Something to Declare

Stef and Stan in Sarasota, continued…

Monday, February 9, 2026

Oh, before we continue, a correction: The body of water on which our apartment looks out….

…is the “Intracoastal Waterway,” not the “Intercoastal.” My bad, sorry.

On Friday (February 6) our friend, Randi, arrived from Boston to hang out with us for the weekend.

The next day (Saturday, February 7), the three of us went into downtown Sarasota to take in the Farmers’ Market and the Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts.

The art festival was lively, fun and sometimes funny:

Paintings, photo posters, sculptures, objets d’arts, and, uh, utensils (above, middle left). Randi bought a funky pie knife for her daughter. At the Farmer’s Market, we scored some really incredible bread, vegan cheese, and artisanal chicken salad (quite good).

Back to Midnight Cove to enjoy our goodies. Then Stef and Randi went to the famed Siesta Key Beach, named by TripAdvisor as “Best beach in America” (and fourth in the world!!):

As Fred Astaire sang it, the beach is “lovely to look at, delightful to know.” But (as noted) a bit chilly for a walk. That evening we went back into town for dinner at a Peruvian-themed restaurant, Selva Grill:

We decided to dine al fresco, even though it was really fresco, bordering on FREDDO (temps in the high 40s, hence the heating units, above, top). Before dinner was served, we noticed a couple sharing a shrimp cocktail plated atop a bubbling blue globe (looking sort of like a bong?). They were kind enough to let us get up close and take a photo (above, middle left).

Randi and Stef each had the crab cake, and I had the ‘arroz con pato‘ (above, bottom), grilled duck with cilantro and green pea risotto, served with roasted red pepper salsa and chimichurri. Very satisfying, but it was nice to get back to the heated condo.

On Sunday Stef and Randi visited Ca’ d’Zan, the opulent, Venetian-Gothic-style winter home of the circus magnates John and Mable Ringling:

The name Cà d’Zan means “House of John” in the Venetian vernacular (I guess Ringling had his narcissism issues).  Completed in 1926, it has 36,000 square feet, 56 rooms, and period furnishings of a Venetian palazzo. Stef and Randi took some good photos of the interiors:

Bar (despite Prohibition) and bedrooms:

Closets and bathrooms:

Nothing if not understated, right?

FYI, Stef and Randi were part of a guided tour, with several other participants, of varying political views:

(No comment.)

Randi had insisted that we watch the Super Bowl that evening, having high hopes for her beloved New England Patriots. We all know how that turned out (sigh).

Stef took Randi to the airport this morning for her trip home. She lives in the Boston metro area, a town called Norton. The temperature there this morning was in the teens, with a wind chill making it feel like 10 degrees F. Here it was a glorious sunny 72 degrees (not to gloat or anything…).