Driving across the drawbridge to Anna Maria Island this morning I thought to myself that this must be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The pale early morning sunshine glistening on the water, boats meandering through the intercoastal waterways between the island the island and the mainland and pelicans diving for fish.

Went down to talk to Captain Don Meilner about planning a boat trip. Not only is he one of the most competent, qualified captains around, he is also the most fun and has a great line in chatter and jokes to keep everyone amused. One of the nicest guys I have run across in my time on Anna Naria Island. Everyone should book a sunset cruise with him as it is good for the soul - glowing sunset colors on the water, stopping off at a restaurant for dinner and then wending your way home by moonlight. Truly one of the best experiences that you will remember always.

Arrived at Holmes Beach and called in to see the guests staying at Villa Tuscany. They love the house and wanted some information on the island so I gave them the location of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce. They have all the leaflets, maps and general information on the area and its attractions.

As Villa Tuscany has Hi-Speed Internet access via DSL I pointed them in the direction of annamaria.com his web page has loads of useful info so they can make the best of their stay.

Went up to the north end of the island this morning on the free trolley service. It;s a fun way to travel. Explored Pine Avenue and called in at the island's small museum near the old, now unused, tiny island jail. What a pretty avenue, The tiny old Roser church, the George Bean House and the beautiful Bay View Plaze.Stopped off Mama Lo's Coffee Shop, checked out Nantucket Bay, The Museum Shoppe and The White Egret, Two Sides of Nature and really enjoyed Chapae. Having "shopped 'til I dropped" I then went out on the Anna Maria City Pier to relax and enjoy the views over Tampa Bay. One of the shops looked after my purchases until I got back. Anna Maria Island is such a friendly helpful place to be.

I looked the history of this area on the internat and found some great info at http://www.amisland.com/

"George Emerson Bean,a world traveler from Connecticut, became the first permanent resident on the Island and homesteaded what is now the City of Anna Maria. He built his home near the present location of the Rod and Reel Pier in 1893 and homesteaded 140 acres, from the North Point (Bean Point) to what is now Magnolia Avenue."
quote from http://www.amisland.com/island.html

As the rest of American starts to cool down, it stays warm in Florida. At the moment it is 90 degrees. I love the fact that the dress of the day is either a cute T-shirt & shorts or a sundress. We have some great stores that have a terrific choice of island wear here on Anna Maria Island. I went shopping yesterday and bought a couple of really cute cotton dresses that will be ideal for visiting some of the islands restaurants. I think I will get him to take me to the Beach Bistro for a celebratory dinner!

Check out some of the shops at http://www.annamarianetwork.com/

I walked down 6th Avenue this morning, past the the pretty properties that have the look of the Mediterranean about them, then turned left on 42nd and left again into 5th Avenue. I wanted to come up to take a look at a really pretty house called Villa Cassandra. It has a waterfall in the pool and the gardens are full of blooming tropical plants. What a gorgeous place. I am looking for a house to suit some friends who are coming over to Anna Maria Island in a couple of weeks time and they asked me to find them the best that the island has to offer.

On my way back I stopped off at Publix bakery and picked up some of their luscious glazed doughnuts and hurried back to brew a fresh pot of coffee to go with them. We had a picnic out on the balcony overlooking the bay. we spotted a Manatee way out in the water, I could not find the binoculars but we watched until it slowly made its way into the distance.

What a perfect morning.

Check out the photographs of Anna Maria Island on Jim Harrington's web page, he has over 500 shots of the island

Anna Maria Island Photos

Villa Serena is such a pretty house. The friends that stayed there recently tell me that they have already booked to come back next year. I have just been looing at the photos on the website

http://www.annamaria.com/default.asp?PID=361

I love the rosestone exterior and the pool with the waterfall looks so inviting.

I met up with some old friends today while shopping in Publix. They are staying at Villa Sorrento on Holmes Beach. They booked it through Anna Maria Vacations and it is a really pretty house with its own pool.

www.annamaria.com

We are going out to eat night at the Sandbar on the north end of Anna Maria Island, great view and really good grouper.

We went to the Beach Bistro this evening with ome friends are staying with Anna Maria Vacations in their beautiful property The Villa Tuscany. They reserved it online at www.annamaria.com and are staying for a couple of weeks.

They tell me it has a great pool and is a Mediterranean style property - they have had some cookouts down by the pool, grilling steaks from The Chop Shop and shrimp from Cortez Village. I think they want to sell their home up north and buy a house down here on Anna Maria Island. It's always the same, once people visit here they can't wait to get back.

The Beach Bistro is a national award winning restaurant that is becoming famous worldwide - the food is spectacular and the position on the edge of the Gulf sands is unbeatable.

Anna Maria Island is a great place to visit in the fall. The streets are quiet, the sea is still warm and the prices are at their lowest. With the kids back at school, the island returns to it's sleepy, quiet self - long lazy days and time to talk, relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Went down to Publix this morning and succumbed to the doughnut counter - bought a mixed box, brought them back home, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, took them out on the balcony on the sunshine and feasted. Glazed, maple iced and other delights. Mmmmm! the best doughnuts in the Universe.

Just one of the many delights of being on Anna Maria Island.

www.1annamaria.com

gives loads of information on the island and if I have friends who are coming to Anna Maria Island then I tell them to take a look at the website. It has 3 pages that are particularly useful including

About the island
Vacation Rentals
Things to do

It give loads of good advice when planning a trip. Maggie phoned from the UK and asked for some advice as she was planning a visit next month so I told her to have a look at the site as she could then make up her own mind about where to stay and make some plans. It's a lot easier than trying to explain things over the phone. Thank goodness for the internet.

