tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49387912515362624992024-03-19T04:04:26.561-04:00The Adventures of Gypsies in the PalaceThis blog relates the adventures of the MV Gypsies in the Palace and her crew, Doug and Tammy Johnson. Gypsies in the Palace is a 49' DeFever Raised Pilothouse built in 2002.M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-21768139050095498632011-07-03T09:22:00.021-04:002011-07-04T17:15:04.985-04:00The Long Overdue Vacation Blog....Brace YourselfMaybe subconsciously I've been putting off writing this blog to avoid self-incrimination...(the pictures will speak for themselves)...or maybe I'm just now recovering from vacation and the long weekend in Key West that followed...Yup - I'm going with number two. The first vacation Doug and I took since being officially back at w***, you know the "w" word which for all of our cruising buddies I won't even say, is going to be a hard act to follow let me tell you!<br /><br />We headed down to Miami the other Saturday morning to catch a puddle jumper flight over to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos, Bahamas to meet up with the SS September Song, the one and only ship in a brand new all inclusive cruise line complete with a salty, seasoned captain, gourmet food, water toys and two very friendly canine stewards who love to keep you occupied fishing, playing catch or just sniffing your crotch...we can't recommend it highly enough!!!<br /><br />After almost not getting there because of mechanical difficulties and sunset flight restrictions (huh???), we arrived in Marsh Harbour, whisked our way through customs and immigration and collected our bags (easily accomplished in a one room airport I must say - aaaahhhh to be back in the islands mon!) Off in a taxi to the marina where we joined in some well deserved frivolity with the SS crew - Steph and Bob greeted us by the pool with smiling faces and a cooler of cold beer - does life get any better!! Yippee - the gang was together again! Plus there were new friends to see - Pam and Steven on Tide's In, Nancy and Rusty on Summerwind and Nancy and Jay on Serendipity (not so new friends - what fun - we played with these guys last year in Marathon and Key West!!!) We all hung around the pool, laughing, sharing adult beverages of one sort or another (think rum....that will be the key to the week), laughing, watching a beautiful island sunset,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_BKiidERbSVrNYi_QIlmRzztEZx6dm9d_Y71QU285NNlAXGzx1siUKdet3ohIjLdf_FmFr9hAh37GcBlKDQ4E3EB1zCn7F9pHmoPZS02_MqdHgaR2EY5l9FrmRMLDZLxjDskt_P-WTM/s1600/062611+sunset+in+marsh+harbour.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_BKiidERbSVrNYi_QIlmRzztEZx6dm9d_Y71QU285NNlAXGzx1siUKdet3ohIjLdf_FmFr9hAh37GcBlKDQ4E3EB1zCn7F9pHmoPZS02_MqdHgaR2EY5l9FrmRMLDZLxjDskt_P-WTM/s400/062611+sunset+in+marsh+harbour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625122761715178354" border="0" /></a>laughing, eating fresh grouper from Conchy Joe's next door (a funky little house boat with the best fish ever!!) and generally having a great time. You know you're with very special friends when you just pick right up where you left off and your stomach hurts from laughing so much!!<br /><br />The next day we were off with the tide (yes, unlike the Exumas, you have to worry about tide in the Abacos - we saw some less then salty captains hard aground in our adventures) to Nippers for the pig roast...well if you've never been to Nippers, I'm not sure I can do it justice. It ranks right up there with Foxy's, Bomba Shack, Dune Preserve and Soggy Dollar Bar for legendary beach bars and that's really saying something!! It's got hammocks in the two pools, a drop dead gorgeous beach, several levels for dancing and just about the most deadly rum drinks around, especially with the rum floaters .... Steven, you're only supposed to have one floater per drink not four of them......<br /><br />But before I go there, I have to say how awesome it was to be back on a boat underway heading from one island to another - there is just nothing like it!!! Doug and I looked at each other as if to say "OK - work really really hard so we can get back out here on the water cruising where we belong!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT-27na9myQrF8GTm2YpKUX2SjokEYmruPBOooSs52H7z7RTFpWX-a9JiUCq8yI-hzsvuyiFXTVll4RTJ93-AYU4PZ93I5DzNkZFdol_4Mje3PnNhZs_DE0_-RCRyETSb2bZTzCUb6xc/s1600/062611+underway+navigators.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT-27na9myQrF8GTm2YpKUX2SjokEYmruPBOooSs52H7z7RTFpWX-a9JiUCq8yI-hzsvuyiFXTVll4RTJ93-AYU4PZ93I5DzNkZFdol_4Mje3PnNhZs_DE0_-RCRyETSb2bZTzCUb6xc/s400/062611+underway+navigators.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625119622064671522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie and Tammy are the Underway Navigators</span><br /></div>We dropped the hook in Fishing Bay off Great Guana and watched in awe (at the stupidity involved) as the snailboat next to us proceeded to load about 8 people in a very low riding dinghy - we watched to see if they would swamp - come on wave!! Then it was off to shore where we had to fortify ourselves at Grabbers - a wonderful beach bar in its own right and home of what became my favorite rum drink!<br /><br />We were joined by Pam and Steven and the party was officially starting!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntxZTuH3NBioaLuGZ_5K6euMABL__Mzm9ARvVAx2EQV8C3ZGCqorz_klz-g8Kh26DCvbZy2vFS8dfMIYDx2lzx-p6Ad_up8QqUaIXoqZHq3nkH_TYJp2mucWe1keieQSJIGpWlTuGlvE/s1600/062611+two+fisting+it+at+grabbers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntxZTuH3NBioaLuGZ_5K6euMABL__Mzm9ARvVAx2EQV8C3ZGCqorz_klz-g8Kh26DCvbZy2vFS8dfMIYDx2lzx-p6Ad_up8QqUaIXoqZHq3nkH_TYJp2mucWe1keieQSJIGpWlTuGlvE/s400/062611+two+fisting+it+at+grabbers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625119621407681570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Two Fisted Drinking at Grabbers</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwUuPLYuNkQ6KvNMUAIc7hyOZBXa_nuBAVjZ3MOd5CCAZkq3PbrgDsMYNh8l34Q6TQOTKEzaEej4KDubVWzZWranfuGis0m_8PGPltsbBmO2CI4boxy3AytlALgTySbiCGNwXNurM_es/s1600/062611+headed+to+grabbers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwUuPLYuNkQ6KvNMUAIc7hyOZBXa_nuBAVjZ3MOd5CCAZkq3PbrgDsMYNh8l34Q6TQOTKEzaEej4KDubVWzZWranfuGis0m_8PGPltsbBmO2CI4boxy3AytlALgTySbiCGNwXNurM_es/s400/062611+headed+to+grabbers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128020658029154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Team Leaves Grabbers</span> </div>From Grabbers it was a walk up the hill to Nippers - of course we had to stop half way there at Pirates Cove for a refreshing beverage - what?? it had been a quarter mile (maybe not quite...)! Passing the cemetery (which I'm sure contains many self medicated souls leaving Nippers!),<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9LT9vnXkVEYSDn3yMnEQjBTL0FTOR1StrdDBYqex88wqhvvnuPFiuHeqU8-aLm3RysnrPg44BcgdWy5db_rOLc4QZXHfuwetIgsHQ0V00zdLsDFX90GetWIh1EbRpWhDRsNtRGWuDHM/s1600/062611+the+cemetery.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9LT9vnXkVEYSDn3yMnEQjBTL0FTOR1StrdDBYqex88wqhvvnuPFiuHeqU8-aLm3RysnrPg44BcgdWy5db_rOLc4QZXHfuwetIgsHQ0V00zdLsDFX90GetWIh1EbRpWhDRsNtRGWuDHM/s400/062611+the+cemetery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625120810391988786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Cemetary</span><br /></div>we finally came upon the infamous Nippers - according to the Barefoot Man, "If you get shut off at Nippers, man, you're really drunk!" <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCLvKBpxT7HE4gGGOGL9sJyrMpSUCnT8f_UOjRLcfeil9VDLuIGrbwmFdlElj2A4kL0YUAf5DrKxeq9g_arxiW5QQuO4u2qtLYb633vobQi9DjW6ADphyN4NTiD3eKxyyZ7ZW4JBLE3g/s1600/062611+directions+to+nippers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCLvKBpxT7HE4gGGOGL9sJyrMpSUCnT8f_UOjRLcfeil9VDLuIGrbwmFdlElj2A4kL0YUAf5DrKxeq9g_arxiW5QQuO4u2qtLYb633vobQi9DjW6ADphyN4NTiD3eKxyyZ7ZW4JBLE3g/s400/062611+directions+to+nippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128811864469298" border="0" /></a>I'm going to let the pictures tell our Nippers story but suffice it to say we did not get shut off (which means no one ever has), and it was one wonderful rum, sun, and friend soaked day complete with plenty of rum floaters and new tattoos (OK these were fake....)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyDny-CW47Dlhvi21_V24pGVZrQ6txJ4qcutxuE-rj-j-dV8l06TU30ktQ1bgEp0Qkuywxijujhp7pS2X3TK94pvOQaK-ZDKUMJPp8DdOkRSQ8R0WgmMHzrc3UtRwfQfg2knvYkriaNg/s1600/062611+more+rum+at+nippers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyDny-CW47Dlhvi21_V24pGVZrQ6txJ4qcutxuE-rj-j-dV8l06TU30ktQ1bgEp0Qkuywxijujhp7pS2X3TK94pvOQaK-ZDKUMJPp8DdOkRSQ8R0WgmMHzrc3UtRwfQfg2knvYkriaNg/s400/062611+more+rum+at+nippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625125425195390178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">More Rum at Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr_UU7m6bNdYEEUsu7J_5SvQ5WCfpsMhpm4WX9o-lMyIeUmcZcBxHCkPB0eEtzgiEvXEvUwYl-uBFBwnooS-5fiFegvRjJuOKn6MWIprLRpxubbVEruVCuO88gyc9lJRd3G6ZHixiY9k/s1600/062611+bob+being+naughty.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr_UU7m6bNdYEEUsu7J_5SvQ5WCfpsMhpm4WX9o-lMyIeUmcZcBxHCkPB0eEtzgiEvXEvUwYl-uBFBwnooS-5fiFegvRjJuOKn6MWIprLRpxubbVEruVCuO88gyc9lJRd3G6ZHixiY9k/s400/062611+bob+being+naughty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625131650116205170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob Being Naughty Checking Out the Scenery at Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1VonrC2xAQ4MAd0iBRxbU0qxNWgi8pGj44VWJHRozVT1bQxbVqUIPsE3Ix9vVW0iLfdL5jYHTA6X8qP29Y56YKKC20it34ZjhR5S5tvRxI_D0ojkdQpNSCQ-e20jwuLoMnYkf2wku2Q/s1600/062611+nippers+from+the+beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1VonrC2xAQ4MAd0iBRxbU0qxNWgi8pGj44VWJHRozVT1bQxbVqUIPsE3Ix9vVW0iLfdL5jYHTA6X8qP29Y56YKKC20it34ZjhR5S5tvRxI_D0ojkdQpNSCQ-e20jwuLoMnYkf2wku2Q/s400/062611+nippers+from+the+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625124372240637730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Beach at Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnjayHrRxbOHkq1zX48jtCQtDFl_Yj5naugEDkoHxs9YRUrxPffwM8veYKFuCyciQZge8Ha84a688bD3Am3xj_c7Jhl86P7Cm6kqhadVo5ReNdYFdWhY3gCjNQJFP3Wy42xk69RFplro/s1600/062611+steph+and+I+and+rum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnjayHrRxbOHkq1zX48jtCQtDFl_Yj5naugEDkoHxs9YRUrxPffwM8veYKFuCyciQZge8Ha84a688bD3Am3xj_c7Jhl86P7Cm6kqhadVo5ReNdYFdWhY3gCjNQJFP3Wy42xk69RFplro/s400/062611+steph+and+I+and+rum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625123568506781762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie and Tammy Enjoy Their Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62Hp4hCbyXTQhxooOEK5lpOIXUn6AmDckL1p2pr2myZ0g3OEZYGfR0VDzBQly7_sl-Bc1RtVmeE6ChP9o21PeZJFt1FoG3R4acK4Vd9nerOEOe-Zi6xOsRR8sntq9L69852irrRsu0Oo/s1600/062611+stephanies+nippers+tattoo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62Hp4hCbyXTQhxooOEK5lpOIXUn6AmDckL1p2pr2myZ0g3OEZYGfR0VDzBQly7_sl-Bc1RtVmeE6ChP9o21PeZJFt1FoG3R4acK4Vd9nerOEOe-Zi6xOsRR8sntq9L69852irrRsu0Oo/s400/062611+stephanies+nippers+tattoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625123566346674226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie Sports Her Tattoo from Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7GGsQGX4tBEwPWD6N3o3I_ATtlg9LO7oxmlksS2DhYQbStsr2AB7o37WoBoAAhSi4ev_Z25s14RyTn_q1WCLEO4vRwpiCWIA29hwX4OEl5XlVo88j9NQYs55pYpyoRDaFLiX7sanPVM/s1600/062611+steven+and+pam+dancing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7GGsQGX4tBEwPWD6N3o3I_ATtlg9LO7oxmlksS2DhYQbStsr2AB7o37WoBoAAhSi4ev_Z25s14RyTn_q1WCLEO4vRwpiCWIA29hwX4OEl5XlVo88j9NQYs55pYpyoRDaFLiX7sanPVM/s400/062611+steven+and+pam+dancing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625123558072566354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pam and Steven Dancing at Nippers</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyyLUmCjTt7jfqwbLwvCDGz87HyAjD0mUyiP3pgYwYQHPuVWnVjNlXdsl8PcDIVgv2MRjBaBnHDcaY-QQ4HVFE1Ejuacv8LCN5oCKiEhCk_mYZVI78hRU9h6mNcra0A8p_1Ufg9yZE6k/s1600/062611+the+beach+at+nippers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyyLUmCjTt7jfqwbLwvCDGz87HyAjD0mUyiP3pgYwYQHPuVWnVjNlXdsl8PcDIVgv2MRjBaBnHDcaY-QQ4HVFE1Ejuacv8LCN5oCKiEhCk_mYZVI78hRU9h6mNcra0A8p_1Ufg9yZE6k/s400/062611+the+beach+at+nippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625121492820498226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nippers is a Multi-Level Series of Decks </span><br /></div>I was very proud of our group - while we kicked up our heels a little (or a lot - Steven - from what I hear, we were a very bad, bad influence on him - yippee), unlike the Barefoot Man's song, none of us "rolled back down the hill blowing chunks!!" We stopped of course on the way down the hill at Pirate's Cove when we spied Steven flashing his new tat at the bar - we thought they had headed back to their boat a while ago...kewl.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8ibPrZH4DXkh-zIivvLJYlu0crwCHxAVztWLyxpruwmxgSrlES7BaTkYGRgHznjIbFwAvXg3S6ZIdsXMV5d0WthmVfcuXTxxiNqMO0Lo-CAdSWNy_olKtROiOZvklpfrL2kcpPsiRR8/s1600/062611+pirates+cove.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8ibPrZH4DXkh-zIivvLJYlu0crwCHxAVztWLyxpruwmxgSrlES7BaTkYGRgHznjIbFwAvXg3S6ZIdsXMV5d0WthmVfcuXTxxiNqMO0Lo-CAdSWNy_olKtROiOZvklpfrL2kcpPsiRR8/s400/062611+pirates+cove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625124363983049922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Group Back Together at Pirates Cove</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkaBgyL1a-YQAdjWWtjwxq54r4qPmU2OWDFBfDeolKk8mU47ZAl5TUc-Y5qudroHGHFuaTuY7VKHQjKqvDpqJF34-f0kHQnC5gWy8tY7wuYN2vdH82WetFE5EaACe56MyhrJtNnbbiPk/s1600/062611+steven+at+pirates+cove+on+the+way+home.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkaBgyL1a-YQAdjWWtjwxq54r4qPmU2OWDFBfDeolKk8mU47ZAl5TUc-Y5qudroHGHFuaTuY7VKHQjKqvDpqJF34-f0kHQnC5gWy8tY7wuYN2vdH82WetFE5EaACe56MyhrJtNnbbiPk/s400/062611+steven+at+pirates+cove+on+the+way+home.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625122780874298418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Steven Flashing His New Tattoo</span><br /></div>Then back to Grabbers for a burger and more rum...Steven entertained us and the whole bar by falling off his dinghy and dancing in the water!! We tucked Doug into bed around 7:30 that evening while the rest of us stayed up on the flybridge of SS watching the stars...and drinking a little rum out of our new Nippers cups (if you buy a cup, you get free rum floaters all day...just a little tip!)<br /><br />The next day was a little slow to develop - wonder why......but soon enough we were dinghying in to one of the most beautiful beaches ever!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxJR46Rdg9YKDlI8XH7p5K-eabYCpFPXBmLcHSdGfmhpefhI53CYlWX5cYsEDMFxKUUv0O8oWLsaxdfSJKEViZHXeGR_hyphenhyphenIkxYPWF6LTzIDrmCgVSuPubC5dZxV3OFvZg5EqOYM8nSCs/s1600/062611+cassie+adn+godiva+want+to+go+to+the+beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxJR46Rdg9YKDlI8XH7p5K-eabYCpFPXBmLcHSdGfmhpefhI53CYlWX5cYsEDMFxKUUv0O8oWLsaxdfSJKEViZHXeGR_hyphenhyphenIkxYPWF6LTzIDrmCgVSuPubC5dZxV3OFvZg5EqOYM8nSCs/s400/062611+cassie+adn+godiva+want+to+go+to+the+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625250154533763602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cassie and Godiva are Ready to Go to the Beach</span><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUYhT_cOEXV634CTo7ZYHRyWulscwg4fdp90B2wJRI_7a9atWkpzG2lMHH5k96KjGQRX6om421ZW5_KjyFlU-iNhtQ88HcnTf37cjOErCEZoHymc1uMzXMHrXacfzSjyAv1BUi33At9g/s1600/062611+the+atlantic+side.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUYhT_cOEXV634CTo7ZYHRyWulscwg4fdp90B2wJRI_7a9atWkpzG2lMHH5k96KjGQRX6om421ZW5_KjyFlU-iNhtQ88HcnTf37cjOErCEZoHymc1uMzXMHrXacfzSjyAv1BUi33At9g/s400/062611+the+atlantic+side.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625121502414504850" border="0" /></a>The calm turquoise waters of the bay were on one side and the crashing surf of the Atlantic on the other!! Gosh it was great to be back in the islands....despite having beach chairs and towels, I'm not sure we left the water all day - except maybe to grab another coldie....Cassie and Godiva loved having lots of playmates - lots of people to throw the ball and fish with (luckily Cassie didn't see the sharks swimming by!!!)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGAiLEXwEJsiOgLTzCUTvapTfDhiuAoRZcrWVRsJJIQqw3kCKwX4LEnvA4sy27Vb9a3OSc2HdOLGccd3orF46VmghVq0A-3O1dd2puFe8YL3Goo4yk2iDjHhSTSF3sOCQ3SdEo29RYx4/s1600/062611+the+beach+.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGAiLEXwEJsiOgLTzCUTvapTfDhiuAoRZcrWVRsJJIQqw3kCKwX4LEnvA4sy27Vb9a3OSc2HdOLGccd3orF46VmghVq0A-3O1dd2puFe8YL3Goo4yk2iDjHhSTSF3sOCQ3SdEo29RYx4/s400/062611+the+beach+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625121497429598418" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRxpu30dcva-3MgaCZVs2aOJ9H8ZJoYHcvFKl23bELzssOtDL_cF9kdQ0eCFSBeyB3984OisTvXSJ4CjVqOfiUebZCR3SG5NwDCdeJqntZEXcA4qjznblDMGn1zm1i0IJ7UYdBkXUFdU/s1600/062611+the+beach+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRxpu30dcva-3MgaCZVs2aOJ9H8ZJoYHcvFKl23bELzssOtDL_cF9kdQ0eCFSBeyB3984OisTvXSJ4CjVqOfiUebZCR3SG5NwDCdeJqntZEXcA4qjznblDMGn1zm1i0IJ7UYdBkXUFdU/s400/062611+the+beach+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625121492269188866" border="0" /></a><br />We could have stayed there all day but too soon it was time to head back to the boat - there was a fresh mahi fry on SS that evening!!! What an evening - the crew of SS cooked up a gourmet meal of fresh mahi that they had caught, Serendipity provided Bahamian mac and cheese and Tide's In brought a tray full of jello shots for dessert!!! Have I mentioned I love jello shots??? and these were the bomb (literally cherry bombs and shark bites - yum) Pam - you are the jello shot queen! We stayed up way too late laughing our butts off listening to the Barefoot Man - god I still have a brain worm (go away if you see Kay....and she likes my deck!!! and forget about Jeff - he can't even swim Jay!!) If you have never heard the Barefoot Man - he is very fun - and his new cd Dirty Foot is screamingly funny.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78-A46yvBRv39Bcxu2UWhRfJOoOGRPi-NdlhK1SdzkObDSQzp3KjQkh09GutcrsB2e7_8xvbW89449KrU87WOyGjukXoauTDAUe49eo5bWu1X0n8EUMC_sNqu290ixOqQAMqXWJxrc5o/s1600/062611+the+chefs+adn+bartender.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78-A46yvBRv39Bcxu2UWhRfJOoOGRPi-NdlhK1SdzkObDSQzp3KjQkh09GutcrsB2e7_8xvbW89449KrU87WOyGjukXoauTDAUe49eo5bWu1X0n8EUMC_sNqu290ixOqQAMqXWJxrc5o/s400/062611+the+chefs+adn+bartender.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625120782580762258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Master Chefs Prepare Dinner Aboard September Song</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkwbW2tDH3Ni_9VBCWulo2WM0RDtAJETlO8i3vG0wM405oWNQdEdsMOIe8DyxTkN9YR2iuIUSw8nBsMdG7REzvMn0qCiiRqnh0DOOFxOpSim390wWJsDqsLxbqWXnKzVU6NpzOR6IHU8/s1600/062611+chef+robert.