2002 - 4/17 - 4/29 - Ft Myers to the Keys

                                                                   Naples skyline at sunset
The Gulf is always so unpredictable as I’ve experienced its wrath many times in the past. I wasn’t looking forward to cruising it for the next 100 miles or so. Wayne put the booms out (no fish) ‘just in case’. Once past the rain, it became very calm and flat. This is one of those “good news/bad news” deals. Remember the saying “the calm before the storm”? Well, believe it. We had a light supper at 7pm while it was calm and light out. I took the first watch at 10pm.  It was a gorgeous night. Stars shining - relatively flat seas - oldies playing on the radio - glass of wine and I wasn’t cold. Ahhhh... I think it was about 10 or 11 when the wind kicked up to 15-20 knots - waves went from a mild chop to 2-4 footers, all on our beam. I started by putting a towel around me but finally had to get my windbreaker with the hood & towel over my legs. The wind was howling which made it even scarier in the dark. No problem, I can do this. From Naples to Marco I must have seen at least 50 fishing boats anchored in a line about 9 miles off to our starboard. I love to fish too, but not that badly. The Ft Myers to Key West Ferryboat was all lit up and passed about a mile on the starboard side, but other than that, it was a quiet watch. I let Wayne sleep past the 4-hour shift time & he woke on his own about 1am. I was really glad to see him but he chastised me saying I'm not supposed to go past the 4 hr shift. (I thought I was being nice) We reviewed the course & way points - chatted a little. I couldn’t wait to crawl under the blanket as I was chilled to the bone, damp & tired. Thursday, April 18th Well, no trip is without a certain amount of problems - and we’ve had our share. Of course, we’ve been luckier than most. First, we didn’t have any major problems like some people we know and, second, “my captain”, can fix almost anything. We were almost to Key West when the engine would occasionally loose RPMs, slow a bit, then speed up. He activated the fuel primer pump. But then the engine slowed down & eventually stopped. We were about 10-12 miles out from Key West in 35 feet of water. We could see land - we were so close & so very tired. Wayne went below then looked up to me with a strange look on his face. He said, “I’m just thinking...& trying not to panic”... Panic !?? I didn’t feel the least bit panicky until he said that! Me panic? Never! Not me, the person with the ever positive attitude. Wayne began his usual mental evaluation of the problem starting with worst case scenario first, as usual. I decided to be brave & offer calming, reassuring statements like “I’m sure it’s something silly & simple”. He put the Danforth anchor down so we wouldn’t get sea sick on top of everything else. He disappeared into the engine room. Could find nothing obvious. Nothing - Nada. Decided it could be a small, 10% chance that the secondary fuel filters were clogged. He changed them with my help, I was the “gofer”. We both smelled of diesel by the time we were done &,  miraculously, managed not to make a mess. Started the engine & took a few minutes to work the air out, but she was purring like a kitten again. We were on our way after about two hours. Arrived with anchor down at 2:30.  I didn’t know if I should be excited about being home or that we finally stopped! We were exhausted. Napped for an hour. I called Frank & he agreed to drive me home so I could get the VW. Of course, the NY connection (Dick, Tom & Shirley)  was still in Summerland so, after checking the house to see how well it held up after our friends were there & see how the cleaning person did, I visited, listen to all the gossip then bid them farewell. It was one long day. I
                                                            Peace at last - Key West sunset

arrived back on the boat at 10pm & right to bed! Friday, April 19th . Lazy morning. Ah… the peace and tranquility at anchor. Interrupted by a call from the boat broker in Ft Myers. The owner of the dingy counter offered at $1800. Pretty sure we’ll take it but how the hell will we get it home? Maybe we should have waited in Ft Myers another day? Oh well, we’ll figure it out. About 2:00, I went to Tim’s office to finish up the refinance application for the house. Wayne and Molly went to West Marine - he just can’t stay away, it’s like a candy store for him! Later we rendezvoused at Chili's with the gang from the Hospital  - the going-away party for Meredith was well underway already. (for some reason, I can't find the pics of that party ??) Round of Margaritas - quick!.. so we can catch up. (2-4-1 all day. I like this place.) It was a good night and got lots of pictures. Made arrangements for the gang to go on a day cruise on Sunday. We stopped at Capt.’s Run-A-Ground for a bite to eat. It was good to see the restaurant floating

