December 16-31, 2016 Back to Jacksonville and on to Ft. Pierce

We said a hurried goodbye to the Hagens and left about 8:15 just as Jen next door was walking Jonah to the bus.  Had a short conversation with them and then left, stopping at the Kwik Trip in Johnson Creek as usual.

Cold when we left, in the teens.  By the time we were in Southern Illinois it was in the low 30’s.  In Paducah it was 41.  Ahhh …  and no snow. 

We checked in to the La Quinta which is superb!  Walked the dog who was enthusiastic with the mild temperatures and then tried the Outback Steakhouse where Mary was eagerly anticipating getting the 15% AARP discount.  Alas, it was way to busy so we had a quiet meal along with the other old folks at Bob Evans.  It was pretty good actually.

A dog down the hallway here in the doggy wing of the hotel started barking which got Bubbie up so Mary woke up and took her out for a full complement of dog duties which were successful.  We had breakfast at the hotel (free of course) and then packed and were on the road to Macon, Georgia before 9:30.

The temperatures went from a balmy 67 to mid thirties as we hit Nashville (surprisingly minimal traffic).  Then through Atalanta (horrible traffic) it went back up to high 60’s.  In Macon it was 68 when we got there.

The cold front is supposed to sink below Macon but not into Florida which means we should be basking in 60 degree weather tomorrow.

The hotel in Macon (off I-475) is also pretty nice.  It’s older but has been refurbished.   Actually all the La Quinta Inns we have stayed at are very nice and worth visiting again.

Tomorrow we have less the 300 miles to go to reach Huckins in Jacksonville.

We made a leisurely exit around 9:30 this morning.  We overslept and missed the hotel breakfast so it was another McDonald's sausage-egg McMuffin for us.

Uneventful drive.  We’ve driven I-75 a few dozens of times through the years.  Nothing really new.  Even I-10 was, well, familiar.

We exited at Cassert Avenue and pulled into Huckins.  Jerry the watchman greeted us and recognized me.  Not Mary though.  Our boat was in the basin backed in along one of the piers.

It sparkled where we had it waxed (hull).  The superstructure though … we’ll have to do that ourselves.  But it really needs to be painted.  Another large expense down the road.

The interior was pristine!   Only issues were the engine room lights which were left on and the start batteries were left paralleled to the house battery bank.   Otherwise everything was fine.  It looked like a new boat.

All ready to leave

New exhaust hose and new shaft tube below it

 We left the dog aboard and took Mary to the Minute Clinic at the closeby CVS where it was pronounced that she had a sinus infection.  But the NP didn’t want to prescribe anything.   Mary, I guess insisted, so she got some pills.

Next we went to Publix for a few necessary items and then back to the boat where I emptied the car and lugged it all back aboard.

We don’t have a water hookup so are using onboard water which I can replenish when necessary until we leave.

The new windows are all in but there are a few things left to do with that.  Tomorrow we talk with the guys and see what they did.  Meanwhile I went off for a walk around the river and then hit the Chinese food place for dinner.

I couldn’t get the internet working so we watched a football game and then some Donna Reed shows before going to bed.

Turned cooler overnight so we slept pretty well.  Mary is still sick though.  We took the dog out for a walk and then stopped in the office to see Patti and Tricia.  Good news... sorta.  The yard bill is less than what I was dreading.  But its still substantial.

Later I fiddled with the internet and finally got it working although it's like molasses.

Then, I went off to do some shopping while Mary napped.  I went to the Walmart we have visited several times before.  Disappointing.  Very crowded and not much of a selection left on the shelves.

I got a few things and escaped before traffic became too congested.  Once back aboard I took the new water hose I had purchased and hooked it up to the existing 60 foot water hose so we could get dockside water aboard.  

Then went off on a walk between rain showers.  After, I went over to Publix for dinner fixings and, as we expected, failed to get a Netflix connection.  So it was Donna Reed again tonight.   The media receiver keeps asking us to upgrade the firmware but the connection here is so rotten it never even starts.