If you would like to go out on the water, but don't want to hire a boar, then just phone Don Meilner on 941 778 3875. Don will take you on a sunset dinner cruise, out along the Gulf side of the island or exploring the inland waterways. He is a really great character with a marvellous sense of humour, so you are guaranteed a really good trip.

If you are coming to the island then you can't do better than to stay at the brand new Villa Serena, It is Italian Mediterranean style design and the interior is absolutely gorgeous, smooth Canadian maple wood floors, hugely comfortale sofas and a swimming pool with waterfall. Check it out at

http://www.annamaria.com/

http://www.annamaria.com/default.asp?PID=361

For the fishermen amongst you, you can go out with one of the local Captains for a day or half day trip:

Local fishing news:

Capt. Sam Kimball, out of Annie’s Bait & Tackle on Cortez Road, said he’s staying in the backwater, catching snook, redfish and trout.

Capt. Mark Johnston of Annie’s said he’s also catching trout, redfish and snook.

Bill Lowman at Island Discount Tackle at Catchers Marina in Holmes Beach said offshore fishers are catching grouper. Backwater anglers are catching redfish, snapper and trout.

Bob Kilb at the Rod & Reel Pier said anglers there are catching small mackerel, mangrove snapper, redfish and black drum.

Dave Sork at the Anna Maria City Pier said fishers there were pretty much echoing what was coming from the Rod & Reel: macks, snapper, reds and drum.

We are going fishing today. I booked for both of us to go from the Cortez fishing village with the local fishermen. Hoping to come back with some Red Snapper for supper. Packed a picnic - we always get really hungry when we are out on the water.

Will let you know tomorrow what we caught.

I have some friends staying at Villa Serena this week. There are eight of them and they wanted a really great house, with a pool, plenty of bathrooms and comfortable beds so this is perfect for them. It is close to the beach and the restaurants, plus they can catch the local trolley service and travel the island free of charge

http://www.annamaria.com/default.asp?PID=361 Villa Serena

This morning I swam in the crystal blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico before breakfast and saw a family of dolphins arching gracefully in and out of the water a few hundred yards out. I think they were searching the shallows for small fish.

Years ago before they renourished the beaches the waters used to lap right up to the seawall at the front of the house we lived in. I was standing up on the top balcony and a dolphin came in so far I was afraid he would get stranded - he was chasing a fish that hid in the shallows just a few feet from the seawall. The whole thing happened so fast, it was quite a sight! It was one of those days when the sea was so calm and crystal clear you could easily see to the bottom. The small fish just stayed out of reach of the dolphin who swam off to find a lunch that was easier to catch.

To see a really varied gallery of photos taken on Anna Maria Island go to http://home.comcast.net/~harrington.james/anna_maria_island/anna_maria_island_florida_birds_wildlife_2.html

James has lots of gorgeous photos on his web site of Anna Maria Island, including local scenery and wildlife in its natural environment.

Went by to check out the gorgeous Villa Rosa vacation rental property. It really is an amazingly beautiful Mediterranean house nestled right on the edge of Anna Maria Sound. You can sit on the end of the dock and watch dolphins swimming through the waterway - the Sound is a dolphin nursery, they bring up their young here are when the boats go by they follow in the wake, leaping sometimes many feet out of the water through the waves. One year a family of about 12 manatees came up under the dock and stayed, swimming back and forth for about an hour. We lay on our stomachs on the dock and watched as these magnificent mammals cruised gently around underneath us, with the surface of the water just 2 feet away.

Villa Rosa is looking magnificent, as usual. The bougainvillae has entertwined around the pergola making a shady spot to sit beside the pool and the palms and landscaping in the courtyard at the front of the house are now really lush and mature.

Anyone can rent this property, you just need to go to http://www.annamaria.com/

Everyone should spend some time on Anna Maria Island, it will recharge your batteries and ensure you get some much deserved R & R (rest & relaxation).

Woke early this morning, took a quick shower and then set off for a long leisurely stroll along the beach. I found a small, but beautiful fossil washed up among the seashore - it looks like some sort of crustacean imprinted on a pebble. I must show it to my friend who is has studies fossils and ask him what it is. There are planty of sea shells and sand dollars washed up in a line along the edge of the water this morning. The weather this morning is a sunny 82 degrees and is scheduled to go into the mid 90's later on towards mid-day.

Anna Maria Vacations has just uploaded its new web site. What an incredibly beautiful group of vacation properties are waiting for our Anna Maria Island Visitors. The new site has the latest up to date photographs, detailed descriptions and is going really easy to navigate. I can't wait to see it at www.annamaria.com

Anna Maria Island Diary
Another lazy day in paradise. We are not working today and are just going to cook out by the pool. I drove down to Cortez fishing village this morning and picked up some locally caught red snapper to cook on the charcoal grill. First I will let it sit for a while in some home made lime marinade (a recipe passed on to me by one of the local fishermen's wives). Served with a crispy green salad with sides of large tomatoes sliced & drizzled with best quality italian olive oil and snipped fresh basil. Add some heavenly White Mountain bread from the bakery at the island's Publix grocery store and you will understand why I wrote the first sentence of this blog!

Dessert will be fresh pineapple at the perfection of sweet ripeness, sliced and layered with kiwi and green grapes. A little sprinkling of natural demerara, cover and chill in the fridge for an hour.

As cooking on the charcoal grill is men's work I just need to go to the fridge and take out the salad and the fruit and carry it down. Plenty of time to catch up on "Five Quarters of the Orange" by Joanne Harris.