We headed back to Florida on Feb 6th to Vero Beach to visit John and Shannon and the boys. Sunday the 8th Conor was Confirmed. We had a great visit and then headed to the boat at Charlotte Harbor on the 9th.
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| Grandma McGuire, Bill, Shannon, Connie, Bishop, Aidan, Conor and John |
There were a few chores we had to do before we set sail for points south. A little problem with the batteries - almost dead. The yard's electrical system needs some upgrading since so many boats are there working with sanders, power tools, etc. Not to mention there was a cold snap and everyone was running a little heater on their boat.
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| We did attend a dinner party on Valentine Day with many of the inhabitants of the yard. The owner is drummer in a band and played at a local restaurant. A good time was had by all! See us in the mirror? |
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| Horatio is growing and always interested in what is going on outside. Here he is watching our neighbor working on his sailboat. |
We left the boat yard in Charlotte Harbor on the 15th of February, heading south, stopped at Cayo Costa State Park again and then on to Fort Myers Beach. Picked up a mooring and called Miranda, our granddaughter. As it turned out, Olivia and friends were coming down for spring break so we had a great time the the girls and their friends. Took them and their boyfriends out to dinner.
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| Turned out we were still having problems with our batteries and ended up going into Salty Sam's marina for some expert advice. Long story,but we were there a week. Not to worry lots of places to visit and have lunch. Here we are at the Parrot Key Carribean Grill. |
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| Kelly's friend Matt lives down here and when Kelly told him we were here he arrived with a case of Yuengling. He shared a grilled shrimp dinner with us. |
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| Our next stop was Naples. Ah Napoli! We thought these houses were a bit over the top - they don't hold a candle to the community known as Port Royal Palm. where some empty lots go for 10,000,000.00. NO, that is NOT a typo!! Hmmm! Must be nice! |
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| Good day! - - - - nope, not ours. Notice the pelicans waiting for the handout when these are cleaned. |
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| This is approaching Marco Island. Also a very affluent un-affordable waterfront. What modest homes that still exist are being bought up, torn down and replaced with impressive over-the-top residences. |
I don't mean to mislead you. There are many places that are available in the interior of the islands of Naples and Marco and the folks are lucky to have them. A school friend of mine, Mark Gabor lives in Naples, He and his wife, Peggy, were gracious host and drove us on a tour of Naples, answered the many questions we had about making the move to living here in Florida.We all met Jon and Kathy Green (another school friend) for dinner then Mark took us to their place before dropping us back at the boat. Their place was beautiful; a two bedroom duplex with screened porch looking out on a nice yard. Large living room, dining area and kitchen. Even a den. Actually, it is something we would like. Hmmm!
While at Marco, Tom and Coletta on Greeks Folly arrived. We cruised with them earlier in our trip and we spent 3 days here catching up on their travels and renewing freindships. They are staying on for their son's wedding and then heading across the Okechobee to the East side of Florida. We may run into them again.
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These replicias of the Nina and the Pinta were harbor at Marco for the weekend. Quite a sight to see. Their next stop will be Vero Beach.
We left Marco on March 2nd for the 90 miles to the Floriida Keys. We stopped at two anchorages on the way and arrived at The Boathouse Marina on Fat Deer Key just at the East end of Marathon. Tom and Coletta gave us the tips on where to find a Marina for the month we wanted to stay. It is a quiet, well appointed Marina tucked in off the Gulf and very protected. We had hoped to find a place at the Boot Key Moorings or Marathon City Marina where most Loopers congregate but there were 27 on the waiting list. This place turned out to be just perfect. and we can stll dinghy, bike or bus down the road to check out the activities or locate other loopers we may know. |
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We were pleasantly surprised to be promptly invited to a dock party when we arrived. It was a Pot Luck, tons of food and folks just brought their chairs and then the music started.
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| See Dad behind the guitarist? I know it's blurry - - but then, they wouldn't stand still!! |
There is a beautiful pool, the bikes are down off the boat, ready for exploring. The weather of course is sunny. We are going to settle into this island life for a little while; try to get a feel for it.
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| The Island Fish Company, restaurant across the street; looking out at the Florida Bay. |
I think we will go to the pool today. . .
