Tag Archives: picnic

Father’s Day Picnic at Fort De Soto Park

Posted by Lesley on June 19, 2011 None comments

It’s Week Eight, and this picnic series may never end.  Each week is better than the last.  It’s either a date with John or family time with all my boys.

It’s quickly become my favorite weekly outing.  No matter where the table sits, there’s always good food and good conversation – no emails, iPods, phones, or laptops allowed!  Today the place was Fort De Soto Park, and lunch was chicken cordon bleu sandwiches.

A park with grills can really step up your picnic menu.  In the same time it takes to assemble a cold ham and cheese sandwich, you can prep a lunch worthy of dinner.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwiches

  • Layer a slice of ham and a slice of Asiago cheese on top of a chicken cutlet.
  • Roll up the cutlet and secure with a skewer.
  • Sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning.
  • Pack up and find a grill.
  • Serve cooked roll-ups on sandwich buns.

Lunch was first; next up was exploring.  The park is big, its own island where the Gulf of Mexico meets Tampa Bay.  Cooper and John headed over to the 1,000-foot Gulf pier to do some fishing, while I took Lukey over to the dog beach to cool off.

When you’re only a foot tall, even the relaxed tide of the gulf can be a little too much.  It took about six tries to get Luke past the bubbles of the water’s edge, but his seperation anxiety eventually took priority over his water phobia.  By the time he got to me, he was so frenzied that he had transformed into a wind-up doll.  Even when plucked from the water, his little legs never stopped paddling.  It’s possible that if Luke was a person, he’d be seeing a therapist.  Even the other dogs were too much for him.  But in his defense, there were a lot of dogs.

For the most part, he was staring at me or rolling in the sand solo, but Luke really could have mingled more.  For how many dogs were on the beach, it was incredibly calm and enjoyable.  When we went to the dog beach in Venice, it was chaotic.  I didn’t feel comfortable even sitting on the beach.  The dogs were running back and forth in a pack.  Within 10 minutes of settling in, our bag was looted by a Cocker Spaniel.  All the dogs were peeing everywhere, but one Golden Retriever was alone in diggng the shoreline into Swiss cheese.  I was stung by a jellyfish at the beach once; this was worse.  It never occured to me in a million drops of dog drool that I’d ever see another dog beach again, but this was a completely different experience…still, my flip flops stayed on.

Fort De Soto Park
3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Park Office (727) 552-1862
Campground Office (727) 893-9185

Even Parking Lots Offer the Opportunity to Picnic

Posted by Lesley on June 12, 2011 None comments

We didn’t splurge on the $17 times three for admission, but we still spent the afternoon enjoying much of what Selby Gardens has to offer - a waterfront view and a variety of plants and trees.  Good thing there were no picnic tables left at Marina Jack or I would have never thought of this spot.  Just beyond the parking lot for Selby Gardens is a surprisingly serene spot overlooking a canal and totally shaded by exotic trees.  

Maybe in other cities parking lots are drab, barren slabs of concrete, but this Sarasota lot is complete with a wood bench, so it’s basically a miniature park.  Luke and I have been there before because it’s a stop on the recreational trail that runs along Sarasota Bay.  Even when not visiting Selby Gardens, it’s nice to walk the sidewalks outside.  The plants are marked the same as they are inside, and sometimes there are plant displays outside the horticulture building.  

Today’s most talked about tree was the Sausage Tree, more formally known as Kigelia pinnata.  The large orchid-type blooms hanging from the branches are what caught our attention initially, but then we remembered the tree from our visit to the Edison Estate.    

We couldn’t figure out the connection between the common name and the tree until we spotted some fruit hanging.  They look like giant sausage casings and are apparently quite dangerous.  The fruit can weight up to 15 pounds and have not only knocked out car windows but animals and people too.

Lunch was as good as the spot thanks to an old and new menu favorite.  The old favorite, ham and basil pinwheels, are an appetizer I make for parties because they’re such a cinch.  Spread cream cheese on a tortilla and top with raddicchio, basil and Black Forest ham.  Roll, cut and done.  The new favorite, Daily’s Daquiris, are a freezer to cup insta-cocktail.  I said it in my last post, and I’ll say it again…it’s going to be a long, hot summer.  Daily’s will be helping me get through it.

A Private Picnic

Posted by Lesley on May 28, 2011 None comments

Forget the best table in town.  This week, we traded a picnic table for a private island.  The three of us plus Luke piled into the Koopa II and cruised to a county park in the middle of Sarasota Bay.  It’s the same island that the Sarasota Bay Explorers stops at on their Sea Life Encounter Cruise and is located South of the North Bridge.  It’s a pack-in, pack-out park; there are no garbage cans.   

