Meanwhile life goes on with the daily projects and some fun activities squeezed in. I'll try to give you an idea of what we've been up to since our last posting.
It was also the Edison Festival of Lights weekend and I got this shot after dark looking towards downtown.
Saturday night is the big parade. People mark off their spots along the route weeks in advance in what they believe is the best viewing area. We on the other hand just walked to the route and found a good place to stand for awhile and watch.
The parade lasted much longer than my attention span and we moved on to other endeavors before it was over.
Having survived the weekend Pam and I thought we'd sneak out for a couple of days so we cast off and went to Glover Bight and tossed out the anchor. We spent a couple of nights on the hook relaxing and riding through the canals of Cape Coral.
W came back in in time to provision Tourist and pick up Kim & Lu at the Punta Gorda airport. Pam decided we should welcome them to Florida with a lobster dinner.
With a good weather window we threw off the lines and took off for Cayo Costa State Park. About half way there we started running in and out of a fog bank rolling in from the Gulf. Fortunately it waited until we got the anchor down in Pelican Bay before socking us in completely.
The next morning (late morning) we dinghied over to the little cove where we usually see manatees. We weren't disappointed. We would go to one side of the lagoon and shut down the motor and drift across. Just like magic the big creatures started coming up for air all around us. Almost prehistoric looking you hope they don't surface under the raft or we'd be swimming!
After a few drifts we aimed for the park docks where we unloaded and walked the 9/10ths of a mile across the island to the beach. We were able to avoid the sea fog which was once again flirting with us.
Once back at Tourist we were enjoying snacks and libations when this seagull showed up. At first he just floated around waiting for a treat to be tossed his way. After he figured out we weren't sharing he jumped up on the dinghy to dry off.
Our third morning we raised anchor and headed for Sanibel Marina and Grandma Dot's restaurant. It was a pleasant ride made so by the fact that there wasn't much boat traffic to contend with. Of course they were dredging the entrance channel to the marina when we arrived making a narrow entrance even narrower. We made it through and were told what slip to occupy while we ate. Pam quickly went to get in line after putting on a display of accuracy by lassoing the piling on her first try with the rope at the bow.
After waiting inline for about 15 minutes she was told by a rather rude hostess that all of the party had to be there or she would not give us a table. Keep in mind that we were no more than fifty feet away and in plain view. With no choice but to come and get us Pam gave up her spot in line. Once we all got back up there we were told we could wait for a table to open or she had 2 tables of 2 which were back to back available. We took them.
The meal was good in a nice setting but dulled by an unimaginative and rude hostess.
From Sanibel it was a short ride to Ft. Myers Beach and the mooring field.
We dinghied ashore and paid for our mooring before heading over to the Trico shrimp docks to check out their selection of seafood.
We selected some fresh tuna steaks which we did on the grill that evening. They were downright tasty!
The next day after morning coffee we ventured ashore for a walk on the beach and for the girls to snoop in the shops. We stopped for lunch at the Cottage and ate looking over the beach and the Gulf.
After the shopping was done we ventured once again to the fish market and picked up some scallops for dinner.
Our final morning at the mooring field started with fog but fortunately it quickly lifted and we were underway by 7:30.
Once back in the Caloosahatchie Pam treated us with biscuits and gravy for breakfast while underway. It doesn't get much better than that!
Upon arrival back at Legacy we were met by Linda Walpole from M/V Tumbleweed. We had seen her husband Floyd back at Cayo Costa when he dinghied over to pick up a coffee carafe from us. (Linda was there too but under the weather). Now together at Legacy I was able to visit with them for a couple of hours. We all first met a few years back when Floyd and I were attending Chapman's School of Seamanship in Stuart, Fl.. We had a great visit and compared past experiences as well as future cruising plans. Unfortunately for this year we're going in different directions. Safe travels Tumbleweed.
That evening we drove over to Cape Coral to have a delicious dinner with mutual friends Jay & Judy Ploessl at their home before Kim & Lu flew out Thursday morning.
It was a short night of sleep before we had to take Kim & Lu to the airport for their reluctant flight back to reality. BTW. It was 3 degrees when they got off the plane in Moline!
Thanks for coming guys. It was great fun!
