Whirlwind Trip Home

With Tourist in a shambles from the fresh water leak we prepared for our drive home. The weather forecast got worse as our departure day approached, So much so that we delayed leaving by one day to avoid the crud that was supposed to hit northern Georgia & Tennessee.

Our goal was to be home sometime Tuesday so we could be available on Wednesday morning for Franklin's surgery. (Tonsils & adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears).
Monday morning came and we were on our way. First stop....the Pilot truck stop in Punta Gorda for coffee then back on the road! The weather for the first few hours was foggy but it finally lifted once we were north of Tampa. Traffic wasn't bad and we made good time getting through Atlanta before rush hour. Likewise we made it through Chattanooga and Nashville without much hassle. We arrived in Clarksville, Tn. before the sun went down.

Once in the room I switched on the weather channel to find that dreaded "wintry mix" was forecast for central to northern Illinois for the next day. Right where we're headed! At least they have snowplows and salt trucks up north.

Tuesday we were on the road early again traveling in a light mist but above freezing temps. Fortunately that was the story of the day. We never saw below freezing temperatures so the mist remained just that with no ice on the road. We arrived home around 4 pm, 1400 miles later.

This is what we saw upon our arrival. Snow.

That evening Franklin & Ellie came to visit with Ellie spending the night. Of course she ended up between Pam & I sometime during the night.

One of the first things is GramPam has to get on the floor so the kids can run down the hall into her arms. Franklin is pretty gentle but Ellie is like a bulldozer often almost knocking Pam over.

We managed to corral the two munchkins for a picture.

Franklin's surgery went well and he came back to our house for a couple of days of rest and quiet.

Zonked after the surgery.

By day two he was still pretty tired but able to play with the I-Pad on low volume.

Pam enjoyed being the caregiver but in the process got sick herself for a few days.

By Saturday Franklin went home. Pam rested. And I drove down to Addam's new house with my parents' to help him move in. Most of his belongings had been stored in those POD's and the big stuff like the appliances were already installed so the moving wasn't that bad. Still, I don't like moving!
There are still several items to complete but none that prevented them from moving in.

The snow covers one big item left to complete. The landscaping!

While we were home our hometown of Galena made national news because of a train derailment along the Burlington Northern tracks that run along the back waters of the Mississippi. Roughly 20 tank cars carrying crude oil derailed with a couple of them exploding sending oil onto the ground and flames into the air. Fortunately no one was hurt and none of the oil made it to the water. The response teams were at the scene in no time. The scene was secured and the remaining spilled oil was left to burn out.

Flames and smoke from the derailment.

A major focal point once Franklin was on the road to recovery was the celebration of Ellie's 3rd birthday. If you've met Ellie you would know that just one birthday celebration isn't enough! We had a low key party at the local Happy Joe's Pizza restaurant on the evening of her birthday complete with the horn blowing and singing of happy birthday by the staff.

That was followed by a full blown party at our house on Saturday with cake and presents!

The cake with that little rat Minnie on it.

A few of the revelers.

Time to open presents.

The tiara says it all!

The party was a success and the Princess went home with quite a haul.

After the party Pam & I got the house back in shape with time to spare before Mike & Nancy arrived. We were all invited to Kim & Lu's for dinner but thought it would be best if Mike and Nancy had an escort since as Badger fans they would be entering into the enemy Iowa Hawkeye territory.

The trip was a success with plenty of food and drink for all and a toast to St. Paddy to boot!



Are we happy or what?

 

The trip home was a whirlwind for sure. Weather wise we went from -5 and -11 the first couple of nights to highs in the 50's by the time we left. We were kept busy by family and friends and even stopped at the car dealership on our drive back to Florida to get a new key fob to replace the one that got wet in our boat flood.

 

We arrived back in Ft. Myers to 80 degree temps and sunshine.  Now to figure out where or what to do for the Spring and Summer.







Not Again!

The day Kim & Lu flew home the forecast was for temps to be pushing 80. Where was the warmth when they were here? Anyway they made it safely home to single digit temperatures.

