Beach Excursion - Day Four

June 8, 2026

Feeling empowered by experience, Monday we headed out to Sarasota to visit Siesta Beach on Siesta Key with an even larger collection of beach items stored in the trunk of the Subaru.  Adding an umbrella, bringing lots of towels, and donning bathing suits with hats, T-Shirts, and sandals, we felt prepared!

Claimed to be one of the best beaches in the world, the 99-percent quartz composition of the sand here creates a gleaming white beach with a sprinkling of tiny white shells of varying shapes.  Add to that the azure water with a wide, shallow wading area at this beach, and you have a perfect seaside venue.  For the younger folks there are volleyball courts in the sand, tennis courts, and shaded playgrounds.  There’s a trolley traveling up and down the street bordering the beach, covered picnic areas with grills, the desirable showers near the parking lot for rinsing off, plus a concession stand and washrooms. 

Though the hike to the water is lengthy, the amenities and 85-degree water at this time of the year make up for the effort to cross the sand to the water.  There are a variety of ways to achieve shade on the beach and our little umbrella is way down on the list.  Some people put up tent-like coverings creating lots of shade for their beach chairs or towels.  The only consideration is how much you wish to carry.  Others pull wagons with large, fat wheels filled with beach equipment and coolers containing their beverages and snacks.  It’s fun to encourage each other as everyone treks through the sand toward the water. We set up our umbrella, planting it in the sand with a special post-like device that at least partially screws down into the sand to secure the umbrella in the breeze.  A small beach chair held our belongings, and then we were off into the water to swim and people watch.

Little fish were visible in the clear water near the shore.  Under hats and with T-Shirts protecting our shoulders, we spent a considerable time in the water.  Kris found yet a few more shells.  Then we trudged back across the sand with our gear to enjoy a lunch break at the concession stand.  About the time we sat and started our lunch at 2:01 pm, a 6.1 earthquake occurred off the west end of Cuba. Unbeknown to us, we were happily sipping non-alcoholic Pina Coladas, and watching a volley ball game before us on the beach.  We never felt it, though many across Florida did.  Luckily, it didn’t create a tsunami either.  We only learned of it after the fact, upon arriving back home.  

Of course we ended the day with a Culver’s ice cream stop, followed by a siesta for Jim and Snoopy.  Life is good!