Home again!

Good afternoon!

The plan was to post our last pictures a lot sooner than now, but life got in the way... better late than never.

Let's see... I left off in Vero Beach maybe? Check out this boat that was moored across the channel from us: Party boat, obviously.

From Vero we went to Daytona.
In Daytona, we stayed in the same marina as during the Daytona 500. There were far fewer boats there this time though :)
Remember when we were there we saw that boat- Kitten- run into another boat? he hit the swim platform, then left without telling anyone it happened... well, here's the boat that got hit- Crackuhday- sans swim platform.

From there, we got some great pictures on our way to Camachee Cove:


Bridge of Lions:

The last few days of the trip were a bit chilly and windy, but pleasantly uneventful.
Home again!

This trip was a blast- we're already looking forward to the next one!
Thanks for keeping up with us! Big hugs! God Bless!

Titusville, revisited

Good evening!
We're in Titusville again! We left Vero this morning and saw dolphins. all. day. long. They were everywhere! I even got to see a little baby one- that was cool.
Today, the weather was PERFECT all day.

The coolest boat name we saw today was "Bucket List." loveit.

We're headed to Daytona tomorrow, Camachee Cove on Monday, home Tuesday.

It was a chill day, nothing to report. Although... I forgot to share with you the sunrise we got to see on Thursday mornin as we were leaving the Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart: (Remember, you can click on any picture to see it larger!)

Hope this post finds you well-
hugs!

Home in 5...

"I'm livin on things that excite me-
Be they pastry or lobster or love..."



If those lyrics don't excite you, there's something wrong with you. I think they are perfect. If you agree, then listen to the whole song- I posted it just for you.

I wasn't able to post last night- we were in Clewiston. It was a good place to stay overnight- nice people, sheltered, no wind... I will say, however, that it stunk. Horribly. Not sure what I expected though- it's a swamp.
To get there, we had to go through 3 locks- 2 were about a 3 foot change, one was 8 feet. We got some pictures:




Also, we saw a camel. I didn't get a picture, but you've seen a camel before.

Happy belated St. Patrick's day, by the way...

This morning, Barry and I had breakfast at the marina before we left. (Since the time change, we haven't been able to get underway until well after 7 in the mornings...) Then we saw an awesome sunrise- the pictures don't do it justice, but I'll share anyway.

We had 2 locks to go through today- one with a change of about 7 inches... the other one dropped something like 13 feet. Holy cannoli. Pictures:


We traveled with 2 boats all of today and yesterday- a Fleming named "Athena" and a Hartage named "Pretty Lady." They were nice. The best boat name we saw today was "RedJello." fabulous.

We got in just after 2ish today and took a walk into town, got some ice cream, and tried and failed to find a book store... people in Stuart don't read?
Sunset Bay Marina- very cool place. Tomorrow, we'll be in Vero. Oh, and news: we'll likely be home a day early.

That's all I have for today! Peace out, homies!

Ruptured Duck

We left Marco Island yesterday mornin and got this picture pre-sunrise: b-e-a-utiful! :)

On the way to Ft Myers, I took this picture of Sanibel Light:


We got into Fort Myers yesterday afternoon around 1 and the boat got a good bath- there was TONS-o-salt!
This morning, Barry and I walked into town and had breakfast! yum-oh! We had a relaxing day on the boat, and went to dinner at the Morgan House.
On the way, we saw the boat named "Ruptured Duck." and I didn't have a camera. boo.

That pretty much wraps up the last 2 days... Tomorrow, we're headed to Lake Okeechobee. We get to go through 2 locks, should be an interesting day! Will update you ASAP! love and hugs!

Marco Island: Day 3

We're still in Marco Island, headed for Fort Myers tomorrow.

The plan was to leave today for Naples then to Fort Myers on Tuesday mornin. While we were fixin to leave this mornin, the dockmaster told us, he hoped he wasn't too late, but that we should know that the 3rd night at this marina is free- except for the $8 charge for power hook-up... who could resist a deal like that? We thought he was joking at 1st, what a random deal...

so, here we are- it's a beautiful day!

Barry and I took a walk to WestMarine and the book store. The book store was closed. Mildly disappointing.
 Then we came back for lunch on the boat. Good day to relax...

I got to see 2 Hinckleys today- here's a picture I took of one of them: beautiful.

That's all for today! peace out, homies!

Tales of the Dry Tortugas

Good mornin!

Happy belated birthday to Rhonda Holt and Aunt Laura!!

