Big Boats and Big Fun!

I like big boats, and I cannot lie!

Well, I really love to watch the Suncoast Offshore Boat Races, and that's just what my family did over the Independence Day holiday! Held every year in Sarasota, Florida just off of the soft sandy shores of Lido Beach, there is plenty of fun to be had by all. This year our family traveled out with my husband's parents to enjoy all the excitement. We were especially fortunate to get hotel rooms right on the beach with balcony views so we could watch the races in style!

Our view from the beautiful Lido Beach Resort!

These races are incredibly popular. We arrived the night before race day and the beach was calm and quiet. The very next morning when we looked over the balcony, it seemed every inch of space was occupied by a tent or towel. I loved being able to view in style everything going on below. If we got hungry, the room was equipped with an efficiency kitchen that served us quite well. We were a bit stymied about how to keep our chips crisp until my hubby hit on a genius solution!

The hanger came in handy!

Most of the time you could find us sitting out on the balcony watching the event in action...

It was also the perfect place to twirl a spindle. I brought two little ones, a Snyder Mini Turkish drop spindle and a carbon fiber Microtrindle from the Trindleman. To complete the collection I had a small sampling of fiber that I picked up from A Good Yarn in Sarasota. I'm not certain of what type of fiber it is, but I suspect it's BFL with some silk added. Regardless, it spun like a dream and I managed to get almost 75 yards out of just a few grams.

I love how cheery the colors are!

Yes, I watched the boats, too. There were two heats. The first had smaller boats while the final heat had the biggest ones. They blew over the water quickly while helicopters chased them to catch the action.

I wish I had better photos, but my poor tiny Canon was doing the best it could to keep up.

The weather could not have been more agreeable. It was not too hot, and we had a nice cool breeze. While we saw it rain off in the Gulf, it never came on shore. We were even treated to a gorgeous rainbow.

Showers in the distance bring...

a beautiful rainbow!

 On our final evening, we were so thrilled to be able to sit and watch the sun sink into a soft bank of clouds and turn the most brilliant shade of tangerine orange.

Yes, fun was had by all the family!