Friends and Fun

So life at Legacy continues. Small items are being checked off the list of things to do while we wait for the weather to warm up a bit. I know that sounds like whining to everyone back home but for Florida, it's been cool.
We had a pleasant surprise last week when Marc & Michelle visited from back home. They were passing through the area and stopped by to say hello and reconnect with some of the boaters they met while doing the Loop a couple years ago. It was great to see them and catch up on some of the hometown happenings.

 Escapee's from the frozen North!

We've also been visited by the Metlife blimp a few times over the past week. Must be spying on us!

Big Brother's Watching!

The marina has been as full as it's ever been since we've been coming here. Somehow Eric the dockmaster squeezed 136 boats into 131 slips the other night including this pair of Krogen Express 52's.

Easy Waters and Joy.

As I stated earlier it has been on the cool side down here as evidenced by the long sleeves and insulated vest being modeled by Bill in the below photo.

 Must be happy hour!

Even the cool can't ruin a good sunset over the Caloosahatchie.

Always a pretty site.

In the line of something different we decided to drive down to Naples and get our Redneck On by checking out the swamp buggy races. It was great fun watching both the buggy's and the people. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Check out the video at the end.

Part of the crew.

Oooey!

Treats!

Spectator rides.

                                     

There was plenty of action in the swamp and behind the grandstands with food and souvenirs as well as one booth dedicated to a Pitbull rescue organization. They had a few nice dogs there who were looking for a new home.

Our day was topped off with dinner at Ichiban's and a visit to the Cigar Bar.

A good end to a fun day.

Tourist Floats Again!

Eight months of not being on the boat has come to an end. That's a longer time away than when we wintered Tourist back home! How'd that happen?

We managed to slip away from home on January 3rd secured in knowing we were making the right decision to head South by the outside temperature reading in the car. -16!

I don't care who you are. That's COLD!

A cold Illinois sunrise.

The cold followed us well into Georgia but then like magic it wasn't cold any longer. At least not by our standards. We arrived at Tourist the morning of the 5th and quickly loaded the contents of the car back onto the boat. That meant for me 5 pair of shorts, a pair of jeans, a few T-shirts, underwear, and a pair of flip-flops. The rest was Pam's and the car was full! I'll never understand why she needs 24 pair of shoes on a boat?

The plan was to head West along the Caloosahatchie to the park at Franklin Lock and get things organized before heading on to Ft. Myers and Legacy Harbour. A good plan almost thwarted by a starboard engine that would barely turn over. No problem. Just hit the cross over switch and start it from the same battery that starts the port engine. Success, and we were on our way!
It was a beautiful day on the waterway with a sunny sky and temps in the low 80's. We were both so thrilled by the weather that we forgot to take any pictures while we cruised along. It was good to be back floating again!
Once we arrived at the campground and got checked in we sat back and soaked in the warmth.

Tourist at Franklin Lock campground/marina.

Our plan was to stay a few days and get the boat cleaned up and take care of a few maintenance items before moving on. Of course as we all know plans change. What initially was a good weather forecast for the next few days changed into cooler temps and strong winds starting the next afternoon and hanging around for awhile. Once again Mother Nature made our travel plans for us. Oh sure we could have stayed put but with a limited amount of food and no place close by for provisions it became a no brainer. Off to Legacy we went getting in a couple of hours before the wind picked up.

Since our arrival Pam has been getting the inside back in order while I've been spending my time in the engine room taking care of the endless list of maintenance items. Some planned for and some not.

I changed the port side exhaust hose which had cracks inside it similar to the starboard side hose that I replaced last year.

Since I had to disassemble the exhaust it was an excellent time to change the sea water impellers.

My workspace between the port engine and fuel tank. The moving pad saves a few bruises.

If I ever go missing this may be a good place to start looking for me.

I've also changed pencil zincs, the A/C sea water pump which crapped out after our arrival at Legacy, new batteries to be installed, and a port hole window to replace which showed up cracked while Pam was cleaning. And the list goes on....

In spite of the project list it's good to be back on Tourist and at Legacy. It's much like coming home reuniting with friends we've made over the past few years and getting back into the "Docktail" routine. Hang on liver!
We were even treated to a great, "gangs all here" dinner at Bill & Mary's condo. Thanks for waiting for us!

We've already experienced Bike Night in downtown Ft. Myers and this week is Music Walk so it's not all work! Then of course there is the occasional stop at the Cigar Bar for people watching. Maybe one of these days we'll take the boat out and try out the anchor. I can't wait!

A couple of morning shots looking over Legacy.