The 11th Annual Bayfest on Anna Maria Island
October 18, 2011
Claire (left), Clayton (right), and I (center) went biking on Saturday, October 15 in Bradenton. We started at Robinson Preserve in northwest Bradenton, and biked out to Anna Maria Island. As we descended the bridge onto the island, we noticed a sign announcing this year’s Bayfest, so we rode out to the north point of the island to check out it out.
We locked our bikes to an old wooden bike rack and then walked the streets with hundreds of other festival-goers, enjoying the lineup of dozens of classic cars, the Chevy Volt display at a charging station, and, of course, all the arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing, and food booths. We got to explore the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum and hear and read about all its fascinating stories. I even ran into one of my favorite and most influential high school teachers, Mrs. Havelka, who also happens to be a dear friend of our family. You can see us pictured above at a table behind the Bayview Plaza. We took that right after finishing our sodas and talking about the new Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) and cell phones (distinct topics).
After the festival we made a quick stop on the way back at the public beach, sitting in the shade to discuss the recent deaths of SPJ and DMR. We had great weather the entire day and at least I had a terrific time. I always enjoy biking, especially with friends, and the Bayfest came as a pleasant surprise, despite that the grouper taco, ice cream cones, lobster rolls, cuban sandwiches, and white chocolate toffee weighed us down the entire way back.