Did you ever have one of those friends that you may only see every five years or so and you could pick up just where you left off in time. Carolyn Haber is just that friend and we  

have known each other for close to 30 years. She was down from Hudson, Ohio to catch up and realign our souls once again. We were both in need of open ears, honesty and the knowledge we each had found in our two different worlds while time and life had separated us.  Although we look much like sisters, we are sisters of the heart. So it was with much pleasure that I was able to share some truly beautiful sunsets on Anna Maria Island with Carolyn. Not only did she take home a sense of growth from what we shared but she can visualize how incredible our sunsets are first hand. When she was leaving she described her stay as cleansing, peaceful and very healing as she begins another year teaching underprivileged children.  The nature and beauty of Anna Maria Island will stay in her heart for a long time and I am sure she will not wait five years for the next visit. There were other guests we met at sunset that were visiting friends and family or just enjoying a family vacation before heading back to school.

Maybe it is time for you to visit,  relax and enjoy the sunset!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941~705~0146 who is here to assist you with all of your Anna Maria real estate needs whether buying or selling! Please feel free to roam around out website and maybe you will find a perfect beach bungalow for your next stay on Anna Maria Island. I hope you will enjoy one of our amazing sunsets on your next visit!

What a perfect night to sit on a blanket and watch the sunset on Anna Maria Island. All conditions were right with the clouds that had moved into my frame to take the most vivid shots at dusk. Color was bouncing off of the water and the clouds were sharing the back lighting of the sun. It is sometimes difficult to find just the right words to describe such beauty. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.  Please, enjoy the sunset!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~941-705-0146~ Please feel free to contact me whether buying or selling for all of your real estate needs. We hope you will make plans to come to Anna Maria Island so you too can enjoy one of our amazing sunsets!  For more information on property for sale visit Island Real Estate’s website.

What a night for watching a sunset!! It was a typical summer night, very humid, warm and the smell of the salt air was abundant! However, no one knew when we came out to walk the beach at sunset that we would see the “green flash” just as the sun disappeared into the Gulf of Mexico. If you are not familiar with this phenomenon you are not alone. Word has spread on Anna Maria Island by the local sunset worshipers how to watch for the green flash. This requires a very pure atmosphere with abnormal atmospheric refraction, including mirage effects, in order to produce the green flash. The flash appears just above the crest of the sun as it is about to disappear.  It only lasts for a few seconds so you must keep your eyes fixed on the setting sun. It is almost impossible to capture it on film but is a goal of mine. You could hear everyone saying “did you see it?” Maybe this is just one more reason to come and visit Anna Maria Island. Besides being in paradise, you may just be lucky enough to experience the green flash while enjoying an incredible sunset.

Written by Melinda Bordes ~941-705-0146~ Please feel free to call me whether buying or selling for all of you real estate needs. And remember to enjoy the sunset! 

We had been experiencing thunderstorms all day and were sure there would not have been much of a sunset. As luck would have it, I was suffering from camera issues due to the fact that I had dropped my camera in the sand and it would no longer take photos. So on this particular night we not only had a spectacular sunset but we also experienced a double rainbow. Because Duff, a client and friend of mine, was kind enough to send me this photo taken on his iPhone (although not very clear) I am able to share it with you. It is difficult to see the second rainbow which was less visible but there. The bottom rainbow shot across the sky from the bay side of the Island out into the Gulf of Mexico. The rainbow circled right over Anna Maria Island. As we walked and stared at this miraculous painting across the sky you couldn’t help but wonder if there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If that holds true then you would have needed a ship and diving equipment to locate it because the rainbow looked as though there was no end as it dipped its hue of colors into the Gulf. I call it a sign from nature letting me know that life is good and everything will be just fine. But then I believe the same thing when I experience dolphins or manatees. What a blessing it is to live surrounded by all the surprises of nature at it’s finest!  

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146~ whether buying or selling on Anna Maria Island please feel free to call me so I can assist you with all of your real estate needs! Enjoy the rainbow and watch for more sunsets to follow taken with my new camera! 