The canvas guys will be here tomorrow I guess to finish the job.  We take the car back Wednesday and then plan to try and dock at Jacksonville Landing for a few days so Mary can get her Xmas fix in.

We, well Mary, hung festive lights on the sundeck.  We are beginning to look Holidayish.  They look quite good with the freshly waxed hull. 

Temps are plunging ito the 40’s tonight so I took out the extra blanket… for the dog J

Greg's birthday is today.  

And its cold out there today.   Not like in Wisconsin but in the mid 40's with north wind.  

I checked out the starter on the starboard engine and there was no indication of bad electrical connections, and the amp draw looks normal too.  So I ordered a new starter and they will install it tomorrow.  I can't squeeze in there to get at the bolts.  Well, I probably could but I'd pay a hefty price trying to walk the next day.

Mike, the canvas guy came today while we were gone and installed the snap doodads on the forward windows so we can open them without having to roll them up.

But we noticed the port side window which they replaced had a zipper that was separating.  They also have our hatch cover and were going to make another one for us to replace the one that blew off in the hurricane a few months ago.

We went to a different, and closer Walmart and stocked up.  A good place in comparison to the Walmart out by the airport.

Lots of laundry 

Then we took the majority of the laundry over to a laundromat and started those loads.  While Mary watched and read, I vacuumed out the rather filthy car and discovered some grandchildren debris.  And toys.

Superhero's in our car!

When I got back to the laundromat the power went out briefly but luckily we had everything dry by then.

Back to the boat and fed the dog.  Then we walked over to Panera to eat.  A quick stop at Publix for Xmas goodies for the boatyard guys and their Xmas party and then went to walk the dog.  It's cold (48).   And damp.  Just downright unpleasant.

Tomorrow morning they get the starter in and we talk with the canvas guy.  We might yet leave by Thursday.  The rest of the week is forecast to have 10-15 mph winds from the north.  Ugh …

Eventful Day.  I returned the rental car and failed to find a artificial grass mat for the dog to pee on when we can't go ashore.  The pee mat idea is in use by countless boaters with dogs so we figure to give it a try.  If,  I can find a grass mat.

Justin came aboard and installed a starter, something I certainly can do but not on the starboard engine which requires contortions I’m incapable of these days.  He's young and skinny.  And bendable.  He got it in and then Randy came back to get the old starter as a core replacement bringing the cost down.  Randy is the parts guy here who made the suggestion I ask Tricia for a "Captains Purchase" authorization.  I'm unclear as to what that really means, but it saved us a couple of hundred dollars.

Mike the canvas guy was here to finish up everything he had to do.  New windows are nice and he does really good work!  

The yard guys came by and washed the boat much to my surprise.  So now it's squeaky clean.

We leave on Friday.  Going to change the oil in the main engines tomorrow and the transmissions.  Its easier to do here because they have an old oil tank in the yard which I can use to dump the old oil.

Looks to be marginally mild the next few days with temps in the low 70 and high 60’s.  But in the low 50’s at night so when we are anchored it won't be toasty warm.  But on the positive side, it won't be stifling hot either so we should be able to sleep petty well.

Oil Change day, today.  Well, for the Cummins.  The generator has another 100 hours before I have to change its oil.  And the transmissions have another 300 hours before they need new oil.

It took four hours as usual, and 9+ gallons of oil.

Mary walked to Publix for a few last things and I took a last run because we’ll be anchord out for the next few days.

We paid our yard bill which was less than I thought, but still huge!

We grilled tonight and are planning on leaving around 9 if the RR bridge is open.  The anchorage is only 22 miles east of here, a 3 hour cruise for us.  Jacksonville Landing has damage to its docks from the hurricane and much of the dock is closed.   So we are bypassing it and anchoring on the east side of Blount Island.

I filled the water tanks tonight and sure enough the bilge pump was cycling on and off again which pretty much verifies we have a water tank leak.  I think its leaking from the clean out port on the bottom most tank. 

