Later today this will be a bustling place but in the morning…
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…and a walk along the South end of Anna Maria Island.
Yesterday my body was all out of sorts, it had been this way for about a week now and I’d had enough. I knew what it was telling me, I’d been fighting it for weeks though. My conscience was telling me, “you know this is the best option–the healthiest and the most humane” and yet I kept struggling. Almost a year ago I had to undergo the removal of an organ, my gall bladder, due to severe pain from a stone brought on by the eating of half a very cheesy and greasy calzone. The experience was one I will never forget and also one I never hope to repeat. When I returned home from the hospital last February I had resolved to change my eating habits and lifestyle around—I wanted to become a vegan for both health reasons and ethical reasons. I was met mostly with support but more often than not there were those who thought it best to plant seeds of doubt in my mind which stayed back there, taunting me until finally, after six months of doing well I fell of the wagon and went back to eating what everyone else at home was eating.
It is not easy to go against the grain when you’re the only one around you doing it. That is why it is so important to have the support of a community of others who are in the same boat as yourself. I have found a lot of friends online who are or have already been vegetarians/vegan for some length of time or another which has helped to keep me motivated but without others physically around me who also share the same conviction it becomes a little difficult to maintain the practice. So, that being said, yesterday I was sitting on the Longboat Key Trolley, feeling queasy and lethargic, wondering what I should do and then decided right then and there that I was just going to plunge right in. No more worrying or wondering what others will think or what they have to say. I will just do what I know is best and right for me. That extra kick of determination was added to by the encouragement of my friend Sandy in Holland who was more than glad to share much information with me regarding this change I am going to undertake and if you all do not mind, I’d like to share my personal journey here with you! I got off the trolley feeling a little better and even took a walk from Coquina Beach to the Beach House Restaurant near Cortez Rd. on the island which is a good length walk. Here are the photos I snapped as I walked along the coastline:
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- Cluster of palm trees on Coquina Beach
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- A look at the beach in the early evening…
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- Tree-lined walk to the end of the island…
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- A look up at the clouds…
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- A beautiful place to sit and ponder…
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- A beautiful rock in a sandy place…
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- Pathway to the rest of the island…
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- Flags flying high…
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- The wind blew it just perfectly for the photo…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
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- Pockets of beauty along the walk…
All photos were taken with my iPhone 4s. Some photos were taken using Camera +, the remaining photos were taken using the iPhone built in camera and are not edited. Enjoy!
Today I had lunch at Relish Cafe here on Anna Maria Island with my Dad. It’s such a great little place! We had some really good wraps accompanied by some deliciously light slaw and potato salad. I snapped a few photos with my phone of the cafe and we also stepped into the Relish Market which is a vintage articles shop. Very Chic!
There were these really great tables that double as chalkboards and chalk in Mason jars for drawing, writing, etc. The ceiling fans are fantastic! The counter has a vintage feel as well! Plus there are tons of goodies for sale inside the cafe.
Everything inside gives the space a vintage/modern feel in an eco-chic kind of way. I love the vintage door turned table, it is beautiful and a bit of antique flair. Some of the quirky items for sale I liked: Drunken Sailor coasters and recycled paper fan-wheel ornaments. If you are ever in Anna Maria Island you must stop by and have a treat here!
When the views are so breath-taking? Clockwise from the top left: Lifeguard stand at Coquina Beach, FL; Sun over Bradenton Beach; Bay view near Ken Thompson Park; and views from Longboat Key. Ahhh Florida!
I am, as the title says, on my own plus a couple of little friendly animals. Using a Mac, something I’ve not done in a long while and trying to get used to going to bed a little earlier so that I can get up to catch the trolley to work in the morning. As I type I am listening to old episodes of How I Met Your Mother on MOR. Here’s what I saw today on my commutes back and forth from the house I am sitting.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Art work by local Sarasota Boys and Girls Club members outside of Whole Foods near 1st & Lemon.
Original shot of a sculpture by the main bus station in Downtown Sarasota.
A different perspective using Vintique.
What’s below our feet.
Southwest Florida Evenings
My ride home this evening.
Sunday was for shopping and Monday is for posting mail, running errands, doing laundry and mentally preparing for being away from home for a week while I house sit. I went to several places yesterday but the one place I really enjoyed going to was Sahara, a really chic and tranquil women’s clothing and accessories store located in St. Armands Circle in Sarasota. Part of the Binjara Traders, Inc. family, Sahara specializes in clothing and accessories straight out of India, beautiful and ornate with decent price tags to match. If you want authenticity then don’t hesitate to stop by. They have an amazing assortment of Buddhas in all different sizes as well as Ganesha sculptures. I took several photos of the store so you could see the inside.
