Is there life in a marina?

We're really still alive, just busying about Bradenton while preparing to travel south again after Christmas. There's a new bill before Congress to open Cuba for travel by U.S. citizens, so the Captain is delirious with joy. We brought the car back after the wedding reception, and for the first time since we started cruising we can go anywhere we want (on land) without walking, biking, hitchhiking, imposing on others, or using public transit. Those of you who know the Captain know that he loves grocery stores, so a good bit of our time has been spent visiting Publix, Sweetbay, WalMart, and of course Total Wine. Even though we thoroughly enjoy cruising and managed well without a car, it's fun to be able to explore a little further while we're here. We've checked out beaches, small towns, state parks, and out-of-the-way eateries.

We joined dock neighbors Harry and Melinda (s/v Sea Schell) and their daughter Jenny for a Seven Seas Cruiser's Association breakfast. They did a presentation on their cruise in the Caribbean, along with great anecdotes and beautiful pictures. After the breakfast we went to a demonstration by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where we all set off flares and extinguished a fire. It was good information, since none of us had ever set off a flare (and some of us had never used a fire extinguisher). After the demo, we headed for Tampa to enjoy the Tall Ships, sightseeing, and lunch.

We're also trying to regain some muscle tone after our months of debauchery in Marathon. We're walking several miles each morning, varying our routes to include the bridge over Manatee River, the riverwalk along the river, the brick streets through town, and into Palmetto. We also paddle about in the pool most afternoons, maintaining our reputations as ne'er-do-wells. The marina has begun a water pilates class, which is a hit with the ladies (and we're trying to get the men to participate). There was a gorgeous fireworks display on the 4th, along with a potluck dinner poolside. The marina sponsors a slip-holders reception each month at Mattison's, and they also contributed burgers and dogs to a potluck by the pool. The tiki bar was open at the pool as well. No one objected to having beverages served in or near the water, as the heat is blistering these days.

We spent a day on the beach with dock neighbors Tuck and Kathy (s/v Mariah), along with William and Judy. We walked, swam, lolled about till we got too hot and hungry, then retired to Tuck and Kathy's favorite pub.

There's been yet another Mayberry birthday, so the hat is alive and well (and much appreciated by everyone who saw Kathryn wearing it at Mattison's). The newest addition is Billy Bob teeth, in honor of Kathryn's root canal on her birthday.

The Captain has now turned 62, so for those of you who contribute to Social Security, we truly appreciate it. Since he's been so gently used by the Admiral, he's holding up pretty well for an old geezer.

The Wedding Reception

Jesse and Brittany had a wonderful trip to Macchu Picchu for their wedding, and the reception on June 26 was a well-deserved celebration after all the traveling and planning (and hard work to get time off for the trip). The reception was on Watts Bar Lake at the home of Bryce and Sue, friends for almost 40 years. They were gracious enough to share their huge lawn and great new dock and boathouse for the celebrants. Jesse shared his home brew (in bottles and keg), and the event was catered by Green Life, where he works. We got to meet some of the relatives and friends we hadn't met before, and got to reacquaint with some we hadn't seen in quite a while.

The huge tent was big enough to accommodate all the tables and food for 100 guests (and even a small table for the little ones -- granddaughter Madison and great-niece Samantha). The photo booth (in lieu of a guest book) was a big hit, and will be a great memory lane trip for years to come. There was lots of laughter and fun, a beautiful slide show from the wedding trip to Peru, and lots of catching up for the friends of the bride and groom. When the crowd dwindled to about 10 people, the guys jumped in the lake for an after-party swim. Rumor has it that the parents of the groom didn't come into the house till 5:00 a.m., so it must have been fun! Jesse made it to the passenger seat of the Blazer (see top photo), but didn't make it back out till 9:00 a.m. Sunday.

Trip pictures, wedding pictures and photo booth pictures are at http://web.me.com/greenspacesintern/peru/Our_Photos.html if you want to check them out.

New Palace for Old Friends

Good friends Lee (nicknamed Blender Buoy for being in charge of making the 10:00 a.m. pina coladas on previous charter trips) and Ann (his wonderful and somewhat new bride) have completed their gorgeous new home on Watts Bar Lake. Not only is it a beautiful place, they've got the best view....no exceptions...on Watts Bar. The photos don't do it justice, of course, but it's a meager attempt to share the splendor.

