Star Fish Company and Karaoke

   When we got up all we could talk about was our plan to have lunch at The Star Fish Company in Cortez today.  We've been waiting a year for their wonderful grouper sandwich!!  It's such a uninviting, bare bones looking outdoor eatery from the front, but when you turn the corner to go out back, it's a cute little, very inviting, outdoor escape!  The entire eating area is covered with picnic tables... some brightly painted, and surrounded by water with a dock where lots of pelicans hang-out waiting for the fisherman to arrive with some leftovers from the fish they caught.  There are original paintings and signs hanging all over.  The meals come out in cardboard boxes.  Nothing fancy, but the food is fresh and delicious!!  We had a light breakfast and decided to do laundry.  So while John did his morning routine I sorted the laundry and worked on my blog.  He came back to put the laundry in the washers and walked some more.  I was supposed to switch it over to the dryers, but I got to talking with our neighbor lady, Bonnie, and before I knew it, John was back telling me he had already switched it.  He kept walking because he's trying to get 50 miles in this week.  I went back in Harvey to finish my blog and watch the clock, so I could get the laundry out of the dryers.  John arrived just I had finished folding all the clean clothes so he could help me bring them back.   He vacuumed the Jeep while I tidied up inside Harvey.  We originally wanted to be at The Star Fish Co by opening time at 11:30, but because of our "busy schedule" we never left until about 12:45.  The sky looked very threatening, but by the time we got there, about 1:30, the sun was shining a bit.  The line to order was very long.  It took John at least 1/2 hour just to get our order in.  I found a seat in the mean time and chatted with, Leighanne, an elderly lady who sat down beside me.  She had her Pomeranian, Paulie, with her.  We got our food (we can't believe we forgot to get pictures!) and a bit later her husband joined us.  We had a delightful time with them and found out that they had also met on an "over 50" web site 2 yrs ago similar to Match.com where John and I met.  They are both in their mid 70's! 

It was a full house!

 

The view from the end of the wharf

 

The picnic tables on the wharf are brightly
Painted with cute little sayings printed on them

 

An original oil painting of The Star Fish Co

 

 

 

 

The pelicans waiting for their lunch

 

 

A little shanty with dock out in the water

We left the restaurant about 2:45 and drove over to Cochino Beach which is an extension of Bradenton Beach.  It was actually chilly, hardly anyone there, and the beach was pretty uneven for me to walk on, so we left.

The beach was pretty deserted... just a few brave souls

  When we got back John took a little nap and then we got ready to go down to Rambler's Rest CG in Venice for Karaoke.

This was my last performance here at Rambler's Rest,
but next week at our current CG I'll be doing their show

  We were there from 6:45 until 10:00 and on the way home decided we could eat some ice cream.  I remembered seeing a Race Trac gas station that advertised "Swirlie" ice cream-soft serve yogurt that you could add all kinds of toppings to and was sold by the ounce.  I thought it was the one right off the exit of I75 that we took, but I was wrong, at least there was no sign.  So we drove 4 miles farther per our GPS to the next one.  Nope, not that one either,  but we asked one of the clerks about it and he said they just remodeled the one near our CG and they DO have it.  So we drove back to the first one we had pulled into, and guess what...NO ICE CREAM.  The clerk told us it was a mile down the road.  By this time it was getting close to midnight, but we were determined.  John was a good sport!  Yea, we found it.  After all that, it really wasn't very good, but we completed our mission.  Sounds a bit like our previous pizza story, huh?!?!?  When we got back we turned on TV and got into the movie "A Few Good Men" and then went to sleep. John said he's taking me out for breakfast tomorrow morning...YUM!