The hotbed for domaining in Florida is located along the Sunshine State's southeastern coast (stretching from Palm Beach down to Miami). As I've noted in the past, that area has one of the world's most active local domainer's groups in the South Florida Domainer's Group and many of the top companies and individual domain investors are located there. We, on the 

other hand, are located on the opposite side of the state in the Tampa Bay area that looks out on the Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic Ocean. It isn't quite as busy on this coast but our side of the state has a lot going for it too - enough to attract some domain business friends to the area over this past weekend. Their visits give my wife Diana and I chance to spend a very enjoyable Saturday and Sunday seeing industry friends that we always enjoy being around. 

On Saturday we made the short hop over to Clearwater Beach to have dinner with Michael 

Florida's Gulf Coast has several beautiful cities 
including Sarasota (above), Clearwater and Naples.  

Castello (of Castello Cities Internet Network and Castello Brothers fame) and his wife Sheri who were spending some vacation time on the beach at the Sandpearl Resort. Michael and his brother David grew up on Florida's east coast (in Boynton Beach) and they come back to the state often to visit relatives on their side of the family. Sheri's mom Greta and her husband Ted also live in Florida but their home is in Panama City, in the panhandle. That's a long drive from Boynton, so Michael, Sheri and their kids, computer whiz Jonathan (who starts college near their Souhern California home in a few days) and Jessica (a talented 12-year-old who seems destined for an acting career), decided to meet Greta and Ted half way, bringing everyone together on Clearwater Beach for three days.  

On Sunday (August 14), while Michael and Sheri headed over to Florida's east coast to see more family members and friends, Diana and I drove south to Sarasota to hook up with T.R.A.F.F.I.C. co-founder Howard Neu and his wife Barbara. 

Howard and his partner Rick Schwartz will be holding their next T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference October 16-19, 2011 at the Ritz Carlton on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. Howard and Barbara are always scouting for potential future show locations and that is what brought them to Sarasota from their home near Ft. Lauderdale. Specifically, they came to town to tour the 

(Diana Jackson, Howard Neu and Barbara Neu in front of 
the Dolphin Fountain in Sarasota's Bayfront Park Sunday.

Sarasota Ritz Carlton with a select group of conference organizers that were invited to check out the spectacular hotel that sits on Sarasota Bay.  

Diana and I both lived in  Sarasota for many years when I was a TV sportscaster on the ABC station there (we moved about an hour north to Tampa when I took a job with the CBS-TV affiliate in  that city). We have always loved Sarasota and our daughter Brittany just moved there for her last two years of medical school at the Florida State University College of Medicine. As you might expect, I've acquired a number of Sarasota  related domain names over the years, my favorite being Sarasota.us. So, we were delighted to have a chance to see Howard and Barbara again and have an opportunity to show them around one our favorite cities (returning the hospitality they showed us when they (and some other South Florida friends) gave us a grand tour of Ft. Lauderdale this past spring). 

After a morning drive to see several of our favorite places we headed back downtown to Marina Jack where Brittany joined the four of us for a leisurely lunch that allowed us to enjoy the restaurant's panoramic view of Sarasota Bay.

Diana, Brittany and Ron Jackson at the Marina Jack Restaurant
  in Sarasota Sunday (Aug. 14, 2011).

After lunch we wanted Howard and Barbara  to see the fabulous Ca d'Zan mansion built in the 1920's by circus magnate John Ringling (who played a key role in turning Sarasota into a world class resort town.) Ringling bequeathed the bayfront home and the wonderful Ringling Museum of Art next door to the state of Florida and both are now enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. There is also a Circus Museum on the grounds (that we also visited) as well as the historic Asolo Theater. All of the museums, the theater and Ca d'Zan (House of John) are now administered by Florida State University. 

Howard & Barbara Neu at Ca d'Zan in Sarasota, Florida Sunday (Aug. 14, 2011).

Ca D'Zan cost $1.5 million to build in the 1920s and a guide that took us through the house said it would cost $66 million to duplicate the house today. Unfortunately, John Ringling, who also had vast railroad, oil and land holdings, wound up losing his vast fortune in  the Great Depression. He gave the house to the State just a week before it would have been foreclosed on! I am reading a biography about him now (that focuses on his years in Florida) and it is a truly amazing life story.  

Diana and I have visited the house several times and I always learn something new on each visit. All in all it was the best kind of weekend. When you can spend time with good friends in great places and learn something along the way (a great byproduct of hanging out with smart people) it's hard to go wrong! I hope your weekend was just as enjoyable and that your upcoming work week will be rewarding.