They're happy as puppies (they even kiss while cooking our breakfast), and it's fun to see them enjoying their new home. The shot of corner cabinetry and sinks is the BATHROOM, not a kitchen in a resort!! I highly recommend their B&B, and hope to visit it again soon. We even share some of their storage, since they've been kind enough to keep our photos since we moved on the boat 6 years ago (and they even moved it for us!). We'll use that as an excuse to go back -- we need to visit our pictures.

Distinguished visitors, laughing lunches

We've been busy. Some of these posts are overdue, but certainly deserving of attention because they continue our theme of enjoying our friends (even if we're slow to mention them).

We had a great surprise one morning in mid-June before we headed to Tennessee for the wedding reception. New best friends Bob and Nancy Bishop (m/v Miss NanSea; mentioned and captured on film in the Marathon version of our debauchery) came by the marina for a visit. It's always nice to have visits with people you've met before, but they get special mention because they brought Buffy, their gorgeous yellow kitty. He was very calm on the boat, even though he's used to more spacious accommodations on their trawler. We enjoyed the surprise and hope to catch up with them again soon this summer.

We also got to meet Paul and Gail (s/v Puffin) and Pat (s/v Jade) for a wonderful lunch in St. Pete. As witnessed in the photos, the other patrons of the restaurant weren't quite as active and jocular as we were, but then again we know how to chuckle it up!

Beach babes

Our daughter Julie, her husband Lake, and children Madison and Micah arrived on Serendipity Wednesday night after a looooooong car trip from Georgia. It takes some creativity to sleep 6 people in 36' of sailboat (especially when the quarter berth has been converted into a garage), but it can be done. Since our son-in-law has been a Marine for 15 years and has endured three tours of duty in Iraq, he can sleep anytime and anyplace.....and he chose to sleep in the cockpit. We felt bad about his decision at first, then realized he was the smartest one on the boat. Both grandchildren were sick, and all three nights on the boat were filled with everything but sleep. But the kids were troopers, and everyone still had a good time enjoying Twin Dolphin's pool, a goodbye potluck for some dock neighbors, and the surrounding areas (including the last farmer's market of the season on Saturday morning).

Saturday we headed for a condo in St. Pete to visit for a few days of the week they planned to stay. Thankfully, the kids were feeling better so they could take advantage of the gorgeous, wide white beach and great weather. We dug in the sand, played in the ocean, paddled in the pools, ate too much, watched some gorgeous sunsets, and thoroughly enjoyed the time with family. Lake bought a big canopy on the second day, which made spending all day on the beach much easier (complete with chairs, blanket, towels, coolers). Naps are good with the sound of the surf in the background. Beaches are good under almost any circumstances, but especially when seen through the eyes of a child. Plus, it gives us a great excuse to play (and pretend like we're doing it for them!).

We came back to Serendipity on Wednesday evening, in time to enjoy sushi night at Mattison's, the restaurant at Twin Dolphin. It was hard to say goodbye to them after a good week of visiting and playing, but they're excited about visiting Sesame Street at Busch Gardens on Thursday. We'll be taking vitamins and sleeping for a week or two....

Hey, I TOLD you there'd be grandbaby pictures!

What cruising is really like

We had a fairly short travel day when we left Ft. Myers after refueling, refilling the water tanks, and stalking the pumpout boat till we finally caught him. The trip to Useppa was gorgeous -- sunny warm weather, lightly rolling water, dolphin escorts all during the day, and maybe just the slightest hint of vibration from the engine. We're familiar with that feeling and sound, having experienced it after snagging a crab pot on our first cruise. Yep, another crab pot. We should be called a CPSV (crab pot seeking vessel) for our ability to find crab pots in the middle of the channel, in the middle of the ocean, and even in the ICW. We caught one on our crossing from Key West to Ft. Myers which locked up the engine, but after the Captain was able to get in reverse, it seemed we were clear (and could continue on our roller coaster ride). After arriving at the anchorage in Useppa, the Captain used his hookah to go below and check the propeller. The souvenir from the crab pot he got to cut loose is displayed on deck....we gave it a free ride for a while, but no more!