A look inside the store from front to back, looking at clothes and the space.
Clothing, Buddhas, and more.
Balinese Ceremonial Umbrella in yellow.
Home decor and art.
More clothing, accessories and home decor toward the front entrance.
Ganesha
Relaxing Buddha surrounded by beautiful accessories.
The beautiful jewelry is astounding.
I love the earth tones of all the jewelry. Very natural.
Om Beauty
Golden Buddha, hiding in a corner.
My favorite one.
Beautiful candle filled ornate jars.
Three meditating Buddhas.
The one I purchased perched on my bookshelf.
If you are ever in the Sarasota, FL area for a visit or you live here and have never experienced Sahara, please do not hesitate to stop in. The staff are friendly and helpful and the ambiance is soothing and peaceful. Namaste!
Store Location & Contact Information
Sahara
362-C John Ringling Blvd.
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: 941.388.0587
E-mail: binjaratraders@comcast.net
I love writing letters, I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl around about the same time that I started keeping a diary (age 8). One of my favorite things about writing is the presentation of a letter posted. I am fortunate enough to have pen pals who have a knack for paying attention to detail as you can see above in the picture collage I’ve created. From the choosing of stamps to the choice in stickers, decorating the outside envelope of a posted card or letter is just as important as what goes inside. Knowing something about the recipient also helps since one can personalize the decoration even more when one knows the person well enough.
Anyone out there posting any letters lately? This weekend is dedicated to writing to all of my pen pals, friends and family I must write back to. Happy writing and reading everyone!
Somehow, after my rant earlier today, my blog was back to normal and was no longer showing another blogs name. I never got a response on the support page (go figure!) and the mysterious link between my blog and Marts Arts Dutch language blog suddenly vanished without another word. I am glad that all seems restored and that it seems to be back to normal but it’s strange that not one person even made a comment regarding this strange turn of events. Anyway, I am over it now. Perhaps it was a glitch and I jumped the gun in getting upset but it is over and done with, Walks in Beauty is back to normal and I can rest easy again (so can Marts Arts) that things will go smoothly (hopefully). In other, non-frustrating, news: I scored a nice set of 3 Zoya Nail colors for $10! Three shades from their 2012 Designer, Gloss and Holiday collections and I am dying to get a bottle of the new 2013 Pixie shades!
Zoya is a vegan friendly polish; free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor & dibutyl phthalate making it a healthier alternative to conventional nail polishes. I will soon be receiving the following three shades in the mail which I am very excited about: Blaze, Paloma and Rheka (pictured below):
That bit of news and the fact that Monterey Grill decided to give us a buy one get one free offer for the inconvenience of not being able to order our lunch from there this afternoon made my day 100% better. What little random things set your mood right again?
Credits
Collage created using Picasa 3
Nail Color images are all from ©Zoya.com
Filler image by me, Nadia M. Perez, edited with PhotoShop on CS3
I don’t usually like to rant about anything but I am legitimately upset right now and want to know if others have had this same experience. After taking much time to put together the look and feel of my beautiful new blog Walks in Beauty, this morning I logged into WordPress.com only to find that in the Manage Blogs section the name of my new blog appears in the drop down menu as MartsArtsNI. Now, I follow a blog called Marts Arts which is rather curious since I just recently started following them and their posts are very unlike mine. Good but more focused on poetry. Everything else on my blog still bears the name I chose and it shows as Walks in Beauty in the dashboard but on the Manage Blogs menu and the drop down underneath my gravatar on the upper right hand corner of the page it says MartsArtsNI which is definitely NOT my blog’s name. Contacting support seems useless as well and I cannot figure out why it suddenly changed over night.
Last night everything was running perfectly and my account looked the same as it always has. This is the first time I have had any problems with WordPress and I am really annoyed! I cannot figure out what caused this or how to fix it and I must admit I am not the most patient person when it comes to technology. Have any of you had a problem like this before? I would appreciate any help or suggestions you can give me as support seems to be as useful as waiting for a drop of rain in an endless drought. Thanks for listening to my rant!
How beautiful the fog looks when you’re standing still on a cool night such as this one. I just had to snap a few photos after arriving home from work to share. It looks pretty but sure can be dangerous. Still, I enjoy looking at it. All shots are straight out of my iPhone 4s.
Looking through the dark trees.
Fog and bursts of street lights…
A tall tree in the foggy night.
A cool, thick layer of fog.
Taken with a Ttv app.
Taken with a Ttv app.
Taken with a Ttv app.
Taken with Hipstamatic app.
Sundays & Mondays 