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkwbW2tDH3Ni_9VBCWulo2WM0RDtAJETlO8i3vG0wM405oWNQdEdsMOIe8DyxTkN9YR2iuIUSw8nBsMdG7REzvMn0qCiiRqnh0DOOFxOpSim390wWJsDqsLxbqWXnKzVU6NpzOR6IHU8/s400/062611+chef+robert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625129710736411090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner on September Song</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKrI1_MOivQsvsYe-lgh4bP5ckICyEdbWfVlhCZf_-b1PritGVCWJsaNrAhQCeGnI6t-t-qDOV9ph13BCS215c5U5DsAM-kbXs4BF2JBVUhuZroWljVearzPdHi5ZFyuK2a1LSCYmWxM/s1600/062611+jello+shots+anyone%253F.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKrI1_MOivQsvsYe-lgh4bP5ckICyEdbWfVlhCZf_-b1PritGVCWJsaNrAhQCeGnI6t-t-qDOV9ph13BCS215c5U5DsAM-kbXs4BF2JBVUhuZroWljVearzPdHi5ZFyuK2a1LSCYmWxM/s400/062611+jello+shots+anyone%253F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625592950539935970" border="0" /></a>Jello Shots Anyone?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPp9a9tV0VRwNrW0nfX3w823Qx7ZbWijZx-3_ZOhwc0Ci9UKipbHBl-um8IJoZI6l6S_QvVh2PMkDog7uoNtNK8E3IfxDEFIzro3CYKA3LMW-Ew_-X9sltiZ8eZf4RKHfpA2kFeetIkg/s1600/062611+dead+soldiers+.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPp9a9tV0VRwNrW0nfX3w823Qx7ZbWijZx-3_ZOhwc0Ci9UKipbHBl-um8IJoZI6l6S_QvVh2PMkDog7uoNtNK8E3IfxDEFIzro3CYKA3LMW-Ew_-X9sltiZ8eZf4RKHfpA2kFeetIkg/s400/062611+dead+soldiers+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128815702976770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jello Shot Dead Soldiers - Did we Drink/Eat All Those?</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin76C1HA1NJKMcLVXWeDwg-hfzmr3tgXBkS7nkSbE3_mkSB0Q5k57pU366q4VQwvw1hUiWGMegtaQqNwaLrtoL9A9KR0VztO2BOC5Ovk_ojUpKuwBx5Wrv3FFIrCXR5sDPF8E8bxEbqVc/s1600/062611+sundown+on+SS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin76C1HA1NJKMcLVXWeDwg-hfzmr3tgXBkS7nkSbE3_mkSB0Q5k57pU366q4VQwvw1hUiWGMegtaQqNwaLrtoL9A9KR0VztO2BOC5Ovk_ojUpKuwBx5Wrv3FFIrCXR5sDPF8E8bxEbqVc/s400/062611+sundown+on+SS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625122774355636994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie and Bob Blow Their Conks at Sunset</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevyLFAabm-OBF1IBdmOBlnArgGi1PXoA1II-lqhMIlhteWb2qip9UdmLteszJNvX4iXnNdvgsSgBMABGTkWqKxphT5kD8__hHOTjqQF_53b03E9AG6F_3xv2XF4EMKFcxuqkAUNl8QdY/s1600/062611+sunset+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevyLFAabm-OBF1IBdmOBlnArgGi1PXoA1II-lqhMIlhteWb2qip9UdmLteszJNvX4iXnNdvgsSgBMABGTkWqKxphT5kD8__hHOTjqQF_53b03E9AG6F_3xv2XF4EMKFcxuqkAUNl8QdY/s400/062611+sunset+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625122772741877762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset</span><br /></div><br />The rest of the week we were on a mission - one of the tee shirts we got was called the Abacos Stumble and listed 9 different bars. We managed to hit 6 of them which for only about 5 days (given we had to tuck into Marsh Harbour a day early due to the weather) was not too bad - and we were able to hit the last bar on Bob and Steph's tee shirt!!!! We visited Hopetown where we got to climb the lighthouse - it is still manually tended and operated (to keep the light turning it needs to be wound every three hours!) Once you climbed out of a tiny three foot doorway, there were simply awesome views of the harbor - our cruise ship was sitting pretty much right in the middle - can't miss her.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoct1NuSxUSKW0_M_YATy-kF_sYeTV9rT2kjgfKirQkCxkpjck26IrF7gXIiO3BMkGMaPaeCFPBfXpsXbVXa0gnszp_m2K7eEXKOslU9Z50cAx0t6_VH6lE0h8BSjVPk9IzFtRy_VSAKg/s1600/062611+the+door.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoct1NuSxUSKW0_M_YATy-kF_sYeTV9rT2kjgfKirQkCxkpjck26IrF7gXIiO3BMkGMaPaeCFPBfXpsXbVXa0gnszp_m2K7eEXKOslU9Z50cAx0t6_VH6lE0h8BSjVPk9IzFtRy_VSAKg/s400/062611+the+door.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625120777403270642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Foot Square Doorway to the Outer Deck</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2G3z-BZRmVQTMhNI3-3trY4CFRtWjZ15GTCzmLJTcQ-jj3ytv45IVYxnKQR4s56GzNumxxrAZDU2cKD4mePcjzAzMcXEzTMdkTwGbGrlxJeNY93cfRaENHfruZcgiQuldrhjq9Jdcl4/s1600/062611+the+lighthouse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2G3z-BZRmVQTMhNI3-3trY4CFRtWjZ15GTCzmLJTcQ-jj3ytv45IVYxnKQR4s56GzNumxxrAZDU2cKD4mePcjzAzMcXEzTMdkTwGbGrlxJeNY93cfRaENHfruZcgiQuldrhjq9Jdcl4/s400/062611+the+lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625120767541619826" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbykAKyf7-2D_UfwiEx0-F0-04X-2ReuBzTHZZk0cdSJGuPPhucKQ-GHEWXQBuS1sYx0WcOdmalHcEV72_L9iUsfS1H0UDtFfBJjUW8x_lD30R7xudYOjEDiMjC4plAuqSK44n2oCJ0E/s1600/062611+lighthouse+from+the+harbor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbykAKyf7-2D_UfwiEx0-F0-04X-2ReuBzTHZZk0cdSJGuPPhucKQ-GHEWXQBuS1sYx0WcOdmalHcEV72_L9iUsfS1H0UDtFfBJjUW8x_lD30R7xudYOjEDiMjC4plAuqSK44n2oCJ0E/s400/062611+lighthouse+from+the+harbor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625127993026790722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Hopetown Lighthouse</span></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpX3SzhHX6cJ9lmnAbJUiJzpKPvz4TQgdvTKiGhxi4XlwBvvpcBV7-dCn4J7t0Y_tJ9qp6T6q7u-W4YMbf8FGD9nPL-N48eZOf0-p9hr8SbZuRq3Jw4vGoRrl_hV3mQBu4V7BM9YHHgM/s1600/062611+hopetown+from+teh+lighthouse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpX3SzhHX6cJ9lmnAbJUiJzpKPvz4TQgdvTKiGhxi4XlwBvvpcBV7-dCn4J7t0Y_tJ9qp6T6q7u-W4YMbf8FGD9nPL-N48eZOf0-p9hr8SbZuRq3Jw4vGoRrl_hV3mQBu4V7BM9YHHgM/s400/062611+hopetown+from+teh+lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128010245473714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Great View of Hopetown from The Lighthouse</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlz58aPs2ybvZlaf7Ras_9aWmN1HYjNxy16IefTDc2EtiAwE_-D7pdmj2igkGmYVC2BQJ-PKNbQizMqormjE7QZcIueofs6-cTx19COdWPs95hV4WGq2Oxvjxsg0R6f_OH5EaOD-j0GU/s1600/062611+view+from+the+lighthouse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlz58aPs2ybvZlaf7Ras_9aWmN1HYjNxy16IefTDc2EtiAwE_-D7pdmj2igkGmYVC2BQJ-PKNbQizMqormjE7QZcIueofs6-cTx19COdWPs95hV4WGq2Oxvjxsg0R6f_OH5EaOD-j0GU/s400/062611+view+from+the+lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625119607790963202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">SS September Song from the Hopetown Lighthouse</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOCe2_qzmFu7ws34G_KsM3vohxIm7wR5nUmX8twaZfI8fnQaqTHJoYxbLzoaTOoIAG0Z4TbQMci5VKTSjuDGFrITmQPRSPySEgAzj2wyOfMjaHv0TT54UJMj6ItHtHMmVirEqgkPBCek/s1600/062611+window+view.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOCe2_qzmFu7ws34G_KsM3vohxIm7wR5nUmX8twaZfI8fnQaqTHJoYxbLzoaTOoIAG0Z4TbQMci5VKTSjuDGFrITmQPRSPySEgAzj2wyOfMjaHv0TT54UJMj6ItHtHMmVirEqgkPBCek/s400/062611+window+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625119600500533826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">View from One of the Windows in the Lighthouse</span><br /></div><br />Hopetown is a quaint little Bahamian town full of brightly colored houses and flowering gardens. I think this is what I love so much about the islands - the explosion of color everywhere - combined with the always friendly locals!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFZ_qFpkmQdNdb5jnb80irP3eahaYt1BfkLykJJx28sEtQi4BhRhbx43If6CBUDuIBKqpqM8Fby0u853MLCKbnEcEabKolrjMYeqmkkr2K_U8r488EZ1LHvgpE4frdtn7pKDSRmetJ8s/s1600/062611+local+color+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFZ_qFpkmQdNdb5jnb80irP3eahaYt1BfkLykJJx28sEtQi4BhRhbx43If6CBUDuIBKqpqM8Fby0u853MLCKbnEcEabKolrjMYeqmkkr2K_U8r488EZ1LHvgpE4frdtn7pKDSRmetJ8s/s400/062611+local+color+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625127983754784978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Local Color</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdYBMNMSGnfQcGdYaYvS0vqzGTR65GYJufOeQ_6MWuuY0yHCLMGy-QVDLoIORHkxnXOJR9Bl4lsCjLJ0SY4WBPk9jaNKOua3C-fdJjAYHZ9wg_oD56sfk81GwJxlB0bGlIJrhlAgBg_Y/s1600/062611+local+color.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdYBMNMSGnfQcGdYaYvS0vqzGTR65GYJufOeQ_6MWuuY0yHCLMGy-QVDLoIORHkxnXOJR9Bl4lsCjLJ0SY4WBPk9jaNKOua3C-fdJjAYHZ9wg_oD56sfk81GwJxlB0bGlIJrhlAgBg_Y/s400/062611+local+color.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625125456957604674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">More Local Color</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTDpqujhcm22xmXO216ml9YzUajURsvszTMH7uZJPKShXJyQ72XiVmtn6vsxVFjjxIaNNiNjZ3HxdSm8sHotsEM6qmXxNWrY3Gadxm2K8JQhxJT9Sy6QkEIZZvXQ98UfjOfBhcSf6_h4/s1600/062611+local+color+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTDpqujhcm22xmXO216ml9YzUajURsvszTMH7uZJPKShXJyQ72XiVmtn6vsxVFjjxIaNNiNjZ3HxdSm8sHotsEM6qmXxNWrY3Gadxm2K8JQhxJT9Sy6QkEIZZvXQ98UfjOfBhcSf6_h4/s400/062611+local+color+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625125469066550546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">More Local Color<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_onlbnaFnal9vA9qYoNcJyByXkyCk68OmnnIWZDwHyBS8lpwR_-wwvXQnPb4X8duFcq9TakhEwkE1eiWBKtgyMnduDSrmShhWyKW978xcCM26bFhB3qR7HAOwRpjsEGWQCETzRGXJig/s1600/062611+Vernon%2527s+store.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_onlbnaFnal9vA9qYoNcJyByXkyCk68OmnnIWZDwHyBS8lpwR_-wwvXQnPb4X8duFcq9TakhEwkE1eiWBKtgyMnduDSrmShhWyKW978xcCM26bFhB3qR7HAOwRpjsEGWQCETzRGXJig/s400/062611+Vernon%2527s+store.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625119614418592706" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Hours Posted at Vernon's Grocery Store<br /></div>Hopetown was home to Captain Jack's, a great little waterfront bar,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0bwu-6fyKvbEcwgXh4ecdOxsMpbpq2kLCIZMuWjQerjp9DSdMba6Odvqdgjm6vJ4J8fIDV9sw2DnDNSnx4uAdPWQVD3NV6CjBhCMfqbopjW4sTqqdGU936OFleDqigSC-Lij_I-O630/s1600/062611+captn+jacks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0bwu-6fyKvbEcwgXh4ecdOxsMpbpq2kLCIZMuWjQerjp9DSdMba6Odvqdgjm6vJ4J8fIDV9sw2DnDNSnx4uAdPWQVD3NV6CjBhCMfqbopjW4sTqqdGU936OFleDqigSC-Lij_I-O630/s400/062611+captn+jacks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625129725337940610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Captain Jack's</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRGlmKeAeUiSQ7QkzFaKOf1hCZPXQO38uOuA-RC-L2s951fYv4Z7kiWp_jDE7yhNkUrISjaMN66XtgewYtHtanhANc54tB5iHwEclSq4HOwiAzm3ozLoqAUf6JIQNoQSHzFuKAPBpMiI/s1600/062611+captn+jacks+for+drinks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRGlmKeAeUiSQ7QkzFaKOf1hCZPXQO38uOuA-RC-L2s951fYv4Z7kiWp_jDE7yhNkUrISjaMN66XtgewYtHtanhANc54tB5iHwEclSq4HOwiAzm3ozLoqAUf6JIQNoQSHzFuKAPBpMiI/s400/062611+captn+jacks+for+drinks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625131609836438082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner at Captain Jack's</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWXlqigEET0cNPVrP_xUoy5ZqhnFZH1fb_4VY3tOSfXOwJ5UxG7a__otIQ1VrlimFt6rrePjhz80fKVGWT_B_Pit2F1Wtj1iK170XBlH-e5ETmkWgLsO7ycryXR9qAsXVj6YFw3ykCC0/s1600/062611+sunset+in+hopetown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWXlqigEET0cNPVrP_xUoy5ZqhnFZH1fb_4VY3tOSfXOwJ5UxG7a__otIQ1VrlimFt6rrePjhz80fKVGWT_B_Pit2F1Wtj1iK170XBlH-e5ETmkWgLsO7ycryXR9qAsXVj6YFw3ykCC0/s400/062611+sunset+in+hopetown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625122765324086306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset in Hopetown</span><br /></div>and from the small downtown area we took a shuttle out to the Abacos Inn - Bob and Steph's last unvisited tee shirt bar! Glad we could experience it with you guys!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyEMvHSwqrW8c95SyDP_eKYgphzBjsgtY2A8asupDZ3FRqTnDAIJkZEtWvHUZRLwacXz_U8-2DoQe9iFeRYCNshhegPC7cqPECEsiE_QFeVVy-7KcnABuEhhH6PudbCCADZtHPXnnW6k/s1600/062611+rum+drinks+at+abaco+inn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyEMvHSwqrW8c95SyDP_eKYgphzBjsgtY2A8asupDZ3FRqTnDAIJkZEtWvHUZRLwacXz_U8-2DoQe9iFeRYCNshhegPC7cqPECEsiE_QFeVVy-7KcnABuEhhH6PudbCCADZtHPXnnW6k/s400/062611+rum+drinks+at+abaco+inn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625124353798266706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rum Drinks on the Deck at the Abaco Inn</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2uBX2Kik9nFIKJKz5L-SRi72nMnfyTTRXWfv8eXKNvdc-LSpsfQZrHRJnCT5OP6I6lfWKzIm-Rsrk34ULAv8ydCmvKppyGe5tH5tFwlgHmC-54jL_sWHa53108MTexuHSj4FusjReRc/s1600/062611+more+rum+drinks+a+abaco+inn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2uBX2Kik9nFIKJKz5L-SRi72nMnfyTTRXWfv8eXKNvdc-LSpsfQZrHRJnCT5OP6I6lfWKzIm-Rsrk34ULAv8ydCmvKppyGe5tH5tFwlgHmC-54jL_sWHa53108MTexuHSj4FusjReRc/s400/062611+more+rum+drinks+a+abaco+inn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625124380210243554" border="0" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinTmGVlsO1gufALlSsVkS5fyCIe5zpMs8QsVzCXKRuqaRU-jLacRN_dEJFXj2H7qrGPHWEHm6ArHlW5zH4thHcFLp9Q2rFz48kWyxVuMJmzr8_krhpsSSxFLnyPHl24DRAvXz_JRz3KE/s1600/062611+abaco+inn+-+what+a+view.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinTmGVlsO1gufALlSsVkS5fyCIe5zpMs8QsVzCXKRuqaRU-jLacRN_dEJFXj2H7qrGPHWEHm6ArHlW5zH4thHcFLp9Q2rFz48kWyxVuMJmzr8_krhpsSSxFLnyPHl24DRAvXz_JRz3KE/s400/062611+abaco+inn+-+what+a+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625132900124662674" border="0" /></a>Great View from the Deck at the Abaco Inn<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9tvwOYMwMytXPIC5wQWoSMFoRGWw6lHZuMwa2HzQhTRpf0YtxWIEgIXM5PEWS22MRmuUKlfit1XDYYVe_YC9hrJWaYAxKdMt20xd3uroJ8klKoQI9N5C01M7yfC2qP1B03J_uhmdd3E/s1600/062611+approaching+sunset+at+abaco+inn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9tvwOYMwMytXPIC5wQWoSMFoRGWw6lHZuMwa2HzQhTRpf0YtxWIEgIXM5PEWS22MRmuUKlfit1XDYYVe_YC9hrJWaYAxKdMt20xd3uroJ8klKoQI9N5C01M7yfC2qP1B03J_uhmdd3E/s400/062611+approaching+sunset+at+abaco+inn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625132888739311922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Great Sunset from the Abaco Inn</span> </div><br />From Hopetown, we dinghyed over to Cracker P's another great beach bar and tee shirt spot!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGpck77SN5Zp5rIu4XclTqEF8ndzOFqc3jAWwGKuFF6BZHkBoY2dliK1LohNxLBoVK6-MMCIB5-GyLxxTw9Gp7UqUWHsZGXseipuOG0tw7de0BtHaP8Fu3FHY_9IauHEaZ-Hg6p96hQ0/s1600/062611+cracker+p%2527s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGpck77SN5Zp5rIu4XclTqEF8ndzOFqc3jAWwGKuFF6BZHkBoY2dliK1LohNxLBoVK6-MMCIB5-GyLxxTw9Gp7UqUWHsZGXseipuOG0tw7de0BtHaP8Fu3FHY_9IauHEaZ-Hg6p96hQ0/s400/062611+cracker+p%2527s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128820786524770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dock at Cracker P's</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAngu2rgwQBAjk91Uh887g0S-vCLS-F_T5Iebx47rEXqtuZIAMs2RM4COWNBPmrpsIM4xc9cIRm8e4bCHkv0v6BD6kMXhs9Lp6SICZy_NPuetoDP1Qpso6CkrhUO1bebrBFsmy-wrQf0/s1600/062611+local+humor+at+cracker+p%2527s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWAngu2rgwQBAjk91Uh887g0S-vCLS-F_T5Iebx47rEXqtuZIAMs2RM4COWNBPmrpsIM4xc9cIRm8e4bCHkv0v6BD6kMXhs9Lp6SICZy_NPuetoDP1Qpso6CkrhUO1bebrBFsmy-wrQf0/s400/062611+local+humor+at+cracker+p%2527s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625125439839815858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Local Humor at Cracker P's</span> </div>We opened the bar and had it to ourselves for a while - the bartender was the daughter of a former Hopetown lighthouse keeper so we got to hear all about its history and what it was like to live there as a child! How fun!! While we were there, the woman across the bar from us started to have a seizure - she literally stopped breathing! We got her airway open and just as Doug and I were about to start CPR she came to and started to breathe although she was slurring her words for a while - very scary!!! Thankfully she seemed to be OK because there was no 911 help coming - we were in an out island and when the bar owner tried to call for help, he was told that no one could come but that if they got her to Marsh Harbour (20 minutes by boat away), an ambulance could meet her. While you hope you never have to use it, Doug and I were really glad we had taken our 3 week first responder first aid course - hope you are doing OK Marva!!!<br /><br />Back in Marsh Harbour to get out of the nasty weather, we as always made the most of it - one night at Snappa's and Curly Tails for cracked conch and rum drinks<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6EwAzcHRVytubr59eEVIurQmJY7JUPDVutbgVoYAXcR7B6ZEmtUEwVyZuOtb6wG8cnrQTLjD73fO7Yue3eBEGaDV5hc5XVp3fHiLHGFXtaJFumMxjC-6vAxwHKOpy9UzDbRHiBRR4s8/s1600/062611+doing+the+steven+at+snappas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6EwAzcHRVytubr59eEVIurQmJY7JUPDVutbgVoYAXcR7B6ZEmtUEwVyZuOtb6wG8cnrQTLjD73fO7Yue3eBEGaDV5hc5XVp3fHiLHGFXtaJFumMxjC-6vAxwHKOpy9UzDbRHiBRR4s8/s400/062611+doing+the+steven+at+snappas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128809345606978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Team Doing "the Steven" at Snappa's</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp138_LRfX5oMt5tpLH0TWTRP7tOPFYUxQ14UmfTJ2EfTAHsfnOJNBzzxoO5zmnhite3DROByFA4XJzMYoolWB5vXa5p7fGSb-HFcjypi-zTIeZ1dL3IaRdy4slW9BZTK6oOpEVMMqhEE/s1600/062611+local+talent+at+snappas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp138_LRfX5oMt5tpLH0TWTRP7tOPFYUxQ14UmfTJ2EfTAHsfnOJNBzzxoO5zmnhite3DROByFA4XJzMYoolWB5vXa5p7fGSb-HFcjypi-zTIeZ1dL3IaRdy4slW9BZTK6oOpEVMMqhEE/s400/062611+local+talent+at+snappas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625125432275661058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Local Talent at Snappas</span> </div> - the boys even got umbrellas in their drinks!!! Aren't they cute!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQL_7jP8YZhTBavijpvNl20z55hyjAgRqFefvJbFUNrKqM-4IcmUXE4GJguWo1NBPr_OHC1Oe37MvSpqD2VcUWrWGMTVp0djS_6mZrPs78c44vCx759KZ8OonsBHuQqakABWsz-0KcIQ/s1600/062611+boys+and+their+umbrellas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQL_7jP8YZhTBavijpvNl20z55hyjAgRqFefvJbFUNrKqM-4IcmUXE4GJguWo1NBPr_OHC1Oe37MvSpqD2VcUWrWGMTVp0djS_6mZrPs78c44vCx759KZ8OonsBHuQqakABWsz-0KcIQ/s400/062611+boys+and+their+umbrellas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625131636044136354" border="0" /></a>The next night we had a wonderful dinner of seared tuna (OK I am now a huge fan!) and coconut macadamia mahi and finally got to see Brown Tip doing some Bahamian rake and scrap - the musicians actually play saws with knives. A slip would be really bad news not only to their health but to their manhood! You just can't make this up - Brown Tip was joined by black tip and his buddy white tip (OK those are made up....) Too much fun!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOw9M82tdOh0Cmd_PFTQBhp5h3n2po0qvctsoG2IvUaWKj1uFspSy1dM4IM5pP-Li-HIKmu2pLrSPtjP7PeMhk3PuLPkvROu85iALKgtLzaw3X-G3V_qqRcSdH8pHxayKso3XlA6U7css/s1600/062611+the+tiki+bar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOw9M82tdOh0Cmd_PFTQBhp5h3n2po0qvctsoG2IvUaWKj1uFspSy1dM4IM5pP-Li-HIKmu2pLrSPtjP7PeMhk3PuLPkvROu85iALKgtLzaw3X-G3V_qqRcSdH8pHxayKso3XlA6U7css/s400/062611+the+tiki+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625120763221696642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Tiki Bar for Rake and Scrape</span><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3q7q06wTaTupE8b-00EmG5y6AIY0xkW_feMnf0zFU9s0cDSHYkcnC3062Z5_ji4mAn3kLrH4QWDkXJzekg-4jZvWQ4pV3rmEEmvVTj7NeEn43pbBOOHFPA-TYILvVqmwOREE4V7gNbU0/s1600/062611+brown+tip+rake+and+scrape.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3q7q06wTaTupE8b-00EmG5y6AIY0xkW_feMnf0zFU9s0cDSHYkcnC3062Z5_ji4mAn3kLrH4QWDkXJzekg-4jZvWQ4pV3rmEEmvVTj7NeEn43pbBOOHFPA-TYILvVqmwOREE4V7gNbU0/s400/062611+brown+tip+rake+and+scrape.