We have three water tanks arranged in a line from stern to bow.  The big tank under our bed drains into the smaller tanks.  When the big tank is full the pressure seems to be squeezing out water in the lower tank which has the inspection plate.  If that’s the actual leak, then it should be a relatively easy fix, although time consuming.  So our water capacity is closer to 250 gallons now, not the 300 when all the tanks are full and not leaking.

Departures can be exciting sometimes.  Just like today.   I was up early and took all the garbage and recycling out and said good bye to various people while Mary took the dog for a walk.

I got all the water hoses in and cut over the water system, then started the engines.  We shifted the electrical load and then started up the Nav computer.  But it went into the blue screen of death, A Windows event indicating the machine cannot start up.  It took several retires before I just gave up and brought up my tablet.

We untied all the lines but it was so calm (luckily) so we didn’t move far from the dock.  When I tried to push the port engine into Forward I rally had to push on it.  The control cable was binding on something.  So we quickly re-tied a few lines and I tried shifting a few times from the lower station and it was fine.   So instead of delaying any longer we cast off and went down the Ortega River to the St. Johns with a balky shifter and no functional Nav computer 

Jacksonville Landing.  Normally the dock would be full

We passed by Jacksonville Landing where we originally had planned to stay and confirmed the docks were mostly closed and you could see damage to them.

As luck would have it, we were catching the tail end of an ebb tidal current which pushed us along an 9 mph.  And we only had 21 miles to go.  We'd be anchored for lunch at this rate.

We went by a few ships, one a yacht carrier, and anchored around 12:30.  The sun peeked out briefly otherwise it was cloudy and brisk, but not really chilly.

Yacht carrier

We eventually got the dinghy dinghy down and it needed some prodding before it would start and stay running.  We got the dog in and rode to where there was a boat launch ramp where we could dock and let the dog out.  Nice big dock.

Launch ramp and the dock that doesn't connect to shore

We took a little ride so I could get the battery charged up as we watched a big, but odd looking ship leave the Blount Island restricted docks right behind where we anchored.

Us anchored and some odd government ship making its way out the River

We returned and after a few hours tried to feed the dog but she wouldn’t eat.  We got the dinghy going again and took her to the launch ramp where I let Mary and the dog off on the nice big dock.  Several seconds later Mary shouted there was no dock!  Huh??

As it turns out the nice big dock had no connecting segment to land.  It was just a big floating dock connected to nothing.

So I turned around and picked them up on the dock to no-where and then squeezed the dingy in the gap between the dock and a pier which was attached to the shore.  The current was running probably 4 mph.

It took a little pushing and lifting but Mary and the dog eventually managed to get out of the dinghy and start the walk.  The dog seemed unfazed by all the fuss.  But will she poop?

While they walked I took the dinghy out for a short joy ride to keep charging up the battery.

I eventually saw them coming back to the dock so got the dinghy back in the gap between the two docks.  Everyone piled in and we returned to the boat.

Wind is dying down so it should be a peaceful, if cool night.  We have 55 miles to go tomorrow so its going to be an early morning.  55 degrees … great weather for a boat ride especially with a dog who’s fondness for cool weather knows no bounds.  Right ....

Socked in with heavy fog this morning.  I waited until about 8AM before rousing the sleepers, and we made it to the launch ramp dock in the thick fog.

 We couldn't even see the bridge so I just went in the general direction towards the bridge from what I remembered last night.  The launch ramp is close enough to the bridge to make it a good landmark.  But we also had a gps map plotter.

They got out, and I held the dinghy to the pier and the dog did her thing.  It was a quick trip back to the boat.   We waited a few minutes watching the fog slowly begin to recede but we still could see the main river 1/2 mile away.  But I started up the engines  and hauled the dinghy aboard.

Next we hauled up the anchor but it was so foggy I still couldn’t see the River so had the radar on.  I’d forgotten how good this Furuno radar is, even though its old.  It was picking up buoys as targets making it pretty easy to run visually blind.  We just followed the chart plotter and radar exiting the anchorage into the St. Johns.

