Busy, Busy, Busy

I have not put much time to writing in this blog. I have said it before but I will make a better effort of writing about life in Sarasota. Perhaps, I am having too much fun to bother writing about it. In actuality, it has been a busy season.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I hope you have a great one.

Going to Disney World

I am taking the family to Disney World today for a weekend getaway. If you love the theme parks of Orlando one of the benefits of living in Sarasota is that you are only about 2 hours away. We are staying at The Contemporary hotel so the kids can easily ride the monorail. Through the eyes of a 3 and 1.5 year old that will be one of the coolest things they see this weekend.

Warm, sunny and miserable

This morning I read an amusing article from David Grimes of the Sarasota Herald Tribune. I thought you might enjoy it as well.

Yes, it's 75 and sunny, and yes, it's early February, but we're not as happy as you would think.

There is always the threat of a cold front. Occasionally, the temperature will plummet to a frigid 62. This is cause for universal alarm and panic. Extra blankets are hauled out of the closets. Air conditioners are turned down to low. Furniture is burned in a futile attempt to stay warm.

Oh, yes, you Northerners scoff at our travails, but you have no idea. It has been dry lately and our lawns are looking a little brown. Your lawns are covered in snow. Looking out upon a semi-green lawn in February is so depressing, we sometimes forget to use sunblock and get over-tanned.

Driving is another reason we're miserable. Since it has been warm and sunny recently, we have been obligated to drive with the tops down on our convertibles. This has resulted in mussed hair and additional over-tanning. It is also hard to hear our Beach Boys CDs when the wind is ruffling our Hawaiian shirts.

I have lived up North in February, and it is a beautiful thing. You start the day by hacking the ice off of your car. Then you slide down the road into a 12-car pileup. Then you return home with the flu. This pattern repeats itself until early April.

Because of our nice weather, we remain disgustingly healthy here in Florida, which gives us little to talk about.

While you folks up North get to commiserate at parties about your colds, flu and general ague, we are left to discuss the stock market, real estate prices and Hillary Clinton's emotional stability. Trust me, these conversations seldom turn out well.

People think coming to Florida for a winter vacation is a good idea, but they are wrong.
Everyone here is sunburned and cranky. The real estate market is in the tank. Our roads are lined with orange construction cones. Jimmy Buffett isn't as young as he used to be.

When I go out and fetch the paper in the morning, I shiver.

Not because it's cold (it isn't), but because I know I'm going to have to squeeze a dozen oranges from the backyard tree for our Sunday-morning screwdrivers.

Who can put up with that kind of pressure?

Call it! Friend-o

I saw No Country For Old Men when my sister was visiting me last month from out of town. It was directed by the Coen brothers who made Fargo. If you have seen Fargo it has that same type of feel. The movie has some violence so if that turns you off I don't recommend you seeing it. I enjoyed the movie, especially the villain Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem. It looks like he may win an oscar for his performance. This is one of those movies you need to see twice.

I also saw There Will be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis. I did not care for it. However, Daniel Day Lewis did a great job of acting.

I saw this at Burns Court Cinema. It has been probably 10 years since I have been to this theatre. I am not the foreign or artsy movie type. The theaters are charming and homey. If you are into foreign movies go to Burns and enjoy one.

St. Armands Circle is looking good

I had a nice lunch at the Columbia today with an associate and noticed how nice St. Armands Circle was looking. They have made some great improvements by beautifying the common areas by adding new vegetation, seating areas and brick pavered cross walks. If you have not been out there lately go do some shopping or dining and see how nice it looks. Go to St. Armands Circle real estate to see all of the homes for sale.

Lakewood Ranch Cinemas

I had the pleasure of seeing The Bourne Ultimatum at the Lakewood Ranch Cinema yesterday. It was the first time I saw a movie in these theaters. These are nice facilities and worth seeing a movie there. I thought it was interesting that they serve beer and wine. It reminds me of the old cinema draft houses back in the 1980's where you could eat and drink while watching a movie.

If you liked the first two Bourne movies you will like The Bourne Ultimatum. It was nonstop action with a good story.

