February in Florida

Okay, okay, I know I've been bad about keeping you informed of our "adventures". It's just that there has to be an adventure to write about.

We keep hearing this is the coldest winter ever in Florida. It feels like we are to blame for that. After all, what is different this year over all the others? We are here. So it must be our fault. March HAS to be awesome.

Since January, we have taken a couple of dinghy rides. There will be 4 to 6 groups from the harbor and we'll go exploring the canals. Every time we end up at a restaurant for lunch. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? We've anchored out overnight at Ding Darling. That was fun, but windy.

Jeff and Cheri Conniff arrived. It was a good thing they were here for the Super Bowl. The video system the marina people set up to watch the game didn't work. We ended up hooking up Jeff's TV and watching it in the tiki hut. It was so cold that we had gloves, coats, hats, and blankets on. It was kind of like watching a game in Cincinnati.

I am taking a block of the month quilt class here. On the first Saturday of February, I went to the class, and my sewing/embroidery machine broke. I left it there for them to fix. I was told 2 to 3 days unless they have to wait for parts. Today is 15 days and the parts are out of stock. It needs a new motherboard and touch screen. It sounds expensive. I have a lot of projects waiting.

We have a brand new granddaughter. Katherine Elizabeth Sagel was born on Feb. 16. 2010 at 10:13 A.M. and weighed 8 pounds 2.5 ounces to Jeff and Susan Sagel. They called us on Monday, the 15th and said the doctor was going to induce labor at 8:00 P.M. on Monday. We started home at 2:15 P.M. and were at the hospital at 8:00 A.M. We got there 2 hours before Baby Kate was born. She is absolutely beautiful with lots of hair and lovely skin coloring. She was born on Tuesday and came home on Wednesday. They had a little scare and had to take her to Children's hospital on Thursday because she had not gone to the bathroom at all. She lost 8 ounces. They sent her home with formula and now all systems are working fine.

We had a stowaway with us on the trip home. Sue Mayer rode along so she could visit her children and grandchildren. We enjoyed her company. It made the car ride seem to go faster.

It was nice to see all of our family while we were home, but you can keep that snow and cold. Our next trip home will be in April. Jay and Cynthia's baby BOY is due April 4th. If you ask Carolyn and Maria what their new brother's name is going to be, they tell you Pluto. Perhaps this little baby will have a nickname before he's even here.

On Valentine's Day, John's parents, his sister Joan, niece Kim, and Norm and Sue went for a boat ride with us. It was 62 degrees out, but sunny and warm with the canvas down. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. The company, the food, and the scenery was all good.

Before we went home, Charlie and Diann Myers came to visit Norm, Sue, John, and me. We went out to lunch with them. Do you notice a recurring theme here? It was nice to visit with people from home.

Today is another scheduled dinghy ride. Our restaurant destination is Pinchers. We've not been there before, but I'm sure it will be good. Retirement seems to be a lot of eating out.

Sat., Jan. 23, 2010

Finally, the weather is getting warmer. We have happy hour every afternoon at 4:30. We have met some really nice people who have had some interesting boating experiences. Tomorrow morning, Norm and Sue, and John and I are going to Ding Darling to anchor out for a few days. We plan on exploring the area in the dinghy while there.

So far, Jeff and Susan's baby has not made its debut. As soon as we get the word that she's in labor, we will start home. We are looking forward to seeing everyone.

We are eating a lot more fish than normal. It tastes so good when it's so fresh. We had stone crabs a couple of nights ago. They were cold, but good. I also tried mussels. I had tried them in Cincy and did not like them, but this time they were good. Maybe it's my taste buds or maybe it's fresher and tastier.

Today Jeff Conniff called and said he and Norm made the crossing 2 nights ago. Cheri drove the car. They are planning on stopping here at Paradise Preserve to visit when they get this far. My hope is that the baby doesn't come before they get here, or we won't be here.

COLD COLD COLD

Carol and I went back to Cincinnati for the holidays and had a great time visiting family and friends. The grandchildren have gotten so much more "grown up"in the past few months. We got back to Cincinnati on Dec 17th. and spent a week with my parents and the second week with Gina and Jim, Clara and Lindy. Sure wish I had some of Lindy's energy.

It was cold while we were in Cincy. Christmas was a lot of fun since all the grand kids are just at the right age for the wonderment of the season.

We came back to the boat in N. Fort Myers on the !st. of January. It is still cold. Since we have been back the warmest day has started out at mid 40's and got to mid 60's. We have also had a lot of rain. At least we didn't have the 6 inches of snow like in Cincy. This week, the weather is suppose to improve considerably.