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625131632180654850" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0AaD1T-xJi-knigo5sBzPL06dvD96P7EB3cTCH3smg1O5xQEXHXENjiKJnpBYcHWEudHfQ-cTJgY1xiXkKgVpiwTLOBqZcWEBdPVnBxKO-HEkgPmp5SEtHedLRcAbaPu8ZX73fG2gW4/s1600/062611+brown+tip%252C+black+tip+adn+white+tip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0AaD1T-xJi-knigo5sBzPL06dvD96P7EB3cTCH3smg1O5xQEXHXENjiKJnpBYcHWEudHfQ-cTJgY1xiXkKgVpiwTLOBqZcWEBdPVnBxKO-HEkgPmp5SEtHedLRcAbaPu8ZX73fG2gW4/s400/062611+brown+tip%252C+black+tip+adn+white+tip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625131620734557730" border="0" /></a>After we left Rake and Scrape we headed back to Snappa's for a drink only to run into a limbo contest.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcqMlPia_jBThimEu-Pqt7GLH_m1XboGaYAqVwsaCTqNa0-40r6G8z_3QC0ItZr1gezCJf-bvRJE0ovqjbiLW0sRTXqgjW7sy8IGEpa1JjTp4O6i1kJhqxMXgs2C2jP6b0WX3CHdyZYc/s1600/062611+back+to+snappas+for+some+limbo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcqMlPia_jBThimEu-Pqt7GLH_m1XboGaYAqVwsaCTqNa0-40r6G8z_3QC0ItZr1gezCJf-bvRJE0ovqjbiLW0sRTXqgjW7sy8IGEpa1JjTp4O6i1kJhqxMXgs2C2jP6b0WX3CHdyZYc/s400/062611+back+to+snappas+for+some+limbo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625132884576309298" border="0" /></a><br />Our last day we spent around the pool eating some of Conchy Joe's cracked conch - when in the islands, mon!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmthyphenhyphentPQK8Vceuo3KhB-bIMrX1wWicXJva1JtSgczgsEW7pPb0TqdrZ_TTzt8ReDEXshJlZc7nfsZQXPz86UMQmg9NshvHa79MRZPikdj1WL_nCI3zQxOLDKS4OUYMUv8tMHjhSznhhyU/s1600/062611+conchy+joes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmthyphenhyphentPQK8Vceuo3KhB-bIMrX1wWicXJva1JtSgczgsEW7pPb0TqdrZ_TTzt8ReDEXshJlZc7nfsZQXPz86UMQmg9NshvHa79MRZPikdj1WL_nCI3zQxOLDKS4OUYMUv8tMHjhSznhhyU/s400/062611+conchy+joes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625129701557494546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Conchy Joe's</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0d2BdUeiKfiLo39lN03OwN7OPLvHw0KCP097N3Ha8c4Sn5Cdy7qdcR9IrO9KZkAJ8DGRUrML_U_a2-ltabE7LEk9wITZOvu51UZ0YG0fgJBqylYXoenfvDgSK6Hzle71gesdg6MJ94c/s1600/062611+cracked+conch+poolside.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0d2BdUeiKfiLo39lN03OwN7OPLvHw0KCP097N3Ha8c4Sn5Cdy7qdcR9IrO9KZkAJ8DGRUrML_U_a2-ltabE7LEk9wITZOvu51UZ0YG0fgJBqylYXoenfvDgSK6Hzle71gesdg6MJ94c/s400/062611+cracked+conch+poolside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625129704146390178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Conchy Joe's Cracked Conch Around the Pool</span> </div>Then it was time to head to the airport to fly home - and then depression set in. While the Abacos are so very different from the Exumas and the other islands of the Bahamas we've seen, they certainly have their own charm and won our hearts!! It was so sad saying goodbye not just to Bob, Steph and the girls but to our new friends as well - especially since it may be awhile before we see the SS gang again as they are headed north now that they crossed back to the States (and we were in Key West when they came through Cocoa!!) We had such a wonderful week on September Song - as always, it was special to see you all and we can't thank you guys enough!!!! That was the best cruise we've ever taken!! Betty Ford and Weight Watchers here we come.....<br /><br />But not so fast...the weekend after we got home from the Bahamas was the grand opening of the Smokin' Tuna Saloon in Key West, a new bar owned by our friend Scott Kirby. What kind of friend would be if we missed it???? So of course we headed down to Key Weird on Thursday night after Doug's red-eye flight from hell - where he didn't make it back to Orlando until 6 pm!! Never flying United again - 3 out of 4 of his planes had mechanical problems and had to be switched out! We cruised into KW mid-morning Friday, checked in to our old haunt the Seascape Inn and promptly headed out to get some Schooner Wharf wings. God it was great to be back "home" - Wendi was still at the bar and Michael McCloud was still playing music so it was old home week!! Bob - we smoked a stoogie for you!!<br /><br />After a day of playing and bar hopping our way around KW, we went to the grand opening of the Smokin' Tuna Saloon to see Scott, Dave and the gang - what a night!! Open bar for an hour - he told us that never would have happened if he'd known we were coming...we think he was kidding.... The place looks great, the music as always rocked, and it was packed! Plus with a slogan like "We're smokin tuna ... and its legal!" - how can it not succeed??? Anyone who is heading to KW, check them out on Charles Street where the old El Alamo used to be (the alley across Duval form Irish Kevins) - they serve lunch and dinner and there is live music every night from 5:00 pm until closing.<br /><br />Afer Scott and Dave finished playing on Friday night, we headed over to Rick's where there was a private party for Cynthia Aguillar, the woman who paddled from Cuba to KW. A gang of our cruising buddies had served as her "mothership" for the trip - so not only did we get to celebrate with Cynthia but we got to see our friends on Muircu (Jill and Brett), Beausoleil (Shawna and Jon) and Sunluver (Nancy and Bob)!!! After Doug got his tattoo at Paradise,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9WWhMzifTsPq_QefHh8LuBqlJkPNSGjRyZlqKeZlYdKVVPAfUMPZk7u0qgvlwxYPa7YIgl7Nq2Iaz3gKghfJyEz3IMYcbRbGTXvfEs0zmRgzmD3WxVJ9UfnXsAFK0weEGgeMwGP-rBY/s1600/062611+dougs+tat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9WWhMzifTsPq_QefHh8LuBqlJkPNSGjRyZlqKeZlYdKVVPAfUMPZk7u0qgvlwxYPa7YIgl7Nq2Iaz3gKghfJyEz3IMYcbRbGTXvfEs0zmRgzmD3WxVJ9UfnXsAFK0weEGgeMwGP-rBY/s400/062611+dougs+tat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625128800355242626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug's New Tattoo on His Right Bicep</span> </div>we spent Saturday in search of the best ahi tuna and of course a few cold beverages - believe it or not, Schooner's tuna rocked!!! There is a new menu (and obviously chef) at the Wharf - what used to be a place only to get wings (and attend the three happy hours a day), is now very good! Back to the Smokin Tuna for another evening of great music, great friends, and cold beverages. It was awesome to see all you guys - we'll be down again soon! Bob and Steph - we got you virgin Smokin Tuna tee shirts!!<br /><br />On Sunday we had to stop by Paradise again on the way out of town so I could get my new tat....I had a brain storm while I was waiting for Doug and didn't want to wait for our next trip to KW so Tommy told me he'd do my tat right when they opened - kewl!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFDT5RuMZvLMUFBzoenPyxWEcqTpf9e6myXkTgRAepGNzaLPLNdggPXHruh-p49EBuFuFniR4CrX2TJ0BbOthKMZlIUx-zi3dvFm4n5DqxdHIRBzU7ZpZ0XQRKOy7ro0U2ywe9pYDZ8E/s1600/062611+tams+tat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFDT5RuMZvLMUFBzoenPyxWEcqTpf9e6myXkTgRAepGNzaLPLNdggPXHruh-p49EBuFuFniR4CrX2TJ0BbOthKMZlIUx-zi3dvFm4n5DqxdHIRBzU7ZpZ0XQRKOy7ro0U2ywe9pYDZ8E/s400/062611+tams+tat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625121511632965026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy's New Tattoo</span><br /></div>I even have the next one all planned out for our next visit - it was part of the brain storm!!! Now I'm back to thinking of that darn brain worm....if UCK...barefoot man, you're funny!<br /><br />Sorry there are no pictures of KW and the new bar or anything, but I find that when we are in the keys, unless we're with other people, I tend not to take my camera. I think that works out better anyways!! Besides, there are enough pictures from the Bahamas. That about catches you up - work is crazy because of course no vacation goes unpunished.....but we did sneak away to Universal yesterday for some Harry Potter, and water rides! Pouring today so I guess it's as good a day as any to catch up on work....Only 19 more days until Deathly Hallows Part 2 - I see another midnight showing in our future.<br /><br />But before that, we are seeing Mac McAnally this Friday night at Margaritaville in Orlando - yahoo!! Life is what you make of it folks - take time to enjoy!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-30014846332624216162011-05-15T14:54:00.008-04:002011-05-15T16:01:39.696-04:00Happy Cinco de Mayo EveryoneMea culpa: This is Doug. Tammy wrote this about two weeks ago and I'm just posting it now. She obviously needs a new IT group!<br /><br />So we're not over in the Bahamas enjoying the gin clear waters, private beaches and fishing for mahi with Bob, Stephanie and the September Song boat dogs; ...and we're not down in Key West with our boating buddies on Muircu, Sunluver or Beausoleil; ....and unfortunately we're not even out there celebrating Cinco de Mayo which I have to admit ranks up there with St. Patty's day as my all time favorite holidays (forget all the sappy made for Hallmark holidays and give me a good old fashion reason to party with friends and enjoy life any day!!) Are you getting the picture - yup we're back to being working stiffs and life for us both at work is insane to say the least. Doug just was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in addition to being the CFO so all of sales, services etc reports to him - as happy as he is about the new role, be careful what you ask for since you may just get it and now you own it - congrats Captain Doug!<br /><br />But as always with us, all work and no play ... well it just never happens! We firmly believe that the less time you have to play merely makes the time you have more important - play well folks! We have been loving the sunshine and the climate down here this winter - I know we have a miserable summer coming (or so everyone tells us) but you know what, I'm OK with that - that is why we live on a boat near the water and can go to the beach whenever we want!! We've been hearing a bunch of really great music and one of the funniest comedians ever - Ron White - I truly hurt from laughing for a couple days after seeing him!!! I know he's a pretty sick puppy, but I have to admit I had tears streaming down my face as did a lot of people in the theater! We had a blow out Kenny Chesney/Zac Brown Band concert at Raymond James stadium in Tampa and then we finally got back to a Buffett concert!! While we missed the Great Woods Gang (who we had gone to Buffett with every year for about 15 years) and all the pre-party planning, and of course Chris and Warren's gourmet tail-gating food, I think we would have made you guys proud with our preparations and execution. We arrived around noon for an 8:00 pm show and set up the tent, the grill, the coolers, the beach chairs and tables, and then sat back to enjoy the festivities. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt0_3UcIYI0IGASqOeoWB_hhpdn8Qvk_m55ET0eW9g1iIO8zd5c8JE8qhIUrVsCeg5i8W4avFAQJvptRDZny7Va9KXD7oAf9mZgdd8vvbcUhE20EJLVViXjYJlYj2vhtv1AiR0swxqac/s1600/0505011+our+tent.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnt0_3UcIYI0IGASqOeoWB_hhpdn8Qvk_m55ET0eW9g1iIO8zd5c8JE8qhIUrVsCeg5i8W4avFAQJvptRDZny7Va9KXD7oAf9mZgdd8vvbcUhE20EJLVViXjYJlYj2vhtv1AiR0swxqac/s400/0505011+our+tent.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607022385812735394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy sits just out from under the tent set up to protect Doug from the Florida Sun</span><br /></div>Decked out in our Hawaiian shirts, shades, beads and leis - we took in the whole scene eager to see how the parking lot/tailgating experience of Florida differed from that in New England. There was definitely a similar level of craziness although some key differences - no ice luges down here because of the heat (probably not a bad thing- less puking), lots more tents to block the sun (unlike NE where tents only appeared really the year the hurricane ripped through), everyone plays corn hole down here in the parking lots and the biggest difference down here....decorated golf carts!!! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_gUreHWoh3DetuQ-CQWOzRh26T_V5nVA5j3JHT1TlFzxlexN_NTo4t8KGy4ELAlSyDJLwohglaL8AT53Hg1KikiOqtsM4tJKOgpZr_-iIe1nSOnEeZ4HUbPe_3g0rlcCmHRwNbURrTs/s1600/050511+golf+cart.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_gUreHWoh3DetuQ-CQWOzRh26T_V5nVA5j3JHT1TlFzxlexN_NTo4t8KGy4ELAlSyDJLwohglaL8AT53Hg1KikiOqtsM4tJKOgpZr_-iIe1nSOnEeZ4HUbPe_3g0rlcCmHRwNbURrTs/s400/050511+golf+cart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607023295365278322" border="0" /></a>Here are some pics of what was a crazy, wonderful day which ended with one of Jimmy's best concerts I've ever heard him play - not only was it the kick off of his new tour, not only did the sun set right next to the stage which the open air amphitheater showcased, and not only did Ilo open for him, but he played music he really wanted to play - lots of his old stuff that he rarely plays in his concerts instead of the more commercial songs that newbie parrotheads crave! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiml5Ktu2c2K_dpSCSo2IWaNc5yifFD59lyubeS3cp8MatJCjxZNW2hexTpI1u8w-7TgOPNybdLp5OpULDNlEQtL3x5g5l89BEvjtI5GZ5IOh6rREAww1AHpZ14ikBuphiAgv88oRVik54/s1600/050511+crazy+leis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiml5Ktu2c2K_dpSCSo2IWaNc5yifFD59lyubeS3cp8MatJCjxZNW2hexTpI1u8w-7TgOPNybdLp5OpULDNlEQtL3x5g5l89BEvjtI5GZ5IOh6rREAww1AHpZ14ikBuphiAgv88oRVik54/s400/050511+crazy+leis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607025976519916722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Leis Seem to be a Big Business in Florida</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_OlKFjUt5Xdx2TQgn1jWQeHoFYjCLAq2arLARpiEfi6kVN_n3O9hZmemnL427a67aeAjo2wedAsdfeWef1UijxneU8KZagBs1OJCenmGGQwh5lwrNFvVWmCZiDRnm_M2hMKFk-0B7fg/s1600/050511+funnels.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_OlKFjUt5Xdx2TQgn1jWQeHoFYjCLAq2arLARpiEfi6kVN_n3O9hZmemnL427a67aeAjo2wedAsdfeWef1UijxneU8KZagBs1OJCenmGGQwh5lwrNFvVWmCZiDRnm_M2hMKFk-0B7fg/s400/050511+funnels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024076017476754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drinking Jack Daniels Through a Funnel</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM6v2p06fB0ct7FACPhOhxww3lBZkbkQwFz_q5iqqG5RdkP4mxX6oDmSm3gxikR-WfKPB4qMSJGFVU2c62vWlr0KvwjmoCjgvTAo9mN2vXFZe5phABrCvIliO_mHiIzAL-2FfBn33WS8/s1600/050511+parking+lot+craziness.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM6v2p06fB0ct7FACPhOhxww3lBZkbkQwFz_q5iqqG5RdkP4mxX6oDmSm3gxikR-WfKPB4qMSJGFVU2c62vWlr0KvwjmoCjgvTAo9mN2vXFZe5phABrCvIliO_mHiIzAL-2FfBn33WS8/s400/050511+parking+lot+craziness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607023271070340738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Much Craziness in the Parking Lot</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl22DjuwW0150zMO0C_v-QBjst_pqS37i336RWN7j2PFsb631FRfxdeccz2NKRTFodFFv5RSypgbeSuGljKlbkUTBgUA0l_rL0FLdjBeOOXNBYBJAON4z-y8cSV3dRrGy74E5M2rlabKU/s1600/050511+shark+bike.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl22DjuwW0150zMO0C_v-QBjst_pqS37i336RWN7j2PFsb631FRfxdeccz2NKRTFodFFv5RSypgbeSuGljKlbkUTBgUA0l_rL0FLdjBeOOXNBYBJAON4z-y8cSV3dRrGy74E5M2rlabKU/s400/050511+shark+bike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607022397628856706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Shark Bike - Only at a Buffett Show</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs55nG8BCavowrzvdg2VZGjQ3rvvvFnF3NwYNKCeOn77yN4J7evgMWIK5ecHKMchhyphenhyphentZm2dEabnmZHVz13LZpNFnHi6U-jj4bCiFfAz1AI8zibMJY8iguHZqzAyLmxm8nP69-L1nBNp14/s1600/050511+tents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs55nG8BCavowrzvdg2VZGjQ3rvvvFnF3NwYNKCeOn77yN4J7evgMWIK5ecHKMchhyphenhyphentZm2dEabnmZHVz13LZpNFnHi6U-jj4bCiFfAz1AI8zibMJY8iguHZqzAyLmxm8nP69-L1nBNp14/s400/050511+tents.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607022393441550434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tents were the Order of the Day</span><br /></div><br />The next day we were off to Sebring to see our great friends from Maine, Francesca and John Spain. We had planned on meeting them at Universal but John went and broke his collarbone mountain biking, so bumpy rides weren't high on his wish list! OUCH! Instead we had an awesome day catching up around the pool at their house, munching nachos and other yummy mexican food! Then we were off for an early evening airboat ride - not on one of those huge, tourist boats but with a friend of theirs who has his own boat! Very cool!! We brought along flat stanley (which those of you who have young kids know all about - we had to be educated) for the airboat ride and I must say he enjoyed himself tremendously, especially when our guide caught us a baby gator!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIezeXyhyphenhyphenm_Z0BfmYLbr-f3ScGVvb-lWo2YT-iEvNvJs5Box3tSQIAjoql_djJhvmrXKxbyQ83c96TahSqDvN3uZuxST3Ki-lbqqXx4-lR9E96hMOB0yYzzDejvAdwcQXJpQjWuNo0WCM/s1600/050511+flat+stanley+w%253A+J%2526F.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIezeXyhyphenhyphenm_Z0BfmYLbr-f3ScGVvb-lWo2YT-iEvNvJs5Box3tSQIAjoql_djJhvmrXKxbyQ83c96TahSqDvN3uZuxST3Ki-lbqqXx4-lR9E96hMOB0yYzzDejvAdwcQXJpQjWuNo0WCM/s400/050511+flat+stanley+w%253A+J%2526F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024080933782994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Flat Stanley Sits with John and Francesca on the Airboat</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUyzMZ6kEddkHDypHesOK9u_3PFY_UYPYjbgSo2scGJ-n5ZMjGnkMhd_d-IVo_f1gdII3xE-B4AeSnJ5_-TbP-lj1L75TfYepHVvS4ug6XudJik4IXRkBzZkYWf2MI5wTJ_Lb9Z2HUX0/s1600/050511+flat+stanley+adn+gator.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUyzMZ6kEddkHDypHesOK9u_3PFY_UYPYjbgSo2scGJ-n5ZMjGnkMhd_d-IVo_f1gdII3xE-B4AeSnJ5_-TbP-lj1L75TfYepHVvS4ug6XudJik4IXRkBzZkYWf2MI5wTJ_Lb9Z2HUX0/s400/050511+flat+stanley+adn+gator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024080297308866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Flat Stanley, John and Doug Hold a Baby Alligator</span><br /></div>Bombing through Arbuckle Creek lined with cypress trees covered in the hanging silvery moss reminded us of all those glorious outings exploring the Waccamaw River in our family cars with the September Song gang!! The difference were the gators and the huge snakes that were all around us - wild!! The other difference is the airboat can virtually go over land let alone cutting through marsh grass, lily pads and swamp crap with ease - no worries about getting stuff stuck in the motor or going aground - you don't have to have your eyes glued to the depth sounder. What an unbelievable trip - on the way back we had a gorgeous view of the sun setting and the full moon rising between the trees. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaRN6vY_H8CW-SnAIOJZSeEGEmfz2tgjHLKa9J7opwz8Ag8am2WyG44KukFEntnQqWZD7O2bN5Om2c-3HEJcHBVMdvKZaAVQTnyLh7eKaDY4HlzhvA4ylVKrhrDhPBcfh-1O5b6AlDQk/s1600/050511+sunset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaRN6vY_H8CW-SnAIOJZSeEGEmfz2tgjHLKa9J7opwz8Ag8am2WyG44KukFEntnQqWZD7O2bN5Om2c-3HEJcHBVMdvKZaAVQTnyLh7eKaDY4HlzhvA4ylVKrhrDhPBcfh-1O5b6AlDQk/s400/050511+sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607022393431459714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset over Arbuckle Creek</span>...