On the way home, we had planned to stop at an outdoor waterfront restaurant. However, the last 13 days of thunderous storms have put the fear of God into us and we are now negotiating with indoor restaurants to minimize our stress and worry for the next month. I hope you'll trust us to find someplace that we believe you will enjoy. We should be able to announce our restaurant selection at our July 7th meeting.
Speaking of which, the BBC has decided to eliminate our monthly meetings at SeaBreeze. Instead, we will host quarterly meetings on the first Monday in July, October, January, and April. Our next meeting will be July 7 at SeaBreeze at 7pm. Since our room is restricted to 150 members, feel free to stay home and relax that evening if you have found our monthly invitations to be sufficiently detailed to entice you to join us on our beach trips. Anyone who has questions about the club operations or who wishes to see photos of our next four trips is welcomed to join us that evening. We promise to have you home by 8:30 to keep you out of trouble with The Villages Bed-Check Posse.
For those of you with an adventurous nature, you can hop aboard the island's free shuttle and head a couple of miles south for a visit to their famous Bridge Street, to wander through their unique gift shops or enjoy a drink at one of their waterfront bars and restaurants. Just make sure you return on a shuttle before our schedule departure time. The taxi ride back to The Villages can be a bit costly!
And if you find that you've had enough sun for the day, relax and enjoy a simple but spacious shady area on the beach 'til we depart for dinner.
dollars). We'll return to the center of the island to spend the day at Manatee Beach in the town
of Holmes Beach. There you can relive fun times of your youth (without all the shenanigans, we
trust!!). Otherwise, you might wind up in the island jail built in 1927 originally to handle late
disturbances from a newly formed bar. The jail had a wooden roof with bars that left jail goers
open to a night of mosquito swarms and plenty of bites. That encouraged them to never come
back again!
Anna Mueller
7284 SE 171st Brookhaven Place
The Villages, FL 32162
On July 2, we will use our lottery system to determine reservations for this trip, and you will be notified shortly thereafter of your seat confirmation or waitlist status.
Hope to see you wiggling your toes on Manatee Beach!
Might you enjoy returning to the memories of your youth
at the beach ?? If so, consider joining us at
Anna Maria Island
(on the Gulf)
where we'll journey on
Monday, July 21,
from 8:30am - 8:30pm
Copyright. Barefoot Beachcombers Club. All rights reserved
2014
Beach Trips
Manatee Beach is the kind of simpler, unfussy sort of beach you may have visited along the Atlantic Coast or on the shores of a Mid-American lake. The water is so clean you can stand in it up to your hips and still see your toes. (Personally, I hope I can look past my waist and thighs on the way to seeing my cute toes.) The sand is perfect for walking along the beach, observing natural life, other beach goers (well some of them, anyway), dolphins, fish, starfish, and sea shells. The gulf waves are very gentle, making it easy to both float and swim.
One of the best parts of this beach is the Anna Marie Beach Café which is known for its great food and really nice staff. During our scouting trip, we interrupted several diners who confirmed the positive reviews we had read about the delicious food. And while you place your order at a service window, the food is served to you at your umbrella-covered table and your dinnerware and refuse is cleared away for you. (Mom and Dad likely played that role in the 40s and 50s.) Beer, wine, and a small gift shop are also available. The restrooms are simple, but we've survived them before. Beach chairs and umbrellas are available for rent.
We'll travel first to the northern end of the 7-mile long Anna Maria Island simply to see its beauty and appreciate its steadfast policies of "no tall buildings, no fast food." Enjoy viewing customary pastel beach houses (which previously did not cost a million