Oct 8th through Oct 17th

Oct 8th - 11th

clean, clean, pack, pack…eat out with friends…cook what’s in the fridge… 

Oct 12

Visited for the first time the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.  GO - if you have not!  The museum building is grande and the grounds are spectacular.  The art is old European Masters paintings…and huge - larger than life works.  Italian Renaissance, Dutch (a few Rembrandts), Flemish baroque - not quite my style but fascinating, the stories behind the paintings as well as how large they are.  

Oct 13 & 14

clean, clean, pack, pack…eat out with friends…cook what’s in the fridge…

Oct 15

Spent the entire day at the beach.  Woke up, put my suit on, had some java, looked at the paper, made a beach lunch, packed my bag and headed out.  The season down here has not started and so as things go, it is not very crowded.  When i arrived there were only a handful of people on the beach.  Decided to walk further up than i have ever done and did so slowly looking for treasure all along the way….2 things were determined….one, if you set your mind to it you will find treasures everywhere….I found a handful of heart shaped rocks/shells, i found an almost complete sand dollar, i found a perfect large spiral shell and three huge shells of magnificent color i’m taking to kids in KY.  I think i’ve spoken of this before but i try not to pick up something that i’m not going to keep because i truly feel bad that i would pick something up as wondrous as a shell and throw it back or dismiss it for  not being ‘pretty enough’ - yea, weird i know…it’s like i don’t want to hurt its feelings that its not good enough to keep.  

Okay, and the second thing i may have mentioned this before too, is that it seems that only women collect shells - is this a hunting and gathering layover?    

Only in the last few days after all the cleaning and packing have i realized how it may feel to be retired… sweet.

Oct 16

Pack for home, visit the girls in the office, and say bye to Don and hit the pool for one last dip....

Oct 17

Fly home to KY!  It’s time….i go first to take some time visiting with my Dad and family and Harry will follow in a week.  I will send pics along the way but you guys stay in touch and come see us in KY!  I mean it.

Oct 6  & 7   Boca Grande to Sarasota/Longboat Key, FL (The Moorings at Longboat Key Resort)

Traveling in from Boca Grande i told Harry, ‘go slow - let’s stretch this last day out as long as we can.’  Waters were fine and we were both excited to be traveling back home….

We did it - we're back!!  It was quite a sight to see the Ringling Bridge and entering into the Longboat Key channel...

Jennifer announced A11 and Dave and Pete were on deck to assist.  After settling in we headed to Publix to get our favorite lunch - salad bar and an Italian sub sandwich and some flowers!!

Dick called and we exchanged pleasantries but declined his kind invite to come over for dinner and have a bowl of  Lisa Graves’ vegetable soup.  As usual we were plum tuckered out from the day’s run…and took a rain check - plus, i knew i also had Lisa Graves’ vegetable soup waiting for me in her boat’s freezer…i told her i’d been craving it and she made me some - Dick got his because Jackie was away visiting her brother - Lisa’s always taking good care of us…

Oct 7th Longboat Key

Still awaking with loads to do….Dennis, the harbor master informed us that since the boat was listed on yachtworld.com he had been contacted by three serious ‘lookers’..and two wanted a viewing!  so the days are full of cleaning every speck of the boat and packing bins to take to storage to clear out traveling necessities that were junking up the boat.  

Called all the gang that was here in the marina to invite them over to Finally for cocktail hour.  Stopped cleaning long enough to run back over to Publix and get something to make.  here is a great picture of us all - so many great friends and many that weren’t here that were sorely missed.

Oct 5 La Belle, FL to Boca Grande, FL (Boca Grande Marina)

Today was exciting….rain one minute, sun the next.  Harry went to driving from the fly bridge to driving on the aft deck about 4-5 times.  We went through our last lock (Franklin) and crossed our last big body of waters…..and finally entered Boca Grande.  Just as the dock hands arrived, the heavens opened and downpour ensued…kinda fun actually….maybe not for the dockhands.  Repairs to the marina look complete but we were the only ones here!  a few were having lunch at the restaurant but we were the only boat in a slip.  We quickly learned the island had pretty much shut down…the Gaspirilla Inn was closed, as was the Pink Elephant and every other restaurant except the marina restaurant…you don’t think they were pulling our leg, do you?

had a quick lunch and then will come back and have dinner….and then tomorrow LBK!!  a 49 mile cruise…..

Oct 4  Stuart, FL to Port La Belle in the Okeechobee Waterway..(Port La Belle Motel and Marina)
So now we're in the Okeechobe waterway.... oh my i can recall when we first came through here how frightened i was of this large body of water....today is reportedly 'mildly choppy' due to the affects of the hurricane Joquain perhaps..  but we are now safe within the body of central florida and feel certain the hurricane's affects will not effect (ha) us.

got up to pee and saw this out the window.....

From Stuart you travel through small canals that (through many locks) empties you into 'The Lake' - a huge body of water....then it goes back (through locks) to being a small canal...

along this small canal we found the Port La Belle Motel and Marina...50cents a foot!!!!!!!  This wins the prize as being the least expensive of all stops along the way in a 6 month span.  Thank you Port La Belle - you came in 25 cents less than a previous running marina…  oh, well, i should add that we did not have any electric and no restaurant (even though it was listed in ‘the book’) but it was really a pretty spot….

Oct 3 Melbourne, FL to Stuart, FL (Loggerhead Yacht Club)

sorry, I guess i’m kinda over it and did not take any pictures tonight...

Oct 2  New Smyrna, FL to Melbourne, FL (Melbourne Harbor Marina)

Nice place, wonderful lunch and then returned for dinner - could have had Chart House, but who wants an overpriced chain restaurant when we can have a delightful fresh catch dinner - plus i think Harry had a crush on the waitress…. she was a sweetie…

Oct 1 St Augustine to New Smyrna, FL (New Smyrna Yacht Club)  due to our reciprocal Cortez Yacht Club membership!!!!!  (the only CYC reciprocal that we used)

Very dismal beginning to the day, but look how pretty it was....and then it turned even more gorgeous…..cruised right out of that bad weather and mostly traveled in sunshine all the way to New Smyrna. 

High tide was a challenge as we were pulling in - again no dock hands…i lassoed a piling, then two and then captain Harry came down to help.  we secured the boat, checked in and then went back to the boat, made bloodys and took them to the pool. 

so much fun….played in the pool more than i have in a hundred years..since i was a kid….just could not get enough.  Harry returned to the boat  - said he was going to ‘read some’ which means to me and has always been true, means he’s taking a nap - even if it’s 8:00 o'clock at night!  

Returned to this…ha bless his heat……captain has been working hard.

plans are to eat dinner here at the yacht club and hit the hay early…so we can get on our way early tomorrow.  

happy October!!!