again as it had sunk before we left. Seems like it sinks every couple years – but they were back in business and had even turned the situation into an opportunity - the owner, Captain Harvey, painted it this time. Saturday, April 20th  Real lazy this morning…not up until 10! (Boy, will I miss this.) Meredith was sorry, but she had to bow out of Sunday's cruise as she had too much to do for her move. Then everyone cancelled – shame, we were looking forward to showing off BLUE MAX. Wayne waxed the wood…I cleaned Wayne’s ears. Now that’s excitement!! Sunday, April 21st to Sunday April 29th Decided to stay anchored in Key West. I returned to work on the 22nd and I sure had my work cut out for me. What was I thinking when I told them to hold stuff until I got back?!! The indigent care claims alone filled a large box. OK, I can do this but it wasn’t the same or as much fun without Meredith there. Luckily, both my scheduled meetings with the county administrators were cancelled for that week. Got my nails done on Tuesday – I certainly am a challenge for Anah. The plan was to head home the following Friday & I would drive home after work. Wayne always does an engine room inspection before starting the engine. (he calls it “checking the fluids.”) This time he discovered water in the transmission. This was definitely not a good sign! He called me at work with the bad news. He went into a rage thinking the worst as usual, & figured he’d have to replace the entire transmission!! Whoa – wait a minute... how did we get from a teeny bit of water in the transmission to a several thousand dollar transmission job?? He finally calmed down & examined the problem. How long had the condition existed? Did it ingest the water while under way or seep in while anchored in Key West? So many questions…not enough time. Yea…so what do I know… I said, “can’t you just get rid of the bad stuff and replace it?” That got him thinking. The only way the water could get in was from the cooler so he replaced the cooler and flushed the transmission until no water was visible. All told, it took about 9 gallons of oil and all day to perform this onerous task. We had to dispose of the contaminated oil and we only had a 6-gallon container on board. This necessitated multiple trips back and forth in the dinghy to get new oil and get rid of the old. Finally, he was confident (I should say, fairly confident -don’t forget he’s ‘the worst case scenario’ kinda guy) that there was no more water in the transmission fluid but he didn’t know if the transmission had already been damaged before he discovered the problem. He decided to take a chance and head back to Summerland on Monday…”what’s the worst that can happen?” I said. Monday April 29th Thankfully, it was a nice day, hardly any wind. I was relieved to get the call that BLUE MAX was anchored in Niles channel & got there on her own power. Wayne and Molly kept a watchful eye on the transmission temperature since any damage that may have been caused would result in slipping clutches and heat build-up. The temperature gauge remained normal all the way home. Dodged another bullet!! Another problem solved by my clever & ingenious Capitán!! (or so I let him think) He tide her up at the house with the high tide the next morning without a hitch.
                                                                 Sunset at Mallory Square

? ? ? ? Next Adventure ? ? ? ?

Stay tuned

Sunset at home



2002 - 4/13 - 4/17 - Ft Myers

4/13 Headed south down the ICW to Ft. Myers. We both wanted to tour the Edison-Ford homes but it was getting late. We would have to get a slip at the municipal marina, stay over two nights and still didn’t know if the museum would be open on
                                                             Ft Myer's Anchorage

Sunday. Decided to anchor at Ft. Myers beach. Quiet night. Sunday, April 14th Ft. Myers Beach Beautiful morning. Dinghied to the pass with my net, pole, bucket, tackle box & , of course, Molly. Incoming tide so I managed to net a bunch of the good bait. However, by the time we got out into the pass, it was slacking off and fish not biting. On the distant shore, we saw cars on the beach so went to check it out. Bunche Beach, states park. Dirty, icky beach. A far cry from the Bahamas! We stopped one more time to fish on our way back. Reeled in a trout but

