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!    

      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!

Enjoy the Sunset and Happy Mother’s Day !  

 Even Steve Stewart from our local Sheriff’s department from the city of Anna Maria was able to mix business with pleasure and enjoy the sunset as he maintained our “safe haven”! Steve sends a special “Happy Mother’s Day” to his mom.

 Cheryl and Lori from Youngstown, Ohio watched in amazement as the sun was setting and creating such depth of color along the way! 

Meet Stacy and her Mom from Bradenton, FL who brought a tent to sunset gaze and Randy Marlow (not pictured) to assemble the tent!

 Vickie and Valerie, mother and daughter, from Northern Alabama were knee deep in sand dollars as they stopped long enough to see the sun dipping into the clouds!

 A special hello to the Lindsay Family who gathered to catch the sunset. The matriarch is at the top of the steps (left)!

My hat’s off to all of the mothers visiting or living on Anna Maria Island. Sunday is such a special occasion because today is the day we honor our mothers. No matter what the circumstance, everyone has one! So to each and every mom out there this is your day. This is truly the most difficult profession known to man but by far the most rewarding (if you can call it that!).  Even at sunset, I am able to see the role of “mother” played out in families visiting Anna Maria Island.

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ I am here to assist you with any real estate needs you may have on Anna Maria Island!

                 With a new month arriving May has presented both the visitors and locals with a palate of sunsets on Anna Maria Island. It never ceases to amaze me how each sunset can bring an entirely different array of emotions and fusion of color and clouds for our viewing and pleasure. Each sunset holds mystic sensations as Islanders flock to the soft white sands in an almost religious awe to see just how the sunset will unfold and set on the horizon. I offer you several of “the best” and a special thanks to Ken and Kim for posing for my camera. Speaking from the heart, we all have witnessed the cruelties of this life and world but there is something so powerful about the sun setting that maybe for just a few minutes we are able to put those life feelings aside and feel a calmness and faith knowing the sun will rise again tomorrow. Enjoy this weeks sunsets! They are awesome!     

  Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ I am here to assist you with any real estate needs you may have on Anna Maria Island!                                                                                                                                                

Anne Morrow Lindberg wrote this message in “Gift From the Sea” ~ Island-precepts . . . Simplicity of living . . . Balance of physical, intellectual, and spiritual life. Work without pressure. Space for significance and beauty. Time for solitude and sharing. Closeness to nature to strengthen understanding and faith in the intermittency of life: life of the spirit, creative life, and the life of human relationships.” Whether you share a sunset with someone you love or in your own solitude all of the senses are aroused as you become one with nature. Watching the sun set on Anna Maria Island can bring such peace to your soul.  It is my pleasure to share this weeks best sunset with you!

     A special shout out to Pat and Paul from Maine who shared a sunset while visiting the Island on their 25th wedding anniversary. How happy they are!! Nice to meet you Billi who snapped away on her camera capturing an incredible sunset. You meet the nicest people here on Anna Maria! Enjoy the sunset~!

Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ I am here to assist you with any real estate needs on Anna Maria Island!

If you have ever watched the sunset on Anna Maria Island you will understand the hypnotic state everyone succumbs to as they gaze at the sun dropping gently into the Gulf of Mexico (or so it seems). The beaches on the Island have an ebb of sunset watchers  flowing onto the sand gazing at the sun as it disappears for another day turning day into night. It is one of the most populated “happenings” on Anna Maria by locals and visitors alike who are quickly turned into sunset worshipers. I will be recording sunsets weekly and sharing them with you so no matter where you go when you leave the Island you will still be able to catch one of our spectacular sunsets. Please share your comments because I know many of you have been seen catching a sunset on Anna Maria Island and who knows you just may show up as a silhouette at sunset!   

 Written by Melinda Bordes ~ 941-705-0146 ~ Allow me to assist you in buying the perfect home or condo on Anna Maria Island so you can witness our spectacular sunsets!                   

I could mention how the layers within our atmosphere redirects light….Roy G. Biv…ya da da ya ya ya WHATEVER!  Lets get to the good stuff - Pictures… See below for photographs that show the progression of a wonderful sunset shot in March of 2008 in Anna Maria City on Anna Maria Island.  (This is a warning….those who view the entire series of photos below will normally find their blood pressure lowered as well as a little lost time due to planning the next trip to Anna Maria!)