March 19 Anna Maria Island

Thursday:  We left Myakka River State Park and drove the 90+ minutes or so to Anna Maria Island to finally enjoy some beach time. Mind you, the temperature was only in the low 60's away from the water. On the beach, it was perhaps 56 degrees and WINDY!!! Naturally, I was COLD.

David brought us comfy beach chairs and settled down to ... breathe in the beauty. I sat with him for awhile, but then decided I would take a walk. Since it was so blasted cold outside, and I thought it might warm me up a bit to walk for awhile, so I did. What I did not take into account (because I am oftentimes bereft of brain) was that I could still get sunburned in the cold. Thankfully, I was fully dressed (unlike most of the other beach visitors) but I had on a pair of capri jeans that came to just below my knees; as well as my water shoes to protect my feet from the sharp shells that were everywhere. I didn't use any sunscreen because I just didn't think of it whatsoever--it was COLD outside after all. How could the sun possibly burn a person in the cold?

Most of these pictures are just of the waves coming off the Gulf, along with a few seagulls enjoying the breeze. I love waves, and I love seagulls.

David was very content to sit in his beach chair and watch all of the people walking by (none of whom are in any of my pictures--who wants a bunch of strangers in their pictures anyway?). 

We met Carol for dinner at a nice restaurant that they frequently visit--one of those small little places that serve amazing food without all of the hoopla of a big restaurant. We had such a nice dinner together.

I didn't realize how sunburned I was until we got back to the house where I got redder and redder as the night went on. No worries, though--it was just my face and my lower legs to my feet. David and Carol supplied me with a bottle of Aloe to soothe the heat, and I was just fine.