"Magic is very colorful. Of this I'm sure." ~ Alan Moore

Yesterday was my birthday. Bruce surprised me with two fabulous, fabulous gifts - oh my! We then spent the day traveling from one fun spot to another.  A few years back we came across Matlacha, a stretch of land in-between the mainland and Pine Island. A funky place, littered with colorful galleries and shops, we headed back there yesterday. Many of the galleries did not permit photography inside, which I understand.  The outside spots were great, though! Bright reds, pinks, greens and blues - such fun!

We ended our day with a wonderful meal on the beach pictured above. I'm sorry that I didn't take photos of the food - shrimp with bacon, asiago cheese, olive oil and garlic bread - and seafood strudel in lobster sauce!!!!!!  It was a wonderful birthday all the way around, and one that I will not soon forget!!!

Saturday's post will feature a couple of photos from yesterday that caught me completely by surprise - stay tuned!

"Be careful of who you call your friends. I'd rather have four quarters than one hundred pennies." ~ Pinterest

Back in September, I posted about meeting up with some Florida knitting friends in Massachusetts. This time, I have the good fortune of sharing with you our most recent meet-up! Bruce and I are on the gulf side of Florida this year, and Stuart, where my knitting crew is located, is on the Atlantic side.  Wonderful friends that they are, they drove cross-state to visit me! We stayed at a hotel in Sarasota, and went to A Good Yarn, did around St. Armand's Circle, and finished up the next day with a trip to the Ringling Museum.

Below are some shots of our time together. I will do future posts about the Ringling Museum - it is just too much to include today, and Bruce will be going back with me in the future, so I will devote my time then to picture-taking.

So - here we are - enjoying each other's company, and the sights!

A Good Yarn

Their fiber inspired "coral reef"!!

The Ringling Museum (John Ringling, one of the founding brothers of the Ringling Brothers Circus)

Knitting while waiting for the tram!

Ending our day with an appropriate snack!

I am struck each and every day by the wonderful friends that I have both here and at home. We will be heading back to Stuart next year, having finished with our "shopping" around Florida for the area we want to return to year after year. I can't wait to be able to get together with these ladies whenever we want!