too small. (his lucky day) One more cast...WAM a keeper! Again, fresh fish for dinner. Cleaned up, showered, changed and onward to the famous Reggae Night at the Bridge. Stopped at Bonita Bills first - a “Dockside-like” open bar - no music. The place was jumping & the same band playing as last year. My first taste of the new malt beers, Bacardi Silver and I’m hooked. Ran into a few people from Gregg & Jo’s crowd as well. Danced a bit with Wayne & a few strangers. (Literally, strange) Fun evening. Monday, April 15th Same beautiful weather. We were just deciding what to do when Gregg called. We met at Bonita Bill’s for lunch & & had another Bacardi Silver. Gregg & Wayne went ‘shopping’ at West Marine, I hiked it over the Matanzas Bridge to the beach side. And a hike it was but what a view. Explored the shops - same shit, different town. Stopped at Jimmy B’s cuz I heard great music. Cute little beach bar snuggled between                         BLUE MAX in the middle of all the sailboats

two motels. A DJ was playing on the deck, the bar was in the shade benefiting from the sea breezes & I just vegged. Wayne was back on the boat & was going to take a nap. Shame, he would have enjoyed the place. Coctails & dinner. Programmed the TV & you’ll never guess...I finally got to see Aly McBeal- two hours worth…ahhh…what a night. We were undecided what to do or where to go. It seemed like time was getting short all of a sudden. We still had so much we wanted to do. Decided to go back up the Caloosahatchee to downtown Ft Myers so we could tour the Edison-Ford homes. We were unsure if we would have time to travel, dock and still catch a tour. Arrived at the city docks about 1pm, they had a slip for us, Wayne expertly backed BLUE MAX into the dock, tied up, registered, walked a mile or two
                                                       

and still managed to arrive in time for the 3:00 tour. Whew! I lived about 20 miles away for over 10 years & never visited this lovely place. (isn’t that always the way?) We did the whole sha-bang, homes, gardens, lab & museum. This is a picture of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. Edison was

born in 1847, died 1931. Ford was born in 1863, died 1947. In 1885 Edison started spending his winters in Ft Myers. Their friendship grew until Mr. Ford was able to purchase the adjoining property.
                                                                              Edison's home

                                                                       Edison's Lab
Edison’s first wife, Mary, had 3 children but she died when she was only 29 years old. Two years later, he met and married Mina Miller. They also had 3 children. The only survivors are from his daughter so the Edison name has ended. The 14 acres is a
                                              Beautiful Orchid was just hanging in the path

botanical wonder. Words and pictures can’t describe its beauty. He has plants from all over the world but the most amazing is the Banyan tree. The tree is native to India, was given to him by a friend & when planted in 1925, it was only 4 ft tall. Today, the circumference is over 400 ft., the largest in this country. It could be larger but because of surrounding buildings they keep it trimmed. I’m so glad Wayne wanted to come here as I learned so many things about this genius who had virtually no formal schooling. This is his 1917 Ford “woody”.
They ‘kicked’ us out at 5:30. We wound up at a rooftop open cafe, which overlooked the Caloosahatchee River. They didn’t have the Bacardi Silver so I settled for the new Skyy Ice. YUM! They had an interesting happy hour. If you won the coin toss, the drink was free. Wayne paid, I won the first round - he won the second. Rain showers but we stayed dry. Had wings, salsa and dip. Home by 10. A bit chilly, I put on a sweatshirt and walked the docks looking at all the boats. We found a used dingy, all fiberglass, called a Jolly Boat. Pretty slick and just the right size too. Wednesday, April 17th We were undecided how we wanted to get back home (the Keys, that is). We both wanted to attend Meredith’s going away party at Chili’s on Friday night & I wanted to get my car. After much discussion, we decided to go for it & do an overnight to Key West. (I hate overnights, but, ya gotta do what ya gotta do) Wayne made a bunch of calls about current prices for various dinghies and also spoke with the original builder of the Jolly boat. Mel agreed to come see the old dinghy & give an estimate as a possible trade in on a new Jolly boat. After learning about the new boats and a list price of $3395, (which did not include tax, delivery and some optional items we wanted) Wayne made an offer of $1500 on the used dingy we saw the night before. Mel arrived checked the boat & found the possible source of the leak of our dinghy. He returned to repair the leak & got the base price of a new Jolly Boat down to $3195. (However, not enough to buy a new one) We also picked his brain about construction and different options so Wayne would be able to add these options himself. Burke, the salesman, stopped by to say that the owner of the used boat had not yet returned his call. Shame, we could have towed it back with us thus eliminating the aggravation and cost to pick it up later. Shoved off at 2:30, I was at the helm. With Wayne’s help, I got her out of the slip & on our way without a hitch. It was nice to not have to tend to the lines & put them all away. I like having a deck hand! We were met with intermittent rain showers along the Caloosahatchee. Just our luck that some were rather heavy just as we were navigating some tight, tricky areas. Took us a little over two hours to reach the Sanibel bridge & we still had about 20 hours to go!