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLpx3OW3KgYk4s-S4a9yZO6eTM8qNPcqeDPsGz0sTr_cbLm-ObEmfZLdcZ6B9NVo2r1I7gTO51yfNrU5DbEklliW_JQLx1HSEaHNTwMHnjDHWgQU422LFB4HktzueYNEAfNhwRCaLSdM/s1600/050511+moon+rising.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLpx3OW3KgYk4s-S4a9yZO6eTM8qNPcqeDPsGz0sTr_cbLm-ObEmfZLdcZ6B9NVo2r1I7gTO51yfNrU5DbEklliW_JQLx1HSEaHNTwMHnjDHWgQU422LFB4HktzueYNEAfNhwRCaLSdM/s400/050511+moon+rising.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607023281394816114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">...As the Moon Rises</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mX0dv9o57Ib2Z8vGa9-JLGPVxUn-1Q5Ysg0weaVX-BINbzzYWP8_88h8BiLovQ5C3JopOcCGhyjga1YmFeXxtVuZfaf3RTCJxn6HGRQWS66nbDzB2hWMaRP3PQ8auqnTKv13HHw-W6M/s1600/050511+reflections.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mX0dv9o57Ib2Z8vGa9-JLGPVxUn-1Q5Ysg0weaVX-BINbzzYWP8_88h8BiLovQ5C3JopOcCGhyjga1YmFeXxtVuZfaf3RTCJxn6HGRQWS66nbDzB2hWMaRP3PQ8auqnTKv13HHw-W6M/s400/050511+reflections.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607022405418072690" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD4Y0sRe84oVJFBYdbiUh-yyb7Tn14LISQZ56uQJdwep3Eh5txzWD9RXj16icsIhWCfCY8jN80gCRDZNvIkBeVPvzHT2T05UiNxNqV41UpCf-cT_JLK0auR44UYH1RC87alz8ke6sERM/s1600/050511+now+that%2527s+a+kewl+tree.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD4Y0sRe84oVJFBYdbiUh-yyb7Tn14LISQZ56uQJdwep3Eh5txzWD9RXj16icsIhWCfCY8jN80gCRDZNvIkBeVPvzHT2T05UiNxNqV41UpCf-cT_JLK0auR44UYH1RC87alz8ke6sERM/s400/050511+now+that%2527s+a+kewl+tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607023278838233458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One Seriously Kewl Tree</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2TZrFEop2D8HbyBWTPoLeZ8F6BIjeltDvLCSDKVD67arzV7ZobpLI02cB3Hoz1yMoTlspX16mPiwg052kHm2HHsN1BAHnACOc_HqmoJnGmphYaJdlEMsTjCgsuHLHOdbpU7-0G9zlBA/s1600/050511+arbuckle+creek+narrowing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2TZrFEop2D8HbyBWTPoLeZ8F6BIjeltDvLCSDKVD67arzV7ZobpLI02cB3Hoz1yMoTlspX16mPiwg052kHm2HHsN1BAHnACOc_HqmoJnGmphYaJdlEMsTjCgsuHLHOdbpU7-0G9zlBA/s400/050511+arbuckle+creek+narrowing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607025983671787602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Arbuckle Creek</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZWjaAZsYGuLckQxL1hX5ScTampSQNzHWTbMVJlv_3nncSyh0iJ5lqgx8M83_13sXUmfqwSIErOGh85gIvtuazkHFyle4V4iErF6pv6oc_PLNlKYfp0jD5iTKzbGPEBpBbQwmIFgwxEA/s1600/050511+arbuckle+lake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZWjaAZsYGuLckQxL1hX5ScTampSQNzHWTbMVJlv_3nncSyh0iJ5lqgx8M83_13sXUmfqwSIErOGh85gIvtuazkHFyle4V4iErF6pv6oc_PLNlKYfp0jD5iTKzbGPEBpBbQwmIFgwxEA/s400/050511+arbuckle+lake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607025981840557234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Arbuckle Lake, Our Destination</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9wmoe_mgEeHOX6TSvJY2g5Ij14U1I20nEGAv0t3Qhrxyz-VtrirXMIRFRwkYMaNzIuJ3H9mqjO0Vqaj_oa5b2MHxz8PPXcftTNFy9aUAjyYZ56D6EqOz1utVfCPhAF81WnIKhu02Hqg/s1600/050511+cypress+trees+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9wmoe_mgEeHOX6TSvJY2g5Ij14U1I20nEGAv0t3Qhrxyz-VtrirXMIRFRwkYMaNzIuJ3H9mqjO0Vqaj_oa5b2MHxz8PPXcftTNFy9aUAjyYZ56D6EqOz1utVfCPhAF81WnIKhu02Hqg/s400/050511+cypress+trees+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607025975323817970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cypress Trees Line Much of the Creek</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TnOC5OfDUEW9_OJUbcsiU7hj8ZKMp7xRsnoxf55bFrU2kXWtyMfz1aZbeUlp0pkY0PzG2O5zmZaXO78aEO_-pHrQ4zZeYpZ77XQj3m942ICnj6MRszOjlQh8EjIeH2ok-KC8k5BRbL4/s1600/050511+cypress+trees.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TnOC5OfDUEW9_OJUbcsiU7hj8ZKMp7xRsnoxf55bFrU2kXWtyMfz1aZbeUlp0pkY0PzG2O5zmZaXO78aEO_-pHrQ4zZeYpZ77XQj3m942ICnj6MRszOjlQh8EjIeH2ok-KC8k5BRbL4/s400/050511+cypress+trees.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607025969454003922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">More Cypress Trees in the Distance</span><br /></div>Unfortunately as the sun set, the bugs came out - and I do mean in force!!! It wasn't too bad when you felt them bouncing off your face until John our guide had to turn a light on to see the creek banks and then you could actually see them coming at you -- yikes it was like being in a blizzard -- normally I take my protein on a plate with a knife and fork rather than directly in the teeth!! Only one thing to do to wash all those bugs away - Dairy Queen for blizzards!! Thanks guys for a great day!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPoj-pUP-p9gJd_MU4MrSwLT4JsxJkPBZBdvCOdIStRJg3ifAvU6xiM-5-kW2z92Rt9AHrkwnKyOLzRaCpDMpPycsNgv4NiruRSAUTATuvkdc96w07DnGy73RaU0WpEznvAPCKHP6jVY/s1600/050511+guilty+pleasure.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPoj-pUP-p9gJd_MU4MrSwLT4JsxJkPBZBdvCOdIStRJg3ifAvU6xiM-5-kW2z92Rt9AHrkwnKyOLzRaCpDMpPycsNgv4NiruRSAUTATuvkdc96w07DnGy73RaU0WpEznvAPCKHP6jVY/s400/050511+guilty+pleasure.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607023286894452402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Guilty Pleasures</span><br /></div><br />We've also been able to see lots of friends although we've missed connecting with some too (my own cousin is too busy to see us - only kidding Melissa, next time!!)- seems like lots of people like to get out of New England in the winter/spring - wonder why! First we were able to meet up with our great friend Mary Ouellette from Rhode Island - she has just met her birth father who happens to live down here outside of Tampa, so we of course had to meet the fam - what better place to do that than Margaritaville at Universal?? If you've ever questioned nurture vs nature, I gotta tell you - you wouldn't after seeing Mary and her father together - it was frightening! It explained so much - only kidding Mary - we're so happy for you!<br /><br />After having seen the first shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center (which was awesome) and experiencing the three hour traffic jam trying to get home (which was not), I planned on watching the launch of Endeavour from our boat Gypsies in the Palace. John and Francesca were driving over to make it a party as was my best friend from high school Andrew Foss who was around Orlando with his Mom and brother. Drew met me at KSC a couple days earlier and we had an awesome dinner over at the Cape on the water at Grillz where we caught up, laughed lots, drank a few tasty beers, laughed a lot ....- how is it that despite the passage of years, we can pick right up where we left off? Sure we've changed a little - a couple more gray hairs (thanks WSGI), a few extra pounds on me (thanks WSGI), Drew has an eleven year old daughter Emma, but yet some things never change especially with us - I guess that's what best friends means!! Drew, his brother and his mom came over for the shuttle launch - which as everyone knows unfortunately never happened. No worries - we plopped some chairs out on our dock, had a dock party and sat out in the sun for the afternoon. Thanks guys for a special afternoon- it was so great to see you!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQG9lKWpErzdikwdri_6Z8rdAc5Fn_rL0rPAzhIvnol0aDc997DyChvrzdUe6s_vYQFI0Gkq36JvYwHMau4FN7RZuZnBgQ5oOo4-I8-AMMbabzPIUX8qr7QFxceBNQW4GdI1_izGV69wM/s1600/050511+drew+and+our+dock+party.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQG9lKWpErzdikwdri_6Z8rdAc5Fn_rL0rPAzhIvnol0aDc997DyChvrzdUe6s_vYQFI0Gkq36JvYwHMau4FN7RZuZnBgQ5oOo4-I8-AMMbabzPIUX8qr7QFxceBNQW4GdI1_izGV69wM/s400/050511+drew+and+our+dock+party.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024083426364242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drew, His Mother and His Brother Relax on the Dock Behind Gypsies</span><br /></div><br />One Sunday morning (when we were working...) Doug got a call from a couple of our cruising buddies who were doing a boat delivery and would be at our marina that evening - very kewl!! Late that afternoon as I was looking out the window, I spied another DeFever pulling into the marina - woohoo more friends. Into the slip next to us came Bart and Ellie Franey on Dewlap (yes their boat is named for the jowls of a bassett hound - they have loved a long line of bassett hounds with Reggie being the most recent). Reggie greeted us as we helped tie up their lines!! Last time we saw Bart and Ellie we were all in Charleston, one of my most favorite places - they are moving to Tampa where Ellie is starting a new job. Yippeee - we get to play with these guys more often!! Next in were Steve and Di - but they weren't on Aurora - they were doing a boat delivery and were only in for the night. So we all jumped into our car and headed over for a great dinner on the water - lots of fresh fish, adult beverages and lots of laughter!! An impromptu DeFever rendezvous - wherever two or more of us shall gather! Great to see you guys - thanks for playing with us for a night! See you all soon hopefully!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcfZ-lBx6usBr0s2-h_a1Y2KIfl9aJ4Rca7QXdz35YtHCgtVVYnsKGdP6ZwT45kEMx1azWPzlLH_eNq4XjbfJPV6CaJdMKz3jJ_I5gqCpmUgi_a0J8p0BQ3Jp_Ym5LkfY_sEIFAcTTiE/s1600/050511+defever+rendezvous.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcfZ-lBx6usBr0s2-h_a1Y2KIfl9aJ4Rca7QXdz35YtHCgtVVYnsKGdP6ZwT45kEMx1azWPzlLH_eNq4XjbfJPV6CaJdMKz3jJ_I5gqCpmUgi_a0J8p0BQ3Jp_Ym5LkfY_sEIFAcTTiE/s400/050511+defever+rendezvous.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024087242866930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mini-DeFever Rendezvous</span><br /></div><br />Think that about catches everyone up - we've got a couple concerts planned (James Taylor, Motley Crue and Poison) to name a few - we may also be able to hit the ZZ Top show at the Hard Rock. We are tentatively planning on meeting up with September Song over in the Abacos at the beginning of June but with our jobs as crazy as they are, not sure that is going to happen - but we'll see!! We just found out that our KW musician friend Scott Kirby is opening a new bar in Key West called the Smokin' Tuna Saloon- just what we need, another bar to drink in in KW.....So of course, we immediately set plans in motion to head down to KW for its opening on June 10th!!! For all our friends who visited us in KW over the years, the location of Scott's new bar is the old El Alamo (home of the dollar drafts, mini pork sliders and corn hole!) Charlie Bauer who always brought the best music to Hogs Breath when he was running it, is going to manage it - so get ready for one seriously great bar!!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-60305010139418853502011-03-20T16:38:00.009-04:002011-03-20T18:15:33.948-04:00The Difference a Year Makes.....<br /><br />Last St. Patrick's Day we spent in Key West where the party lasted about four days - we experienced (and participated in) a non-stop green, beer-drinking, pong-playing, corned beef eating, music loving binge. This year, despite planning to meet up with all our cruising buddies in Sarasota, we worked on St. Paddy's day and by the time we got out of work at 8:30 pm, it was all we could do to make some scrambled eggs for dinner and have a celebratory beer (which was even normal colored since I didn't have any green food coloring). During the day I did re-visit our blog from last year but not sure whether that made it better or worse!! How depressing!! But since this blog is all about fun and experiences we are having, I thought I'd share a picture of our buddies having fun without us.....as unbelievable as that is....and the experiences we could have had but for that work thing!! Thanks for the pics Bob - wish we'd been there!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkKUHHZYZttcznHOxB-LBnsx0KqmWaO7-lIsumDVvTx8DwKiZzen-Yu27qhMZvq8tUQiz0izuFKGZ9IM1I8utKTUaH65lekk0fSOvv14P351BdkZsj15EkeSkK4-kNn_YNNSS4WxxfFM/s1600/032011+st+patricks+day.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkKUHHZYZttcznHOxB-LBnsx0KqmWaO7-lIsumDVvTx8DwKiZzen-Yu27qhMZvq8tUQiz0izuFKGZ9IM1I8utKTUaH65lekk0fSOvv14P351BdkZsj15EkeSkK4-kNn_YNNSS4WxxfFM/s400/032011+st+patricks+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265921851945378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We did finally get over to Sarasota late Friday afternoon to see everyone at the DeFever Rendezvous - once a year the DeFever Cruisers all get together for a weekend of fun, seminars, fun, good food and drinks, fun....you get the picture. Gypsies is a 49 foot DeFever raised pilothouse trawler - and many of our best cruising buddies also are DeFever owners although some of our bestest buddies are SOBs (no I'm not being naughty - it stands for "some other boat"). Since the DFC group is not a bunch of snobs, anyone interested in cruising can join up and come to the rendezvous - it was great to see everyone. (Almost everyone - we missed you Rick and Lynnie - it was too weird to meet the new owners of Rickshaw - we love you!) We got there and as we walked down the dock to September Song (our boat home away from home) and a cold beer, we were met with the sound of Mr. Buffett's anthem "Gypsies in the Palace" - when we cruised with SS and arrived in a harbor or anchorage, SS would play Gypsies over their loud speaker to the pleasure or chagrin of other boats!! You guys are the best!<br /><br />What a great evening with good friends - Todd and Brenda from Lifes2Short, Joe and Julia on Sea Pearl and Norm and Vicki on TideHiker were there as well as Bob and Stephanie to begin the festivities!! The SS boat dogs Cassie and Godiva seemed pretty happy to see us too although when they realized we weren't there to play with just them, they gave us the cool nose. Cocktails on SS were quickly followed by a huge dock pot-luck party - one thing boaters do really, really well is pot luck so the food was great and the cocktails strong!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WKtxRkoP5gRLTotTpydJiXQmvhDWeFBHc53kXhgiA1xjq40QSmIL8dvICp6G11jOmVNAgOMB1XsLRk8ji8iNx8LrEr6eUAeG5zRHdOXxQJ_O5NX0vH6zde8-FQDNUYagSbDPWkjTT3k/s1600/032011+dock+party.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WKtxRkoP5gRLTotTpydJiXQmvhDWeFBHc53kXhgiA1xjq40QSmIL8dvICp6G11jOmVNAgOMB1XsLRk8ji8iNx8LrEr6eUAeG5zRHdOXxQJ_O5NX0vH6zde8-FQDNUYagSbDPWkjTT3k/s400/032011+dock+party.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586267715714727026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dock Party</span><br /></div>Not only was it great to catch up with all our old friends, but rendezvous is a great place to meet new boaters. I thought I was seeing triple after I spoke with Steve Koch three times and he was wearing different clothes each time (who knew he had 2 brothers that look so much like him - glad I didn't pinch their butts - yeah it was me Steve even though I blamed it on Todd!) And what boating dock party is complete without boat critters - these three are one of Steve's brothers' boat dogs - way too cute<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiSO_y7k7CR-m-6FpMh4K0bEGVc1b1zbtPpDPb7FosRS5NOlx4_BOLKeMwIt0X51q81UCXzHvO6jpsARBF6Rgp88WcbWvBBYEF41RqEHhuxXE9Ok5WRinq12nTY-uKkt1LJihBU2kBIg/s1600/032011+boat+dogs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiSO_y7k7CR-m-6FpMh4K0bEGVc1b1zbtPpDPb7FosRS5NOlx4_BOLKeMwIt0X51q81UCXzHvO6jpsARBF6Rgp88WcbWvBBYEF41RqEHhuxXE9Ok5WRinq12nTY-uKkt1LJihBU2kBIg/s400/032011+boat+dogs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268835825162082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Three Boats Dogs...are these really dogs?</span><br /></div>(although Cassie and Godiva at their Bahamas doggie seminar the next day in their Hawaiian shirts were the bomb!) Had we stopped after the dock party, it would have been a great night, but no, that wouldn't do - we had to hit the bar where the band played a mix of motown and reggae/steel drums - go figure.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2JAapnJ3cBJqV_osHG5ud8pxkY325uW4IWCbajtJupCsWn6cU4gig7RfMBpmNJyhIvDisIiEvYsyBVFHxbDAv5f4Am_mLxysEZdfPX3DKzPEFbLDCx54LoOyQeBze19cJL9ZPNvcQO4/s1600/032011+tha+gang+hitting+the+bar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2JAapnJ3cBJqV_osHG5ud8pxkY325uW4IWCbajtJupCsWn6cU4gig7RfMBpmNJyhIvDisIiEvYsyBVFHxbDAv5f4Am_mLxysEZdfPX3DKzPEFbLDCx54LoOyQeBze19cJL9ZPNvcQO4/s400/032011+tha+gang+hitting+the+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265517458593522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang on the Way to the Bar for Drinks and Dancing</span> </div>Di and Todd were crowned dancing queen and king - how do they have that much energy at midnight on a Friday night - oh yeah, they don't work!! Gradually our numbers slimmed down but as the band was packing up their equipment and the bar was closing, the diehards headed back to SS for rum and cocktails on the cockpit!!! If we only have one night with these guys, we have to make the most of it!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVzKynHh5jitYDHVW40FUQtkV3XH3XYEgr2ymIWFxz2fK1-4A9hcVIF0ObeyrJIzYHSyHGKQV9OIQ64mbj4QyFf0kAoIW3iwTAg7WH7xgBN44MLO144TRSKFhLcaKqJicGNa9fI1vCwM/s1600/032011+cocktails+on+ss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVzKynHh5jitYDHVW40FUQtkV3XH3XYEgr2ymIWFxz2fK1-4A9hcVIF0ObeyrJIzYHSyHGKQV9OIQ64mbj4QyFf0kAoIW3iwTAg7WH7xgBN44MLO144TRSKFhLcaKqJicGNa9fI1vCwM/s400/032011+cocktails+on+ss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268205085361410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cocktails on the Aft Deck of September Song</span><br /></div><br />The next morning we hung around to help out Stephanie and Bob with something involving a bit of rule breaking - why do you think they asked us??? We dressed up Cassie and Godiva in Hawaiian shirts and smuggled them into the marina conference room to give a seminar on taking pets to the Bahamas - they were too cute although they looked quite embarrassed as we were walking them around waiting for Stephanie to jimmy open the back door!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kWgRoBob3LU-TlRp0w_FLtKJUHTpoKL2LdXaRWsNxgI46FDM4XPC01jBhtKS6A7gFfCvdIJUEDsHaqU76YDRJGn6_bpN49b_A_w1ezT08KcjhU_8ICVqHTGjcYqx5GbDeAbAZqNOP3A/s1600/032011+cassie+adn+godiva.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kWgRoBob3LU-TlRp0w_FLtKJUHTpoKL2LdXaRWsNxgI46FDM4XPC01jBhtKS6A7gFfCvdIJUEDsHaqU76YDRJGn6_bpN49b_A_w1ezT08KcjhU_8ICVqHTGjcYqx5GbDeAbAZqNOP3A/s400/032011+cassie+adn+godiva.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268820923552818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cassie and Godiva at the Seminar</span><br /></div>From there we left to head up to Tampa where we saw Kenny Chesney at Raymond James Stadium where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play. Doug and I have really gotten into going to concerts up here - we don't have the local bar/music scene up here that we enjoyed so much in KW, so we have been doing a bunch of concerts. Doug had gone on-line awhile back to see if the Zac Brown Band was playing around here anywhere and surprise, surprise - found out they were playing with Kenny!! Well we hit the parking lot around 2:00 complete with tailgating provisions (we perfected the art after many years of Buffett tailgates!!) although we have decided that we need a corn hole game for the next tailgate - for those of you who think I'm being naughty again, look it up - its a southern game that we first found in KW!