JIMMY BUFFETT IN CONCERT

It has been my dream forever to see Jimmy Buffett in concert and now I can mark that one off of my bucket list!

In January I heard that Jimmy was coming to Tampa but the date for the concert was after we were supposed to leave for home.  It didn't take much convincing to get Dick to stay an extra day so we could attend the concert.  I really wouldn't classify us as die hard "parrotheads" but we've got all his music and I've read all his books, and we both love the lifestyle that the music represents!  No, not the booze and women, but the laid back key west style of living ...

I got on the internet right away and started looking for some good tickets.  Found a couple that I thought we really good and snatched them up.  Then a couple of weeks later I found a pair of closer seats - and suddenly I had four tickets.  But I wasn't too worried - I did have, afterall, 2-1/2 months to sell one set of them.  So I posted them for sale on several bulletin boards in the RV Park.  I mean, come on .... every one there knew who Jimmy Buffett was and surely loved his music as much as me!  They'd sell quickly.  I didn't bank on people on fixed incomes not wanting to spend $319 on my great seat tickets.

Ok, so I was wrong.  Next I tried selling them in the local newspaper. Two weeks later not one single bite.  Well that cost me $40.

Ok, I'll repost them on the park bulletin boards and lower the price to $275 .

Ok, it's two weeks before the concert - I guess I'll try Craig's List at $290!  Day two - a hit, someone wants to buy my tickets.  But no, wait ... he found seats for sale a little closer!  Damn, damn, damn ....  Ok, maybe we can take them to the concert with us and get rid of them there!

Lowered the price again on Craig's List to $250.   Ewwww, ewww, ewww, another hit on Craig's List.  But this guy will pay what I want but can he give me $200 now and $50 next month???  Well, no we'll be gone by then.  Should I sell them to him for $200 and suck up my losses?  OK, OK .... he can have them for $200!

Then I made a mistake .... I went to Facebook and looked him up.  Yep, there he was, right there in front of me, and a true Parrothead to boot!  And then I made my second mistake .... I began reading some of his posts.  He was lamenting the fact that he really wanted to take his wife to see Jimmy Buffett.  That she was getting ready to graduate from nursing school and he wanted to surprise her but due to some unfortunate circumstances they were not able to afford to go right now.  He said he had tried to put together a "graduation party" for his wife but that fell through due to $$ problems.

So I logged into Craig's List and emailed him to call me.  I told him if he would meet us in the parking lot of the WalMart I'd bring the tickets.  An hour later we were face to face, I handed him the tickets and said tell your wife happy graduation - go and have fun.  I think it's the first time I've been hugged by a complete stranger with tears in his eyes.  Tom later emailed and said he was so happy on the drive home that he forgot to take his exit and drove halfway to a neighboring town before turning around and going home.

Things happen for a reason and I thank the Lord that he has given us the ability to do things like this once in awhile!

NOW ..... for the concert!

Jimmy Buffett ..... he's right up there in my book!  Love the music and always have, the talent of a writer and his ability to tell a story both in the written word and his music that wants - no makes you yearn for the livestyle.  Living on a beach somewhere, watching the pelicans (or sand hill cranes) play, smelling the salt water, and ... well, ok, tipping back a margarita or in my case a Corona!  Those of you who know me know what a margarita does to me lol .... no, I don't get loosey goosey, I get sick.

We arrived at the Ampitheatre which has a seating capacity of 20,000 and an unknown capacity with the use of the upper lawn area but I'd guess 7,000 additional.  It was pretty easy to get into the grounds and not too hard to find a parking place but we were way the hell out in the left 40.  It was a good mile walk around to the entrance and I was wearing my flip flops (bad choice).  At least we had a lot of company walking with us and a lot of entertainment along the way.  I would say that there were half as many people tailgating as were attending the show.  I wish I would have taken more pictures as we made our way to the entrance.

These people had been partying all day .... lots and lots of costumes, guys in hot tubs, girls in bikinis, tents all decked out in proud parrothead style; people giving out pirate beads and free margaritas ... dang I wish I could drink them!  Parrot hats, shark head hats, coconut bikini tops worn by both men and women, colorful shirts and, of course, lots of Jimmy Buffett t's; people carrying palm fronds, hats that light up, jewelry that lights up, and lots and lots of beer and margaritas.  It was crazy...

The opener - Ilo - a 30-year-old African singer named Ilo Ferreira.  Ilo, whose sound is an upbeat mix of influences from Paul Simon to Elvis, with some African rhythms thrown in, will soon leave Buffett’s tour to play his own dates. “Jimmy is a shortcut I didn’t see coming,” Ilo says, happily.

A little history on Jimmy:
Buffett began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee during the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the folk rock Down to Earth, in 1970. During this time Buffett could be frequently found busking for tourists in New Orleans. Country music singer Jerry Jeff Walker took him to Key West on a busking expedition. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going beach bum persona for which he is known. Following this move, Buffett combined country, folk, and pop music with coastal as well as tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called "gulf and western". Today, he is a regular visitor to the Caribbean island of Saint Barts and other islands where he gets inspiration for many of his songs and some of the characters in his books.

