A Day at the Ringling House, Museum and Gardens.

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After more high tech pharmacological maintenance, bike rides, gym visits and general follow up, Mariella and I went down to Ringling for a civilized house tour, circus museum and lunch among other things.

Juanito and I at Redneck Riviera
Rain day
Green Day American Idiot with quad bro Craig, Belinda and Mariella. BLAST
70th Super lucky
Who’ll stop the rain?
Dancin’ Machine
Great blue Heron at Casa Smith
Baseball Hooligans
Emerson Point

An errand made us plan a half day at Ringling and Mariella and I were not disappointed. Lots of pics.

Mable Ringling Rose Garden

French rose
Banyans everywhere

The home, 1st floor, of John and Mable Ringling. Ca’d’Zan on Sarasota Bay.

ADA foyer and house entrance
Loved the colored glass
Breakfast room
Refrigeration as it was
Westinghouse Automatic
Tap room
T dog in the Ringling crib
Front door with locked speakeasy window

The grounds were big and the next stop was the Circus Museum. Thought I took a lot of pics, holy smokes!

Surreal DeVos
Another surreal DeVos
Safe in the “boss’s” trailer
Ringling’s Rolls Royce Silver Ghost
Woodcarver’s studio

Inside the Wisconsin, John and Mable’s own railroad car made by Pullman.

The painted carts OMG
Mariella and Venice
Lion’s cage

Incredible circus art promoting more different acts that were of the period.

Gotta love the human cannonball
Chief Sitting Bull and Wild Bill Hickok

Another huge room of circus memorabilia.

I love elephants
A 6 foot, 1 inch Lou Jacobs drove that and got out
Steam Calliope

Another part of the Circus Museum was a huge walk around model of the whole big top and city that would make up the biggest circuses in the history of America. It was a labor of miniature scale love.

We had a great leisurely lunch at the Ringling Grill. Crab cake with salad and paparradelle pasta with peas, bacon and great cheese. We did not get to the Museum of Art. We will return! Huge peace out.

Gainesville, Palatka, Vilano Beach and St. Augustine.

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A chest x-ray and spirometer before my onsite lung transplant clinic visit with the great Dr. Gries. My FEV had been a little lower at home but at visit was good. All my concerns were discussed and a plan to tweak a few things was done. It was a great visit. We headed to St. Augustine with a stop at Musselwhite’s restaurant in Palatka. Great independent seafood restaurant. Fried Mahi fish sandwich with homemade onion rings. Gibby, wow. Catfish grilled with broccoli au gratin and baby lima beans. Best mahi I have ever eaten.

We got to the b’n’b. Nice

Backstreet in Old Town

A great french dinner and a paseo after.

A nice breakfast in our room and to the square I went. The Basilica was very cool.

De Soto

A roll out to Vilano Beach and a nice visit with a couple of water entries that were a little rough with the waves with the life guards station flag yellow. Very refreshing. A local seafood dinner at Osteen’s. Best shrimp! A lighthouse sighting.

Another paseo after dinner.

Another breakfast in the room with a walk around the old town. Ended up at the Lightener Museum. Great grounds.

Trinity Episcopal Church
Lightener’s grave

We went into Casa Marina Hotel and had a nice lunch.

An art walk on early Friday night and a great dinner. Another breakfast in the room and we had free trolley tickets for Saturday. Great experience. 

Ripley’s Believe it or Not

A visit to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center. Excellent African American History Museum. Pictures were limited to a mural. Private museum.

A rainy but great lunch at Cap’s on the Water.

A good time in the Oldest City in America. Big peace out. Home tomorrow.

CHICAGO-Day 6-Obama Presidential Center visit and Sibelius’s Second Symphony under the stars.

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Last night’s Tony winning performance of “SUFFS” in the Majestic Building at the CIBC Theater was better than expected. Our hotel was in the same building.

Another super lazy rollout because of an afternoon reservation at the OBC.

A walk around the grounds was great and a part of the 1893 Colombian Exposition particularly Osaka Garden.

Yoko Ono sculpture

The center is a tremendous piece of architecture. There has been some criticism of it but, I thought it was magnificent.

This fashion section was brought to you by Mariella and Michelle.

From the eighth floor.

The Chicago Public Library has an extension at OPC. There is a curated reading room done by the Obama.

This short blog cannot possibly capture this enormous museum but it is a taste of its message of the most powerful word in the Constitution, “we”. Great visit!!!

My last hurray was a performance of Sibelius’ Second Symphony at Grant Park. Beautiful. What a super time

Chicago-Day 5-Park, Bean and Pier.

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Another slow vacation rollout this morning. A walk to the Park and selfies at the Bean, Cloud Gate. It was quite busy with all the tourists.

Inside the Bean
Hombre
Important

I will be attending the symphony here tomorrow.

I went back and Mariella went to Navy Pier.

Tonight “Suffs” and Chicago Pizza!

CHICAGO-Day 4-Easy day

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Rick Steves stated on his famous travel show that “sometimes you need a day off from your vacation”. I found that true today with a little bit of burnout from a big day at Wrigley. A walk, a little shopping and lunch in order.

Chicago Public Library
Pittsfield Building

Very nice meal at The Dearborn with a paseo after dinner. Big peace out. Suffs on stage tonight. Big peace out!

CHICAGO-Day 3-Cubs and Mitch at Wrigley Field for the W!

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This was the day I was to meet my super great 30 year wheelchair ref buddy, Mitch, at Big Star for super chicken tacos with grilled onion and pineapple and rice and beans. It had been a minute since we had seen each and we had all afternoon to catch up. I am a very fortunate to have such great people in my life. BTW, Wrigleyville is about as close to heaven as you can get without going there. Heaven that is.

I got to sing at the end of a Cubs game with my buddy Mitch. It doesn’t get any better than that! All thanks and love to Mitch for a day like today. Big peace out.

CHICAGO-Day 2-Museum of Contemporary Art and other things

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On the way to dinner last night.

Lakeshore Park and Northwestern

The museum had an exhibit about music from Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico that propelled a political movement that caused real social changes in those areas. Pop up stereo stages for DJ’s was huge. Open the trunk and get it going.

Other cool artistic instruments

Other art about isolation and an interment WW II artist work

Other cool sculptures, pictures and a local artist, McCloud.

Rain dampening 4th but it’s still great to be in Chicago!

Day 4-Tupelo to French Camp, MS-65.5 miles with 1800 feet of elevation

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A nice meal and sleep in Tupelo. I was ready to ride.

The parkway continues to amaze.

I rode to lunch stop with the sweep because I was SLOW but steady. I got a SAG ride because I had a “sore bottom bracket.” In the van I was able to get a great picture of our 85 year old e bike tour rider.

Next rest stop at the SAG I got another chance to finish the last 12.5 miles to French Camp. Really cool little place.

My cabin!

Peace out. Tres