On the ICW we finally visually spotted  the first bridge!

In the river we couldn't see much past the bow.  Then, as we made the turn to enter the ICW from the River, the fog began to burn off much more quickly but we could still just barely make out the first bridge 1/2 mile away.

After a few more minutes we had a much more comfortable, albeit slow, trip fighting the strong current, to Ponte Vedra Beach were the ebbing tide began to flow towards St. Augustine, taking us with it.  Its interesting to see these mid points where a tidal flow, flowing in or out, will flow towards the nearest sea inlet.  It can be advantageous in some cases and a large drag in others.  Just depends where you are.

Ponte Vedra Beach borders the ICW for several miles.  Palatial homes, swimming pools and go fast boats on lifts.  Even a friendly wave from a few residents.  What was surprising was the absence of Xmas decorations facing the ICW.

A rare Xmas decoration sighting

Only a few out of 200 hundred homes lining the waterway, had any decorations out.   And the decorations I did see were mostly on the less ostentatious homes.

Once we were within 5 miles of St. Augustine the tide began flowing in and we were once again fighting the current but as soon as we made the turn into the inlet we were doing 9+ mph.  Nice.

No one in the anchorage as we made the turn to enter

As we neared Matanzas the push from the current dropped off and so did my concern about finding room to anchor here.  It’s a great spot.  And on this particular night, devoid of any boats I could see as we made the tricky turn to enter..

As Mary pointed out, "it's Xmas eve.  Who would be out?”. Turns out she was right.  Not another boat anywhere.  We had the place to ourselves.

We anchored in the swift current with 100 feet of chain and a snubber, then took the dinghy down to take the dog to shore.

Anchored near the Fort

The fort here has a nice dock with four signs stating that the dock is for Park Service personnel only.  “No Private Docking”.   We seem to have trouble reading these days.  I let Mary off and she and the dog wedged themselves through the gate and onto land. 

Trespassers! 

10 minutes later I picked them up.

Back to the boat and a Xmas drink under the festive glare of battery powered lights gaily strung around the sundeck with imagined ooo's and ahhh's from the more Xmas orientated creatures prowling the shoreline.

Festive lights!

Tomorrow we go to a resort marina which Mary has been trying to arrange by cajoling the dock master there.  Or Palm Coast Marina across the way which is just a marina, not a resort.  We’ll see how all this turns out.

Calm beautiful night

Meanwhile I lost the cover to the electrical connection for the dinghy davit.  Fell out of my pocket.  And the binding shift cable still escapes my attempts to fix it. 

The entire night we remain all alone in the anchorage.  It was dead calm, a perfect night.  The tide was on its ebb cycle when we woke up so we had to rush a little to get the dog ashore and back.   We were rushing because  I find it much less risky to go through this stretch of ICW facing the inlet at a higher tide level.  The shoals here move around and can make grounding a real possibility.

Once back aboard  we started the engines and got the dinghy hauled up and then the anchor which took some time to break out.  The current really had dug it in.

The entrance to the Matanzas anchorage can be a little tricky since there is a large, shallow area so I usually try and leave with, at minimum, a mid level tide.   We made it out just fine.

The port shifter continues to be difficult and I’m leery of it simply breaking at some point which would leave us with one engine, probably at an inopportune time.  We also still have that odd water inflow in the bilge.  So tomorrow we’ll check the stuffing boxes on the steering shafts.  I tested the water (a taste test) from the bilge outflow and it was slightly salty which reveals nothing since the water here is brackish and I can't discern the salinity level.  But it does cast suspicion on water ingress from those stuffing boxes.  Or maybe the boxes and the water tank.  Ugh ….

We’ll also fiddle with the shift cable tomorrow too.

Meanwhile we traversed the 9 miles in about 1.5 hours (fighting the tidal current) and pulled into the the Marina at Hammock Beach Resort.  Suzanne and her husband Bob were on the dock so we pulled in and side tied.  Interestingly enough I re-discovered that I could move the boat sideways to port in an opposing current by having the rudder hard over to port, and backing on the starboard shaft.  I discovered this when we were in a lock on the Illinois river a few years ago.  And now, with the starboard rudder blade straight, its very easy to do.