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S_GB1rhe8IXap83lfzuWnR7IuN1yead_oo1vnxYSWY3ywZ4016d6Sm-KsxwVcDnKYN-pMHDegJryh33aWZQXWPxTqi3xAgYeginzCx2ity850fxz28HllrM78kQ2ca8N0BHabxhKjPY/s1600/032011+corn+hole+and+the+crowd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-S_GB1rhe8IXap83lfzuWnR7IuN1yead_oo1vnxYSWY3ywZ4016d6Sm-KsxwVcDnKYN-pMHDegJryh33aWZQXWPxTqi3xAgYeginzCx2ity850fxz28HllrM78kQ2ca8N0BHabxhKjPY/s400/032011+corn+hole+and+the+crowd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268197088369330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tailgating Southern Style Complete with Cornhole</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1y_YMIRrVbCa2p-hDnAZeoWiYRmek_4dOQUQ8kTuMm16jfpLK9TumNKiNKpnM-EhIeoXFP9jZRmc9jhcrBW12EQRnDUsQNTFAuAgkbpPWEp-dgMycWq_sQrlCOMot4zYoPUI-hT2oFM/s1600/032011+raymond+james+stadium.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1y_YMIRrVbCa2p-hDnAZeoWiYRmek_4dOQUQ8kTuMm16jfpLK9TumNKiNKpnM-EhIeoXFP9jZRmc9jhcrBW12EQRnDUsQNTFAuAgkbpPWEp-dgMycWq_sQrlCOMot4zYoPUI-hT2oFM/s400/032011+raymond+james+stadium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266374698356546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tailgating Outside of Raymond James Stadium</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQEldeU9P11xAiKvgh8ofSKSVibfs3timNb1d_unC_v_2-IY1955z9f9JvDRhV98sfdFcay-h4fYrBbkM9_qDKSbXkIiJTIKefftGv-HHLqKuLsduo_TCysxICNWY3z89NlUy2m933BI/s1600/032011+tailgating.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQEldeU9P11xAiKvgh8ofSKSVibfs3timNb1d_unC_v_2-IY1955z9f9JvDRhV98sfdFcay-h4fYrBbkM9_qDKSbXkIiJTIKefftGv-HHLqKuLsduo_TCysxICNWY3z89NlUy2m933BI/s400/032011+tailgating.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265522472070594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tailgating</span> </div>The concert started at 4:30 but we didn't leave the concert until a little after 11:00 pm!!! Unbeknownst to us, Uncle Cracker, Bill Currington and the Zac Brown Band all played warm-up sets before Kenny even came on and then Kenny played for almost 2-1/2 hours before they all came back out and jammed for another 1/2 hour. Have to admit that this was one of the best concerts I've ever been to - Zac Brown playing Devil Went Down to Georgia made chills run down my spine and Kenny just lit up the place. WOW!!!<br /><br />Although work seems to dominate our lives right now - both of us are crazy busy with lots going on - we still are really enjoying exploring our new hood and getting used to being able to go to the beach in the winter (love it - we hit Cocoa Beach the other day and all I could think of was our poor friends up in ME and MA - up there in March you still have another month of snow!) The Cocoa Pier for Friday afternoon/evening happy hours and afternoons spent in the sun over on the outside deck of FishLips or listening to a band at Milliken's Reef have become our staples! Another amazing part of where we live (and where I work over at KSC) are being able to watch the launches up close and in person!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIWVMQIIWol1s8Z1dn4XFVmhyphenhyphennvpUHoNgKZfypXC7m6c2myezLrL7IvQk6xOOKq2KuSo68B3xg4H8qrS7HKpoy4Lx5REmz34-0BQSc1uAfFzYpnMFktQrXUuXbdoJ9y1Sg8_uH8uSag/s1600/032011+KSC+grounds+for+launch+-+rocket+garden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIWVMQIIWol1s8Z1dn4XFVmhyphenhyphennvpUHoNgKZfypXC7m6c2myezLrL7IvQk6xOOKq2KuSo68B3xg4H8qrS7HKpoy4Lx5REmz34-0BQSc1uAfFzYpnMFktQrXUuXbdoJ9y1Sg8_uH8uSag/s400/032011+KSC+grounds+for+launch+-+rocket+garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266915371456642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rocket Garden at KSC</span><br /></div>I was at work at the Kennedy Space Center to see both the launch of the Shuttle Discovery and its return after it did a fly-by of KSC a la Top Gun's buzzing the tower that sent up a boom that made me nearly soil myself (they were early returning so I was still at my desk!) Being at the shuttle launch right on the KSC grounds was truly an unbelievable experience - not only did I have a front row view but they had a huge screen up for us to see the whole process out on the pad and we were able to hear the audio from mission control to the astronauts - they were actually within 2 seconds of having to scrub the launch due to the timing of their window when all of a sudden over the loud speaker came the words "IT'S A GO."<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DEm0JrC4gvJ4nfjPcSZmIa8wrsWIe9FMSBVey_JyoyxoJwgDpGSu6g4oplfNhjBxJy7z2b348_FYXtAudJHkVzn8oWSlaRL2fCzAxjzL5WLFOu-evFwrwiqPqwUVz42sL8Zi0HlwSEM/s1600/032011+countdown+to+liftoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DEm0JrC4gvJ4nfjPcSZmIa8wrsWIe9FMSBVey_JyoyxoJwgDpGSu6g4oplfNhjBxJy7z2b348_FYXtAudJHkVzn8oWSlaRL2fCzAxjzL5WLFOu-evFwrwiqPqwUVz42sL8Zi0HlwSEM/s400/032011+countdown+to+liftoff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268189673804274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Countdown to Liftoff</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVwo-fGIqF21gOEGUjFlrTnw1KCxh57MN8UDHpBq-JP6A1_zBtogJgiF3-vuXKG5eItJ19cdXIYagj0HrHKhS1ZzHmC6JZWgAcUELASLE0QcJ1RKb9eDtymwwqFPA2Q1E9bw5WtmA6IE/s1600/032011+lift+off.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVwo-fGIqF21gOEGUjFlrTnw1KCxh57MN8UDHpBq-JP6A1_zBtogJgiF3-vuXKG5eItJ19cdXIYagj0HrHKhS1ZzHmC6JZWgAcUELASLE0QcJ1RKb9eDtymwwqFPA2Q1E9bw5WtmA6IE/s400/032011+lift+off.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266899038674418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Liftoff</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYpDUrQ2VlwCKgFUMbl-2DQJO1K2waqvBXmz3DVs4hVQ4qxO1GcWZpAu5lEoK8Y7t55JBGx3OCvr0ar7j-unl6kuahtmBCnUURtSQsa6Box4ABzgxo6z70I_W6-MnWOWTtIN-Plon6ec/s1600/032011+shuttle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYpDUrQ2VlwCKgFUMbl-2DQJO1K2waqvBXmz3DVs4hVQ4qxO1GcWZpAu5lEoK8Y7t55JBGx3OCvr0ar7j-unl6kuahtmBCnUURtSQsa6Box4ABzgxo6z70I_W6-MnWOWTtIN-Plon6ec/s400/032011+shuttle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265931037137170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Shuttle</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yYX1d9hYIK2SBu2gBgK_TGb1VuOUx-Pd_rezETRj5cwdCwzk3zNtBkx4SMssj8Wp3oksP0fRFN8IULo8cIo0AxGxqSe6TB4KfGLT3gQPUWds96b9kuM2-gl9Zea6bn6I2Vg7SMxB4Ik/s1600/032011+that%2527s+a+contrail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yYX1d9hYIK2SBu2gBgK_TGb1VuOUx-Pd_rezETRj5cwdCwzk3zNtBkx4SMssj8Wp3oksP0fRFN8IULo8cIo0AxGxqSe6TB4KfGLT3gQPUWds96b9kuM2-gl9Zea6bn6I2Vg7SMxB4Ik/s400/032011+that%2527s+a+contrail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265509818873218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Now That's a Contrail!</span> </div>I can't tell you the electricity in that crowd of people - it was unbelievable! Cross that one off my bucket list. And without getting too political - can someone explain to me why we, a country that has epitomized space exploration for the past 50 years, has cancelled this program - why when most kids grow up wanting at some point to be an astronaut are we taking that dream away??? OK sorry, but I guess working around here makes this seem really stupid!<br /><br />The other night we were sitting having cocktails on the cockpit when a bunch of our dockmates all gathered around and we watched the launch of a rocket from somewhere at Canaveral/KSC.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJJxBbjDq2CVoZXSGPJakzCVDfaXsLrTO33r3Wm7xMSRdKkD6lUiNV4c6Cq0PJJ_SpXP2Py6NnM62M875ay4oCqRZ5gmKlekQ5ezE8IT2MazfMh6czbP9ULJ-3NNEjjUB86t7-mK8SpA/s1600/032011+rocket+launch+from+the+baot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJJxBbjDq2CVoZXSGPJakzCVDfaXsLrTO33r3Wm7xMSRdKkD6lUiNV4c6Cq0PJJ_SpXP2Py6NnM62M875ay4oCqRZ5gmKlekQ5ezE8IT2MazfMh6czbP9ULJ-3NNEjjUB86t7-mK8SpA/s400/032011+rocket+launch+from+the+baot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265935662979058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75LOuC6CM-4GbgQHl2mE2Ur6_VtNhPV59wAKdEokBmj5DQJ7xIOcKoRaD3OIdYRR_Y3uPBoXYxSrmMX5XLN0KVa0tbfDeMX-giFkNfVdxNaMb3xzJe0DsxMkDGibA6qrCOROM0qzQGDE/s1600/032011+rocket+launch+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75LOuC6CM-4GbgQHl2mE2Ur6_VtNhPV59wAKdEokBmj5DQJ7xIOcKoRaD3OIdYRR_Y3uPBoXYxSrmMX5XLN0KVa0tbfDeMX-giFkNfVdxNaMb3xzJe0DsxMkDGibA6qrCOROM0qzQGDE/s400/032011+rocket+launch+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266364512551442" border="0" /></a><br />It is so unbelievable to just sit on the boat and experience not only the sight of the rocket launching but to feel the noise as it permeates your body like someone had turned the bass up to FULL!!! Not only is it scenes like that, but the sunsets on the water in the marina are so spectacular I never question why we are still living on our boat. Despite the fact that the sun sets every night, I never grow tired of sitting quietly with a glass of wine and some good company watching the sun say farewell on another day as it lights up the sky in an array of colors that usually takes my breath away!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XNjlZX98Ad5jQrqeV36rDR31j7u600qkqwdwktqwikIf5h4I3PgAk1j0uTiJd17LcAMU6uowQvLcZjm59uqJIFVJd08BeoX0i_I5f7YD_s7rDLV4tx8t-dsaV4ERPcV0ujQKcSkJjBc/s1600/032011+sunset+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XNjlZX98Ad5jQrqeV36rDR31j7u600qkqwdwktqwikIf5h4I3PgAk1j0uTiJd17LcAMU6uowQvLcZjm59uqJIFVJd08BeoX0i_I5f7YD_s7rDLV4tx8t-dsaV4ERPcV0ujQKcSkJjBc/s400/032011+sunset+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265920551297538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vzsxv5j1VcrX-z9eWPrHzm1FaezVPzrojl80OsEuEX7uAYeoz2N8GuXOVjG5qxFiXQo992GgvXfvEuRwufFCPFij0Q3wBh6peVXzvnYjiMZZpOPjm6NcZfGKYqvtpF9a3JZs5ilymTw/s1600/032011+sunset+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vzsxv5j1VcrX-z9eWPrHzm1FaezVPzrojl80OsEuEX7uAYeoz2N8GuXOVjG5qxFiXQo992GgvXfvEuRwufFCPFij0Q3wBh6peVXzvnYjiMZZpOPjm6NcZfGKYqvtpF9a3JZs5ilymTw/s400/032011+sunset+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265913376602402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bwCsSQL1uytk3-48h0iPuCNGMAHryz4iMnqEIRWjl9wvSe-A5X9vHyclW2FV9epVKhO6JCorJiyI1BkbjNjkVtFlVHpbWNuGos8tXhhw_-t63RcsbGXWbODvhlnRkovk2M8k450QKSI/s1600/032011+sunset+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bwCsSQL1uytk3-48h0iPuCNGMAHryz4iMnqEIRWjl9wvSe-A5X9vHyclW2FV9epVKhO6JCorJiyI1BkbjNjkVtFlVHpbWNuGos8tXhhw_-t63RcsbGXWbODvhlnRkovk2M8k450QKSI/s400/032011+sunset+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265531055841234" border="0" /></a>I feel sorry for the people who don't take the time or who don't appreciate such simple pleasures!<br /><br />So what else have we been up to - its been so long since our last blog?? I promise I'll try to be better in the future - we have lots of fun concerts and stuff coming up (baseball game on Friday, Ron White on Saturday night, Mr. Jimmy Buffett mid-April, Disney with my cousin and her kids in April, James Taylor in May, maybe a quick trip to the Abacos to see SS in May/June??, Poison and Motley Crue in June (our music tastes really spans the gamut I know)) - tired yet? After a Fleetwood Mac Rumours concert on Friday night one weekend at the Hard Rock in Orlando, we spent the next day back at Universal hanging with Harry and riding Spiderman and shooting up aliens at the Men in Black ride - guess we are just kids at heart. We also hit Key West one more time - this time with our nephew Larkin and his girlfriend Nicole. Larkin is a helicopter pilot and was heading over to Iraq for a year and he wanted to meet us down in KW - how could we refuse? We had a ball showing those guys around, getting to know Nicole (how could we not love her when she smoked a cigar with us at the Wharf??)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI9eNrtz7hhvpdu8C-GIUHuosrjMKrJm5uTDxn8Nzbc7n0ryj57HPrhmzEk5LyFwAjEF-UgED9rOOJG_mEcLUoep24pAsvOhgKLa8-aidviVmaNxAS4IV6Pax4tXdPBIESPYqtXJ9E9g/s1600/032011+cigars+at+wharf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI9eNrtz7hhvpdu8C-GIUHuosrjMKrJm5uTDxn8Nzbc7n0ryj57HPrhmzEk5LyFwAjEF-UgED9rOOJG_mEcLUoep24pAsvOhgKLa8-aidviVmaNxAS4IV6Pax4tXdPBIESPYqtXJ9E9g/s400/032011+cigars+at+wharf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268214196972418" border="0" /></a><br />and of course meeting up with Bob and Stephanie down in Key Weird. Think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves as you guys have heard so much from me about KW - good music, good drinks, good cigars, and great company never get old and they are always in abundance whenever we are down there!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkVBs7FMx_X34NhMq5JzUm8PSDzfgfSOIdksSlwECYBf2dFxIVUPYoBXRR9RFk8cvzRGVKswtOh1y056I0S-6KQJiv-ceNk34GQyiz_NB6sC5tBJGqOFP2uxoV8eBsitsmKJ9nNnvyaE/s1600/032011+doug+and+nicole+cutting+the+rug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkVBs7FMx_X34NhMq5JzUm8PSDzfgfSOIdksSlwECYBf2dFxIVUPYoBXRR9RFk8cvzRGVKswtOh1y056I0S-6KQJiv-ceNk34GQyiz_NB6sC5tBJGqOFP2uxoV8eBsitsmKJ9nNnvyaE/s400/032011+doug+and+nicole+cutting+the+rug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586267707277011458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug and Nicole Cutting the Rug at Schooners</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSu63JtIzYe767gSTSSZX7bfQcpgKZEBVXktITKOFxZrWPVW5-11kgpi7UskynPECr-5IYu_S60YeB9E8hzV0jab8w25a2MKrwpaXLJc_eo_hwnYip6rQve6jb9egDxKnkZoTMt51Kx8/s1600/032011+evening+at+wharf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSu63JtIzYe767gSTSSZX7bfQcpgKZEBVXktITKOFxZrWPVW5-11kgpi7UskynPECr-5IYu_S60YeB9E8hzV0jab8w25a2MKrwpaXLJc_eo_hwnYip6rQve6jb9egDxKnkZoTMt51Kx8/s400/032011+evening+at+wharf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586267685735902306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug, Nicole and Larkin Relax at Schooners</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBikvk14ZfPAXF2Ta8IN5yOhWOS5rwSAdsSsboh8vJuPEsy8qkh9QfqR3T9E3xQfEFjx1aOY2xkfZETbYDrbxGqHr59aqaOTw37FLP1VLMvERoEA0vulP10Nfg_XWTjE7sY_6ucuUROq8/s1600/032011+gang+at+wharf+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBikvk14ZfPAXF2Ta8IN5yOhWOS5rwSAdsSsboh8vJuPEsy8qkh9QfqR3T9E3xQfEFjx1aOY2xkfZETbYDrbxGqHr59aqaOTw37FLP1VLMvERoEA0vulP10Nfg_XWTjE7sY_6ucuUROq8/s400/032011+gang+at+wharf+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266927037349074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug, Larkin, Nicole, Stephanie and Bob at Schooners</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIyLru5ep2AOsXvHYpikx6jvLhBluvOq53B1ruj_GjVdFcIr1aPxKO-0nxNqUwgs9obJs97_wXg4nKKI1FUByE1KS3_y_l3DC2GVhTN8FKad8PujRMKOHWYLBAh8XKFy4ZI_ympjBV-4/s1600/032011+larking+starting+to+sweat+at+Peppers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIyLru5ep2AOsXvHYpikx6jvLhBluvOq53B1ruj_GjVdFcIr1aPxKO-0nxNqUwgs9obJs97_wXg4nKKI1FUByE1KS3_y_l3DC2GVhTN8FKad8PujRMKOHWYLBAh8XKFy4ZI_ympjBV-4/s400/032011+larking+starting+to+sweat+at+Peppers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266905274057490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Larkin Starts to Sweat at Peppers in Key West</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEnYxUQunBbjBxmuucq10EgBiFI8rNLyxJc0r2BVkINRC6j62bxLeiBaNs41YIZfKQ3jvzZJBLn4y19kZisLd0h4y-8Rvk6AfnyJam4rVDaxoLAFoc2nUI3bIiVYgEXlY-svDnB67USk/s1600/032011+nicole+adn+captain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEnYxUQunBbjBxmuucq10EgBiFI8rNLyxJc0r2BVkINRC6j62bxLeiBaNs41YIZfKQ3jvzZJBLn4y19kZisLd0h4y-8Rvk6AfnyJam4rVDaxoLAFoc2nUI3bIiVYgEXlY-svDnB67USk/s400/032011+nicole+adn+captain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266380046927730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nicole Seems to Like Captain Morgan Outside a Liquor Store</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3lGMYeH3_4vFC6-hDOBjTar_2_RVUUu4PS8SHmxIzuoetW2yAm5oUYvKZd7QqfYv9sNQl5WGxnXsk2t617l0jcC6s1mFuc3UQF6L7NXvwJiaZIPDKudsgJ8xIPSHbeMjli042u4P1ZQ/s1600/032011+oysters+at+raw+bar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3lGMYeH3_4vFC6-hDOBjTar_2_RVUUu4PS8SHmxIzuoetW2yAm5oUYvKZd7QqfYv9sNQl5WGxnXsk2t617l0jcC6s1mFuc3UQF6L7NXvwJiaZIPDKudsgJ8xIPSHbeMjli042u4P1ZQ/s400/032011+oysters+at+raw+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266377549300562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">No Trip to Key West is Complete without Oyster at the Raw Bar</span><br /></div>Back in February we also met up with the SS gang in Miami to go to the boat show - Stephanie's nephew was wonderful enough to give us his condo overlooking the ICW, Government Cut and Biscayne Bay for the weekend. Thanks so much Sean!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGl3gW_yBOyYN48syqwe_5uPno1MTtu9z6pUknAh3JqxQ56_raSajy9-OSSuOYhwLVVMHMP1fodYaJZMCUJv1SIZpdEJDM83jAx2wet_FM_ZusWwbNnQFZ_ymq12euyeCt8ziri_TF-k/s1600/032011+view+from+condo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGl3gW_yBOyYN48syqwe_5uPno1MTtu9z6pUknAh3JqxQ56_raSajy9-OSSuOYhwLVVMHMP1fodYaJZMCUJv1SIZpdEJDM83jAx2wet_FM_ZusWwbNnQFZ_ymq12euyeCt8ziri_TF-k/s400/032011+view+from+condo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586265506028506850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">View from the Condo</span> </div>We got in on Friday night and figured we'd have a mellow dinner and a fairly early night since we had a full day ahead of us. Check - mellow dinner; check - early night (well 1:30 in the morning is early!) I know what you 're thinking - we got caught up in the Miami Beach/South Beach nightlife - not so much!!! Since we couldn't find a cool bar around us, we went back to the condo building where we were staying - Bob and Stephanie wanted to show us the local VFW (?????) Yes - the local VFW Post was there before the building went up and refused to give up their space so the developer gave them the sixth floor of this high rise building - it has by far the best view of any VFW I've ever been in (and yes I've been in quite a few) overlooking the Bay. Well we wound up playing the jukebox (who knew they still existed?) and playing pool well into the early hours - just us and some local vets!! We had a ball - and with buckets of 6 beers for $10 we were in heaven!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6hrvv0ojE-Lb3M1O8oINx3xedmrJsj6bys74zSrf1D9nAU2vpF7-tvxWzsI7fKH7GlF_B9SjFvLNWC1hjoSwlcxvR6l5AAbznZQeM7Qbx6Z7frZKJwkutBMlR2VenrPy6Eb1b-J1RIo/s1600/032011+artwork+at+VFW.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6hrvv0ojE-Lb3M1O8oINx3xedmrJsj6bys74zSrf1D9nAU2vpF7-tvxWzsI7fKH7GlF_B9SjFvLNWC1hjoSwlcxvR6l5AAbznZQeM7Qbx6Z7frZKJwkutBMlR2VenrPy6Eb1b-J1RIo/s400/032011+artwork+at+VFW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586269012352311346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">An Interesting Mural on the Wall of the VFW</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ1WOjLuwWcvcKIePcTclh_XHnXS7FYnUZHoTxYuP5UthXE4WqRRacWwmUio0PL2yMuZuwwT5DtXJSxspvVV_EWm_u1SlzESRKVeON0wEwbGchryCM9lYSkKNnFSEaB7gUfWejlQqLkE/s1600/032011+back+at+the+VFW.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ1WOjLuwWcvcKIePcTclh_XHnXS7FYnUZHoTxYuP5UthXE4WqRRacWwmUio0PL2yMuZuwwT5DtXJSxspvVV_EWm_u1SlzESRKVeON0wEwbGchryCM9lYSkKNnFSEaB7gUfWejlQqLkE/s400/032011+back+at+the+VFW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268843878454770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob, Stephanie and Doug at the Bar at the VFW</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDutD5q_2G3bvBJyXxvgtSeIe8nzggKvIplZJMMgmO1ZhGCHERoxP40luTR5ys8EpVc79hBKbAqOB1mtrAfp4U5ryJnoq_VA8LPwJh4PWxVJycAX3X_fLKpRdhQ4032z28pfcfRbxDjOc/s1600/032011+bob+playing+pool.