Lazy days...

This picture was taken just for Garth and Alison. We believe that a similar plan for your place should be considered. Notice the tiki hut, several slips, a thatched roofed cabana and attached changing room. What do you think? Of course down here they do not worry about the pesky endangered black rail.

This is Cory's favorite piddling tree! No, really- I just wanted you to see what the trunk of a palm tree looks like up close!!!

This purple martin house & cool tree were at our marina back in Clewiston. The birds had a beautiful song and it was a pleasure walking by this tree.

Here is our boat at the funky but friendly marina back in Clewiston. Note how low the water is- our boat should be level with the tiki bar to the left. This is where the gators swam right along our boat all night. I'm glad they weren't TOO friendly!

Easter Sunday - Hi, we’ve been at the same marina since our last post. We decided to spend a third night to relax. We’ve spent the time cleaning the boat, reorganizing, restocking, and relaxing. This is a beautiful marina with a fine restaurant which we have visited twice now. We just finished our Easter meal. I’ve decided that I should come clean about the ride over here. We were supposed to turn off the St. Lucie River onto the Indian River at a nice little place called “Hell’s Gate.” This area is where the St. Lucie River, the Indian River and the Atlantic ocean all meet. We got so engrossed looking at a huge dredging machine that we missed the turn onto the biggest river in Florida. We proceeded right out into the Atlantic Ocean. Linda began to get concerned that we were off course - but I stuck to my guns that we were on the Indian River! It only took about 30 seconds of checking the GPS to determine that I was wrong. Thankfully the inlet was calm as we entered back into the protection of the ICW. Last night, Saturday night, we spent a wonderful evening of drinks and conversation with Wayne and Lana on their boat “Crazy Lady.” They are from Tampa and are on their way to spend 2 months in the Bahamas with their new, hypoallergenic cat (a Siberian Forest Cat) named Chekov. Linda didn’t have any reaction to the cat at all! They left this morning to head across the gulf stream in the next day or so. We wish them easy seas and a tailwind! Their boat is a 37’ Carver and is really setup for cruising - it was as comfortable a boat as we have ever been on. They are a fascinating couple having lived and been all over the world. We also gained much needed advice and knowledge on what is to come for us as we head north. Tomorrow we have a dock slip reserved in Melbourne, FL which is only 43 miles away. We talked about going further today and we’ve decided that, if the weather is good and we can get dockage, we will pass Melbourne and head for
Titusville. That would be an 83 mile day - a good day for us. That would also set us up better for the next leg which is the entry into Mosquito Lagoon - which has a very narrow and lengthy ‘No Wake’ zone - about 10 miles long. Just that 10 miles will take us about 1 ¾ hrs. Then we would stay at New Smyrna Beach. That’s the goal for the next 2 days. Everything depends on the weather. The wind, which has been out of the north, is slowly supposed to change to a southeasterly wind. That will bring more moisture into the picture and there are increasing chances of rain in the next few days. The winds are supposed to be moderate though and a SE wind is great for heading north. Rain - not so good. Tomorrow we leave here by 10am, spring around a piling to get out, get gas and go… Thanks for all the comments it makes us feel much more connected to everyone. Ken
Linda here- what a beautiful sunny day- warm with a slight breeze- Happy Easter, everyone! We learned a new acronym- LOB- “Lost On Boat”- for the many articles that get lost in all the nooks & crannies on boats that we boaters fill with “stuff”!
Cory is still with us-getting used to making the jump from the boat to the dock, and vice-versa! He finds his way back to the boat very easily-this could come in handy as we visit so many different marinas! I don’t know if I told you of the smell of orange blossoms on the way from West to East coast- poor Ken can’t smell them- but I can smell them before we see them! Thank you to Bree for my baseball cap and little flashlight, and to Dave for making the CD’s, and to Barbara & Lanny for my iPod and the beach bag they gave me YEARS ago- I take it to the shower every night. We’re getting spoiled now with wifi right on the boat at this marina!! It’s like opening Christmas presents every time someone leaves a comment or emails us! You guys are great! Pray for good weather for us for our big trip tomorrow! Love to all- Linda