Archive for » June, 2010 «

Hands Across The Sand

Author: Jun 27

Yesterday,I joined nearly 1000 people on Siesta Key beach for “Hands Across The Sand” a non-political protest against off shore drilling on our coasts. Saying NO to oil dependency and YES to clean energy.

It was a gorgeous day on the beach. The water was 90 degrees and I believe the air temperature was 95 but felt like 105. I know I was feeling like I could melt and that cool white sand was begging me to lay down on it.

The water was again crystal clear as it has been the last several times I’ve been to the beach this month.  There were very small waves but for the most part it was a calm day on the water. That may change with some up coming storms in our forecast but not for long.

Here are a few pictures from my day on the beach.

Hands Across The Sand-Siesta Key Beach

Siesta Key

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A Day At Casey Key Beach

Author: Jun 19

Today I ventured down to Casey Key Beach in Nokomis. We manage a few properties there and I find it very peaceful and private.  Nokomis is a few miles south of Sarasota.

The water was crystal clear today. I saw a family of Manatees swim right in front of me! The fish were out in full force and swam very near to the shore which made some very interesting snorkeling! I wish I had an under water camera to share those pictures with you.   

  Today and tomorrow, anglers in Florida can fish for saltwater species without fishing licenses.  The state promotion, designed to change perceptions about Florida waters in the wake of the oil spill comes just in time for Father’s Day! I saw a lot of boats out on the water today with people fishing, so it must be working.

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Live Video Of Our Siesta Key Area Beaches

Author: Jun 14

This live video of our Siesta Key area beaches was taken from the air on Saturday, June 12.  As you can see, our waters are crystal clear and we have No Oil on our beaches.  Our appreciation goes out to the folks over at crystalclearflorida.com for providing us all with these amazing videos of our beautiful beaches.  If you would like to see their other videos please head on over to their website. 

Enjoy the view!

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Hands Across The Sand JUNE 26, 2010

Author: Jun 13

A quote from their website “Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, fishing industry and coastal military missions. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling.” to read more from their website and to find a location near you please click http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/.

Vic and I will be going to the Siesta Key Beach for this show of support on June 26th and hope to see many of you there that live in this area. NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy is what the message is all about.

What to do at a
Hands Event

STEP 1
Go to the beach at 11 AM in your time zone for one hour, rain or shine.
STEP 2
Join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in our coastal waters.
STEP 3
Leave only your footprints.

This movement started in Florida but you can set up a meeting place anywhere you live. Go to the hands across the sand website and there will be instructions on how to set something up in your area. Please get involved.

Here is a video of one such gathering at St. Pete Beach…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhU7_edQ2Wk

Category: Beaches, Things To Do  Tags: , , ,  6 Comments

We’re a Favorite Place on Google!!

Author: Jun 10

We got a letter in the mail this week from Google! Between December 1st and February 28th Home and Condo Rentals and Property Mgmt., Inc. (that’s us!) was one of the most popular local businesses on Google, as measured by how many times people found our business listing, and clicked on it for more information.

We are one of less than $250,000 businesses in the U.S. to receive this recognition, that’s less than 1% of all U.S. businesses!

We now have a sticker on our door from Google that includes a special bar code-known as a QR code-that potential customers may scan with cameras on their smartphones. When they scan the code, they’ll put up a mobile version of the Place Page for our business, where they can read reviews or add us as a favorite. To see a short video on how this works and for more information go to http://www.google.com/help/maps/favoriteplaces/business/

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Drum Circles

Author: Jun 09

Drum Circle Video

Every week there are drum circles at sunset on the local beaches. Siesta Key has one on Sunday nights, Nokomis Beach has them on Wednesday and Saturday and now Venice Beach has one on Monday nights.

I have only been to the Nokomis one so far. Saturday seems to attract more people than the Wednesday night gathering.  Every Time I have company from out of town we take them to at least one drum circle.  It is a very relaxing and fun thing to do. We usually pack up a cooler , grab some beach chairs and take off  for a few hours of pure relaxation.

There are dozens of people that arrive with big beautiful drums, some with tamberines and other musical instruments. They form a large circle in the sand. In the center there is dancing, some chanting, children playing with hula hoops, belly dancers, and you never know what else you will see!

I’ve heard that the circle was started as a celebration of the sun. A way of thanking the spirits for another beautiful day here.  There is just something magical about watching the sun slip into the water while listening to the beat of the drums and the sounds of birds, children and surf around you.

You should arrive before sunset, usually about an hour is good so you can find a seat and soak up the energy of the night. Almost as soon as the sun goes down and the darkness slips in, people gather their belongings and leave the beaches.

I’ve taken quite a few videos and pictures various drum circles I’ve gone to over the years. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad time at the beach!

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No Oil on Our Beaches!

Author: Jun 08

If you’ve watched the news at all lately I am sure you’ve seen the oil covered birds and beaches and even talk of the oil reaching Florida beaches.  Let me start by saying WE HAVE NO OIL on our white sandy beaches here in Sarasota County. Had to get that out there in case you don’t read the rest of the blog.

We just had friends visit us from Oregon and were surprised to hear that when they told their friends they were coming to see us 90% of them said “why would you want to go to a beach with tarballs.”  The media is not our friend. It is very similar to hurricane season. If a hurricane is any where near Florida people think the entire state is being blown away.

As someone that lives here and depends on tourism to make a living we are constantly watching what is going on in the gulf. I spent all last weekend on the beaches with my company. I smelled the sand, looked at every black rock , watched the pretty white birds fly by and felt sad for all that has changed for the people in areas that the oil has struck.

If you are worried about your vacation plans I suggest looking into insurance plans. Unfortunately, man-made disasters are not a covered reason to cancel or interrupt your trip.  Therefore, the only kind of trip cancellation plan you can get that will cover you at all is one with the “Cancel for any reason” coverage. Keep in mind that it’s a “Cancel For Any Reason” and not “Interrupt For Any Reason” plan.  Be sure to research your options with an agent. One I found online was http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/

If you would like to follow the progress on the deepwater horizon response here is a link to their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DeepwaterHorizonResponse?v=wall

We will be posting daily updates about our beaches on our Beach Conditions page: Click Here for updates.  As for yesterday, the water was warm (88 degrees I believe) the sun was even warmer (90 degrees) and the sand was white and cool as ever!  Welcome to June!

White sand on Siesta Key Beach

No Oil on Our Beaches

 

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