Thursday, March 31, 2016

THE WAY HOME





This actually was 'a cheeseburger in Paradise'...Key Largo, FL. 










To say things in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale are bigger and nicer is an understatement... 





Our great Canadian friends, the Corrigans, at dinner in Pompano Beach...That's Doug, Agnes, son and grandchildren...We got to visit with them twice in Pompano, and once at their home in Brighton, Ontario...

My cousin Sue and her husband Mike, who we were able to visit with three times on the loop..


We visited with good friends Dave ( I used to work with him at the Police Dept.) and Lori at Jekyll Island...Not pictured are Bob and Carla who are also Jekyll Island residents from home...


An inch and a quarter steel cable we found in Oleta Bay in Sunny Isles, Fl. We were forewarned it might happen, so we had a plan and it actually worked...



 These are our friends from Owego, NY...The photo above is the view from their condo...Our boat is in the bay at the center...The same one where we found the cable...


We anchored with these folks on the way north...From Rhode Island...Truth is they named the boat after a Greek Goddess, and well before the current political situation...If you can see the for sale sign on the railing, it shows that ISIS is alive and well and for sale...
 The small boat in the foreground is an eighty footer...Nuff said?
This was at Thunderbolt Marine in Savannah where we had some maintenance done and visited with some good friends...

 While picking up new fuel hoses, we noticed the Budweiser Clydesdale's being staged...They willingly allowed me a picture with one of the stars of the show...



 This a view of the new Sunset Beach bridge...The old one was a floating swing bridge which was quite unique (and time consuming to open)...

Unfortunately, we saw way too much of this...These boats are just abandoned to rot...

 The famous Pink House on the way to Myrtle Beach...Rumor has it a drug dealer (incarcerated at present ) owns it...
 
To all our friends who are past, present, or future Marines - Parris Island, SC




 

Our greeting party when we arrived home at 1:50 on Wednesday March 23, 2016...


A few statistics:

3 calendar years  2014, 15, and 16
7444.46 Statute miles
15 months on the water
2000 gallons of Diesel fuel
1 Anniversary (32)
2 birthdays
1 new granddaughter
1 first birthday (see above)
3 times being towed
1 time towed another looper
5 tornadoes
1 airplane landing in the surf
1 wedding (son-in Key West)
2 close lightning strikes - toasted two radios
2 cell phones in the drink (both Ralph's)
1 House sold (NY)
1 real grounding ( see above tows)





The long awaited end result...We are so honored and proud to be a member of this exclusive group of people...We have learned so much from so many that we could not begin to thank them all...It changed our lives (for the better) forever...









Too numerous to mention were all the friends we made on our journey...Bless them all...




 The sunset that greeted us when we got home to New Bern, NC...







Wednesday, March 30, 2016

WELCOME TO MARATHON, FLORIDA PARADISE

 Our beautiful granddaughter, Scarlett, came to visit us in Marathon...Of course mom and dad came, too...








Our boat was docked at Blackfin Marina, near the fish cutting table...Consequently, we often had lots of company...





 While we were there, our son and fiance Jessica, got married on Smathers Beach in Key West...What a beautiful day...



 As usual, Scarlet had a great time...
And the sunset at dinner was to die for...





Of course, we had regular visits from the local Manatees looking for stuff we couldn't provide...Any interaction with Manatees could subject you to a 10,000 dollar fine...









 

FLORIDA

Linda had a great day shelling on Sanibel Island. We taxied to the beach, met the curator of the shell museum who gave us great tips, and then walked our butts off (we wish)...There were many more, and nicer, but they were occupied by snails or hermit crabs...As it was, we 'discovered' a few hermit crabs on the counter while cleaning...


While staying at Salty Sam's marina in Ft. Myers Beach, we had many large looper gatherings with old friends and new ones...The happy hour at the restaurant was fantastic, as witnessed by our group...


 Just another case of boat envy heading south from the St. Lucie area...The boats just got bigger and bigger as we headed south...

This is Lighthouse Point Yacht Club, where we stayed in both directions..That's Mazel Tug on the wall, and Linda with a Pelican..I think it was a fake, but we saw so many real ones, I can't promise..


 The Iguanas were all over, but especially on the fender systems that protect all the bridge abutments...
This is Pegasus...We met them in Key Largo and traveled to Marathon, Fl. together...














Chewy took every 
opportunity to ride in the Dingy...If we left a door open, we knew where to find him......




























Wednesday, January 13, 2016

GETTING CLOSER TO CAUGHT UP


This is Ralph after 1 week of No Shave November, a Cancer event..






Whats left of a bridge hit by a runaway barge in the 90's...







This was typical navigating on the Tenn-Tom Waterway...whoever said the shortest distance between two point was a straight line never sailed on the Tenn-Tom...












A couple pics of LULU'S at Gulf Shores, AL...That's Tom and Julie from Sum Escape...Lulu is Jimmie Buffet's sister....Food was great too..







The Wharf at Gulf Shores had a Main Street shopping center that held nightly light shows to music...Good dinners, a movie theater. and light shows filled the evenings...























Living out a fantasy at the Navy Air Museum , Pensacola, FL...






















A little wet crossing the Gulf of Mexico...










Manatees at the St Petersberg Marina...Next to our boat...

Another manatee....


Different view...