                       The end of another perfect day on Anna Maria Island! We are now experiencing afternoon showers which are typical for summer. Because of clouds left hanging in the sky following the rain, we get some really spectacular sunsets. This one was no exception! It is very satisfying to capture such photos but even better sharing the sunsets! Please, enjoy another sunset on Anna Maria Island or plan a trip here and see for yourself!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ Feel free to call so I can assist you with all of your real estate needs whether buying or selling!

   Welcome to another sunset on Anna Maria Island where one is as awesome as the next! It is amazing how each night can prove to be so different with the colors that stroke the sky. You should never leave your camera at home and you need to schedule your dinner so you will have time to make it out for the sunset. Or even better, have dinner at the Sandbar Restaurant and join the masses who come out to watch the sun kiss the gulf and slowly disappear leaving the sky on fire with colors of orange to fucia and every color in-between. It is worth your visit to Anna Maria Island just to experience one of our amazing sunsets!                                                                                              

  So what is appearing in this picture? It was not there when we shot this photo!

 A helpful hand to Mr. Sun!                      

One last frolic in the gulf before the sun sets!         

The vows have been said!                

Friends gather for the countdown of the sunset!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ Feel free to call me whether you may be listing or selling! I can help you with all of your real estate needs!   

Our American flag at Sunset! What a beautiful sight!

This is my pick for “Sunset of the Week” on Anna Maria Island! The setting sun provides the back lighting for the clouds and the sky is on fire with all of the colors of the sunset!

This is the time we remember all who have served to protect our beloved country and especially those who have fallen in the line of duty. So we raise our flag in honor of all the men, women and children who have been the one to serve or have a loved one who has gone out to protect the freedom  we hold so dear. God bless America, and to all of those visiting Anna Maria Island please, enjoy the sunset!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ Feel free to call with all of your real estate needs, whether buying or selling!    

I would love for everyone to think I am a cool surfer dude and all this advanced information came from my vast knowledge of surfing.  Unfortunately, I have to give credit to a surfer web site that gives more details on the characteristics of surfing just off White avenue in Anna Maria City.   WannaSurf.com…yup, the surfing on Anna Maria is a big enough deal to get discussed on surfing websites.  The website discusses surf and wave quality, tide, swell and wind characteristics, as well as any dangers.  The web site tells you the name of the contributor as well as (4) other individuals that added information and actually surfed Anna Maria Island.  Take a look, if this website does not give you the information needed, then you will just have to come to the island to experience it yourself…

 
Caption:  Invisible Surfer on Anna Maria Island

      Striped Sunset ~ Sunset of the Week!                                     

These two are probably there to catch a sunset while catching a fish!

     The sea oats are there to hold our sand in place but also frame a sunset!

      Take off your shoes and stay awhile, especially to see a sunset!  

Little Angel collecting seaweed at sunset on Anna Maria Island!

 Sheron and Ginny taking a sunset walk for their health and mostly pleasure!

Two cousins, Taylor and Janey, on a “girl’s trip” who just happen to be my grandkids!

This week has been no exception to spectacular sunsets night after night on Anna Maria Island. With a clip of a cold front, which only meant lower humidity and superb weather, it was the perfect atmoshere for soaking up a sunset on Florida’s Gulf Coast. If you have never visited our Island then you may find it difficult to comprehend the white sugar sand and azure waters that we experience on a daily basis in this tropical paradise.  My clients who come from all over the world are truly amazed at how kind and friendly everyone is as they come to know Anna Maria. The truth is that when you live in such a gentle, peaceful place as this, it soon begins to rub off on you almost like a drug. It soothes, yet inspires you to dream or maybe just forget while you are here that there is that other world and “stuff” that we face day to day. So swinging in a hammock feeling the cool Gulf breezes is part of our reality. Come and join us and please, enjoy the sunset!  

 ~  Thanks to Duff for sharing his sunset taken from his boat on the intra-coastal waterway facing west. Feel free to share you best sunsets!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ who is here to help you with all of your real estate needs whether buying or selling!

Some more organized activities include beach volleyball.  If you can assemble a team from your own friends and family I would suggest visiting the public beach at the end of Manatee Avenue or route 64.  The Manatee public beach normally has (2) volleyball courts up at all times.  Sometimes you can pick up a game along the beach and your chances are a little better at the Anna Maria City beach just off the Sandbar restaurant or the Bradenton Beach just off the Beach House restaurant.