2002 - 4/8 - 4/13 - Sarasota to Cayo Costa

Ca d' Zan taken thru binoculars

Monday, April 8^th Still windy, chop in the bay. Didn’t see any signs at Ca d’ Zan - to say we couldn’t tie up the dingy - so we did. This was Ringling’s palatial home on the bay. Walked around the home but was disappointed as it was closed due to renovations in progress.- “Will open to the public April 27”. Just our luck, but we peeked in every window possible.

Magnificent! We then wandered around the gardens toward the circus building & discovered the Banyan Cafe. How amazing...a restaurant & we hadn’t had lunch yet. I couldn’t believe we were going to eat out again. Charming, & peaceful atmosphere. We had ½ carafe red wine. I got a luscious three-cheese quiche with fresh fruit and Wayne, a tuna sandwich & black bean soup.

BLUE MAX anchored outside Ringling

Nice break in the day & it had just started for us. A $6 admission fee covered the self-tours of the circus exhibits and the enormous art gallery.

Very interesting history & old displays. Emmett Kelly’s clothes, props, restored wagons and lion cages just to name a few of the memorabilia. There was a wonderful scale model of a circus tent replete with multiple show rings. A different act in each ring, high wire and trapeze, lion tamer, dancing bears & an audience. There was also a replica of the animal tent. My camera couldn’t do it justice. We didn’t have much time left to see everything in the art museum but it was quite extraordinary. We couldn’t begin to estimate its’ worth - he left everything to the State of Florida! We were the last people out as they locked up. Returned to the dinghy & an employee, probably a security guard, said, “so this is your boat”. We confessed. He went on and on about how we were the only ones to ever visit the museum from the water; how unsafe the dock is & that they don’t have insurance for this area....”We should proceed at our own risk”, he said.  I said, “every day I wake up I proceed at my own risk”. Anchor up at 6pm & towed the dingy to downtown Sarasota near Marina Jack’s Marina. Only took an hour so & easy as it was still light. (love day light savings time) There was another Albin 43 anchored. My memory banks kicked in & remembered that Dan & Laurie Stone left for their two-week vacation on Sunday - sure enough, it was them. They invited us over for cocktails & we 'girls' made a quick decision not to cook & have dinner at Marina Jacks. Another enjoyable evening even though the boys talked boats & toilets (aka-the head) all night. Tuesday, April 9th Lazy morning. (so what else is new....this is soooooo great!) When approaching the beach at O’Leary’s bar we saw some guy waving his arms as if to tell us we can’t beach the dinghy. What the h__ _? What kind of welcome is this? There were tons of dinghies on the beach. Good grief, it was Dan! Didn’t recognize him so laid back & informal with a baseball cap on. Sat & chatted for awhile until Dan decided he wanted to take a nap. We headed for town with Molly. Bank of America employees were very kind & permitted me to receive & send a fax, even call Key West. We were still in search for photo quality glossy paper & a grocery store. No luck. Wandered down Main St. which was full of shops including a liquor store where I purchased a much needed bottle of Carlo Rossi red wine. Here it was $11, at home I get it for $7.49. At exactly 5pm we discovered a really great pet store and at exactly 5pm, they closed. The story of this whole trip! I was still searching for a sun visor for Molly and Wayne owes her a new bed because he put her bed on the deck as we were leaving Treasure Island and, woosh! The wind took it away. Poor Molly, she has no where to go when we tell her to “get on your couch” while we’re eating. Returned to the park/beach area where Molly was overwhelmed by the water bucket for dogs. She almost fell in and still didn’t get a drink. We ‘rested’ with a beer & wine (like we had a hectic day!) while listening to a guitarist play Jimmy Buffet & Molly tried to beg food from a neighboring table. Nice day. Wednesday, April 10th  Can’t believe the trip is almost over, yet, it seems it has been a long time. I keep checking the calendar to see if I miss calculated the weeks. Decided to go ‘outside’ even though it was a bit windy & choppy. Carefully navigated through the Sarasota Pass, a little tricky, but well marked. Took us 7 ¼ hours (10:00 - 5:15) The wind abated a bit as the day progressed. Dan hailed us on the VHF about an hour from the Boca Grande Pass. They had just anchored at Cayo Costa. We invited them for dinner. I started cleaning the boat & prepare a pasta dinner. We were out of almost everything fresh. Laurie brought salad & rolls to make garlic bread. Lovely evening that ended about 11pm. Thursday, April 11th We seem to wake up  about 8:30 ?? Another beautiful day in paradise. Took my coffee outside, looked down and there were hundreds of baitfish all around the boat! I quickly got my net & managed to land a few. They look like pilchards. Could I be this lucky?? I’m in the fishing capital of the world and I’ve got a steady supply of baitfish at my doorstep. They expired quickly in the bucket. (oh, to have a live well right now) Called Laurie and she was excited about going fishing. I picked her up and off to the beach to get more baitfish. Unfortunately, I was unable to lift the motor up so poor Laurie held the dingy out so the motor wouldn’t bang on the bottom while I went in search for bait. I was all over but no good bait to be found. I reluctantly settled for another type of baitfish I don’t prefer but it was better than nothing. In the meantime, two guys from Michigan came to our ‘rescue’ & managed to raise the dingy motor. Thanks, but too late, we were ready to move on. We decided to drift - I caught a small Jack. OK! At least it wasn’t the dreaded Catfish. We tried everything and moved all over the area - nothing! We decided, however, it was really great to get off the boat, have some space of our own & not have to talk about or listen to the wisdom of which toilet to use on a boat. With our tails between our legs, we returned to SLOW DANCE only to find both guys already there. Dan whipped up a Margarita for me, beer for Wayne and yummy hot dogs. It was already 4:30 - I guess that was dinner. Thick clouds around us but it only  drizzled for a short time. Wanted it to be enough to wash down the boat & Laurie wanted to see if her new awnings would be sufficient. Wayne & I played scrabble until 11pm. It was probably the

