DAY #101
Today I set off to revisit a couple places first seen last week. It was off to Myakka State Park to do the “canopy walk,” and then into Sarasota, to take a closer look at the Amish community there.
After the steady rain of a couple days ago, the campground was still very wet. It was so wet, they had closed about half the camp sites, thankfully, my site remained dry and accessible.
Along the way, I stopped at a Chase Bank branch to use the ATM for some cash. Put the card in, answered all the questions, and waited for the transaction to be completed. Surprise…Transaction declined. Great, that’s just great, now what am I going to do without any cash? It sure is easy to be cool & calm, especially when everything goes right, not so easy when it goes wrong. As I’m sitting in the truck trying to decide my next move, the phone rings, its Chase fraud checking to see if I had tried to use my card, long story short, I was able to get it resolved and go back in and get some cash. I really remain, a work in progress.
Made it to the Park and the “canopy walk.” It was a short, and because of the recent rains, wet walk to the canopy. The main drawing point is the view at the top.
Quite the thrill standing above the trees and looking to the horizon. It was worth coming up here. After soaking the scenery in for awhile, it was time to get back down to earth, and on my way to check out the Amish.
I set Pinecraft into google and off I went. After a series of twists and turns, Google informed me I was there, Pinecraft, the center for Amish/Mennonites winter residence in Florida. Except I wasn’t there, I found myself in the middle of a 55+ trailer park. It was a nice place but no Amish, just old retired Christians.
Fortunately, I had my tablet with me, I went online and did some search and research finding the right location. It is so amazing the internet, today we have the world at our fingertips, literally.
I was able to find where I wanted to be (sans google ), and after a few more wrong turns, I finally found myself in the heart of Pinecraft, and I wasn’t disappointed. The streets were crowded with mostly women but also a few men walking, all wearing traditional garb. Three wheel bikes were common, and I even saw one guy driving a gulf cart. While most were elderly, I did see a few younger folks sprinkled here and there. The homes were small, almost cottage like, and close together. the streets are narrow, less than two car widths wide. Something out of the ordinary are these houses have electricity and telephones, two things not found in Amish homes up north.
I didn’t take any photos. There were plenty of opportunity’s, I just felt taking their picture and pictures of their homes could make them feel like some kind of freaks. Oh look, those people are different, get their picture. I didn’t want to disrespect them, it was something this time, I would have to enjoy alone.
Took the long way back after another in an endless string of enjoyable days (even the bad ones).
The Journey. 