The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of Jimmy Buffett. Originally it was a fictional band consisting of the imaginary members Marvin Gardens, Kay Pasa, Al Vacado and Kitty Litter.  The name "Coral Reefer" alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and also "reefer," which is slang for marijuana. The term is also related to sailing; a sailor who shortens or "reefs" a sail is a reefer.

The music was awesome, the crowd was huge and noisy, and everybody knew the words to the songs lol ... I called Sean & Lisa just before the last encore just so they could hear all of the excitement in the crowd.  They couldn't hear a word I was saying but that didn't matter.


The walk back to the car seemed more like five miles ...  Saw lots of inebriated people and one fight but they were both drunk so I think the only thing hurt was feelings.  We sat in the car for awhile and let the cars thin out and then headed home - singing JB songs and feeling young once again.


FINS UP PARROTHEADS ....

For Photos .... CLICK HERE.
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

By: jimmy buffett, 1977

I took off for a weekend last month

Just to try and recall the whole year

All of the faces and all of the places

Wonderin’ where they all disappeared

I didn’t ponder the question too long

I was hungry and went out for a bite

Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum

And we wound up drinkin all night

It’s these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Nothing remains quite the same

With all of our running and all of our cunning

If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.........

Gearing Up and Cleaning Out

Well, Dick thinks I'd better get this blog caught up before we hit the road  next weekend.  Am having some problems with my computer but the tech guy will be here tomorrow so should be good to go once again.

Yay - it's fixed.  Just a little heads up if you peruse the photos - I could not use flash inside and some of the photos are a little dark and/or blurry (sorry).



For My Sister Judy & Her Hubby Don



We've been spending the last couple of weeks marking things off of our Florida Bucket List.  It doesn't seem possible that winter is over (well, here at least) and we'll be on the road next Sunday.  We're planning on taking a month to get home but that's for our travel blog, so stay posted!

A visit to Florida would not be complete without a visit to the John and Mabel Ringling museum of Classical Art in Sarasota. Many of you are familiar with the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus, hailed as “The Greatest Show on Earth,” and if you were like me, you could not wait to see this grand performance as a child. 

I don't quite know where to start on this one - there were so many things to see. Maybe a little history lesson ..

Sarasota was the winter home for many of the Ringling family, dating back to 1911. In 1925, John Ringling engaged architect John H. Phillips to design the art museum. The Museum was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Construction also began in 1927, but was slowed almost immediately by the collapse of Florida’s land boom and later, Wall Street’s stock market crash. Financial misfortune and Mable’s death in 1929 might have ended the dream, but John Ringling instead gained a new resolve to complete the museum, borrowing money as needed, knowing that it would perpetuate the memory of his beloved Mable. In October 1931, “The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art” was officially opened to the public.

The Museum of Art sits on a 66-acre estate looking out over Sarasota Bay.  The grounds include Mable's Rose Garden, the Secret Garden, Dwarf Garden, Millenium Tree Trail, and 13 historic banyan trees, complete with paths and picnic areas.

The most prized items in the museum are sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century European paintings, including an amazing collection of paintings from the world renowned Peter Paul Rubens. Other artists works that are represented include; Marrioto di Cione, Cranach the Elder, Frans Hals, H. C. Van Vl.  Dick and I were in awe; neither of us were particular excited about the "art" part of the Art Museum but what a blessing that we got to see some of the Old Masters works of art.  On display were also ceramics produced in Vietnam, Thailand, China, and Japan and an absolutely wonderful exhibit of Jade from the late Qing Dynasty.

For photos of the grounds and Art Museum click here.

The Circus Museum as well as the Tibbals Learning Center are home to the largest miniature circus found anywhere in the world. This is one place that children of all ages can appreciate with memorabilia like costumes, photos and posters. The Ringling Museum of the American Circus was founded in 1948 and it a record of the rich history of the circus, giving guests a glance of rare handbills, art-prints, business records, performing props, wardrobe, and many other types of circus equipment.  

Dick and I enjoyed sharing the Circus Museum with my sister Patt as she told us stories of traveling with the circus and of those behind the scenes moments you always wonder about. This is a photo of her husband Tony.  Tony was the first and, as far as we know, the only person to be trained as a Lion Trainer under the G.I. Bill.

I had a hard time dragging Dick away from the miniature circus - it was SiMpLy AmAzInG ...  The Howard Bros. Circus, complete with eight main tents, 152 wagons, 1,300 circus performers and workers, more than 800 animals and a 57-car train, is on permanent display in the Ringling Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center.  The Howard Bros. Circus is a ¾-inch-to-the-foot scale replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when the tented circus was at its largest (circa 1919-1938), and occupies 3,800 square feet in the 30,600 sq. ft.-Tibbals Learning Center.  The “largest miniature circus in the world” was created over a 50-year time span by master model builder and philanthropist Howard C. Tibbals of Tennessee and Florida.

