We have arrived at Bradenton Beach anchorage, at last, on Wednesday. It was a beautiful night and morning at DeSoto. Unfortunately, I failed to catch our dinner. No surprise there! As we neared our destination Thursday afternoon, we informed Tom and Maureen on Cantagree that they could take the lead going into this spot as it was Tom's suggestion that we stop here and because of the shallow depths, we did not want to be the first boat to run aground. Of course, if you remember, we've been down that road a few weeks past. They did an excellent job leading the way into a pool of deep water. The only problem was that there were a lot of other boats already there. After motoring around a bit we each found a suitable spot and dropped our anchors. Oh, did I forget to say that we did nudge the bottom once, but Patty skillfully backed us off the bottom?

This is a very attractive area with two or three blocks of shops and restaurants. Patty and I took our dinghy in to a dock, tied up, and then checked out the shopping area. We even found a wonderful ice cream store for a treat.

Before we arrived here, we had talked with Ed and Trude, who live on their boat, Caribbean Wind, at Regatta Pointe in nearby Palmetto. They had joined on with us for the initial trip to Gulfport and Caladesi. They suggested that the four of us join them at the local Moose Lodge for spaghetti night. How could we turn that down as it is just down the street from where we are anchored and is right on the Gulf. Gorgeous setting, but no green flash last night. Yes, under the right conditions, there is a green flash as the sun sets and drops below the horizon.

We are going to stay here Friday. There is a free trolley system that runs up and down the island so we know what we'll be doing. Oh, yes, there is the beach and those shops. Ice cream? Also, a bluegrass band is playing tomorrow night in an outside venue.