For Pam & I it was get ready for the dinghy poker run. We launched the dinghy, filled it with gas and pulled the cord. After a couple of pulls it fired. Things are looking good considering it had not been run since Kentucky Lake.
We went to the pre run meeting toting our pfd's, vhf radio, and whistles to prove to the organizers that we were in compliance with the safety regulations. We received our instructions and then waited for the starting signal to take off. I never really heard the signal but several of the dinghy's took off so we followed suit. Bru & Sandy (M/V Coconuts) went with us in our dink so we had a load but not more than what our 25 could handle. Two of the stops were across the river so we thought we'd knock them off first. Once we were out of the no wake area I hit the throttle expecting the boat to get up on plane with perhaps a little weight shifting. Guess again. We never got to the point that we had to shift our weight. The motor just choked and sputtered as I gave it the gas. Back to a fast idle speed and continue on across the river.

We made it eventually after being humiliated by faster 15 hp dinghy's that had passed us. And the good news is that we picked up our first token without anyone getting wet along the way. Back underway we made it to the 2nd stop and decided to stop for a drink and an appetizer. Good idea. Big mistake. While we were stopped the wind picked up and our ride back across wasn't so dry. We managed to get around to all the other stops and make it back in time to check in.

Our poker hands were checked and for awhile we had the highest hand. We then had a kind of potluck dinner followed by a duck race that Pam & I participated in and would have won except for a pfd malfunction. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Pam going head to head with our competition. The idea was to blow the plastic duck from one end to the other then switch the pfd over to your partner and then they blow the duck back to the starting line. The pfd must also be buckled or you would be disqualified. Our problem came during the pfd exchange or we would have had it!

With the temps forecast to be near 80 for the next few days I was able to twist Pam's arm and get her to put off the laundry and go out on the hook for a couple of nights. We went to one of our favorite spots, Glover Bight. Others must have had the same idea because by nightfall there were 8 other boats anchored around us.

Tuesday we woke to a nice bright sunny day which lasted about an hour before the sea fog rolled in and it never quite left for the rest of the day keeping temps around 69. I changed the spark plugs in the dinghy motor and then we fired it up and went in to Rumrunner's for lunch before exploring the canals in the area. Somewhat chilled we cut our exploration short and returned to Tourist to warm up. I never got to open up the dinghy and test it since the surrounding area is all no wake.

Rumrunner's

 A nice 55 Fleming sharing our anchorage.

For a little while we have been noticing two distinct sounds on Tourist that kept occurring at all times of the day and night. One was one of the toilet pumps running as though it had been flushed, and the other was the water pump cycling on and off without any faucets being opened.

While we travelled back to Legacy I went through a mental checklist of what could be wrong in each case. For the head I determined it was probably the duckbill valves that needed replacing. I kept thinking that until once at the dock I was able to crawl in to where the pump is located and find that the bellows was leaking causing a pressure drop. New bellows ordered!

As for the water pump, well we had the same symptoms back in Ky. Lake when we had a water leak. But we have been checking the compartments that had been flooded then and they were dry. That is until again back at the dock we opened the floor and presto. Water again! Further investigation revealed that the same tubing was leaking once more. Uff Da!

Maybe I'll just get some goldfish!

This repair should be easy. All the hardware stores carry pex tubing. Right? Right. But not in metric sizes. I need 15 mm tubing and everywhere I looked had half inch. Close but no cigar!
Knowing that I have the proper size back home and that we were headed home in a few days I plugged the line and decided to end my frustration with the local vendors and get what I needed at home.

Before we left for our trip home a group of us got together to have dinner one evening at The Roadhouse Café and listen to Lynn Richardson sing. Lynn is the wife of Legacy Harbormaster Eric and has a wonderful smoky voice. As always the food was very good and the entertainment equally good. (www.roadhousecafefl.com)

Roadhouse Gang.

Sensory Overlaod

We had a few days between visitors which gave Pam the opportunity to sneak out with the girls for lunch.

No names to protect those who may be wanted by the law!

Who said anything about shopping?

Later in the week we ventured back to the airport to pick up Kim & Lu who had flown down to escape the cooler weather of the North.

