – Cortez FL 2/15/22

Photos at Swordfish Grill - 14 tips

SWORDFISH GRILL – 4628 119th St W., Cortez, FL 34215, (941) 798-2035
swordfishgrillcortez.com

Q-Tips say: If you are in the area, go and enjoy! It was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze & had a inside table by the window with a view of the water.

We shared 6 raw Oysters. The other half: Soup & the Florida Crab Cake – A thick Blue crab cake with remoulade on the side.

Mrs. Q had: A Caesar salad & Bacon wrapped scallops served with an apricot-horseradish dipping sauce on the side.

If you want fresh seafood to buy – go next door to the Cortez Fish Market and buy your own.  We did and we enjoyed eating it at home.

 

SWORDFISH GRILL, Cortez - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor
Bacon Wrapped Scallops | Easy Seafood Appetizer Recipe | Mantitlement
Bacon wrapped scallops
Swordfish Grill & Tiki Bar – Fresh Seafood & Live Entertainment in Cortez,  FL
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Valentine’s Day dinner 2/14/22

Our Valentine’s dinner was from The Fresh Market: We ate it at home.

Valentine's Dinner Meal

We began with our usual libations & then we enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco & chocolate covered strawberries.

Q-tips say: We had an awesome meal at home with drinks & dessert.

We could have a conversation with no loud music or loud laughing/talking from others. Was A Wonderful Evening.

Dinner options included choice of two proteins: Chateaubriand Filet Mignon or Chilean Sea Bass or Lump Crab Cakes.

We chose 2 Chateaubriand Filet Mignon.

Mascarpone whipped potatoes.

Asparagus with diced red peppers and sea salt butter.

Dessert: Hand dipped chocolate strawberries.

Picked up our dinner around noon. Yes, there are directions on how to reheat the veggies & potatoes. Also directions on how to cook the Chateaubriand Filet Mignon – which were awesome. Better than most restaurants at a reasonable price. Mrs. Q would recommend this to anyone instead of going out on Valentine’s Day.

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Marry Me

2/12/22 –

Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian (Maluma). As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single, “Marry Me,” climbs the charts, they are about to be wed before an audience of their fans in a ceremony that will streamed across multiple platforms. Divorced high-school math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) has been dragged to the concert by his daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman) and his best friend (Sarah Silverman). When Kat learns, seconds before the ceremony, that Bastian has cheated on her with her assistant, her life turns left as she has a meltdown on stage, questioning love, truth and loyalty. As her gossamer world falls away, she locks eyes with a stranger–a face in the crowd. If what you know lets you down, then perhaps what you don’t know is the answer, and so, in a moment of inspired insanity, Kat chooses to marry Charlie. What begins as an impulsive reaction evolves into an unexpected romance. But as forces conspire to separate them, the universal question arises: Can two people from such different worlds bridge the gulf between them and build a place where they both belong?

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. We enjoyed.

Mrs. Q says: At first, Mrs. Q said, Jennifer Who? Oh, that one. But she was happy we watched it. Just say, I DO & enjoy this movie. Lopez and Wilson, may not be the most natural choices for a movie power couple, but they have a gentle chemistry that serves the movie well. So grab a libation/munchies & enjoy.

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The kindness of Strangers

2/10/22 – Ordinary, disparate strangers living in New York City go about their business. Clara runs away from her violent husband with her two boys and meets four people who are also going through difficult times. Alice, a nurse on the verge of cracking, Mark, accused of a crime he did not commit, John Peter, his lawyer, and Jeff, an unambitious man, find they are all connected as their paths intertwine.

Q-tips say: We liked it. People who like neat, tidy narratives might not like this film but its big-hearted sympathy for people on the margins of society and hope-filled belief in the power of kindness will win others over.

Mrs. Q says: The movie, The kindness of Strangers, serves as a strong argument for the importance of really seeing those around us and opening our hearts to them.

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Finding ‘Ohana

Finding 'Ohana (2021) - IMDb

2/4/22 – yes, there are sub titles, should you need them.

Geocache champion Pilialoha “Pili” Kawena, age 12, is abruptly lifted from her busy New York life and dropped into rural O’ahu to help care for her grandfather. Initially skeptical about her new surroundings, Pili finds a cryptic pirate’s journal in her Papa’s studio hinting at a 200-year-old shipwrecked treasure hidden away in the island’s caves and mountains. With her older brother and new friends in tow she uses her clue solving skills to lead them on an adventure of a lifetime through the natural wonders of Hawaiʻi. As she learns to respect and love her native culture she also discovers not all secrets should be shared and that the real treasure in life is ‘ohana — her family.

Q-tips say: Finding ‘Ohana is a family-friendly adventure with some beautiful scenery that might be enjoyed by many.

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My Melancholy baby

2/3/22 – Two days in the difficult life of the Burrows family, told through the eyes of Miles, the older son and a drug addict.

Q-tips say: Enjoyed this film. See it!

Watched this movie and was amazed at the acting and raw storyline. The film does a great job at bringing important topics like autism and addiction to light and the impacts on a family. Mrs. Q says: I can only imagine how many families personally relate to this film. The chemistry between the little girl and her brother, especially, is real and their acting was so on point. Definitely recommend this film.

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Home Team

2/1/22 – Two years after NFL head coach Sean Payton is suspended, he goes back to his hometown and finds himself reconnecting with his 12-year-old son by coaching his Pop Warner football team.

Q-tips say: Was ok.

Mrs. Q says: It was a little bit of a feel good movie.  Actors, a cast of lovable tween boys, and a wholesome tone make this feel-good comedy a natural audience pleaser.

However, a shallow representation of sports, parenthood, and comedy, with almost no laughs.

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A Father’s Legacy

1/28/22 – After years of searching for his father, a young man, on the run from the law, finds his way into the life of a secluded old man in the woods. As the days go by and secrets about their past are revealed, they realize they may not have been looking for each other but they were brought together for a reason.

Mrs. Q says: I liked it. A beautifully crafted and performed drama. An inspired film centered around faith, redemption, family, and how the decisions that we make ripple forward again and again. It might be a good conversation starter for parents and teens, despite the mildly off-color vocabulary that occasionally crops up in the dialogue.

Mr. Q says: It was ok.

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The Tender Bar

1/18/22 – The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother (Lily Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.

Q-tips say: Yes, see it. We enjoyed it. Follow JR’s life growing up with large family at Grandpa’s house. It’s a decent coming-of-age tale based on a memoir. Story with working-class detail and if the peaks and valleys of J.R.’s life are a little predictable, the cast provide exemplary turns.

Crusty old Grandpa attends a school function – making breakfast with JR.
JR with Mom
The Dickens Bar
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