21 May 2016 | Snead Island Boat Works, Manatee River
11 April 2016 | Regatta Pointe Marina, Palmetto, FL
17 March 2016 | Regatta Pointe Marina, Palmetto, FL
02 March 2016 | Regatta Pointe Marina, Palmetto, FL
02 March 2016 | Crow's Nest Marina, Venice, FL
21 February 2016 | Ft. Meyers Beach Mooring Field
17 February 2016 | Gulf Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, FL
16 February 2016 | Gulf Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, FL
15 February 2016 | Gulf Harbor Marina, Fort Myers, FL
13 February 2016 | Ft. Meyers Beach Mooring Field
31 January 2016 | Ft. Meyers Beach Mooring Field
25 January 2016 | Burnt Store Marina, FL
21 January 2016 | Platinum Point Yacht Club, Burnt Store Marina, Charlotte Harbor Florida
20 January 2016 | Sarasota Mooring Field
28 December 2015 | Regatta Pointe Marina, Palmetto, FL
16 December 2015 | Regatta Pointe Marina, Palmetto, FL
06 December 2015 | Gulfport Municipal Marina, Gulfport, FL
02 December 2015 | Gulfport Municipal Marina, Gulfport, FL
30 November 2015 | Clearwater Harbor Marina, Clearwater, FL
28 November 2015 | Moorings Marina, Carrabelle, FL
Hiking in Florida
09 January 2011 | St. Augustine Municipal Marina
Jill
Well there was no fishing and no moving to a mooring ball today. We woke up to almost 25 knots of wind almost on the stern. Bud and I were outside at 6 AM moving the dinghy from where it was tied to the dock behind the boat. We put it between the bow of the boat and the dock where it is a bit more protected.
Besides the wind, it really didn't get very warm today. The high was about 52, but with the wind it felt cold. Gary called about 9 to say he didn't think he wanted to put his little fishing boat in the water and we agreed. Not only would the ride be rough, it would be wet, and combined with the cold and wind it didn't sound like fun to any of us.
Gary came over to the boat and we decided to just ride around and take a tour. We went out to look at the inlet; it didn't look like it would be fun to try that today. It might not have been quite as bad as the day we did Cape May Inlet, but then again, once you got out there, it might have been just as bad. Waves don't look as bad from the shore as they do once you're in them.
We continued up the coast and stopped at a place with beach access. We walked out and as soon as we came through the dunes the cold wind hit us. Big pieces of salt foam were being blown up and along the beach. Gary spent about 30 seconds out there and said he would wait for us in the truck. He's seen the beach and this was just too cold. Bud, Fuzzy and I lasted about two minutes longer. Even Fuzzy was happy to head back out of the wind.
Gary had mentioned a park with a trail through some woods. Bud wasn't too interested in that until we tried the beach. Then he said being in the woods might be a good thing. So we went to a conservation area that had trails and hiked back away from the ocean for a mile to a spot along the Intracoastal. It's been years since I hiked in Florida. I used to hike all the time when I lived in Tampa in the early '70's. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the woods here. And I had forgotten how cute the armadillos are. I don't remember seeing this many so close before. We probably saw 6 of them in the two miles we walked. Fuzzy was pretty interested in them. He was heading towards this one when I took the picture; the armadillo was fairly blasé about all of us and just turned and walked off when Fuzzy got too close. They were about a foot apart at one point, but of course I didn't have the camera out then.
We had hoped to go out this evening with Gary and his wife, Karen. But she had to work this weekend and didn't get done early today as she'd hoped. So Bud and I had a nice quiet supper on the boat. We've really enjoyed St. Augustine, but it would have been a lot nicer if it were about 15 degrees warmer.