Famished from their no frills flight our first stop was at the 3 Fisherman restaurant.

As is usually the case when we get together mayhem ensues.

I know it's down here someplace.

Unfortunately the Florida weather has been cooler than normal this winter keeping us in the dock most of the time. Good for keeping the diesel cost down but not so good for getting a tan.
Since we couldn't get away from the dock we decided to drive up to Venice to visit mutual friends Diane & Denny from back home who were testing the retired life in Florida by renting a condo for a couple of months. I'd say they have adapted quite well since Denny was still on the golf course when  we arrived. We had a great time visiting and catching up culminated by dinner at a local haunt along the ICW which was very good.

Can you tell it was cold!


The cool weather almost numbed our brains into forgetting about Valentine's Day but the guys came through with roses and cards for our valentine's.

Proof!

On Sunday we piled into the car and drove over to Miami for the boat show. There are actually 2 shows at once. The Yacht & Brokerage Show held along Collins Ave. and the Miami Boat Show which is held in the Convention Center and at a couple of marinas in Miami. The show lasts 5 days but we opted to only spend 2. Day one we spent at the Brokerage Show. The pictures don't begin to convey the size of the show and the variety of boats on display.

We walked our legs off from one end of the show to the other and back again and still didn't see half of the boats on display. Even returning to the car and sitting in traffic on Collins was a relief while we crept south to our hotel.

We stayed at a place around 14th St. called The South Beach Plaza. A clean boutique style hotel with a small bar and no frills rooms. The location was the best part midway between the Convention Center and the zaniness of South Beach.

South Beach Plaza Hotel.

 

 

That evening we managed to get a table for 4 at Grillfish which had just turned the group in front of us away. Dinner was delicious and the service equally good. (www.grillfish.com)

 

 

Monday dawned and we were off to the convention center for more fiberglass sniffing. On the walk up we passed the Jackie Gleason Theater located next to the center.

Jackie Gleason Theater at the Fillmore.

 

The show at the convention center contains just about anything related to boating. So many exhibits that it spills outside under tents that cover the parking lot. Once again we walked all day and only scratched the surface.

 

 

Kim best described our 2 days at the show by calling it "sensory overload". There's no doubt your head is spinning by the time you're done.

 

For me the most rewarding feature of the show was finding out that I could get our Steiner binoculars repaired free of charge. We've had them for over 15 years and they still work perfectly however the casing is deteriorating and needs replacing.

 

Monday evening we met Rick & Sarah (M/V Private Affair) at The Clevelander (www.clevelander.com) on Ocean Drive for cocktails. It was a bit brisk which kept the crowd down at this popular watering hole.

 

The Clevelander

 

Later we strolled down Ocean Drive all the while being pestered as we passed each restaurant to come in because theirs was the best food on all of South Beach. Finally we settled on a spot that turned out to be adequate at best and the most expensive gin & tonic I've ever had at $18.95!

After dinner we moved on to Mango's, a nightclub styled after the clubs of Havana complete with Latin music and dancers. (www.mango'stropicalcafe.com)

 

The pro's.

 

The wannabee's.

 

By Tuesday morning we were all ready to get out of Dodge. But not before having breakfast at a place called 1957 Havana. (www.havana1957.com)

 

You can't beat Cuban Coffee with friends!

 

As we rolled out of town we passed many of the restored buildings and Dodge Island where the cruise ships dock.

 

South Beach.

 

Dodge Island.

 

Before long we were spotting alligators along the highway on our way back to Tourist.

 

The weather was still breezy and cool the next day so we took a ride out to Pine Island and Woody's for lunch with a stop at Matlacha for ice cream.

 

Someone had a blue margarita for lunch.

 

Finally on Saturday we were able to take Tourist out for a day cruise but not before having a maple bacon donut from Bennett's across the street from Legacy.

 

Tasty!

 

 Saturday evening was the annual Edison Festival of Light parade that snakes it's way through Ft. Myers. We didn't make the parade but we had a great view of the fireworks display.

 

Just like the 4th of July!

 

We had a great time while Kim & Lu were here in spite of not spending as much time away from the dock as we would normally like.