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDutD5q_2G3bvBJyXxvgtSeIe8nzggKvIplZJMMgmO1ZhGCHERoxP40luTR5ys8EpVc79hBKbAqOB1mtrAfp4U5ryJnoq_VA8LPwJh4PWxVJycAX3X_fLKpRdhQ4032z28pfcfRbxDjOc/s400/032011+bob+playing+pool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268824798379762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob Playing Pool</span><br /></div><br />The boat show the next day was awesome - almost overwhelming but we managed! Even if you aren't in the market for a boat, it's always cool to see what is new since you always have a "to do/wish list of stuff you want to do" to your boat! And they always have the best gear at those shows! So after a Starbucks run to get us going, we hit the show and spent the whole day on our feet soaking up the best and the newest related to boats - nirvana! That night we figured we couldn't come to Miami Beach without hitting South Beach - yikes we're not in Kansas anymore Toto!! What a trip - the people (and vehicle) watching certainly made for an entertaining evening even if the food was less than inspired.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0qXh0IALHA72wUl8FsP6sQGHCe0m6VHG7hoJcSQLprOoe76Oy8JYwK-UWpNiLgu9AX8apQ-3HCSrxVtIxbTWvgmXG1oCb0-9-9GUWWxhvjcYVrk3eDhSkn40QA5KqRQ6ZeU3AO65Iqw/s1600/032011+dinner+at+south+beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0qXh0IALHA72wUl8FsP6sQGHCe0m6VHG7hoJcSQLprOoe76Oy8JYwK-UWpNiLgu9AX8apQ-3HCSrxVtIxbTWvgmXG1oCb0-9-9GUWWxhvjcYVrk3eDhSkn40QA5KqRQ6ZeU3AO65Iqw/s400/032011+dinner+at+south+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586268187255200978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner in South Beach</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PO0uWGGMnc0HMm2y-c7UOuDGwtkQFK6pcSwK8stECjVOInWAB9bmre0GxxIeTgQGP8_8GaZtXuBduPZcIMlQV-jtwR6Co5ckOeaUlt-fpoumK6nEHrdqxoptnV3b2TDI8bYqa1cJI4c/s1600/032011+long+way+from+maine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PO0uWGGMnc0HMm2y-c7UOuDGwtkQFK6pcSwK8stECjVOInWAB9bmre0GxxIeTgQGP8_8GaZtXuBduPZcIMlQV-jtwR6Co5ckOeaUlt-fpoumK6nEHrdqxoptnV3b2TDI8bYqa1cJI4c/s400/032011+long+way+from+maine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266893811193202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie and Bob have Lobster for Dinner - A Long Way from Maine</span><br /></div>After almost being run over by a Bentley (while I was sitting eating dinner), mauled by a killer truck (again while sitting at dinner)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRnY7B1cI80ef-dwwqyNT0iQ0X4bAY-c_eaTNuA2bL10lQAnX3hgZmCBE1ecxS1lfT4oxXsFktlPNDYEbomMoGkj4wyZz75LKngUrJ9cPZh23inCfB9fQAEMdSejNymcoWKLD4iiLXc0/s1600/032011+monster+truck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRnY7B1cI80ef-dwwqyNT0iQ0X4bAY-c_eaTNuA2bL10lQAnX3hgZmCBE1ecxS1lfT4oxXsFktlPNDYEbomMoGkj4wyZz75LKngUrJ9cPZh23inCfB9fQAEMdSejNymcoWKLD4iiLXc0/s400/032011+monster+truck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586266381158158066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Monster Truck Parked on the Street in South Beach</span><br /></div>and Bob getting a faceful of female anatomy (does anyone in South Beach still have their own in their original form and size?), it was time for us to find a mellower bar - little did we know they don't exist. After walking our way through a drag show (are we back in KW??),<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeEHj53DfIgi5Pn6qcD-p64Dr73s6Lcb7d2PYjA6uhc7oqg74N7_9X8pVti7oTcPJE4ISCIMbmAipIBF23IldEBy7cs8o8D54h51B3VDlhvVuNNrLT0j3P8cCfTi-rmXeowLKvR6McaA/s1600/032011+drag+show+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeEHj53DfIgi5Pn6qcD-p64Dr73s6Lcb7d2PYjA6uhc7oqg74N7_9X8pVti7oTcPJE4ISCIMbmAipIBF23IldEBy7cs8o8D54h51B3VDlhvVuNNrLT0j3P8cCfTi-rmXeowLKvR6McaA/s400/032011+drag+show+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586267700358973650" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeMgTVjxDnmff28DvC-7WNY25xMR50-kcWKZdpBJIyrLKhL3th1M1b8BcK3NUdj77lxjPFaDC89Fm732tXRJPEw6NSYA3Tns-H3Tog0jaIW4Wawe539r5pwkcEG3cxByZtb0Eq_x8M1o/s1600/032011+drag+show.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeMgTVjxDnmff28DvC-7WNY25xMR50-kcWKZdpBJIyrLKhL3th1M1b8BcK3NUdj77lxjPFaDC89Fm732tXRJPEw6NSYA3Tns-H3Tog0jaIW4Wawe539r5pwkcEG3cxByZtb0Eq_x8M1o/s400/032011+drag+show.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586267687937886018" border="0" /></a><br />the bar we finally found wanted $26 for a bucket of 5 beers (and was so loud we couldn't hear ourselves think let alone talk to each other - is this fun?) which made us long for - yup you guessed it - our VFW Post - so once again we wound up playing pool and drinking beer amongst the soldiers lifting the flag at Iwo Jima! I think we saw a whole different side of Miami Beach than most people - but then again, we're just not like most people!!<br /><br />Well think you are just about caught up by now - at least as to the good parts - with our "new" life in Merritt Island. We're back to being weekend warriors but oh what a place to play - with a drink in your hand and your toes in the sand...stay happy everyone!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-60564977025576428722011-01-23T15:57:00.012-05:002011-01-23T18:07:11.626-05:00Senility - it is not just for seniors anymore....Why do I start out this way - because I could have sworn I blogged about our trip to Key West to see our cruising buddies Stephanie and Bob and their canine buddies Cassie and Godiva on September Song!!! Maybe not the Christmas trip but at least our trip down to Marathon in early December - I had to have because there were great pictures and we had too much fun!! Obviously senility is creeping up on me because needless to say when I went to check - no blog!! Is this what work does to your mind - beware everyone??<br /><br />Well I have some serious catching up to do - here all of you readers are thinking that Doug and I have been up to nothing but work....au contraire mon amis!! We have been living it up down here in FL - well maybe not all the time but we certainly have snuck in some seriously good times. At the beginning of December we headed down to Marathon with Doug driving Bob and Steph's minivan that they had left up with us in Merritt Island where as you know they spent some time with us on their trek south. Yes you read correctly - Doug drove a minivan (he was disguised to look like a senior corporate executive so no one we know would recognize him and add to his shame) - and one without Sirius radio or ez pass no less! What a trooper - we met up in Marathon with Bob and Stephanie as well as more cruising buddies Norm and Vicki on TideHiker who are also spending the winter down there. What started with drinks on SS,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixQqb87JRMIFkijJAUXskCdk6jWjnvsktlmQUjxQqj3suOxJ7g1Yp1wynDtWeXTL7o_MquL3tfEbIBaNj-JglAfzs_e3CwZS5PH3BWEHLy_kLFO7_2qhCGSzXQMFIeaSJ9YYhat8K59Y/s1600/011711+the+gang+on+ss+marathon.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixQqb87JRMIFkijJAUXskCdk6jWjnvsktlmQUjxQqj3suOxJ7g1Yp1wynDtWeXTL7o_MquL3tfEbIBaNj-JglAfzs_e3CwZS5PH3BWEHLy_kLFO7_2qhCGSzXQMFIeaSJ9YYhat8K59Y/s400/011711+the+gang+on+ss+marathon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565494320436486594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug with Bob, Stephanie, Norm and Vicki on September Song</span><br /></div>quickly shifted to the Sunset Tiki Bar where we munched on great food, danced to great music (aaahhhhh to be in the Keys again where every bar has if not a great musician at least one that doesn't make you cringe as if nails were dragged down a chalkboard!) and laughed the night away - well at least until the band packed up their gear.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIVFqKMXtdx2xL9SVP8gfWlLG2lxngoPYpGNVyPQAd3jxqc3UrC_TfdBcS7VyMgor7CPgftbcIAbn1eEXh3dJv02nTWVstbg2l8r-EjiXFjnkoxAE9N7FrA34zrDP68NDEJVC7hVI3LE/s1600/011711+gang+at+sunset+tiki+bar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIVFqKMXtdx2xL9SVP8gfWlLG2lxngoPYpGNVyPQAd3jxqc3UrC_TfdBcS7VyMgor7CPgftbcIAbn1eEXh3dJv02nTWVstbg2l8r-EjiXFjnkoxAE9N7FrA34zrDP68NDEJVC7hVI3LE/s400/011711+gang+at+sunset+tiki+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565506585077033298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang at the Sunset Tiki Bar</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjmHz33Dulpt-zoQ_jgYuWz1wHQYzFMxLiLCQPL3AlJXvTmanwUBLDO9M85j1HGxORiPXs5gv2znm_0kWu1wZ0o6sEMWjV82KaCTpMKKNaL_Bv9zHMYWGKn4J6rhwMTSLCK5Vb_0tUb8/s1600/011711+norm+adn+vicki+the+dancing+fools.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjmHz33Dulpt-zoQ_jgYuWz1wHQYzFMxLiLCQPL3AlJXvTmanwUBLDO9M85j1HGxORiPXs5gv2znm_0kWu1wZ0o6sEMWjV82KaCTpMKKNaL_Bv9zHMYWGKn4J6rhwMTSLCK5Vb_0tUb8/s400/011711+norm+adn+vicki+the+dancing+fools.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565500792970640690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Norm and Vicki Shake a Leg at the Sunset Tiki Bar</span> </div>Then not wanting the night to end, it was off to the Brass Monkey on the way back to the boat - now the Brass Monkey is one of those dark, slightly (OK completely) divey smoky biker type bars that takes a bit of guts to enter, but we figured we had the numbers and so we dared and had a ball listening to ....you guessed it, more really good music!!! How great it was to be with such good friends again and oh how good it felt to be in the Keys!! As much as we like our new home on Merritt Island, we sure do miss the Keys mon!<br /><br />The next morning we all piled into the minivan (disguises intact and a cold roadie in our coozies) and headed off to Key West - wooohoooo!!! Starting at Guy Harveys (where much to our dismay, we found out that our Georgia girl Lindsay with the butt tattoo and Caroline were no longer there),<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgmjTK67l5eQ6wkstPRsHy5211wduGMnzcSSXgHMaWiwr08OD_QsqKoy3UnbPbS12qxKcKXpDa4N0cI_VXq9k5rp0tGpXc8iyDlrikFFMpSM17nfT2RPVNPtx-imHKJ9Z39PSE_bjFl8/s1600/011711+gang+at+guy+harveys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgmjTK67l5eQ6wkstPRsHy5211wduGMnzcSSXgHMaWiwr08OD_QsqKoy3UnbPbS12qxKcKXpDa4N0cI_VXq9k5rp0tGpXc8iyDlrikFFMpSM17nfT2RPVNPtx-imHKJ9Z39PSE_bjFl8/s400/011711+gang+at+guy+harveys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565506587733027106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Easing into Key Weird with Beers at Guy Harvey's</span> </div>we eased back into Key Weird. On to Fogarty's for a sloppy grouper sandwich so that we would have something in our stomachs before seriously going on tour....<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCUTaxAHU3IlXm7kdjn5a9XKKPOGovXReiil6D1ogGdaDqKGOzPNm4tzr8QBaA9BCbMjq4dhxXqpImCH-uGLYMX0fGT2jO7OeeWUoFvQUlEyENB7d4rYeFz-HaNa14t93Y3QMa5pLu4o/s1600/011711+sloppy+grouper+anyone.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCUTaxAHU3IlXm7kdjn5a9XKKPOGovXReiil6D1ogGdaDqKGOzPNm4tzr8QBaA9BCbMjq4dhxXqpImCH-uGLYMX0fGT2jO7OeeWUoFvQUlEyENB7d4rYeFz-HaNa14t93Y3QMa5pLu4o/s400/011711+sloppy+grouper+anyone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565497896633881650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sloppy Grouper All Around at Fogarty's</span><br /></div>a cigar and wing stop at Schooner Wharf to hear Michael McCloud<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUZTYen8_GatlcG_RKXWn_dsnJpB-1Ne-O3QwjZGMAh5VNGhT1DikmDsfJIbKSpwxXpQ2RnemrRB29Sc7kTbA5MesvzsTjMReEyjV5CR2tnc9o2J-WJIg-45NS39395SEmRh4yBh7eBI/s1600/011711+cigars+at+wharf.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUZTYen8_GatlcG_RKXWn_dsnJpB-1Ne-O3QwjZGMAh5VNGhT1DikmDsfJIbKSpwxXpQ2RnemrRB29Sc7kTbA5MesvzsTjMReEyjV5CR2tnc9o2J-WJIg-45NS39395SEmRh4yBh7eBI/s400/011711+cigars+at+wharf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565507662195822002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob and Tammy Pose With The Cigar Guy at Schooners</span> </div>was followed by happy hour at the rooftop bar at Turtle Kralls where we met up with all our old cruising buddies from Stock Island where we spent last winter (Brett and Jill from Muircu, Bob and Nancy from SunLuver and Jon and Shawna from Beausoleil!!!) Very kewl!!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCkhSgvNutvT-BPj0dVTwcx6ch21umDufFYiYNdr1PjiEtrCOXc5hyphenhyphennLkGKQAasNk1M2UaAsc4Pv92vwm5YPe5dx1w8uU6ito2T7j3M4CXHuopGP0aIvgIe58y1wVgN0y0DiXvDx14LI/s1600/011711+turtle+kralls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCkhSgvNutvT-BPj0dVTwcx6ch21umDufFYiYNdr1PjiEtrCOXc5hyphenhyphennLkGKQAasNk1M2UaAsc4Pv92vwm5YPe5dx1w8uU6ito2T7j3M4CXHuopGP0aIvgIe58y1wVgN0y0DiXvDx14LI/s400/011711+turtle+kralls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565494314712134690" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJE5g2vZqC4M3q5hkNKz6qPBk-KCjAdcWurHQFpw7FAagobFHL3pzUtR7O7p8GciKoKB5pF2pq0dRbJJ79KpAGqK_duJXwIPvgA1VJkdjaMB916BWtGBfoEOUVC6MNSB8lwY9wox8l2U/s1600/011711+part+of+gang+at+turtle+kralls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJE5g2vZqC4M3q5hkNKz6qPBk-KCjAdcWurHQFpw7FAagobFHL3pzUtR7O7p8GciKoKB5pF2pq0dRbJJ79KpAGqK_duJXwIPvgA1VJkdjaMB916BWtGBfoEOUVC6MNSB8lwY9wox8l2U/s400/011711+part+of+gang+at+turtle+kralls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565500780976433650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span> </div>Sunset from the roofdeck rocked - there really is something about the Keys that makes the sunsets so gorgeous (and its also time for people to let loose...as if there needs to be such a time in KW!) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFl8iC0qOQ0BGxjvKmzqwu5vGywMOrLuHV31fBS4xCbHYiOX4GBn9h7PgtjkSIUgFcoYSEkn3qyHTK77OQ7Amtx86PKQISIgSq61Ci7jz7etGdE6S4ByQgfVROUy9ae8eWrp84xddhmM/s1600/011711+sunset+in+KW.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFl8iC0qOQ0BGxjvKmzqwu5vGywMOrLuHV31fBS4xCbHYiOX4GBn9h7PgtjkSIUgFcoYSEkn3qyHTK77OQ7Amtx86PKQISIgSq61Ci7jz7etGdE6S4ByQgfVROUy9ae8eWrp84xddhmM/s400/011711+sunset+in+KW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565495470231235394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset in Key West</span><br /></div>On our way to the Chart Room for some popcorn and peanuts (and a couple adult libations),<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sdsLjPV00P5On7-m8Bcx12ZIMHnNK-Ayj5mmxtteCeoc0qvPefvoOjTElfJi9Mf1D_xytUiu7aJW7LnIi8wOazp40RtgVSKucumGpotl318OKT8pZvwI992OWnmr0xDYtKFXUt4ALuQ/s1600/011711+taking+over+the+chart+room.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sdsLjPV00P5On7-m8Bcx12ZIMHnNK-Ayj5mmxtteCeoc0qvPefvoOjTElfJi9Mf1D_xytUiu7aJW7LnIi8wOazp40RtgVSKucumGpotl318OKT8pZvwI992OWnmr0xDYtKFXUt4ALuQ/s400/011711+taking+over+the+chart+room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565495467344697442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang at the Chartroom</span><br /></div>we passed this great dinghy with a barcolounger - now that's something you don't see every day!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM9saGC4r_EaDQYEHhTjFy_mUAPEP_4vw7uhDlCfDgkkt_84fFZdmIK4BH3qS2peDQvw749cVaiAwt6XZh6AsfCX2X6o00qasFVuVOOHKa_72hbqFV0deoLxZDOELKQ4jL3BtjGSUCII/s1600/011711+now+that%2527s+a+dinghy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM9saGC4r_EaDQYEHhTjFy_mUAPEP_4vw7uhDlCfDgkkt_84fFZdmIK4BH3qS2peDQvw749cVaiAwt6XZh6AsfCX2X6o00qasFVuVOOHKa_72hbqFV0deoLxZDOELKQ4jL3BtjGSUCII/s400/011711+now+that%2527s+a+dinghy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565500785465047090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinghy with Barcolounger</span> </div>Little did we know that night was the KW holiday parade - expecting what you usually see in "parades" in KW (ie transvestites in satin bustiers, stockings and heels....), we actually were surprised how PG the parade was. Guess Santa is sacred or something - but we all loved the lights and costumes and some of us even went a little crazy grabbing for candy being thrown from the floats, not mentioning any names Stephanie and Shawna!!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiYISgY4UIMxMVJcLctJD1-JNVrPoaJ0nNIimhxbdLUaZ6mCYfKdq3GEX2QHVeyeHJT3k1TDQdZID9aidaX60WFM9pyafrisYpQBkqbBdewVm8jrzFnCKUGCHhqCFF7AHFB8lhb9YjrE/s1600/011711+more+parade.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiYISgY4UIMxMVJcLctJD1-JNVrPoaJ0nNIimhxbdLUaZ6mCYfKdq3GEX2QHVeyeHJT3k1TDQdZID9aidaX60WFM9pyafrisYpQBkqbBdewVm8jrzFnCKUGCHhqCFF7AHFB8lhb9YjrE/s400/011711+more+parade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505370452903730" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuui8OIKgx1UzYmxfv5VI8pYyu0YKYsCrgSWPHaiTDdzErVkQdUvnitvvGXbmT1AZZB5CkHhsmYB9I-n5mer6lQPLegJS92qN0NmU3kKZh29pmyhx6CKpsZuiFjufbeqmpcWFnkuIZKN0/s1600/011711+parade.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuui8OIKgx1UzYmxfv5VI8pYyu0YKYsCrgSWPHaiTDdzErVkQdUvnitvvGXbmT1AZZB5CkHhsmYB9I-n5mer6lQPLegJS92qN0NmU3kKZh29pmyhx6CKpsZuiFjufbeqmpcWFnkuIZKN0/s400/011711+parade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565500782977495714" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBw-iMprgQIE3bjdwKNiCK-c-P7xGp1bwH5wshSfX8veeZu0QODlQbUKcpdLgzKMTpIOH13MkU6vBu5P5rQTxp1NV260Hm6honZ4j3Mbo-9AuBjJoo_192HXJVSJMK6JYqUDU7BJhWM0Y/s1600/011711+santa.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBw-iMprgQIE3bjdwKNiCK-c-P7xGp1bwH5wshSfX8veeZu0QODlQbUKcpdLgzKMTpIOH13MkU6vBu5P5rQTxp1NV260Hm6honZ4j3Mbo-9AuBjJoo_192HXJVSJMK6JYqUDU7BJhWM0Y/s400/011711+santa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565497899389217474" border="0" /></a><br />Although we had to leave Marathon the next day, no trip to Marathon would be complete without a stop at the Stuffed Pig for breakfast so of course we had to partake the next morning (even though we had sworn we'd never eat or drink ever again after our disgusting display of both in KW the day before)!! Ahhhhhh, yummmy!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRLNkAHq8P_ZZVJpjYqnkyh5WL5rylGKoGvoSSAei2Eli1DMzlWlfuNJN7a1s-wlATCLam4mDD0VtodDfDSYiglC3LkLMa5NPtvnqHNOqtU2M5drklXSNGWx_i755zwkPVThz0gFPf8w/s1600/011711+stuffed+pig.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRLNkAHq8P_ZZVJpjYqnkyh5WL5rylGKoGvoSSAei2Eli1DMzlWlfuNJN7a1s-wlATCLam4mDD0VtodDfDSYiglC3LkLMa5NPtvnqHNOqtU2M5drklXSNGWx_i755zwkPVThz0gFPf8w/s400/011711+stuffed+pig.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565495473418371202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Breakfast at the Stuffed Pig</span><br /></div><br />While we were in KW, Bob and Stephanie checked on dockage for September Song and we made plans to meet up with them again for Christmas!! Yippeee!!! Norm and Vicki were headed to Biscayne Bay and most of the Stock Island cruising group were headed off for the holidays, but we figured that Bob, Stephanie, Doug and I could do some serious damage on our own in KW! Well - mission accomplished!! Doug and I actually got to drive together this time (and we had Sirius and ez pass) so we were good to go - we made it to Key Largo on Thursday night where we stopped and had an amazing mahi meal at the Fish House (almost as good as the mahi we used to catch on Gypsies!!) The next morning it was on to KW to meet up with the September Song crew - on the way into KW Doug dropped me off for my Xmas present at Paradise Tattoo!! Pete the Parrot now has a cousin Tonks the Unicorn on my other ankle - Bob, Stephanie and Doug met up with me there although they didn't last long (think the needles and my gritted teeth wiped out any thought they ever might have had about getting one themselves!