Greetings!

Well, I did get my long run in this morning. I joined the runners at Fleet Feet at 7:00 AM. It was all females. I think there were 6 or 7 of us. I got a photo on my camera, but haven't been uploading them here in Florida. (All the photos in my posts I've sent from my camera.) They were doing walk/run ... 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk and were only going 6 miles so I ran 3 with them until they turned around and then kept going on my own. The route they took I knew (except for the first mile from the store), so I felt comfortable. There were LOTS of runners and walkers out. And they were all so friendly. Just about every one of them said hi and/or waved. It's funny ... it was about 60 degrees this morning and many people were out in pants and long sleeves. Heat and cold are all relative I guess!

So my route was from Fleet Feet Sarasota, back downtown to highway 41, over the bridge to St. Armand's Circle, to Lido Beach and down to Lido Park and then back to the store. That was 13.30. I decided to go for 15 so headed across the street and decided to go south for .85 miles, turn around and come back. Across from Fleet Feet was Morton's Market www.mortonsmarket.com It looked like a great place to explore, and it had a bakery next door. (I got some great photos which I'll post when I get home.) There was a guy sitting outside with an "Iowa" shirt on, so I said "Oh, Hawkeyes! I'm from Minnesota." He said "Come over here!" and we talked for probably 10-15 minutes. About IA/MN, Luther College, the Vikings and their new quarterback, Allegiant Airlines, the coffee shop/bakery, the weather, running ... very nice guy. He and his wife come down for 5 weeks every winter and stay with their son who lives 8 blocks away. He said they walk down for coffee every day.

It was 15.13 miles when said and done. That was fine with me. I ran pretty slow today. My right hip still bothers me some. I got a blueberry muffin at the bakery for a post-run treat before my drive home. Yum.


Lunch was another delicious salad. You're probably getting tired of seeing virtually the same old salad photo every day. I just don't tire of them. The fresh produce is plentiful, delicious, and cheap.


Ada and I went back to the Red Barn for some produce this afternoon.


We didn't buy cactus, but they were available for sale. I'm not sure how you'd prepare those things.

Some generalizations about Florida, which I notice each time I come down: There are no dirty cars, no rusty cars, and there are no hills!! The only hill on my run was the bridge to Longboat Key. And everyone has been so friendly, but maybe it's because I seem to be striking up conversations with so many people. At the Twins game, I talked with they Reds fan next to me who was from Dayton, OH. He was good about giving me the scoop on the players. The people in front of me were from Maple Grove and he has been a TCM volunteer for a few years and with a name like Vangsness, I said he must be Norwegian. He was. 100%. The people beind me from Excelsior and they were giving weather reports on the Thursday storm back in MN. The runner galss this morning were very friendly and welcoming as well. Anyway, it's fun to meet people. :)

I walked another 4 miles this evening after supper, so I think I'm done for today. Just had to be outside enjoying the weather before the warmth departs overnight.


Lana sent me a couple photos today of new baby boy Cole William, who was born 2/19 and weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. Pictured are Lana, Cole and Cory Lappi. He's a beautiful baby!

That's it for today. Cheers!