most difficult game we’ve ever played and the score was neck in neck. Wayne finally won a game.(They'll be no living with him now!) Friday, April 12^th Sunny morning. Plans to go ashore but Wayne got carried away with trying to figure our how to make a CD label. After many hours, he made two, one for the Bahamas trip to give to Dan, and one for Maptech. It was now 3pm!! By the time he delivered the CD to Dan and helped him figure out what was wrong with his inverter, he returned to get me at 4:00. We did a
                                                                         Eagle in flight
quick, cursory tour of Cayo Costa Park & took the dink into a narrow channel to watch some manatees play. It was tough to get pictures. We were back on the boat by 5:00. It was a tense day to say the least. A squall came through. (kinda like our day together) Only good thing is that it washed the boat. Saturday, April 13^th I was awake most of the night in & out of the bathroom. My mind wouldn’t shut off. Unusual for me. Opened some hatches and windows, took a Bentyl. Finally fell asleep but have no idea what time it was. I woke up about 9am but still very tired. Finally got comfortable without back and butt pain & finally fell asleep. Was wakened by the toilet flushing, not once, but twice. Then Wayne started puttzing around on the aft deck which, by the way, is directly over the bed. It was almost 10:00, & even though I didn’t appreciate the way in which I was aroused, it was time to get up. Poured myself some coffee & he was putting the dinghy on the boat. Guess we were leaving. Would have been nice to be consulted about the plans. (can you tell how cranky I am?) Said our good byes to Dan & Laurie who decided to stay & fish...said I gave them the fishing bug. Good for them!!