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEh54jxPTvbA8R2cesXumbjzLP354-J5ZDUgHEtXRETkNDMTIXYJcHEJjgcPlfO8VZMlGMaKnnndBU4gZ2rfX1pdbReiKfgr1s628Mv5BPPNw1_7v4Jd9Btj_ClDHHYfnyGYl07b-TTE/s1600/011711+getting+tonks+-+ouch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEh54jxPTvbA8R2cesXumbjzLP354-J5ZDUgHEtXRETkNDMTIXYJcHEJjgcPlfO8VZMlGMaKnnndBU4gZ2rfX1pdbReiKfgr1s628Mv5BPPNw1_7v4Jd9Btj_ClDHHYfnyGYl07b-TTE/s400/011711+getting+tonks+-+ouch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505373910624882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy Getting Her Christmas Tattoo at Paradise Tattoo</span> </div>I met them afterwards at Fogarty's for some well deserved adult beverages - and we were off and rolling!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8uYvsbH10AnPUhMv56RgztevHReu_puqTno4JFJMQ1S8XQx8TMLAk1bN3-afxEDI6uL2-4q4qXT7HprhSz4XVN_YzWuWYFa5YuELAahKeURMWsDY79abKUzVZZpIgTGQy4a7lOViYYg/s1600/011711+fogartys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8uYvsbH10AnPUhMv56RgztevHReu_puqTno4JFJMQ1S8XQx8TMLAk1bN3-afxEDI6uL2-4q4qXT7HprhSz4XVN_YzWuWYFa5YuELAahKeURMWsDY79abKUzVZZpIgTGQy4a7lOViYYg/s400/011711+fogartys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565506588720771810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Adult Beverages at Fogarty's After Tammy's Tattoo Experience</span> </div>No Sloppy Grouper this time so we could graze as we hopped from bar to bar listening to great music everywhere we went!!! Oysters at the Raw Bar,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRqqqbdLoy5YV1GYTs_f22BehO8LYrycTcxZJog1HfJ8QigfaDF3HIuwFqhyjN6kZNkJWyhOZWG4qBBZgPipc-v61YngyqaGGwoNJZrsBVjMKsagXva49KVM98Y5wuMg7xIiRQjh4v5k/s1600/011711+raw+bar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRqqqbdLoy5YV1GYTs_f22BehO8LYrycTcxZJog1HfJ8QigfaDF3HIuwFqhyjN6kZNkJWyhOZWG4qBBZgPipc-v61YngyqaGGwoNJZrsBVjMKsagXva49KVM98Y5wuMg7xIiRQjh4v5k/s400/011711+raw+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565515839473994882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob, Stephanie and Doug Dig Into Their Oysters</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX6CopC4h1AoMBy3KGfEbvsWmnDHr4VBzjAUDypGTV5GMvoTWV1A8B23SuNCYvs9bgMUrVNgbAowlviqysQyCIpuSuRaY9ltE1UQoRy-Xm4lbtaBPyL1mk2m16ZQiItEzmULNCJDoOnU/s1600/011711+bob+at+the+raw+bar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX6CopC4h1AoMBy3KGfEbvsWmnDHr4VBzjAUDypGTV5GMvoTWV1A8B23SuNCYvs9bgMUrVNgbAowlviqysQyCIpuSuRaY9ltE1UQoRy-Xm4lbtaBPyL1mk2m16ZQiItEzmULNCJDoOnU/s400/011711+bob+at+the+raw+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565507670129829314" border="0" /></a>Bob Enjoying His Oysters<br /></div>wings at the Wharf with great reggae music - yahoo! No trip to KW is complete though without hearing our great friends Scott Kirby and Dave Edmisten play so we headed off to Margaritaville. Along the way we ran into another great musician and friend Bill Blue and Scott's wife Michelle - amazing who you run into on the streets of KW - man they'll let anyone in town. Michelle couldn't believe the "boat people" were back in town - not sure Scott ever convinced her he didn't know we were coming to town - seriously Michelle, he didn't! The surprised look on Scott's face - priceless!!<br /><br />The next day was Christmas and we had a ball -<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v-jAeHUnwPyI9STMqf9JwpWjOy2mPK-DXCtS7F32OWRirEUwahP3xQHW7tucOTIBTcK21-r732Ap2TbmzdvtT2oTjUSYzNAjx47AXbxe8i4hQLIxfLpI1bgnxbDY5BiVuN_O6aYDXF4/s1600/011711+doug%2527s+holiday+earring.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v-jAeHUnwPyI9STMqf9JwpWjOy2mPK-DXCtS7F32OWRirEUwahP3xQHW7tucOTIBTcK21-r732Ap2TbmzdvtT2oTjUSYzNAjx47AXbxe8i4hQLIxfLpI1bgnxbDY5BiVuN_O6aYDXF4/s400/011711+doug%2527s+holiday+earring.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565506603551446738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug Tries on One of Steph's Tree Ornaments</span> </div>everyone had stockings to open including Cassie and Godiva -<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9yNGaALMVl5gUhYt46VEaCaPdsLZS2IN99w5I2jeK5t9KCZfHYNp-6yKeuUo1EH2m-B6PTqNGuOKODtjIg-sma4mRI9IAShDg9pmcHSWXMVBrqj0tJGexGwEzLprVZEtwJUMZfecZeU/s1600/011711+cassie+and+godiva+get+into+their+stockings.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9yNGaALMVl5gUhYt46VEaCaPdsLZS2IN99w5I2jeK5t9KCZfHYNp-6yKeuUo1EH2m-B6PTqNGuOKODtjIg-sma4mRI9IAShDg9pmcHSWXMVBrqj0tJGexGwEzLprVZEtwJUMZfecZeU/s400/011711+cassie+and+godiva+get+into+their+stockings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565507664967525650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cassie Attacks Her Stocking While Godiva Looks On</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivapmcskDuWW9cdst64-1-w8uLLumN1C0tPHEFazyQNT-UCUzqj08ZrWRyWk8hxV4uOZQgRJLh0cp4D2Np4wLUlLURcOTmJHg9XJM-_3Sm2d23cV3slS7jrvuITWkhzC6vQl3p26r6KKU/s1600/011711+Stephanie+with+her+stocking.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivapmcskDuWW9cdst64-1-w8uLLumN1C0tPHEFazyQNT-UCUzqj08ZrWRyWk8hxV4uOZQgRJLh0cp4D2Np4wLUlLURcOTmJHg9XJM-_3Sm2d23cV3slS7jrvuITWkhzC6vQl3p26r6KKU/s400/011711+Stephanie+with+her+stocking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565495479201723986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stephanie Gets Into the Christmas Spirit</span><br /></div>thanks guys for making Xmas so much fun!!! Stephanie and Bob completely outdid themselves with dinner too - prime rib, chocolate, cherry bread pudding and lots of wine!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkwKJo5nVZx9vVJ8MyU0MFfUZPiJ3wrWsaJ6UaF8fms5tZbe9Ie1EdTwU4mMa-uFuxq0TGUbSK0Nf5H49pMkSmk4ETsMEjxmLk5MgqNP12cZr56r6A1gp6w9ezs-JCU22sWlc5p0HhnA/s1600/011711+xmas+dinner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkwKJo5nVZx9vVJ8MyU0MFfUZPiJ3wrWsaJ6UaF8fms5tZbe9Ie1EdTwU4mMa-uFuxq0TGUbSK0Nf5H49pMkSmk4ETsMEjxmLk5MgqNP12cZr56r6A1gp6w9ezs-JCU22sWlc5p0HhnA/s400/011711+xmas+dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565494304717891714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Christmas Dinner on September Song</span><br /></div>Now how you might ask could we go out on the town after that - it was not easy but we figured a long walk might help us digest, plus we've heard that barley and malt helps digestion....well ok maybe not but...... More music at the Wharf and we finally called it a day (even though we were supposed to meet up with Scott at an Xmas party across town....for once we made the smart decision - don't get used to that though because especially when we're in Key Weird we're usually not smart!!!)...life is good, especially when you are with great friends and its warm out!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkekyMMJtZX4ILrHIDFK0wiByVLDJ1bqh5x6MPtRCCDqsdGwMPkZ0uYx3XgcirBiG0awttZELBhqUM7z2tOKh7923t3SCy9uU1vkr8mNMtgF_edPOLrgAbhKXvgo6-J5G1mUNxFqUCpY/s1600/011711+great+reggae.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkekyMMJtZX4ILrHIDFK0wiByVLDJ1bqh5x6MPtRCCDqsdGwMPkZ0uYx3XgcirBiG0awttZELBhqUM7z2tOKh7923t3SCy9uU1vkr8mNMtgF_edPOLrgAbhKXvgo6-J5G1mUNxFqUCpY/s400/011711+great+reggae.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505375975943986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Music at Schooner Wharf on Christmas Night</span> </div>Just like you can't leave Marathon without having breakfast at the Stuffed Pig, you can't leave Key West without having breakfast at Pepe's, so once again after swearing we'd never be able to eat or drink again, we lied and found ourselves at Pepe's with Scott scarfing down homemade bread and other delectable treats!!! UGH - Betty Ford, Weight Watchers here we come!!!<br /><br />No sooner did we got back up to Merritt Island and it was time for us to get on a plane to head to Massachusetts to see family and friends. What a whirlwind - first it was lunch with our great friend Mary Ouellette who drove up from RI to see us (thanks Mary!!!) and then it was drinks with my cousin Chris and his fiancee Carolina (their wedding was after all the real reason for us coming to Massachusetts in the middle of winter - did you really think we would voluntarily choose to go to New England in the winter?? and especially two days after a blizzard???) NOT!!! New Year's Eve which happens to also be Doug's bday was spent at Chris' restaurant with my gorgeous Aunt Peg and my cousin Warren and his wife Debbie! Way fun - thanks for the great food Chris - if you're ever up near Boston make sure to visit <a href="http://www.lexx-restaurant.com/">Lexx Restaurant</a> in Lexington!!! We spent a whole day with my niece Samantha and her son Rocco - what an amazing little guy!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkvOrHezfn8mR1TYz5iahGJC8pc3g3q2LJi8QBL23Fs3LR_INskpFHcjLDeskBiGYic9tjEXNeJn85AQ4_jxp6kpQUyUdR7AOlM9alcB5Q0yt29v3lpnGrrbl0WjivDkK4ad3CyH_pqc/s1600/011711+sam+and+rocco.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkvOrHezfn8mR1TYz5iahGJC8pc3g3q2LJi8QBL23Fs3LR_INskpFHcjLDeskBiGYic9tjEXNeJn85AQ4_jxp6kpQUyUdR7AOlM9alcB5Q0yt29v3lpnGrrbl0WjivDkK4ad3CyH_pqc/s400/011711+sam+and+rocco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565497905859377010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sam and Rocco</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgcLnUXKle0APN54QwfxwHeVE5sPbJTP1eb-rURU2MGDBgd0nGbBOdMJz2AiPZMDP_hViChcXx3lmiFlGNg3z6w45-4UPe8AybyaGx7uOUSIO6wi9TLfAqu1y4ZQrfwQXuqoAHx33Xs4/s1600/011711+rocco+in+his+new+coat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgcLnUXKle0APN54QwfxwHeVE5sPbJTP1eb-rURU2MGDBgd0nGbBOdMJz2AiPZMDP_hViChcXx3lmiFlGNg3z6w45-4UPe8AybyaGx7uOUSIO6wi9TLfAqu1y4ZQrfwQXuqoAHx33Xs4/s400/011711+rocco+in+his+new+coat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565497938162721970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rocco in His New Coat</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yJWM0LchVKlwnK65hloCGV-7gYZyCJV-EouEZ9WMzFmh4qxxe0ovCyZCO5LwCI-KMSnZODsrT__B5ek8misb1cVQ3Rk3qjiASYV7I9xx3bs3Q7Am4gJH0Qg3JiaLEeg585VmAIg3tSg/s1600/011711+rocco+and+his+new+truck.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yJWM0LchVKlwnK65hloCGV-7gYZyCJV-EouEZ9WMzFmh4qxxe0ovCyZCO5LwCI-KMSnZODsrT__B5ek8misb1cVQ3Rk3qjiASYV7I9xx3bs3Q7Am4gJH0Qg3JiaLEeg585VmAIg3tSg/s400/011711+rocco+and+his+new+truck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565497944365835906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rocco and His New Truck</span><br /></div>Then it was off to see my nephew Wyatt who is just about ready to get his license - how is it humanly possible that time goes by this fast!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAldmaOLqdlYNAq2Q97G7qM2UtmBVFmbSt2ag3BneQjUNjUNv8TNKwShrLAO7nD-A4fWVilCrbqr6P8uNwrIYR5kztFvPs_SlSV_dFYjMgFGsrW82ixa0IkIY8OgyLPQoiMh5DiKUzYM/s1600/011711+Wyatt%252C+Rocco+and+Sam.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAldmaOLqdlYNAq2Q97G7qM2UtmBVFmbSt2ag3BneQjUNjUNv8TNKwShrLAO7nD-A4fWVilCrbqr6P8uNwrIYR5kztFvPs_SlSV_dFYjMgFGsrW82ixa0IkIY8OgyLPQoiMh5DiKUzYM/s400/011711+Wyatt%252C+Rocco+and+Sam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565494309237065666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">From Left, Wyatt, Larry, Sam and Rocco, Doug and Kristy</span><br /></div>The next day was the wedding - what a wonderful day! Unlike most people, they actually pulled off a small wedding - about 30 of us gathered to share their special day - Chris and Carolina were gorgeous and happy, all my cousins and my Aunt were dressed to the nines and having a ball, and I thought I wasn't going to cry and I wouldn't have if Chris hadn't started blubbering when it was his turn to say his vows. Seriously - we couldn't be more happy for them - they have found their true soul mate and we hope for them all the happiness in the world!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyxp4UHs_SY0dHASd-k30oFiCwSrXqMyXPQvoaJMWd5XsWjcn1bGqfppIXa38HPPPApPAeHrjt_nEVzg1Ig4s2djIvZ7DpAx4gA4k0Gj5d8PuT2adi5IB_MGYffzuJp_yngjzcWD33jM/s1600/011711+the+bride+and+groom.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyxp4UHs_SY0dHASd-k30oFiCwSrXqMyXPQvoaJMWd5XsWjcn1bGqfppIXa38HPPPApPAeHrjt_nEVzg1Ig4s2djIvZ7DpAx4gA4k0Gj5d8PuT2adi5IB_MGYffzuJp_yngjzcWD33jM/s400/011711+the+bride+and+groom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565495456903047714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Bride and Groom with the Pastor</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QAJwmGtYRzMXHx0Ibi5ekc6HjvazrJdXPDwE_sr6ef3JTAx4Bbwqi_a_n1S9lrSs1a49evGXsjZGffZ-ZyfW6-q5MJrbqmBy0xeEyBy9YwyZY3ZDP581nFa1Tu-ThBRq2SVLXMfPIdk/s1600/011711+Aunt+Peg+and+Chris.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QAJwmGtYRzMXHx0Ibi5ekc6HjvazrJdXPDwE_sr6ef3JTAx4Bbwqi_a_n1S9lrSs1a49evGXsjZGffZ-ZyfW6-q5MJrbqmBy0xeEyBy9YwyZY3ZDP581nFa1Tu-ThBRq2SVLXMfPIdk/s400/011711+Aunt+Peg+and+Chris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565507677102922850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Groom, Chris, and Mother of the Groom, Aunt Peg</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo0Lxshz_B0DXiXUybv0djQUx-Kldl0IWwCKUpE-KurmBdDVSRaS62d5Zx7wXHeEN-YtUwi2YEy6NM5ouGKUcWgh2hTwjEJFO9dXfSl9hbQpUIpPPpMObBpMu_oS63s3uf-N6a_4tDAk/s1600/011711+my+cousin+melissa+and+her+fam.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo0Lxshz_B0DXiXUybv0djQUx-Kldl0IWwCKUpE-KurmBdDVSRaS62d5Zx7wXHeEN-YtUwi2YEy6NM5ouGKUcWgh2hTwjEJFO9dXfSl9hbQpUIpPPpMObBpMu_oS63s3uf-N6a_4tDAk/s400/011711+my+cousin+melissa+and+her+fam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505365685899346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Groom's Sister, Melissa, and Her Family, Russ, Maclen and Bridget</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuNrFpM6hksLkmO1RH-IX8-xK11KQtY8eyeemonizivm0dL-zMDu7F3oW5cqJtxjKWJJUZXiIPAEg6mUZuthBWxcE1CRqUhcCib0iRCTTMRbC2Yq12V1mpBMU8Jw2rI04VuGWjvNEzDM/s1600/011711+my+cousin+warren+and+his+fam.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuNrFpM6hksLkmO1RH-IX8-xK11KQtY8eyeemonizivm0dL-zMDu7F3oW5cqJtxjKWJJUZXiIPAEg6mUZuthBWxcE1CRqUhcCib0iRCTTMRbC2Yq12V1mpBMU8Jw2rI04VuGWjvNEzDM/s400/011711+my+cousin+warren+and+his+fam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565505363164158946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Groom's Brother, Warren, and His Family, Debbie and Kayla</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwITBxCjUtg0XdGHgf_wKPqLD9B37vv9dh2BrgAGgohI-umItVFRgvXwpyqB9Q_DnAV_2RfSOKK_Caua-j-Z9MoWxvPrP2WBoeEXetcMBA5Cwt3oALgd1AkwGOKTA694SZ2H31eNqgdg/s1600/011711+the+bride+and+groom%2527s+mom.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwITBxCjUtg0XdGHgf_wKPqLD9B37vv9dh2BrgAGgohI-umItVFRgvXwpyqB9Q_DnAV_2RfSOKK_Caua-j-Z9MoWxvPrP2WBoeEXetcMBA5Cwt3oALgd1AkwGOKTA694SZ2H31eNqgdg/s400/011711+the+bride+and+groom%2527s+mom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565494322067307666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom</span><br /></div>The reception at the house and the dinner were typical Chris and Warren productions - the food better than anything you would ever get in a restaurant (at the risk of making you drool on your computer, I'm talking homemade lobster bisque and beef wellington!!!) Add in side trips to see my brother Tom and my nephew Drew and you've got a major whirlwind which seemed to take a toll on us. The day we were headed home, Doug and I became violently sick - we'll spare you the details but suffice it to say, it took me over a week to recover. It's just now that I am starting to feel half way human - guess I can look at it as an outside imposed jump start on my diet and dry out period which I'd promised myself after New Year (me and everyone in the world resolves to get in shape come January......) Well I actually did something about it.....I got sick and couldn't eat anything for days and couldn't even smell alcohol for over a week!!! Glad that didn't last!!<br /><br />[<span style="font-style: italic;">note from Doug: as the IT staff, it is my job to post the great blogs that Tammy writes. This one was written on January 17 but I am just getting around to posting it on January 23</span>]<br /><br />Doug just got back from a week in California and I leave tomorrow for the rest of the week in Aventura - so yes, we're back to work! Good thing we sneak in some fun when we can, huh??? Especially since all we have to look forward to is the start of spring training - when exactly do pitchers and catchers report??? and you thought I could make it all the way through a blog without touching on the depressing showing of my beloved Patriots. Couldn't they have lost to anyone BUT the freakin' Jets???????M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-45688692081189959212010-11-28T14:58:00.008-05:002010-11-28T16:18:30.820-05:00Contrary to Rumors - We're Still Alive and Kicking!!!I guess I forgot over the past couple years how an office can turn into an all encompassing black hole and how work can become all consuming...the past six weeks have come as a rude reminder. Yes we are both back at work and that's why we haven't had time to blog - every time I thought about it (unfortunately which was usually at 3:00 am when I awoke in a cold panic regarding everything else I hadn't had time to do) I was too tired to think.....let alone start typing on a computer that has become all too much of an ever present appendage. Work for both of us has been absolutely off the wall crazy busy - guess that's what happens when you join start-ups or re-starts or whatever you want to call our respective companies. There always seems to be too much to do, not enough people to do it, and not enough money to do it with - ah the joys of a young company!! All that moaning aside - we're actually having a blast being back at work . Who said that??? - of course we'd rather still be cruising but once we made the decision to go back to work, at least we have wound up at very kewl companies!!! To offset the long hours and the stress are the intellectual challenges of being back running a business and making decisions that really matter - now I know what happy hour to hit or beer v wine are critical decisions but...... And to make things even better, in a week or two, my commute goes from 3 1/2 hours down to our office in Aventura to 10 minutes since my new office is located on the premises of the Kennedy Space Center - right next to the rocket garden!!! Sorry Doug - his commute remains at 45 minutes!<br /><br />Just because we've been working our butts off doesn't mean we haven't had any fun though - and our cruising buddies are mostly to be thanked for that!! Tis the season for cruisers to migrate south - hurricane season is over (thank you Mother Nature for giving us such a benign one here in FL) and the butter is starting to harden up north so boats just seem to head the pointy end south to follow the warmth. First through town was September Song - Stephanie, Bob and the girls (Cassie and Godiva) who we traveled with for many months last year swung into our marina and stayed for about 10 days of fun and frivolity. We of course had to take them to all of our favorite places - the SandBar,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXNehzvUz78waorfFx_-fwH88yygJ9UzZxtYpoVk7xrJg9RUWyABulR269tgkz0W1hZOzzw-EGF76sP5Aa00cfOITWgq_cVlvJ0evFDFUfNYzAR8aM87a9CVjWIGymJ5sbEiYmtREDbE/s1600/112910+sandbar+w%253A+B%2526S.