The Horn of Plenty

I've always wanted to see the biggest sail boat race in the world...The America's Cup. All the sails out...crew people leaning over the railings...the boat hydroplaning...and the captain screaming..."SHIVER ME TIMBERS!" (Do captains still say that?)

But...alas...I probably never will. So...my next best option? How about the sailboat races at Ellenton Gardens? Yeah baby...now we're talking.

My brother Jim, and his wife Joy invited us over to see the races. The girls went shopping, and I stayed to watch the races. There were 3 spectators. Me, a tri-colored heron, and a giant egret.

The 2 racers waited for a third guy to show up, because...according to the laws of Captain Jim...there has to be at least 3 boats for it to qualify to be a race. A third never showed. So...Jim and John went man vs. man...but it won't count in the standings.

I think there were 6 races...Jim winning 4, John winning 2. It was funny, but by the time we got back to Jim's place...he asked me if John had won any of the races. How quickly we forget our sailboat defeats.

Jim's boat is to the left of the deer. The other boat is hidden behind the deer's head. Go to my FLICKR PAGE for some more shots of the action, along with the bird spectators, and some of Joy's artwork.

We finished off the afternoon with Joy making us fish tacos. Delicious. Nothing like a good fish taco after watching the sailboat races. Also...strawberry shortcake for dessert. Yum.

A bright and early flight home in the morning. Up and gone at 6 a.m., with our flight leaving at 9:05. Hope to catch up when I get home.

We be saying goodbye to the Sunshine State. It's been a nice 12 days.