A Real Vacation
Not to long ago, I was involved in a fundraiser for a co-worker with a terminal illness. During the fundraiser auction I made a bid on a weekend get-away at a beach condo in Holmes Beach, FL. Now mind you, I can count on one hand on vacations that I have taken in the past 30 years. By vacation, I mean, pack up and go away! I have taken some 3 and 4 day weekends, but usually stayed near or at home, but this...OH-MY-GOD! It was heaven sent. No schedules...no computers...only 2 cell phone calls, then I turned it off! lol 
The owners of the condo could have not be more gracious by affording us all the amenities you could imagine. I don't really want to mention their names for their privacy, but I spoke with them prior to going to the condo and I can tell you they have a good heart for donating this auction item. Without going into the details I will just say that this place was great. This was a 2 story, 2 1/2 bath, dining room, living room and ultra modern kitchen, condo, 50 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. On the other side of the building is a nice swimming pool. You can see the umbrella on the back patio deck in the picture, that was our place. The unit is kept up by Anna Maria Gulf Coast Rentals, www.AMGCRentals.com . They could have not been any friendlier and helpful. If you ever want to do a condo or beach house vacation to the Florida beaches, call them! Contact Anita, vacation@AMGCRentals.com , she and the whole staff are good people. So, I got some sun, bobbed around in the 
gulf, sometimes in the pool, watched the sunsets, ate...too much. One day, I was floating on an innertube about 20 yards from shore. The water is very clear and I see what I first thought was a patch of seaweed. Ummm...this patch is moving kinda fast and parallel to the shore. I was just hoping that a dorsal fin didn't pop out of the water! Instead it was a Manatee. Went right by without a care in the world. We also had a visit a couple of times by a pod of bottle nosed dolphin. They came in very close...maybe 10 yards or so, in 3-4 feet of water. Most of the time they were chasing schools of bait fish, but a couple of times they got playful and came up out of the water.
The owners of the condo could have not be more gracious by affording us all the amenities you could imagine. I don't really want to mention their names for their privacy, but I spoke with them prior to going to the condo and I can tell you they have a good heart for donating this auction item. Without going into the details I will just say that this place was great. This was a 2 story, 2 1/2 bath, dining room, living room and ultra modern kitchen, condo, 50 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. On the other side of the building is a nice swimming pool. You can see the umbrella on the back patio deck in the picture, that was our place. The unit is kept up by Anna Maria Gulf Coast Rentals, www.AMGCRentals.com . They could have not been any friendlier and helpful. If you ever want to do a condo or beach house vacation to the Florida beaches, call them! Contact Anita, vacation@AMGCRentals.com , she and the whole staff are good people. So, I got some sun, bobbed around in the 
gulf, sometimes in the pool, watched the sunsets, ate...too much. One day, I was floating on an innertube about 20 yards from shore. The water is very clear and I see what I first thought was a patch of seaweed. Ummm...this patch is moving kinda fast and parallel to the shore. I was just hoping that a dorsal fin didn't pop out of the water! Instead it was a Manatee. Went right by without a care in the world. We also had a visit a couple of times by a pod of bottle nosed dolphin. They came in very close...maybe 10 yards or so, in 3-4 feet of water. Most of the time they were chasing schools of bait fish, but a couple of times they got playful and came up out of the water. 
Most people don't realize that it is a federal violation to touch a dolphin in the wild, as are the Manatees. They did put on a show for the tourist...hey, I was one of those tourist!!
Now it's reality check time and back to work. This has GOT to be my last year at the "real job". This vacation reminded me that I want to kick back, do my photography, ride my cycle and just enjoy the good things in life. Later!
posted by Michael at 10:33 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Mike!
It's Anita - what great pictures!! and a wonderful story. Thank you for mentioning Anna Maria Gulf Coast Rentals - that was a nice surprise. The girls and I enjoyed having you and your family and look forward to seeing you again!
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