Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island

We went to the Cafe on the Beach to have a snack and then set up our beach camp. This is my favorite beach to visit on a weekday. It is hard to find parking on the weekends, and it's no wonder why. The water is clear and beautiful, and the sand is as soft as powdered sugar.

In case you haven't figured it out, all the Gulf Beaches are my favorite beach!

We had fun playing in the water. Alfonze snorkeled around and showed us some of the sea life he found.


Jason checks his sunset shots.


Three amigos Alfonze, Jason, and Erika watch the sunset and take photos.


This is the last sunset of our beach vacation. Boo-hoo!

Tide Out at Anna Maria Island

What a beautiful day at the beach. There were only a few people here today. We think it's because kids are back in school. We had no problem finding parking.

Sweet Spot of the Florida Summer

August is the sweet spot of summer on the Gulf coast. We were at Anna Maria Island riding waves today. The water at the beach is cooling slightly, making it feel so refreshing. There aren't as many tourists, and it's easier to find parking. I think I was in the water for an hour before I got out. Later on my arms and legs felt heavy from all the water play. I'll be sleeping good tonight.

Shelling at Sunshine Skyway Bridge Rest Area

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These photos were taken at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south rest area. The tide was out and people were walking through the shallow mud flats looking for sea shells.


Here's a closer view of people shelling. They are the dots in the distance of the first photo.


A live conch in the water slowly strolls around on a cinder block.


Take a look over the rail and you might see a stingray.

This scenic rest area is a fun place to explore. It's a great spot to have your picture taken with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as a backdrop. Exit at the South Skyway Fishing Pier and go to the rest area. It is accessible from both sides of I-275.

Sea Shells by Sunshine Skyway Bridge

We found these shells at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south rest area.

Emerson Point Preserve on Snead Island

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This view is from the observation tower. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is in the background and a boardwalk through the marsh is in the foreground.


Boardwalk through mangrove marsh.


Blanket flower.

Wild pointsettia.


I was impressed with the variety of wildflowers.


View of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near the head of the Beach Trail. There are a lot of small beaches in nooks and crannies among shade trees along the Beach Trail. It's a quiet, secluded setting. You feel like you're on your own private beach, even though there are other people along the trail.


Fishing off the Beach Trail.


A mangrove tree growing in salt water. The roots look like stilts. Mangroves are island builders. Sand and debris get caught up in the roots. Material accumulates to support other plant life, and voila! The island gets bigger.


Strangler fig. These trees seed as parasites on the bark of other trees, usually palm trees. The roots grow and touch soil. The strangler fig eventually covers the host tree with root shoots. Creepy, isn't it?

This was an interesting place to explore. There is no admission fee. I think it is one of the best kept secrets in Manatee County. It's not on any of my maps, and there's scarcely any information on the web about Emerson Point Preserve. I thought something interesting might be out here because there is an Indian mound noted on a map and it looked like there might be some cool sandbars or beaches at the point of Snead Island.

The Portavent Temple Mound is at the first parking lot near the entrance. Stop there to get map of the park and see the ancient Indian mounds. The Portavent Temple Mound is the largest Indian mound in the Tampa Bay area.

Directions to Emerson Point Preserve from Palmetto, Florida:
Go west on 10th Street West, cross the bridge to Snead Island, right on Tarpon Avenue, then left on 17th Street West which ends at the Preserve entrance.

Sunset at Cochina Beach on Anna Maria Island

The vivid sunset colors behind the darkened trees reminded me of Tiffany's stained glass windows.


After dark we looked up at the stars to try to find some of the constellations that we learned about at Bishop Planetarium earlier in the day.

South Florida Museum in Bradenton

The first thing we saw as we walked into the South Florida Museum was a huge mastadon skeleton that was found in Florida. Walking from the sunshine outside into the darkened gallery was a stark contrast. It was quiet, except for the songs of birds and other woodland sounds. You get the feeling that you've stepped into another world. On the other side of the gallery is a diorama of a paleo Indian hunting a bison. We continued walking through the exhibits of prehistoric human and animal artifacts. Another diorama shows a seaside community of Indians where you can hear people chatting, children playing, and ocean sounds.

Next we went to the Bishop Planetarium for a presentation on how to identify stars and constellations. Now I know why I'm having a hard time finding the Big Dipper. The lights around Tampa obscure a lot of stars. We used to live in the countryside in Michigan. The North Star is also harder to find, because it is closer to the horizon in Florida than it is in Michigan. Up north the North Star appears directly over head.

It was time to feed the manatees when we left the planetarium. We walked upstairs through a Florida marshland scene with a one room house. There was a Florida panther in the marsh and I was surprised at how small it was. I expected the panthers to be as big as tigers. We left the marsh to walk through a hallway with an under water scene. It included a cross section of the ocean floor showing creatures that lived in the sand. On the other side we found the Parker Manatee Aquarium.

Feeding time is presentation time. The resident manatee is Snooty, who was born and raised in captivity. His tank buddies are rescued manatees that will eventually be returned to the wild. Manatees are air breathing mammals that live in the water. They are often injured by boats.

Snooty is sticking his head out of the water to get the attention of the lady doing the talking and feeding. She is feeding the manatees heads of romaine lettuce and fielding questions from the audience. Occasionally Snooty playfully puts his fins up on the edge of the tank. Someone asked if the manatees had bad breath. She said it was not as bad as dog's breath, but that you don't want to be around when they have gas. They are vegetarians. Big ones. Lots of veggies can generate lots of gas. We didn't smell anything evil while we were there.

The manatees have huge bodies and small heads. We walked downstairs to get to the window to watch the manatees underwater. The expressions on their faces reminded me of dogs or teddy bears. There were all kinds of toys in the pool. At feeding time food becomes the toy of the moment.

We left the South Florida Museum late in the afternoon and went to Anna Maria Island to go for a walk on the beach.