Sarasota - Feb 18-21

We traveled 65 miles north to Sarasota. The main attraction for us at this town is the Ringling Estate. John Ringling brought his circus to Sarasota for many winters in the early 1900s to prepare for the upcoming circus tour. He bought a large estate on the bay for his family. In addition to the mansion he and family lived in, he built an art museum to house the many art pieces he collected.  He opened the museum to the public in the 1930s.

After his death, two additional buildings were built on the estate property. One was specifically built to house an enormous model of the Ringling circus; the other contains the custom Pullman car which John and his wife used to follow the circus during the season as well as several original circus train cars and other circus memorabilia. The whole estate is now run by a foundation and is open to the public for a very reasonable price (especially since the art museum remains free to the public.)

I enjoyed the circus exhibits very much, surprising since I am not particularly fond of actual circuses. I guess I can appreciate the colors and creativity of the circus, just not the death defying acts and unhappy animals. The art museum has several very nice pieces, in particular a set of “cartoons” by Reubens, called the Triumph of the Eucharist.  These paintings are very large, over 15 feet high and served as models for the creation of tapestries. There are two galleries especially constructed to display them. I thought these paintings alone made the visit to the art museum totally worth it. 

The third full day at Sarasota was spent traveling up to St. Petersburg to see the Salvador Dali Art Museum. The museum building itself is interesting – the staircase is modeled after a human’s DNA string and the outside is encrusted with large glass bubbles. There is a math garden just outside the museum, including a patio constructed as the golden mean and a labyrinth. The exhibit wasn’t huge, but there were several floppy clock paintings and a few very well-known Dalis. I was first exposed to Dali while taking an art appreciation course in college and was intrigued with the surrealism and humor in his paintings.

The campground we stayed at was another mega campground especially built for snowbirds. It was a mix of camping sites for RVs and trailers, and permanent mobile homes. I was impressed with all the amenities and activities residents can enjoy. One apparently popular activity was fishing on a ten acre lake which included wildlife (read alligators.) Another was a mega facility which residents use for swimming, and classes. For the crowded nature of the place, our site was surprisingly quiet. And the neighbors were very friendly – we were welcomed to the neighborhood when one neighbor came over to help Russ with turning the trailer onto the site. A farmer  from Wisconsin, he was very comfortable with moving equipment around and giving instruction.

We discovered an Amish community not five miles from the campground!  Pinecraft has served as a winter vacation spot for both Amish and Mennonite since 1947.  It seems that older couples spend the winter down here (Amish snowbirds!) and their families come down for short vacations. Typical transportation includes 3 wheel bikes since horses and buggies are not allowed in Pinecraft. Not much to see other than a nice restaurant/gift shop/fresh produce market. We had a delicious traditional Amish dinner at Yoder’s Restaurant.

We continue north to Tampa, then on to Walt Disney World!

Advance teams would go into a town a couple of weeks ahead and plaster the place with posters. This wall is a sample of the colorful posters.



When you first enter the Circus Museum you see this huge mural with scenes of the circus of the 1970s and 1980s.



These horses and cars are part of the 44,000 piece recreation of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The detail was amazing. The scenes were set for the time period 1919 to 1938.

The staging was set for the day of the circus. This wagon was getting ready to go into the main tent.

Sideshows were depicted. Not once did I see a duplicate of people or equipment, although it would have taken a long time to inspect every item.

It took Howard Tibbals 18 years to make the model. It is a 3/4 inch to the foot replica of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Russ is practicing for the day when he runs away to the circus.



An actual blanket used on the elephants. The embroidery detail was amazing.



This restored wagon is over 100 years old.



I really liked the way Howard staged the model as if the circus was caught in a moment of time. Dogs were barking, people were eating hot dogs, kids were running around.  It really looked like a snapshot.



This Pullman car, named "The Wisconsin" is the custom made car that the Ringlings used to travel around the country looking for new acts.

The art museum was opened in the early 1930s to the public for free. Ringling loved to collect art, but he wanted to share it with everyone. Admission is free.

 



It was cold and windy the days we visited the Ringling Estate.





The Ringling mansion, built in the 1920s, is called Ca' d'Zan, the House of John.  The architecture is Venetian.



The back of the house faces Sarasota Bay. There is a beautiful deck that I could spend many hours sitting at.



I didn't find the interior inviting, it felt more like a museum. We were told that over 95% of the furnishings were original to the house.

The art museum has a beautiful gardens with replicas of some very nice sculptures, including a small scale model of David.

 



The mega campground we stayed at had a beautiful 10 acre lake, complete with fish and alligators.



The Skyway bridge crossing into Saint Petersburg, Florida.

 

 

 

 

This staircase at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is modeled on human DNA.

Dali was famous for his outlandish mustache.



This Sand Hill Crane (and several others) have decided to winter at the campground.

 



Russ is enjoying his Amish dinner.