World's Smallest Circus

Also on exhibition in the Circus Museum is the Wisconsin, the private Rail car of John and Mable Ringling built in 1905.  Built during the golden age of rail, the Wisconsin car provides a unique view into the splendid travel accommodations that John and Mable Ringling enjoyed on their travels around the country on business and with the circus. 

For photos of the Circus Museum and The Wisconsin click here.  

An 18^th-century treasure in a 21^st-century venue, the Historic Asolo Theater is a work of art in its own right. The palace playhouse was created in Asolo, Italy in 1798 to honor the 15^th-century exiled Queen Catherine Cornaro of Cyprus.  In the late 1940s, the theater was dismantled and brought to the Ringling Estate in Sarasota. In 2006, after years of painstaking restoration, America’s only 18^th-century European theater was reset in the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion just inside the historic Cà d’Zan Gatehouse on the Ringling Museum estate.

My favorite part of the Ringling estate was the Ca' d' Zan Mansion (House of John) which stands as a representation of the luxury and romance of the 1920s. The Mansion is a Venetian palazzo encompasses John and Mables' zeal for opulence and their appreciation of European style. 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings to boggle the mind.  I could hear the laughter and the tinkle of the piano as we walked through the great ballroom, with the ladies in their fine dresses and the men with their cigars and brandy.  I think I was amazed most by the detail in each of the room ceilings - all different; hand painted, gilded, made to look like wood but was a form of plaster.

West Ballroom Ceiling

Ca' d’Zan is 200-foot long encompassing approximately 36,000 square feet with 41 rooms and 15 bathrooms.  The structure is five stories and has a full basement.  The pinnacle of the structure is the 81-foot Belvedere tower with an open-air overlook and a high domed ceiling.  Ca' d’Zan is constructed from terra cotta “T” blocks, concrete, and brick, covered with stucco and terra cotta, and embellished with glazed tile. The original roof was made from 16^th century Spanish tiles imported by the builder Owen Burns.  The bayfront terrace is made of domestic and imported marble.  What a place to hold a party!!!

For photos of Ca' d'Zan click here.

I took my husband on a shopping trip to St. Armand's Key.  I know it wasn't the highlight of his day but it sure made mine.  130 shops around a main square, beautiful lush landscaping, sidewalk restaurants ... shopping heaven.  I did bribe him with the promise of dinner and so we headed for Columbia Restaurant a local destination since 1905.  Ummm good food too!

Inbetween all of these fun times - we had a not so fun time.  I'm sure you saw the storms that buffeted the middle of Florida.  Nine tornadoes touched down; one of them just a mile north of our location.  This particular one hit one of the poorest areas and left a path of downed trees, lost roofs, electric lines down, and a general mess.  There was a semi overturned on the interstate and a few small planes turned upside down at a small airport.  We were fortunate and only saw high winds and rain, rain, rain.  Tracked it all day on the tv until our satellite went out and then switched to the computer.  It was pretty scary for awhile but we had prepared and had everything tucked inside and the slides pulled in on the RV.  There were a few downed trees in the RV park, along with a couple of roofs damaged and awnings torn off.

We managed to squeeze in a Spring Training game at George Steinbrenner Field between the NY Yankees and the Pittsburg Pirates.  What a great day to watch a game ... had the traditional hot dogs / sausage and drinks, cheered for the Yankees, and had a ball.

 

For more baseball and family BBQ pictures click here.

We went to Fort DeSoto dog beach one more time for Harley.  I wish I could get him to go in the water, I know he'd like it!  I guess the time he fell in our pond when he was little kind of ruined the water for him lol.

My Mother Erma, My Aunt LaVerne & Grandma Harmon

Drove over to Apoppka one more time to visit my cousin Pat Rader and her husband Al.  We had a good time going over old family photos while Dick spent the day with Ed Hinchey at a "shoot" for Safariland Armor.                                  

Patt and I had a "sisters day out" - went shopping and had our toes done!

We topped off our winter with a family BBQ with Jo's famous ribs - ummm ummm good, can't you just taste them now!

Dick, Nan, Jeney & Ricky

Well now it's back to cleaning and packing and getting ready to hit the road.  We've accumulated some "stuff" over the last five months and now we need to figure out where to put it all lol ...

One final thing on my bucket list before we leave - We're going to see Jimmy Buffett in Tampa on Saturday, then we'll be heading out for home on Sunday morning.  I'll be switching to our travel blog at that time and hope that you will join us for our journey home.

We hope you've enjoyed our winter as snowbirds - it's been a lot of fun!

 

Happy Trails .... Dick, Jo & Harley

P. S.  The most important thing we learned in Florida:  "Never eat at a Sushi Bar that is located next door to a Bait shop!!"