Wednesday, January 4 - Anna Maria Island

John and Karen have their car here, so we started taking advantage of them right away!  Of course Danny's first request was to go to breakfast.  We got a late start, so ended up at McDonald's for an early lunch.  He was still happy!  Next on the list was Anna Maria Island.  Our friends Jane and David have been coming here for vacation for the past several years and just rave about it.  And Karen and John will be in the area for three months so wanted to check it out for future visits.

The drive up was beautiful, but there was lots of traffic!  I can't imagine what it would be like in the summer.  We checked out two marinas, then headed back down the island.

John had been talking all day about a tiki bar that they had found on a previous trip.  Sure enough, we passed it and HAD to go in for a drink!  It was right on the incredibly beautiful beach, with beautiful water offshore.  Karen and I tried BlueMaritas which were really good!

Next stop was Ace Hardware.  We have seen one everywhere we have stopped - almost.  We needed a cable cord so we can watch the Alabama-Clemson game Monday.  Karen was excited because she found a very brightly colored doormat to replace the one ruined at our Crystal River marina.

Winn Dixie was our last stop.  There is nothing within walking distance of the marina, so we bought necessities - bread, beer and wine, along with a few other things.  Traffic going back to the marina was even worse than going out, and Bradenton evidently has not heard of synchronized red lights!

Karen and John offered to cook dinner for us, which we accepted of course.  The marina has a wonderful grilling area with tables right on the water, adjoining the restaurant which provides live music on the patio each night.  It's a rough life on the water, Friends!  We enjoyed a great dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables and wonderful company.