Useppa is such a good anchorage; we visited Cabbage Key (one of the restaurants claiming to have provided the Cheeseburger in Paradise) for a great lunch and a hilarious otter adventure. When we were leaving in our dinghy, Captain noticed an otter in a runabout at the dock. The little guy was peeping out at us just before he grabbed a plastic bag (we don't know if it was their lunch, a souvenir t-shirt, or garbage but we do know it left with the otter) and slipped over the side. Unfortunately it happened too quickly for a photo op, but it would've been a great picture! We then took a dinghy tour of some of the surrounding islands and found a beach for dinghy cleaning. We'd managed to collect quite a few little barnacles in Ft. Myers, and you can tell which side has been scraped (with an ice scraper, a rare commodity in Florida); now she tows behind us with a happier bottom. Gilligan stopped for refreshment after the three hour tour to the small beach, then we watched a gorgeous sunset on our last night in the anchorage.

We left Useppa and headed north to anchor in Englewood, but couldn't reach any locals to check the depth of the anchorage. We decided to keep moving, and ended up at Fisherman's Wharf. It was a nice marina, but it turns out the manager we spoke with when we made reservations was the manager of the restaurant. He assured us a 6' draft was fine (that's always the first question we ask). When we got through the bridge and headed for the dock, we ended up in 5'4" of water (and the tide wasn't due in for over an hour) -- stuck. Conversation with the manager would have been funny if the Captain hadn't had steam coming out of his ears. When the Admiral mentioned (again) the 6' draft, the manager said "sure, we get 100 ft. boats in here" (red flag), then we asked as we came in whether to rig for a port or starboard tie and had to explain what that meant (HUGE red flag). Good news is that some huge boats came by and rocked us enough to get us off the shoal, and we made it to a dock in deeper water (and the first air conditioning we'd had in two weeks).

We cruised north on the ICW again, passing some gorgeous homes (go ahead and pick your favorites; we like to do our Christmas shopping early). Sarasota is impressive, and as we entered the beautiful Sarasota Bay, we got a greeting from the birds singing "Ebony and Ivory" on a small island. The ICW was very active, with some huge boats, some smaller (but high-powered) medium-sized boats, and a smaller canoe of guys on a family outing. It was a good trip, and we ended up within 2 miles of Bradenton, getting the anchor down just after sunset.

Monday was a short trip to Twin Dolphin (about 30 minutes), and we're now backed in, plugged up, and have been to Publix and done the laundry. Thanks to all the guys for helping us in (sailboats don't back up well, especially with strong current and some wind). We had a cookout by the pool with old and new friends, and are now awaiting our daughter, her husband, and the grandbabies!

Ft. Myers was fun.....and we're outta here

We said goodbye to new best friends John and Elizabeth (s/v Dunteri) with a sundowner at Matanzas Pass on Sunday evening, waved goodbye to William and Judy Tuesday morning as they headed north, and waved hello to not-so-new best friends Bill and Charlotte on Wednesday morning as they arrived on Omega. We spent Wednesday afternoon and evening doing a modified pub crawl with Bill and Charlotte, using the last of the freebie and two-fer coupons we collected around town and at the Taste of the Beach festival Sunday afternoon. Since the Captain is known for his.....frugality, Bill and Charlotte cheerfully display the Wicked Wings coupon after a walk on the beach. The evening was complete after we got to hear Steve and Laurie (Laurie Star Duo) at Nemos. They're long-time favorites, and we always look for them in Ft. Myers. The gentleman at the bar is obviously pondering life's mysteries while enjoying the music.

We'll miss Ft. Myers, but are excited about spending the next few days anchoring out, walking on beaches, cleaning the dinghy and boat bottoms, enjoying sunsets, collecting shells, cooking on the grill, and not being near any commercial establishments. Hard as it may be to believe after reading our blogs from the Keys and Ft. Myers (our liver transplant phase), our pleasure in cruising is doing just those things, and it will be nice to begin again. We're headed north to Bradenton, where we'll be joined by our daughter and son-in-law and two grandbabies for a visit. There will definitely be some grandbaby photos soon!