Fabulous Florida

If you’re from the northeast, a trip of any length to sunny Florida during the winter months can be a wonderful thing. This trip was to be my first time traveling with my jewelry outside of New England to do art festivals for a six week stint and Florida was exactly where I needed to be. The shows were mostly on the west coast — Sarasota (Downtown and Siesta Key), St. Pete's Beach, Dunedin, Tampa’s Hyde Park area — with just one on the east coast in Hobe Sound.

Beautiful big birds: the pelican and the blue heron are just two among so many.

One thing I learned about Florida is that the west coast is populated by more midwestern transplants, as opposed to the east coast folks being from NY, NJ, New England areas. It was interesting to experience the subtle differences in style and shopping tendencies.

Both coasts are gorgeous and offer so much beauty and nature to explore. Six glorious weeks away from snowy and cold New England, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing with family and friends, soaking up the sun on the beaches of Palm Harbor, taking long walks in the nature preserves near my brother's home in Sarasota, visiting cool museums (Dali Museum, Ringling Museum) and other interesting places (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Big Cat Habitat, Myakka State Park), and even went to a Lightning hockey game — never a dull moment! The weather couldn’t have been better — not too hot and never cold, 70s and 80s. During the weekends I was happily busy at the shows, selling jewelry, and had fun meeting and getting to know lots and lots of great people.

I'd never before considered becoming a snowbird but I’ve discovered that I love being “on the road” as an artist selling jewelry and you can bet I’ll be back down in Florida during the winter of 2020! It’s a great new market for me and just a beautiful place to be at that time of year.

Speaking of markets, now back in New England, I’m gearing up for a few upcoming shows closer to home, starting with the Melrose Arts Festival, April 27 & 28. Check out my EVENTS page for a list of where I'll be in the coming weeks.

All my best wishes and I hope to see some of you soon!

Nancy

The Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota is a slice of heaven.

The Ringling Museum has a beautiful contemporary glass exhibit. This beautiful glass sculpture reminded me of my Ten Feathers necklace. It's by an Italian (Venetian) artist, Lino Tagliapietra.

One of Dali's large masterpieces titled, "Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln—Homage to Rothko." If you squint you'll see the image of Lincoln.

I encountered this handsome boy at the Big Cat Habitat Sanctuary in Sarasota. Such a beauty, that is, until he turned around and sprayed me - he practically soaked me! The folks at the Big Cat Habitat told me it was good luck to be sprayed by the lion -- yeah, right...

A friendly, affectionate cockatoo stopped by the booth.

A nearby crafter was selling doggie sunglasses!

My husband, Whisky, and I having fun at the Ringling Museum.