2002 - 4/3 - 4/7 - Tampa to Sarasota

Wednesday, April 3rd Overcast, stormy looking. Radio said 50% chance of rain and storms. You could see a squall line coming in over the Tampa skyline. Sure enough, hard rain, gusty winds and lightening. After the storm it gently rained all day. Amazingly, this is the first rain on the entire trip! Very cozy in

the boat & a welcomed change. Putted around all day. Ordered another part for the failed $1200 toilet. Worked on the computer and enjoyed looking like a slob! And, of course, we had pizza for dinner. April 4th No rain - the UPS man arrived with the new part - good sign. After several more calls and finally speaking to a real person who repairs these blasted things for a living, (bet he’s busy) the toilet is finally fixed! On our way out, Wayne heard the water pump running so he shut it down before we departed. Now what’s wrong! We’ll deal with it on our return. To town with, you guessed it, Molly. I didn’t realize that Tampa General was on Davis Islands. We took the waterside route & got a grand tour of the backside workings of the hospital. It appears they spared the original building & built around it. Brought back memories because it looked amazingly like the old Frankford Hospital where I trained. Long walk to town. Some people told us there were shops along the waterfront & near the aquarium. They lied. Yes, they did construct a place for shops a year ago called Channel side, but, with the exception of 3-4 restaurants & a few dance clubs, it is virtually empty. Some say half of the owners pulled out after 9/11. The Carnival Cruise line port & the aquarium are next to this site. The entire Channel side area is undergoing a renaissance. Tearing down withconstruction everywhere. Humongous hotels on the water, a convention center probably as large as Orlando’s. Everything is HUGE. They’re even adding a trolley on tracks with power from cables above just like the old days. When completed, it will definitely

                                                                  Tampa University

 be a plus for the area as it will take you to Ybor City as well as many other interesting locations throughout the city. Initially, we were anxious to visit Ybor City, however, it appears they destroyed the ambiance & created a ritzy glitzy, razzle-dazzle tourist spot. Not interested now. The big draw to the area is sports related. The Ice Palace for the Tampa Bay Lightening hockey team is located .

here. They were having a home game at 7pm - place was packed early. We wandered past the Palace and had to stop to check out the activities outside the arena. Set up was a basketball, football, golf, hockey and bungee jumping “booths” set up and blown up by an air compressor. (Don’t know how else to describe them) Bungee jumping was a horizontal event, not vertical. Mostly for the kids but I played too. Other booths including food, Air Force, credit card sign up most with free give-a-ways. Nice to see family oriented events & free stuff. Stopped by Newk’s Lighthouse Cafe for happy hour, wings & chicken. Now for the water pump: Making a terrible noise. Filled the tanks, as they were almost empty. He hauled out every conceivable item he might need since he feared the worst case scenario & emptied the engine room of all storage containers. UGH what a job! It was only a loose thing-a-ma-jig (I knew that) - he fixed it, at least for now. Another “hell of a day at sea”. So, isn’t what this is all about? Friday, April 5th Sunny & hot but air cool. Another lazy morning & late start -1200. Off to the museums. Toured the Tampa Bay History Museum, however, there was a ‘traveling exhibit’ instead of the normal Tampa history. The other portion was all about World War II. Continued up Franklin St. through an ‘Esplanade' next to the Hyatt. Very comforting & restful block of little shops, brick paved pedestrian street, shade trees & places to rest the weary bones. Got a frozen Yogurt,        

my first - refreshing - I loved the chocolate. Next stop, the Tampa Police Museum. Supposedly, they focus on investigations and solving crimes. That drew my interest. We arrived at 3pm & they closed at 3pm. (we sure have bad timing don't we?) Continued up Franklin & discovered Tampa’s Historic Theater. You guessed it... closed. Peeked in the front doors &, from what I could see, would have been a fabulous tour. It was so beautiful with intricate architecture, tile work and vibrant colors. My camera couldn’t capture what the eye saw. The only picture of the inside were on the humorous signs that resembled little marquis. Magnificent structure. Glad to see some towns are smart enough to not tear everything down “to put up a highway”.