We're at Marco Island Marina- no, wait, I'll start from where I left off...
We left Key West on Thursday morning, headed for the Dry Tortugas. The plan was to anchor there Thursday and Friday night and head to Marco Island on Saturday. The trip over took a while- and it seemed even longer once we lost auto-pilot (we blew a fuse, but didn't know that was the problem until later). We got to the Dry Tortugas and decided it would be a good idea to have a quick lunch and then head over to the fort... the plan had changed: we had to leave in the morning to avoid winds of 20-30 knots... So, we loaded into the dinghy (using a functioning davit!) and headed over to Fort Jefferson to see what we could see! Check out the pictures we got!






The entrance and the moat:

View of the lighthouse from inside the fort:



Check out that brickwork! Trivia: 16 million bricks were used in the construction of Fort Jefferson!



BIG moat:

They're in the chapel!

I'm in the oven! It's huge!

Shot furnace:

Barry and the Shot Furnace:

This is me in the Magazine (where they keep all the powder):

View from outside the Magazine: ...by far my favorite part of the fort.







Alice "firing" a cannon:

Took this picture to show you our new toy: the bridle. It ties onto the bow cleats and then hooks to the anchor chain.

Also nearby is Loggerhead Key- and the lighthouse!


On the way up to the fort, we could see a whole bunch of these: They look pretty cool, but we didn't know what they were. I've done some research. They are "By-the-Wind Sailor Jellyfish." They have a purple "raft" and a translucent flexible sail. The sail catches the wind and propels them like a sailboat. Here's a picture I found on the internet... i.e. NOT my foot. There were also a whole bunch of Portuguese Man-o-War...? Men-o-war? haha
So, if you ever head over to the Dry Tortugas, watch your step.


We left the Dry Tortugas early on Friday morning ...headed for Marco Island. Barry fixed the auto pilot not too far into our trip up. Hallelujah!
The trip took 11.5 hours- long day... and the weather turned nasty for about an hour and a half of it:
I managed to get most of the salt off the boat, in the semi-dark, but will have to give it a once over again today I'm sure.
The weather is beautiful, just not ideal for traveling with all this wind...
From here we're headed to Ft Myers... will update you soon!
Thanks for readin! Don't forget to change your clocks tonight! Spring forward!

Key West: Day 3

Good mornin!!

I spent the ENTIRE day yesterday walking around. seriously. I did a lot of people watching, a little shopping, but mostly wandered- way fun! The weather was perfect... and is again today.

I met some interesting people- I had coffee with 3 New York girls on a spring break cruise, met a cook on a sailboat from Jacksonville (she said they made it here in 3 days! that's crazy!) oh! and I went to this GREAT place for lunch- BO's Fish Wagon. I told Barry and Alice that you would call it a hole-in-the-wall... if there were any walls... I had the BEST fried fish I've ever had... and coincidentally, I ate with the guy who does their payroll- got to learn all about the place.

I took a couple pictures I thought I should show you:
This 1st one is a big statue- very pretty. That grandma down in the right hand corner is a real grandma though.

Then, this is apparently a sponge monster. very scary? Key West is a weird place.

Last night, we ate supper at a really great restaurant called Louie's Backyard- VERY good.
Today, I plan on walking around a bit more (even though my legs are killing me, haha) and later, we have some grocery shopping to do.

Hope you're all doin well! love! :)

Key West!

Howdy! I'm pretty far behind, so allow me to update you.

It's Tuesday. We're in Key West. Friday afternoon, we went over to a place called Monty's for happy hour- great place, fun atmosphere. Here's Alice and me in front of a pretty cool pelican sculpture that you can't see very well:

Saturday mornin, we left Coconut Grove headed for Islamorada.
Check out the sunrise- That could possibly be the prettiest one I've ever seen.

Here's Cape Florida. (I think.)



Islamorada was an interesting place. We stayed at Holiday Isle Marina.
Positive things: The water was beautiful, the weather was perfect...







From there, we stopped at Marathon Key. Great marina, awesome people.
The hot tub: haha

Here's a picture of the sun setting over the marina. Why is it significant, you ask? Well, if you'll notice, there is no land over there. The sun is setting over the WATER!! we've finally run out of Florida!!! way cool.

On the way into Key West, we saw this lighthouse:

and this boat being towed...



It may or may not be a drug-smuggling boat. Barry's read about them. They load these low-profile things with TONS of drugs, then submerge them and they breathe through periscope-like pipes and can travel a couple hundred miles. Or it could just be a research-type vessel. At any rate, it's cool.

Key West is a pretty cool place. Lots of people to watch, lots of birds to avoid...
We had supper at a place called Two Friends last night- I had yummy fried shrimp, since you were wondering...
Today is definitely a picture-taking day. I'll update you tomorrow!
Hope you're all doing well! Hugs!