Why does everyone think Florida is so hot?

As a Realtor I frequently work with buyers from outside of Florida. Potential buyers make comments about how hot Florida gets in the summer. Sure, it gets hot here but at least we are prepared for it. When was the last time you were in a house, car or store in Florida that did not have air conditioning? Quite a few of the homes up north don't even have air conditioning.

If you have been comparing Florida temperatures with the heat up north you may have noticed that it actually has been hotter up north.

High temperatures for August 9th according to weather.com:
Sarasota, FL - 92 degrees
Richmond, VA - 99 degrees
Nashville, TN - 104 degrees
Washington D.C. - 94 degrees
New York - 82 degrees (remember, few air conditioners)
Charlotte, NC - 104 degrees
Atlanta, GA - 101 degrees
Miami, FL - 91 degrees

Interesting video

This video does not have anything to do with Sarasota but it is interesting to watch. I saw this on the nightly news tonight. It is an amazing video of lions, buffalos and a crocodile in Africa. It is great to see the adult buffaloes ganging up on the lions to save the baby buffalo.

Video

I was playing on the computer a few minutes ago and my wife and kids told me about the Sandhill Cranes in the back yard. I went out and snapped a few pictures of them and fed them some bread. They were screaching at another Crane on the other side of the lake. This is one of the joy's of living in Florida.

Tyler's First Birthday

Here is a photo of Tyler and Dylan. Tyler (left) turned 1 on the 1st of June and we had a birthday party for him. He had the joy of smashing a cake with his hands. Dylan had the joy of eating it.

New stores added to Ellenton Prime Outlet mall

Those of you who love to shop at the Ellenton Prime Outlet mall should be happy to hear about 7 new stores opening up there. Addidas, Perry Ellis, Starbucks, J. Crew Factory Store, Kenneth Cole, Luggage Factory, Dooney & Bourke are scheduled to open in various stages. Coffee lovers can enjoy a Starbucks as early as this coming weekend as the new store will be opening.

Prime Outlets at Ellenton opened in 1993 with 123,000 square feet and 40 stores. The outlet mall has grown to about 477,000 square feet with 130 stores. Plans call for a Main Street-type addition and more upscale names at the center, which already has a Saks Off Fifth.

Bull Shark Caught

A nine foot bull shark was caught last Saturday in St. Petersburg. The fisherman who caught it estimated the weight at 650 to 700 pounds. He caught it off the dock in the back of house located near Vinoy Park in St. Peterburg.

Bull sharks are in bays and inland waters this time of year to give birth to their "pups." After the effort they are hungry.

Though populations of some sharks are dwindling, the bull is common in area waters.

It is a shame the shark could not be released. The man who caught the fish was on the radio and he did not intetionally kill the shark. It died from exhaustion when it finally reached the dock.

Rain!

Tropical depression Barry rolled through the Tampa Bay area on Saturday bringing much needed rain. Rain was welcomed in drought stricken Florida and Georgia where there were recent wildfires.

I am happy to see the rain. My yard needed a drenching and the lake behind my house was a little low. The current drought should end if we see as many hurricanes as predicted by the National Hurricane Center. They are predicting 17 named storms for the 2007 hurricane season. However, keep in mind there were many storms predicted last year but we had very few.

It's funny how I hear people complain about the drought conditions and then sometime in July they will start complaining about how much it rains. ;-)

Lovely weather today

I took the family for a bike ride this morning. The weather is great today. There is a strong breeze and it is not too hot or humid. I just looked at weather.com and the humidity is only 37% and the temperature is currently 84 degrees.

I frequently hear people complain about the heat in Florida. I was in Scottsdale 2 weeks ago for the Sotheby's International Realty convention. The heat in Florida is nothing compared to Arizona. Dry heat or not it was hot! I actually prefer a little humidity. The high temperature in Phoenix today is 98 degrees. I did enjoy my visit to Scottsdale. Just like the winters up north I don't think it is the high humidity and temperatures but the duration that bother people. By the time September rolls around the heat has definitely worn out its welcome.