We have been watching a lot of football with Paul and Patty. The Cincy teams did as well as usual. We have installed a marine satalite TV system and Dish TV should be out this week to hook us up thier network. It took John a week to mount the satalite reciever (4 hours) and run the cable (5 days) including drilling holes in the boat and fishing cable in the boat.

We did have a nice visit from John's cousin Dave and his mother. Spent a day at the dog track. Carol and I did not win a single race but had a marvelous time. The day before we were going to go out for a boat ride but with 50 degree temps. and 40 MPH winds, we stayed in port and partied on the back deck.

Well, that's all for now from "sunny" Florida.

Nov. 26th through Dec.12th

Hello, it's been awhile, hasn't it? We've been busy getting adjusted to being retired. Paul & Patty, and Norm & Sue have been wonderful guides here in Florida. They have been showing us where the best restaurants and shopping are. They have led us to many Happy Hours, bars, and places to watch the Bengals and U.C. play football. Paul and Patty took us to sing karaoke. I've never done that before and I LOVED IT! (Paul, you've created a monster.) They have introduced us to so many really nice people (their friends). My Christmas sewing is finished, the shopping is finished and the gifts are wrapped. I found a great sewing store and I've signed up for a quilting class. It's a block of the month class. Even though we won't be here through the end of the class, the owner of the shop said she would send me the instructions and designs in the mail each month after we've left here.

We are anxious to see all of our family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009 LAST LEG (for now)

It hadn't rained all night, but shortly before 7:00 A.M., just as we were leaving Royal Palms Marina in Englewood, Florida, it started raining. It rained all day. Fortunately, we were on the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway), mostly a narrow channel, so the crab pots weren't in our path. Since visibility was rather limited, this was a very good thing. We got to our new winter home Paradise Marina in N. Fort Myers, Florida, right around 2:00 P.M. Paul and Patty had driven our van from Cincinnati to N. Fort Myers for us and delivered it within about 15 minutes of our arrival. Thank you, Paul and Patty. It was great to visit with them this afternoon.

It is nice to be here. The weather has been warm enough for shorts only yesterday and today. Now we're ready for some Florida sunshine. We are also happy that we made it just in time for Thanksgiving. The marina is having a community Thanksgiving dinner. The manager is providing the turkey, a ham, and mashed potatoes. Everyone is bringing a side dish. John and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we'll see many of you over the Christmas holiday. 'Til then.......

Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 23 & 24, 2009

C-Quarters was a delightful place to stay. They charged us $35 for each night instead of $42 each night and only $ 2.30 a gallon for diesel fuel. The place is so laid back and there are plenty of places to walk. We had a great time.

Monday at 1:30 P.M. we departed C-Quarters to do the Gulf crossing. Our intention was to go from Carrabelle to Clearwater across the Gulf. We figured it should take 18 hours. The seas were calm and there was little wind. It was cloudy and very dark. That is the strangest feeling, to be out in the middle of a huge body of water and not be able to see anything. If we didn't have a compass or a chart plotter, we probably would have gone in circles all night long. However, we were approaching Clearwater at 5:00 A.M., before it was light outside. We decided that wasn't a good idea to come in close to shore and all of the crab pots in the dark. So, we amended our plan and didn't come in near shore until we got to Venice. We ended up in Englewood at The Royal Palm Marina. We had traveled 26 hours straight. The couples took turns at the helm in three hour shifts. We were soooo lucky to have Norm & Sue along and to have calm seas. The entire experience was grand. We ordered pizza and are planning to go to bed early tonight. We have one more day of running to get to our winter destination, Paradise Marina in N. Fort Myers, Florida.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

We pulled away from the dock at Bay Point Marina at 6:10 A.M. It was cloudy and gray and mild. It was supposed to rain this afternoon, but it's 7:00 P.M. and it hasn't rained yet. We're so glad we decided to travel today. Our goal was to make it to Carabelle and we did. We arrived at C Quarters Marina at 5:35 P.M. just as it was getting dark. (I'm happiest when we arrive a good 1 1/2 hours before it gets dark.) The trip today was mostly narrow rivers except for Apalachicola Bay and St. George Sound. We saw probably two dozen dolphins and a large turtle. It was a long day and nice to have Norm & Sue"s company.

While we would like to cross the Gulf tomorrow, we are supposed to have thunderstorms tonight and the Gulf is supposed to be too rough tomorrow ( 4 to 6 foot waves). Supposedly, on Monday the waves should be 2 to 4 feet. This is the scary part as far as I'm concerned. Driving the boat across the Gulf for 18 hours straight, including the middle of the night and worrying about getting seasick. I've misplaced my sea bands so I guess it will have to be Dramamine to the rescue. My fingers are crossed. I'll let you know how it goes.