We walked a few blocks west to the Art Museum, which is directly across the river from Tampa University. Very peaceful. Stopped to meditate. Long walk home arrived about 5pm. Wanted to call Paul for his birthday but had a message from KWCC. Mom was declining rapidly. Could I get a flight & be in time to be with her? No chance, no flights. Frantically, I left a message for Frank hoping he was just getting out of work & would stop to be with her. Perfect timing. He held her hand & talked with her just as I would have. I was deciding if I should rent a car just as Frank called. She died minutes later. I’m happy that she had a year of freedom and some happiness, but now she got her wish for peace and, thankfully, without suffering. I Called my cousins, Butz and Chick to tell them about mom. Saturday, April 6th Didn’t get up until almost 9:00. I was groggy as I had taken a Tylenol PM last night. Still didn’t help - restless night & lots of dreams. It was a Chamber of Commerce day. Sunny, warm but slight coolness in the air. Good day to haul out the bikes 7 see Davis Islands. I needed to be out & moving. Toured most of the island of magnificent homes. Felt like a real family community- shush-a secret. Back to “town” for drinks appetizers & good Latin music at Pipo’s. Just going through the motions I guess & frustrated & angry because I couldn't be there to hold her hand. Sunday, April 7th The weather has been so perfect with 80’s in daytime, 60’s for sleeping. Day Light Savings started today - changed all clocks. We thought we got an early start but with Day Light Savings, we lost an hour and got a late start anyway. Oh well, we are on vacation after all. Anchor up at 12:30, winds 10 - 20 S-SE, whitecaps through Tampa Bay to Anna Maria Island to the ICW. A huge tanker followed up then crossed our path. Thoughts of anchoring at Longboat Key were cast aside as we made better time than we thought and the anchorage was full. Cruised another hour & put the anchor down in Sarasota Bay just outside the Ringling Museum. Fish dinner and Dominos - I won!
Another perfect day.



2002 - 3/30 - 4/2 - St. Pete - Tampa

March 30th Up early. Decided we could each use a little ‘space’. He went to the dog competition and I
took Molly to see the Coliseum where they filmed “Cocoon” in 1985. In 1924, after 6 months’ of construction, the Coliseum opened to a crowd of

Duke Ellington

                                                                     Guy Lumbardo

            1985 Filming of Cacoon - Ron Howard & Jessica Tandy

                                                                Coliseum today (2002)

3000 people. Rudy Vale, Duke Ellington, Harry James, just to name a few, have played for dancing couples & appreciative audiences since. I was truly     

                        Harry James           

intrigued by this marvelous structure. I suppose it was emotional in nature. Just think that such a grand ballroom, with its beautiful wooden floors and original architecture, still provides enjoyment to so many as it did for the past 80 years! Across the

street was the St. Pete Lawn Bowling (Bocce) and Shuffle Board Clubs consisting of multiple, very old wooden buildings and a city block full of courts. Amazingly, still active today but in dire need of repair. In one of the early pictures of the Coliseum taken from this area, you can see men playing Bocce so I know it’s been in existence, at least, since 1924. We continued our trek down back streets & discovered the most marvelous gift shop. I’ve never seen anything so tastefully & exquisitely done. The owners, KC & Lisa, purchased an old house, tore down the obstructing trees, painted the outside & proceeded to fill every nook & cranny with wonderful things. Flower arrangements made in an upstairs room, soaps, one of a kind candles and holders, gourmet foods, hand crafted pillows, antique furniture & a fabulous wine room. And there was more, too much to mention but you could spend $5 to over $10,000! I was offered drink, coffee, mimosa, bloody Mary, wine?? I gratefully accepted a mimosa - it wasn’t even 11:00! I was juggling Molly in one hand, the drink in another & trying to see & touch everything in sight. This was a woman’s paradise for sure. More people arrived & I was surprised to see mostly locals shopping there. We had a grand time especially during my second drink, a yummy bloody Mary made with a special mix, also on sale. Lisa insisted I let Molly have the run of the place. She had a ball &, of course, everyone was gaga over her. (spoiled brat) I was extremely relaxed by the time I left & also spent about $80 on a silver and glass candle & silver weave serving basket with a 2 qt. glass bowel & lid & the basket doubles as a bread basket. Next stop, Designers Consignors. Bought casual slacks by Liz Clayborn & very sexy blouse. Wow! What a great day. Sunday, March 31st We forgot it was Easter. Very lazy day. We didn’t want to do anything to possibly strain our already tired out bodies. We did manage to perform a few functions; Wayne sanded & varnished picture frames I bought before we left, I worked on the latch hook rug, marinated some chicken, made curry chicken salad & worked in the computer. Had a light dinner, watched TV and asleep by 11pm. Ahhhhh....what a life. Monday, April 1st It drizzled in the middle of the night making us get up to close all hatches & windows. Morning was cloudy at first. Wayne took Molly to shore for a run & poop. We went to shore, sans Molly, as we wanted to visit a nearby museum. Sign on the door “closed one week starting today for renovations”. Bummer! Had a quickie breakfast at a cute little outdoor restaurant - huge egg sandwiches and shared a coffee. Almost fainted when the bill came to $17.50. Lesson learned; if the price isn’t listed - ask! Met a nice guy named, Cal, who owns an airplane memorabilia store. Interesting place. Turns out he’s really interested in opening in Key West. We exchanged phone numbers. These are pictures of the outdoor post office circa 1924 & 2002. I took Wayne to see the Coliseum. the lawn bowling center and Dylons. (the gift shop) While I was on the cell phone with Tim about the incompetents

