{"id":450,"date":"2011-02-20T21:37:35","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T02:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/?p=450"},"modified":"2011-02-20T21:46:22","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T02:46:22","slug":"anna-maria-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/?p=450","title":{"rendered":"Anna Maria Island"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I was lucky enough to get invited for a second year on Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island \u00a0in Florida. It is located \u00a0south of Tampa, close to Sarasota\u00a0in Manatee county. The beach is as \u00a0gorgeous as ever but a bit more crowded this year as the temperatures were a lot warmer..<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria.jpg\" title=\"anamaria.jpg\"><\/a>As with a lot of beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, there are a lot of shells.<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria4.jpg\" title=\"anamaria4.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria4.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria4.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria4.jpg\" title=\"anamaria4.jpg\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria4.jpg\" title=\"anamaria4.jpg\"><\/a>The birds are also spectacular although there is more variety inland.<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria5.jpg\" title=\"anamaria5.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria5.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria5.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria6.jpg\" title=\"anamaria6.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria6.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria6.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria7.jpg\" title=\"anamaria7.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria7.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria7.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria8.jpg\" title=\"anamaria8.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria8.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria8.jpg\" \/><\/a>The big attraction is always the sun set. It is an almost religious experience. People stand in silence and watch&#8230; and every night it is a different show&#8230; The more clouds the more spectacular \u00a0the show.<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariasunset.jpg\" title=\"anamariasunset.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariasunset.jpg\" alt=\"anamariasunset.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariasunset2.jpg\" title=\"anamariasunset2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariasunset2.jpg\" alt=\"anamariasunset2.jpg\" \/><\/a>I seem to often be traveling where the moon is full&#8230; This one was huge and yellow when it came up but I was surprised to find in in a pinkish sky right over the ocean the next morning when I woke up.<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariamoon.jpg\" title=\"anamariamoon.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariamoon.jpg\" alt=\"anamariamoon.jpg\" \/><\/a>This is not a place for gastronomy, BUT I have to say it is home to best burgers I have ever had&#8230;at Duffy&#8217;s Tavern. Burgers, chips and beer&#8230;who could ask for anything more???<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariaduffy.jpg\" title=\"anamariaduffy.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariaduffy.jpg\" alt=\"anamariaduffy.jpg\" \/><\/a>Another local celebrety is \u00a0artist Emerson Quinllin. He paints whimsical ladies on everything from canvas to nightshirts&#8230;.This one caught my eye&#8230;<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariapainting.jpg\" title=\"anamariapainting.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariapainting.jpg\" alt=\"anamariapainting.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariapainting.jpg\" title=\"anamariapainting.jpg\"><\/a>On the way to the airport we stopped in St Petersburg to visit the new Dali Museum. \u00a0This was my third visit to this museum but the first in this brand new home. This building is spectacular and should hopefully withstand hurricanes and not require the employees to move all the paintings at every storm warning. The art work presented is the same but the environment is more fitting to this amazing artist. Unfortunately the place is a victim of its success these days and it was way too crowded to appreciated the paintings or hear what the guide was saying&#8230;<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariadali.jpg\" title=\"anamariadali.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariadali.jpg\" alt=\"anamariadali.jpg\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariadali2.jpg\" title=\"anamariadali2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamariadali2.jpg\" alt=\"anamariadali2.jpg\" \/><\/a>But Shhhhhhh! this little piece of paradise must remain a well kept secret&#8230;.<a href=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria3.jpg\" title=\"anamaria3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/anamaria3.jpg\" alt=\"anamaria3.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was lucky enough to get invited for a second year on Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island \u00a0in Florida. It is located \u00a0south of Tampa, close to Sarasota\u00a0in Manatee [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flyingplates.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}