Sarasota Bay Explorers Coupons

Although there’s another island up toward Longboat Key with the same name, and probably countless others wherever water and teenagers exist, John calls this spot Beer Can Island.  When he was in high school, it cost five bucks to catch a ride from shore and party all night.  The island has been cleaned up since and doesn’t actually allow booze or dogs any more, but we didn’t know that when we packed the boat.

   

There were no other human visitors on the island but plenty of flyers and four-leggeds.  The bunny had us pondering how it got there, and the Anhingas had us wishing they’d be quiet. 

My camera batteries had died by then, but we caught sunset on the way home…best picnic yet!

A Belated Picnic Post

Posted by Lesley on May 23, 2011 None comments

I took a bit of an e-break over the past few days – not entirely, I still Googled random things that absolutely had to be seen or known right on the spot.  But if it wasn’t work or curiosity related, it was off the to-do list.  It was nice, and my recipes finally got organized as a bonus.  But one thing that got neglected off the grid was my weekly picnic post. 

John and I met last Friday at what could be the best table in town and is positively the table that inspired this series – Drive into Bird Key Park and take a right; the table is straight ahead.  It was a table for two this week since Luke is still in quarantine following the flea incident.  I had to leave from the office, and he’s not allowed near any carpet other than our house, which is unfortunately unavoidable.  

So for this post, Lukey will be played by a wet poodle that I found fascinating.  He greeted us with his big, sopping wet self the minute we got to our table, and I immediately found the pun of a wet poodle dampening our lunch over a wet noodle hilarious.  After that I was pretty much just envying his life…life is good for wet poodles…

Wading…

Kayaking…

Fetch.

We missed the paddleboarders but spotted plenty of other water-lovers.

Another picnic in paradise…life is good for me too.

Picnic at Ken Thompson Park

Posted by Lesley on May 8, 2011 2 comments

Our picnic kept getting bumped all week, so Saturday was the day.  We grabbed our picnic basket and headed out to Ken Thompson Park.  Since it was the weekend, we didn’t have our pick of tables.  There was only one left when we arrived.

But then the best table in the house opened up.

Waterside, baby!

The weather was cool under the trees, and the fish were jumping.  Although jumping is putting it mildly.  The way those Spanish mackerel were shooting up and slamming down on the water, it was more like belly-flopping.  

Ken Thompson Park is located on City Island where the main attraction is Mote Marine Laboratory.  Our mayor swam in their shark tank to try to win over Google.  The island was even temporarily renamed Google Island.

City Island is tiny, and the park is on the tip.  Drive Ken Thompson Parkway until it ends and you’ve arrived.  To the left is a fishing wall with a line of covered picnic tables.  To the right is a picnic area, playground and walking trail.  Water dogs and kiteboarders are regular visitors. 

After lunch, we headed back down Ken Thompson Parkway to the Sarasota Bay Walk.  There are signs for it adjacent to Mote Marine.  The area used to be a dumping ground but was restored in 1990 to a tidal habitat.  More recently, a new boardwalk was built. 

Although the boardwalk is nice and new and leads to the bay, I’m slightly disappointed.  The old trail was half boardwalk half shell path and was much longer.  It meandered through and around more mangroves and lagoons.  Since they haven’t completely removed the old boardwalks, I’m hoping there are plans for more restoration.

But there is an upside to dead trails.  There are two accesses to the old trails – one that is now used for the new Bay Walk and a second that is more hidden and used to lead to the old boardwalks and shell paths.  We went exploring the latter and were immediately greeted with a fast and full tic-tic-tic sound.  The sound wasn’t exactly loud, but it was distinct and filling my ears.  Luke was having such a strong reaction that it started to freak me out.  He kept digging under the brush.  At one point, his head was completely covered in cobwebs.  He swatted them off too quickly to get a picture.  But beyond the flashing cuteness of Luke, I started thinking the sound was snakes and had completely stopped walking.  Then John identified the sound for me – itty-bitty, non-threatening crabs by the hundreds. 

They couldn’t have been bigger than my thumbnail or scarier than a bunny.  I kept trying to get pictures, but they were hard enough to spot without Luke running ahead and scaring them off.  So even if you can’t walk the trail, stop by to listen to the crabs ticking.  The access is across the street from the bait shop.  There are parallel parking spots along the street.  Park there and walk the sidewalk until you see the dirt path heading into the mangroves.  Writing this description is inspiring my next letterbox idea…to be continued.

And to all the mothers out there, especially my own, Happy Mother’s Day!        

Google Map of City Island