That's us, the small boat on the right

After we tied up, Mary bolted up to the lounge (the marina is part of a resort and has lots of resort type facilities) with the dog while I got the lines straightened out and hooked up our electrical.

They had a little party going with free food and drinks up there.  Mary ate.  The dog got loved up by everyone there.

I walked up 20 minutes later and had a bloody mary and sat with Mary who was talking with Clyde and Mary who are here for several months.  Clyde is a nuclear plant electrician who is semi retired and accepts jobs every so often.  Fun talking with them.

The dog was getting fidgety so I left, taking her with me and of course she pooped on some expensive looking plant thing.  That necessitated me getting a few doggy poop bags to pick it up lest we befoul the pristine grounds.  Ugh …

Mary came back soon after and then she and the dog took a nap.  I went out to explore the resort.  Turns out the resort proper is 2.99 miles away.  Surrounding the marina is a bunch of gated neighborhoods with their golf courses and pools.  And beach access.

 A nice guard at one of the gates gave me a brief rundown of the area.  Basically it's all private property 3 miles down the road which leads to the resort area.    

Being cooped up on the boat for a few days I decided to walk to the resort.  Nice walking trail.  The resort has 7 or 8 pools, and beach access, and a pool bar and some restaurants ranging from bar food to one with table cloths and high end dining.

The pools were quite the sight. Large, and with an accompaniment of myriad number of toys like slides, tubes, water jets etc.  The hot tub is immense.

Walking path between the resort and the marina

The indoor pool

One of the outdoor pools

I took a few pictures to share with Mary and the kids since this seems to be a potential 2017 family Xmas destination.  The paved bike/walking trail between the resort and the marina is really nice.  And they do have a shuttle that runs between the two.

We ate dinner aboard, and went to bed early after noting three boats with Xmas decorations and lights far, far better than our paltry battery powered lights.

We sort of had a lazy day.  I did some chart work to layout our stopping points between here and Ft. Pierce.  There is a cold front coming through Thursday night.  We would normally just anchor in a protected spot but we have the dog now and need a place to get to shore.  With a strong cold wind stirring up wind and spray one acquires a strong desire not to take the dinghy out especially with an old dog.  So instead, we are staying at Loggerhead in Vero Beach Thursday night.  If the weather is really bad we may stay another night. 

We also don’t have a slip at Harbortown Marina where we have been included in a New Years Eve party, a murder mystery thing.  Our characters in this thing are humorous.  I’m an eccentric New Orleans Jazz musician and Mary is a hotsy totsy dancer or singer.  We need to dig up some suitable costumes and I have to find a Saxophone.  

Mary spent a few hours in a phone call with a financial planner while I finished up the chart work.  Then took the creaky bike, and I do mean that in the literal sense, to the Publix near the resort area.   Ironically it’s the same Publix I biked to from the marina at Marineland last year.  Quite a surprise.

While I was gone Mary took a shuttle to see the resort area and then we met back at the boat.   Mary did some laundry and I fiddled with the generator starter, cleaning up the wires in a vain hope of solving the balky starting problem.  If one starter dies why not two?  I fear it's in the stars

Marina Lounge

We sat around up at the fashionable and comfy lounge, had a glass of wine before eating and taking the dog out.  The internet here is robust enough to let us watch NetFlix.  And that means Frazier episodes. 

Early to bed tonight because we have to be ready to leave by 9AM before the winds picks up.  And I still have to fill the water tanks.

Marina's outdoor pool.  

Speaking of water tanks, I'm sure now that there is a leak in the top of the last tank.  I checked the steering stuffing boxes and they weep a little water which is what they are supposed to do.  But the water tank cleanout port seems to be weeping water too which it isn't supposed to do.

Tomorrow we anchor at Rockhouse Creek near New Smyrna.

