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John & Mable Ringling Estate in Sarasota, Florida Places Visited: Thursday, December 29 through Sunday January 1: Sun N Fun RV-Resort in Sarasota, Florida $35.30 FHU with 50-amps, paved interior roads N27° 20.66' W82° 24.96' We continue to have a great time here in Sarasota. The weather has been nice, what else could we ask for? Next we traveled a few miles north to the John & Mable Ringling Museum Complex consisting of the 66-acre Ringling estate with three gems of the past: an internationally recognized Museum of art filled with masterpieces; a circus museum that revisits the excitement of the big top; and John and Mable's magnificent, 32-room Venetian-Gothic style mansion on beautiful Sarasota Bay. In the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, you'll find Ringling's renowned collection-an astounding assortment of 17th century baroque paintings, including giant works that take up entire walls of special rooms designed to show off these paintings and the ancient Greek, Roman and baroque sculptures. The Circus Museum offers a snapshot of circus history, with lavish costumes, intricately painted and carved wagons, and clown and performing arts memorabilia from the long and eventful history of the Ringling Bros. Circus. And last but not least Ca d' Zan, the Ringlings' winter residence perched upon Sarasota Bay beckons amazed visitors. A tour of Ca d' Zan provides another look at the magnificent collection of decorative arts, furnishings, and paintings that spotlight how the wealthy half lived during the "Roaring Twenties". While Joyce and I have toured these places before we chose to concentrate on walking the grounds today. The grounds include a wonderful rose garden and many magnificent banyan trees, a sausage tree, giant bamboo groves, stately oaks and royal palms and the ever present citrus trees complete and statues that for some reason did not fit into inside decor.
Sausage tree bloom at the John & Mable Ringling Museum Complex
The sausage tree is a unique tree that we see from time to time in south Florida. That is the bloom on the left and the "sausage" aka fruit on the right. The blooms and the fruit hang from long "ropes" dropping from branches high above. The beautiful deep purple blossoms are fascinating as well. In their native African habitat the flowers are pollinated by bats thus they bloom at night. The blossom cluster resembles a chandelier in that it hangs from long "ropes" that have "arms" containing the blossoms that resemble the lights. The sausage tree evolved by dropping flowers down away from the leaves so that the pollinating bats sonar location sensor would not confuse the blooms with thick leaves. In South Florida blossoms are pollinated by insects. Sausage tree fruit hanging at the John & Mable Ringling Museum Complex
The sausage shaped fruit is woody and ineble but serves as an interesting garden novelty. Sausages come in two shapes long ones and short ones. The long sausages are produced by flowers that have been cross-pollinated ie., pollinated by flowers on another tree while the short sausages are from self-pollinated flowers (pollinated by flowers from the same tree).
Reflections at the John & Mable Ringling Museum Complex
We just loved the reflections on this tranquil pond.
Banyan trees at the John & Mable Ringling Museum Complex
These are Banyan trees on the grounds of John & Mabel Ringlands estate. A much larger banyan tree can be viewed at the Eddison estate in Ft. Myers. "Banyan" is a common name for all fig trees which produce multiple trunk. The word "Banyan" means "trader" or "merchant" in India where these trees are native. The traders/merchants were usually found in open air markets held under the shelter of these mammoth trees. A really large Banyan can cover several acres of land. Some of these on the Ringling estate might cover a 1/4 acre while one at the Eddison estate in Ft. Myers probably covers an acre. The auxiliary trunks start as vine-like aerial roots hanging from the branches. When aerial roots reach the soil, they thicken and over time become auxiliary trunks which support the enormously long branches.
Ca d' Zan John & Mable Ringling's winter home in Sarasota
This is Ca d' Zan John & Mable Ringling's winter home ( Venetian-Gothic style mansion) here in Sarasota that captures the exuberant lifestyle of America's spectacular "Roaring Twenties."
Statue being consumed by one of the strangler fig trees at John & Mable Ringling's winter home
This statute was being consumed by one of the strangler fig trees on the grounds of the John Ringling estate in Sarasota.
Click here for some Florida travellogsUntil next time remember how good life is. More Florida AdventuresAdventures by State ** More 2005 Travel Adventures
Mike & Joyce Hendrix
Mike & Joyce Hendrix who we are We hope you liked this page. If you do you might be interested in some of our other Travel Adventures: Mike & Joyce Hendrix's home page Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State ** Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs ** RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects
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