                                         Post Office 2002

handing my re-financing issues, Wayne bought me a wrought iron bell for the cottage. (He can be so sweet.) “Home” by 3pm for cocktails, sunset, grilled chicken & rice dinner. Wayne played with the Captain Navigator, put another coat of varnish on the frames & I watched TV. Tuesday, April 2nd Overcast. Hung frames and pulled anchor at 9:30am. Tampa Bay was like glass. Pleasant cruise to Tampa. Had researched the charts and Waterway Guide, which, by the way, suck! Tampa doesn’t seem to be very boater friendly. We located two yacht clubs, a marina near town at the Wyndem Hotel but it was too shallow. Decided to call the Marjorie Park Marina located on Davis Islands. It was very short on amenities and showed only 2 transient slips according to the Waterway guide (but that hasn’t been accurate yet) but seemed close to downtown. Called the

dock-master-Richard-and he seemed surprised that we would want to stay there - he thanked us for calling too. Guess he doesn’t often meet such frugal and basic people like us. But the price was very right - $.50/foot - includes water & electric! Two nights, with tax, was $46.00. Agreed to keep this a secret. Story goes that the city finally decided to fork up some $500,000 for an upgrade. It's very old & & in disrepair. The marina is in sort of a circle within Marjorie Park in a residential area. Richard gave us 3 keys: rest rooms, the gate padlock on our particular dock & strict instructions to keep all three things locked up as he would be off the next two days. Each dock holds only 2 boats and each dock has a fence with a padlock- ours was also the gas dock. What a cute and funky place. After

Downtown Tampa Skyline

securing the lines & lugging the electric cords out, we walked into the little town on Davis Islands (Google it). I hoped to find someplace to fax Tim some papers. A very friendly and helpful, Katy O’Connor, a financial advisor, graciously faxed all 7 pages, free of charge. The “town” is only two blocks long consisting of multiple restaurants, bars, hardware store, several gas stations & a grocery store. The grocery was a good size but the shelves were almost bare & items, expensive. They opened a Publix just off the island that obviously hurt this quaint store a great deal. We decided they should turn it into a Murray’s (Murray's is located on Summerland & has the best of EVERYTHING). Split a Cuban sandwich at Pipo’s, nice looking restaurant with large outdoor patio where they have live Salsa music on the weekends & a bar with all the doors open to the patio. Buffet style setup & the food looked & smelled great. We’ll return on the weekend if we’re still here. Finally got together with Jack & Mo Diamond (Old friend, big-wig @ Walgreens). They arrived at 8pm & we returned to “town”. Had a lovely evening at Rick’s, an Italian restaurant. I had Linguini, shrimp, oil and garlic, Wayne wanted pizza. They talked him into a large, he had 2 pieces. He was so embarrassed to have 2 ‘to go’ boxes full of pizza. (I was happy that I wouldn’t have to make dinner the next night)