Left the dock before 9AM.  Wind was calm and the current minimal so turning the boat around was easy enough.  Only issue was the fog.  It was thick in some places and thinner in others but on average we had maybe ¼ mile visibility at best.  So I ran with the radar on almost all the way to Rockhouse.

We had to have two bridges open,  Knox Memorial and Main Street bridge in Daytona.

Rockhouse Creek was occupied by two sailboats so we squeezed in between them and should be just fine here except for the depths.

The anchorage at Rockhouse Creek is to the left somewhere

We are showing only a foot or so of water below us we we may indeed bottom out later when the tide begins running out.

Still very foggy here and cool.  The ballyhood 76 degrees never materialized.  It’s a noticeable 65.

Walking up the boat launch ramp

We ran the dog over to the local launch ramp.  In the fog.  Later while we were watching a Frazier episode the fog began to lift slight.  Still hard to see much pass a nearby sailboat though.

Speaking of Frazier, I finally have a 5ghz wifi booster working with our router.  I can use my phone to grab an internet connection and have it shared on the local network we have here on board.   Thus Netflix is available through our media player.  Nice!  Except of course the data costs on our cell phone data plan which is 10Gigs.

Very calm tonight.  In fact dead calm.  Not even a ripple.  Lovely nights, these

The morning dingy run for the dog was back through thick fog again.   But it wasn’t nearly as dense as last night.  Lots of fisherman this morning at the launch ramp.

Foggy morning.  Our boat is anchored somewhere in the distance

Back at the boat we started up the engines, brought the dinghy up and lifted anchor before 9AM again.  As we left the anchorage the fog descended out of nowhere making visibility less than 100 yards.  Fun negotiating the twisty channel at New Symrna with no visibility.

I was 50 yards from the first bridge before we saw it.  Radar though had it 2 miles away.

Soon though the fog lifted and it was a warm sunny day all the way up through Mosquito Lagoon and past Titusville to Cocoa. 

As we passed through Haulover Canal, there were a few Manatees.  And lots of boat traffic.

All those people must not like Mary who waved at them.

In the canal there is sort of an open viewing spot and there were at least a hundred people there looking out at the canal.  Mary was on the bow and enthusiastically waved to them.    Not one waved back.

We anchored ½ mile south of the bridge in Cocoa in relatively calm winds out of the east.  Winds are supposed to turn more westerly tomorrow as the cold front approaches.

When the dinghy was down we all clamored in and rode the mile over to the Cocoa City free docks.  Nice setup there in a park and next to a launch ramp.  There are several docks but they are meant for smaller boats but our dinghy was just fine.

The city, although we didn't venture far into it, has the appearance of a typical beach town with bars and surf shops.  Seems like a good place to spend a few days.

At the free docks.  We are anchored about mile in the distance

Cocoa the town.  Well, one edge of it anyway

The dog walk, walkway.  I guess since it seems to be used that way

Walking in the large park I stopped to talk with a guy who had two Newfs, big hairy lovable dogs weighing in at 120 lbs each.  They love attention and the one nearly bowled me over in his excitement.  Funny.

He was originally from up north but decided to move to Cocoa permanently.  I asked about the dogs and the summer down here and he replied by pointing to the hair.  "They shed.  Alot!"

I wanted to hang around and watch him squeeze into a car with the dogs but we had to get back.

It was dead calm night and the wind was just beginning to pick up to zephyr speed when we took the dog to the Cocoa city free dock in the morning.  I should point out that Cocoa, and Cocoa Beach are two distinct cities.  We are in Cocoa.

Once back at the boat we hauled the dinghy aboard, raised the anchor (we needed to wash it down a bit this time) and headed out onto the ICW following a sailboat.

It was a hot day with the sun and high humidity reminiscent of the summer we spent here in the south.

Nothing much to break the monotony except as we approached Melbourne and points south the boat traffic noticeably picked up.   Most every boat except Kailua  ( a sailboat we passed!), was going far faster than we were.  

