Our Florida family is gearing up for another reunion in our hometown of Venice, Florida. In 2007, all of my brothers and my sister were together for a fun weekend in Venice and Sarasota. Mom was there! So were several nieces and nephews.
We chartered a fishing boat, we dined at the Ritz Carlton, we ate lunch on St. Armand's Key, we hunted for fossil shark teeth on Caspersen Beach, and so much more.
Pictured below are all five Griffin brothers.
Left to Right: Fred Griffin, Florida Real Estate Broker. David Griffin, Building Contractor, Jacksonville/St. Augustine, Florida. Joe Griffin, Tech Mogul, Scottsdale Arizona. John Griffin, Building Contractor, Tallahassee Florida. Tom Griffin, Attorney at Law, Gainesville Florida.
We are planning to do it again!
We haven't all been together in many years. This time, I want my wife Surekha to join us (she has been to Venice numerous times, but she missed the 2007 trip, for reasons I cannot remember).
Left to Right: Tom Griffin, Kelly and John Griffin, David Griffin, Joe Griffin, Marjorie Griffin, Dominique Griffin (David's wife), Josie Griffin (Tom's daughter), Shirley Bowden Steinberg (Mom!), Fred Griffin.
In 2007, we chartered a boat at the Venice Jetty and spent the morning catching fish. This was a great time for us, because as children we had taken our own little rowboat out at this point.
Back in the day, our Uncle Doug had a yacht anchored at this very spot. Today, there are charter boats, The Crow's Nest restaurant (highly recommended), and incredibly, there is a surfing community on the south side of the Jetty.
________________________________________
Venice History, my Grandfather!
My grandfather, Hoke Smith Bowden (left), was among the founders of Venice, Florida. He owned and operated the first supermarket (Venice IGA). Pictured next to him are Mr. Hightower and Mr. Cousins.
________________________________________
Brother Joe, with the mackerel that we caught on our fishing charter.
Our Florida family is gearing up for another reunion in our hometown of Venice, Florida. We have a new generation of great nieces and great nephews who will join us. We will show them the most beautiful town in the world... the town where we were born, the town where we grew up... Venice, Florida!
Comments(13)