When you least expect it.

I may have to divide this story into two parts. I know it will be hard to decide on what photos to show but I will see how it goes. When getting off the plane in Sarasota Sunday evening, I saw an ad for the Norman Rockwell exhibition at the Ringling Museum of fine art. On Monday when we leaving the BayFront park there was a sculpture out by the street that caught my eye and made me remember to ask my sister about the museum.   “unconditional surrender” Isn’t the detail wonderful? Her stockings even had a seam up the back. Do you remember wearing nylons with seams? In all my brochures about Sarasota there was nothing about this sculpture – but doing a Google search found it to be a 26 foot tall cause for argument between Sarasota residents. My comment – “some people have no sense of humor”.

Second day Sarasota - The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

I would never have expected to find a museum of this quality in a small town like Sarasota. The grounds include the museum building that John Ringling built in 1925 to house his personal collection; John and Mable’s dream house completed in 1926 and styled after buildings of Venice; her rose garden, a couple of restaurants, a warehouse of circus memorabilia and several other educational buildings and gift shops. The admission was a bit pricy but in the end the 5 or 6 hours we spent there made it seem well worth the cost.

 

  

Both the house and the museum have been meticulously restored to their original glory. The Museum is definitely a building that speaks of Venice right down to its gentle pink color, u-shaped, rounded arches, individually carved stone balustrades, a small replica of Michelangelo's David, water fountains, and the elegant walkways through the garden. John Ringling spared no expense making his Mable happy.

Tomorrow more second day – the Ringling home and gardens.