We eventually made it here to the marina and had to back the boat in. We usually try to avoid this maneuver because I have a hard time seeing where the boat is with respect to the dock.  But we did just fine.

Loggerhead at Vero Beach

I filled up the water tanks and connected everything (water and electric) and we were set.  Had to run the AC units though because it was hot.  The winds were beginning to shift more westerly and will eventually shift around through NW and to the north, forecast to blow in excess of 20mph.  That will pretty much pin us to the dock but I have a few tricks so I think we can get out of this smallish slip even in that kind of wind.

The slip allows us maybe 1/2 a foot of room on either side.  And we stick out a bit too.  The little finger pier is about 15 feet long which means we can just get off the boat using the side entrances.

The dog had three walks today and pooped all three times.  Now doesn’t that just make your day?  Sheez …

A cool morning.  Well, 55 and breezy.  I was expecting 55 and windy but the 20mph winds were probably blowing out on the ICW.  In the marina basin it was just gusty with strong winds.  But only occasionally.

We got up walked the dog and I disconnected water and electrical and started up the navigation stuff.  I had removed a few token lines earlier noting that the wind wasn’t nearly as bad and there was no strain on them.

Started up the engines and our friendly neighbor offered to help (after I asked him).  I never did get his name but know he is still working in Annapolis and they are here for a few months before he has to go back.  Normally he works from the boat.

We managed to slew our way out of the slip because the wind, increasing the frequency of heavy gusts, kept pushing us around.  But we made it out and turn into the channel leading out to the ICW.  From that vantage point we could see how rough it was.

But we have a big boat and didn’t really notice.  And the wind was directly on our stern.  I set the autopilot and let it steer the 19 miles to Ft. Pierce only twice having to manually steer through a bridge and maneuver around to avoid a passing boats large wake.

We came in to Harbortown and Brent and Susan were waiting for us along with a dock hand.

We got a bow line on and I backed down and slowly into the dock.  Done!

Tied up at Harbortown

Brent and I talked for a bit while Mary hauled out the dog and went to pay and then visit Liz and Steve.

I followed along with Brent after securing the boat.

We returned and did a few things and began to get ready for the fish fry tonight.  And cocktails.  Me thinks we have just hopped on the party merry-go-round again.

We went out to dinner at the VFW fish fry.  We drove with Steve and Liz.  Bev, Em, Bob, Lynette met us there.  After, we went to tour the Heathcote Botanical Gardens where there are some really cool Bonsai trees and lots of colored lights.  Festive.

Well fed botanical garden visitors posing for a picture 

But it was cold!!  58 degrees… Wimps.  We were all in jackets!

New Years Eve.  I’ve got some bug or other and actually took a nap today!  Liz stopped by and I guess we are having a cocktail party tonight.

I walked to the store and then had to return for Tonic Water.  So at least I got a few miles of walking in, but I’m so listless it seems like it's 10PM and bedtime.

Everyone arrived around 5:30 and it was like old times when we hosted more parties aboard than I can remember.

Charlie, a kid fishing on the dock a ways down from us came running up just before we had to leave and said he had hooked a pelican with his fishing line.  Steve and I went down to help and end ended up just cutting the line below the leader.  The pelican, much to young Charlie’s relief, flew off.

Then we went to Capones for dinner with Steve and liz.  We all met there and enjoyed a 3 hour dinner. 

We weren't the largest group here either.  Probably the loudest though.

I think we may have been the boisterous ones .  The food was ok for some, really bad for others as evidenced by Steve who mentioned that his and Liz’s lobster was pretty bad.  The waitress offered them two free desserts.

We had a wonderful time, laughing all the time much ,I think, to the consternation of a few other patrons.

We drove back with Steve and Liz and I went right to bed.  And no, we didn't sty up for the new year.  Heck we've seen enough of them come and go.  Besides we couldn't physically stay awake.  In fact no one in the groups stayed up.  Bob almost made it but conked out 15 minutes before midnight.

And my cold/flu thing lingers on... Ugh