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXNehzvUz78waorfFx_-fwH88yygJ9UzZxtYpoVk7xrJg9RUWyABulR269tgkz0W1hZOzzw-EGF76sP5Aa00cfOITWgq_cVlvJ0evFDFUfNYzAR8aM87a9CVjWIGymJ5sbEiYmtREDbE/s400/112910+sandbar+w%253A+B%2526S.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695628865838594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Lunch at the Sandbar</span><br /></div>the Cocoa Beach Pier,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypAQ89-env8OBf3jzUFKWoGeE_vLf-LaXiV7k_YUF0YBRuIvb7IJF_-iVRvI95O1MA8RcMxsIHGNWMG2uYep6Vz8hX1UmQNqUX6Drmk4515Irxdt7Z2E4lYyuVljA9EFNOuFVkBgHEZY/s1600/112910+Cocoa+Beach+Pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypAQ89-env8OBf3jzUFKWoGeE_vLf-LaXiV7k_YUF0YBRuIvb7IJF_-iVRvI95O1MA8RcMxsIHGNWMG2uYep6Vz8hX1UmQNqUX6Drmk4515Irxdt7Z2E4lYyuVljA9EFNOuFVkBgHEZY/s400/112910+Cocoa+Beach+Pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696426333052402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">September Song and G</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ypsies in the Palace at the Cocoa Beach Pier</span><br /></div>Beef O'Brady's and FishLips<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaD13d5TO-FSdXbGuwcv7gccc4zlKvVkYDnQgOZIdUdme-Le5jjOGdVh9TaOMrE8PWp0UPW0FOKD-a82KjlryR75BzycCt2-mYjPOoAnD08Mk1Tj6oUY_yG57D65P55GR-on8IXeZqhc/s1600/112910+fishlips.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaD13d5TO-FSdXbGuwcv7gccc4zlKvVkYDnQgOZIdUdme-Le5jjOGdVh9TaOMrE8PWp0UPW0FOKD-a82KjlryR75BzycCt2-mYjPOoAnD08Mk1Tj6oUY_yG57D65P55GR-on8IXeZqhc/s400/112910+fishlips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696394598028098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">FishLips for drinks and apps</span><br /></div>for lots of cold drinks, good food and not so good music (have we mentioned we miss KW!)<br /><br />Then Joe and Julia on Sea Pearl swung through and we had only a night with them but, although Doug had to fly to California for a few days, Bob, Stephanie and I made the most of it with dinner at the Roost! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEYoE_Kerg-st8Wp9hxbp6IQ6F9lx_4VtRD27jUxfKHe0sN4fYxLflqxDSJGraGO8I2XL223Bm7vsKdMLD3UZ5TSYM83zXITdkGpvL2KiQlv93f7WDboNF7pxdDY1N0i5Aflo-GD3QqI/s1600/112910+dinner+Joe+and+Julia.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEYoE_Kerg-st8Wp9hxbp6IQ6F9lx_4VtRD27jUxfKHe0sN4fYxLflqxDSJGraGO8I2XL223Bm7vsKdMLD3UZ5TSYM83zXITdkGpvL2KiQlv93f7WDboNF7pxdDY1N0i5Aflo-GD3QqI/s400/112910+dinner+Joe+and+Julia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696401822815346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner with Joe and Julia from Sea Pearl</span><br /></div>Back to the Pier with Bob and Stephanie<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKd5ldALE5LrhOG6mH5Qk5w4XEZWwz9mi7aVKGSIyJ5cGAUzWsTgrVIXf14ovETF4zqjcGwGUDxd4kdEfx08M0B1qm-aqJWbdmGne7-NIDA3KszPQ9HDiJSl1iUKR_uFeM4x92xPsAiw/s1600/112910+back+at+the+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKd5ldALE5LrhOG6mH5Qk5w4XEZWwz9mi7aVKGSIyJ5cGAUzWsTgrVIXf14ovETF4zqjcGwGUDxd4kdEfx08M0B1qm-aqJWbdmGne7-NIDA3KszPQ9HDiJSl1iUKR_uFeM4x92xPsAiw/s400/112910+back+at+the+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696763617515666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Back to the Cocoa Beach Pier</span><br /></div>for some awesome people and surf watching as the waves were definitely kicking up - at the end of the pier you could feel it swaying as each wave hit! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbN8W2tIBSfhDhjQG7AAnu8WBj0vGqQXM9qJvtPr1_OeKXqPY_S328xT8aSFPYaT-scnC27cGqgXDnZ9T4amexMHxC8q9997pXcoTbjIMTzLfftOpxgH4Yqa4hadGEaVEfkylUGjF_D4/s1600/112910+watching+the+surfers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbN8W2tIBSfhDhjQG7AAnu8WBj0vGqQXM9qJvtPr1_OeKXqPY_S328xT8aSFPYaT-scnC27cGqgXDnZ9T4amexMHxC8q9997pXcoTbjIMTzLfftOpxgH4Yqa4hadGEaVEfkylUGjF_D4/s400/112910+watching+the+surfers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544694752359673618" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBqAAeaIn5o3ijXUE8ZvmioQXau96lhUp6wt3o9VSZRuCrSFUR7P-XaxbpPbmpSDPw142_GCDcqZdXH_0c3wO0Y4HSiVRFvELiQ80uAtVTuxhZnS4ocBqua2KFDQshY5T82wX0awX1ng/s1600/112910+on+the+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBqAAeaIn5o3ijXUE8ZvmioQXau96lhUp6wt3o9VSZRuCrSFUR7P-XaxbpPbmpSDPw142_GCDcqZdXH_0c3wO0Y4HSiVRFvELiQ80uAtVTuxhZnS4ocBqua2KFDQshY5T82wX0awX1ng/s400/112910+on+the+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695639891899714" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SOUEwYckRnmR7l-fDr0WggHxCcaSrsAKJRfMRc2FdGoLaf-QJL4b9bBugl3c1F7s88HCDltEIW3eFY86Ngb6qstpfSI1NYFumGPuOo9RG2-NUq3Sc9bSKY1Lzcy2ykJRuSSI8b7a_7U/s1600/112910+surfer+parade.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SOUEwYckRnmR7l-fDr0WggHxCcaSrsAKJRfMRc2FdGoLaf-QJL4b9bBugl3c1F7s88HCDltEIW3eFY86Ngb6qstpfSI1NYFumGPuOo9RG2-NUq3Sc9bSKY1Lzcy2ykJRuSSI8b7a_7U/s400/112910+surfer+parade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695156395005330" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu40Z_BF5lJcePaKXHAuSMVqV4nXdatxIQoEsiQbVA86JedIpyhbvyGU3dTyBKnrL13cMc2TT6NlBW6OKB0cT51jZQFSvsLleMjyWI5RqndJcLlmHMVmpuXhZbd8M4WErfASpW8G65hjs/s1600/112910+surfer+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu40Z_BF5lJcePaKXHAuSMVqV4nXdatxIQoEsiQbVA86JedIpyhbvyGU3dTyBKnrL13cMc2TT6NlBW6OKB0cT51jZQFSvsLleMjyWI5RqndJcLlmHMVmpuXhZbd8M4WErfASpW8G65hjs/s400/112910+surfer+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695174139714274" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxvhwfFFxqxANlc-8higaYVCPA1Tkxx3OjTgy06BQmWB2tkAzRKzzZNPrLf1aHUO7sggS5nzGzgkG99RIyOEzv4xm5-JbN7Q2_nQzOdELi-0ux_bO4yRZpw_NUjFF2dY5Rr2-QlJsayY/s1600/112910+surfer+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxvhwfFFxqxANlc-8higaYVCPA1Tkxx3OjTgy06BQmWB2tkAzRKzzZNPrLf1aHUO7sggS5nzGzgkG99RIyOEzv4xm5-JbN7Q2_nQzOdELi-0ux_bO4yRZpw_NUjFF2dY5Rr2-QlJsayY/s400/112910+surfer+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695167200560914" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUjmj5BT38khOqcahyphenhyphenpe0clWE-i3jFSkPARXovVkNK-ousn_CLkEZwArnD0THGUz8l8j-aOxjfe0v07yGrZS2zJBx25KlwPietHUWWLJB_fkVT4jBwUlKNZPFYr867ItgUsOmzUapm2I/s1600/112910+the+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUjmj5BT38khOqcahyphenhyphenpe0clWE-i3jFSkPARXovVkNK-ousn_CLkEZwArnD0THGUz8l8j-aOxjfe0v07yGrZS2zJBx25KlwPietHUWWLJB_fkVT4jBwUlKNZPFYr867ItgUsOmzUapm2I/s400/112910+the+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544694797971696306" border="0" /></a><br />Bob and I decided against heading out on our boogie boards given the size of the waves, the kickass undertow and let's be honest, the coldness of the water! Yes I know I used to swim in the waters of Maine in March, but I admit it, I am now a warm water wimp after several years in the aquamarine bath water of the Bahamas, the Keys and even FL in the summer!! Then it was on to provision - important things only like an Admiral Nelson run. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7DHZmU9hJeMyz7FxOmVeCvOWNlU3AW3Kx19vD_Hotnpi3wf5bGap9eHr4oJFz9R5tq2aJFWtJNICOGTBsONODjiuzesh2pMl4VemUgccNOaewdeft4m1llxI4NZPcN_-ZkaWifeg2ng/s1600/112910+admiral+nelson+run.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7DHZmU9hJeMyz7FxOmVeCvOWNlU3AW3Kx19vD_Hotnpi3wf5bGap9eHr4oJFz9R5tq2aJFWtJNICOGTBsONODjiuzesh2pMl4VemUgccNOaewdeft4m1llxI4NZPcN_-ZkaWifeg2ng/s400/112910+admiral+nelson+run.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696769926026290" border="0" /></a>Finally it was time for dinner on Gypsies complete with a Bahamas key lime pie (here's your fork and pass it along - can you believe we ate the whole thing??),<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihyphenhyphennsb2YqFzhLZ3uRql_sx7xnO5waAQQxazZCHjl0q3SBBKLukNh33-oAwGNz7xvkMnfB-LLI0m_Rgmumovb0GepvZ-R28CbQrObbYArd5s794Ja-VLRhJklMMVHcVLRnc0nAYUUYlDA/s1600/112910+key+lime+pie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihyphenhyphennsb2YqFzhLZ3uRql_sx7xnO5waAQQxazZCHjl0q3SBBKLukNh33-oAwGNz7xvkMnfB-LLI0m_Rgmumovb0GepvZ-R28CbQrObbYArd5s794Ja-VLRhJklMMVHcVLRnc0nAYUUYlDA/s400/112910+key+lime+pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695646767896178" border="0" /></a>squirt whip cream (Bob's favorite)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMJJX1DRJQsOQg3yd-wHeUB6GnMfw2StMHjhazdIJB5Xf_FZHkK0ReB1P3etArRblnlGhQ0mmhO6kIvVzFvrzJsOtuZdN42sWoLYyp8uL30p2Z6uZEnfRwnrdgvNE8do0GPXOLYc5q5Q/s1600/112910+whip+cream+king.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMJJX1DRJQsOQg3yd-wHeUB6GnMfw2StMHjhazdIJB5Xf_FZHkK0ReB1P3etArRblnlGhQ0mmhO6kIvVzFvrzJsOtuZdN42sWoLYyp8uL30p2Z6uZEnfRwnrdgvNE8do0GPXOLYc5q5Q/s400/112910+whip+cream+king.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544694727037035218" border="0" /></a>and cigars and rum on the flybridge!! Missed you Rena!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-iBpDmFwYtwRxyU-9zUHvYfoMdljYvltKtQ-4_Nb0xnZuvxWQkmpAIwpAW1KmesIZdPbv0JAF18urYPVzo9FNRoW3wbU1QJ35ERc-d7drV7scGOrjfsZGGK73ePWt9KY8vb_I64VOW4/s1600/112910+cigars+on+flybridge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-iBpDmFwYtwRxyU-9zUHvYfoMdljYvltKtQ-4_Nb0xnZuvxWQkmpAIwpAW1KmesIZdPbv0JAF18urYPVzo9FNRoW3wbU1QJ35ERc-d7drV7scGOrjfsZGGK73ePWt9KY8vb_I64VOW4/s400/112910+cigars+on+flybridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696455664970034" border="0" /></a>The next day was time for a final fling at FishLips over at the Canaveral Cruise Ship Basin under a gorgeous, warm FL sun where Bob a/k/a the hat man found a smashing bamboo hat to try on!! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoWJ4_HCRjiakASn1G0U3qMDwoTPEVdOgi5MKqWFaL4Dqq7yQsH7eUHA1_aJsptvP3LYGGuxvagcaBkkiDmVujm_twZFlg1sqYtMG3ei4U_vtvCfpMEDzQ7WkT_btV2H1893T3ZqvgJk/s1600/112910+hat+boy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoWJ4_HCRjiakASn1G0U3qMDwoTPEVdOgi5MKqWFaL4Dqq7yQsH7eUHA1_aJsptvP3LYGGuxvagcaBkkiDmVujm_twZFlg1sqYtMG3ei4U_vtvCfpMEDzQ7WkT_btV2H1893T3ZqvgJk/s400/112910+hat+boy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695656725491714" border="0" /></a>It was so good to see you guys - we've missed you!! See you in Marathon next week!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1m4jq3-o71ur8rmYnUFKL8gvIms80GOGssgUZPa-6-446Fx6q05CZDl7AwZett1Xcgh9_K2blPC2ZzxdOfEhq0oJ0d3X1RphYoz2nn3yyKq5jIdvfJBeleWwoD1aICf6CVcnvo5SkqY/s1600/112910+SS+leaving+marina.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1m4jq3-o71ur8rmYnUFKL8gvIms80GOGssgUZPa-6-446Fx6q05CZDl7AwZett1Xcgh9_K2blPC2ZzxdOfEhq0oJ0d3X1RphYoz2nn3yyKq5jIdvfJBeleWwoD1aICf6CVcnvo5SkqY/s400/112910+SS+leaving+marina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695178885891058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">September Song Pulls out of the Marina</span><br /></div><br />Next into town was Norm and Vicki on TideHiker and Todd and Brenda on Life's2Short - I had planned on getting back from Aventura in time for dinner with everyone, but....nope...work swallowed me! At least Doug got a chance to have pizza in Cocoa with everyone - and we got this great picture of everyone waving to me!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzb-DUYd6LPtz775mJfn78YNL0cAL1GESLsFTyM8yqFzte1BfZLcx8KtWbxtatOnBlYQ2Q-jVf23hQQeaI4tqP-_r8yZUc-xqHlfDLrDv3Mg8ZXIpSq2eI9qyE4sXQAy6VqAOy2kEcuEU/s1600/112910+tidehiker+dinner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzb-DUYd6LPtz775mJfn78YNL0cAL1GESLsFTyM8yqFzte1BfZLcx8KtWbxtatOnBlYQ2Q-jVf23hQQeaI4tqP-_r8yZUc-xqHlfDLrDv3Mg8ZXIpSq2eI9qyE4sXQAy6VqAOy2kEcuEU/s400/112910+tidehiker+dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544694793174145170" border="0" /></a>Unfortunately I missed TideHiker (see you in Marathon this winter) but Life's2Short stayed in town long enough to spend a weekend with us. Back to FishLips,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KN2a-zTgdGfwhp6vuOTuFkBPbONfSvyPo8ZDh0QirJefl02x9U3_Gr9VtZwYZOhRTRBono9L7K2U9TNr1-rlg8lMJlVSthdt5nT3Wvprg_J5HbeiJI-Y_Q3oNkvPUBWJ3mEXwCdqWc/s1600/112910+fishlips+w%253A+Lifes2short.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KN2a-zTgdGfwhp6vuOTuFkBPbONfSvyPo8ZDh0QirJefl02x9U3_Gr9VtZwYZOhRTRBono9L7K2U9TNr1-rlg8lMJlVSthdt5nT3Wvprg_J5HbeiJI-Y_Q3oNkvPUBWJ3mEXwCdqWc/s400/112910+fishlips+w%253A+Lifes2short.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544696399167922466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">FishLips with Todd and Brenda from Life's2Short</span><br /></div>the Pier<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJm-smycZXgbCr1ATw5re1YNX6piB8nydmSj1i1xM_K7UHHAzBV6P7cy_bwe788IUUMFJc_4zolRsUDY19YDV2NtcVGnEoEA4d9dGn-brMBhBTgQDhiuAsu0Nyz0OMjHjx3mTr_7XXX8/s1600/112910+the+pier+w%253A+T%2526B.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJm-smycZXgbCr1ATw5re1YNX6piB8nydmSj1i1xM_K7UHHAzBV6P7cy_bwe788IUUMFJc_4zolRsUDY19YDV2NtcVGnEoEA4d9dGn-brMBhBTgQDhiuAsu0Nyz0OMjHjx3mTr_7XXX8/s400/112910+the+pier+w%253A+T%2526B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544694848448327298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Todd Tries to Escape from the Bar at the Cocoa Beach Pier</span><br /></div>and Beef O'Bradys - beginning to see a trend....tons of fun hanging out with the Captain and the Admiral - thanks for hanging around long enough for me to see you guys...and thanks for the Eagles DVD Todd - it rocks!!! See you guys in St Pete this winter! (You may be catching on by now that all our cruising buddies have moved on to places warm for the winter - we plan on visiting all of them!!)<br /><br />Before we knew it we were heading out to Sebring to spend Thanksgiving with our great friends from Kennebunkport, John and Francesca Spain. They have a wonderful house down here where they spend the winter which is only a couple hours from us here on Merritt Island. Not only was the food unbelievable (thanks Francesca)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL7RBLAfrWQzbhnKC-bq3NpVO_P_PUbhWAU3myaKoSkaM5OxIDsKDOLcRnYfUV8Wv2Da-E2Fpn9UtpkcXdROar9qKUFngVe0zjNEePcObDq0owiSyEzgpmTj9Am3Xzb8FJyqdF2Ukn-0/s1600/112910+the+chefs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL7RBLAfrWQzbhnKC-bq3NpVO_P_PUbhWAU3myaKoSkaM5OxIDsKDOLcRnYfUV8Wv2Da-E2Fpn9UtpkcXdROar9qKUFngVe0zjNEePcObDq0owiSyEzgpmTj9Am3Xzb8FJyqdF2Ukn-0/s400/112910+the+chefs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695153915516258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">John and Francesca, the Chefs</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglQAKxnx77BdvE4muqKNCO8dFzwR4nRApha5s6am_Mq_N2j7grWaeeS0UXOh385zphjjU4UE0WLhYLArhdwNq6f3-HIXqUvGQktR1lqVBPB-DJKpvTl5irge701Q9ABIIDngZBaQ8lu0/s1600/112910+preparing+the+feast.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglQAKxnx77BdvE4muqKNCO8dFzwR4nRApha5s6am_Mq_N2j7grWaeeS0UXOh385zphjjU4UE0WLhYLArhdwNq6f3-HIXqUvGQktR1lqVBPB-DJKpvTl5irge701Q9ABIIDngZBaQ8lu0/s400/112910+preparing+the+feast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544695635704762514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug Carves the Turkey While John and Francesca Continue Preparations</span><br /></div>but we got to catch up, watch a great Pats game with fellow New England fans, hot tub and just spend time with great folks. Assuming we can get our heads out of our work butts long enough, we've got great plans to meet in Orlando for some park experiences and to head back to Sebring for golf weekends! Thanks for everything guys - can't wait to see you again!<br /><br />So that about sums up life over the last month and a half - I can not even believe this week is December 1st!! Where did the Fall go I ask you - is it just me that missed it? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised since they've been playing Christmas carols in all the stores down here for the past 3 or 4 weeks - yikes! Time to decorate Gypsies....hope I do a better job than I did at decorating for Thanksgiving, or Halloween, etc.....which somehow never seemed to happen. As much as I'd love to decorate next weekend, we're off to Marathon - yeah Keys - to bring Bob and Stephanie's car to them so they have it for the winter. The fearsome foursome back together in the Keys - could get ugly folks so I won't promise pictures!<br /><br />Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and keep smiling for the upcoming holiday season (no matter how annoying those Christmas carols become)!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-7196567118340146092010-10-04T19:55:00.007-04:002010-10-04T21:20:32.233-04:00TropStock Rocked!!!What an absolutely awesome weekend of sun, friends and unbelievably great music (a few coldies here and there didn't hurt either)!!! We just had one of those very rare, perfect weekends - the only issue is that it went by way too fast and we've got to wait a whole year for the Second Annual <a href="http://www.tropstock.com/">TropStock</a> in the Village extravaganza!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQsU5qe_J1xK9he1M3K6rMEzgwHw6YlF89q5-XdrAKMwOxJnLBgYO7MfLe4OrO_sHAOvJUgrppjC_cXzvA7GavC6HGeK1StM232RvZM-C-YszAHnPKwAZ51HVAJulNwsHD0wieEN-FtY/s1600/100410+the+park.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQsU5qe_J1xK9he1M3K6rMEzgwHw6YlF89q5-XdrAKMwOxJnLBgYO7MfLe4OrO_sHAOvJUgrppjC_cXzvA7GavC6HGeK1StM232RvZM-C-YszAHnPKwAZ51HVAJulNwsHD0wieEN-FtY/s400/100410+the+park.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524346847416112050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Crowd at Trop Stock</span><br /></div>Who knew sleepy little Cocoa could come up with such an amazing line-up of musicians and who knew Mother Nature would smile on us as she did (while we were cruising on our boat, MN always seemed to screw up our plans - maybe she's moved on to mess with someone else!!) Bob and Nancy - sorry you guys couldn't share it with us but there's always next year!<br /><br />Saturday dawned bright and sunny and after a few boat chores (nothing too strenuous) - we headed off to the Riverfront Park to hear some music and soak up some rays. Armed with our concert chairs and high hopes, we set up our chairs in front of the awesome amphitheater stage and proceeded to groove to some music by <a href="http://www.tropicalmotivation.com/">Tropical Motivation</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3LwhC3WFMBu-Sye37E9guqJEGGRquFnF6EGC5wq0Lp2Tasy1jUDaVuIvr_WhF8VF2IVnU-3S1rTGCKgg9aSW9QWWOmyDXI85N1l4a2ZX3gwPKRr7zCC3v7S1rksaLzMI9caoY8ntmhk/s1600/100410+tropical+motivation.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3LwhC3WFMBu-Sye37E9guqJEGGRquFnF6EGC5wq0Lp2Tasy1jUDaVuIvr_WhF8VF2IVnU-3S1rTGCKgg9aSW9QWWOmyDXI85N1l4a2ZX3gwPKRr7zCC3v7S1rksaLzMI9caoY8ntmhk/s400/100410+tropical+motivation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524346843752252306" border="0" /></a>and Pyrates of the Coast. We watched some of the beach volleyball tournament and the official cornhole tournament - man, these guys and gals were good!! Who knew there are cornhole leagues - we just thought it was a way to pass time while waiting for our pork sliders and $1 beers at El Alamo in KW!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3yS-eZKIvWKQu5VPcJaq-q8IH8M4xSVSu-W_49gg_bObBKFdq8AcFOg8WjavzDGLaQGogLdH3XHX46eB420Cs8a0o2DHZT73r8iLGaGyES_kzX7jykzfUdcP7amRrJp8q8h9rLevCyM/s1600/100410+cornhole+.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3yS-eZKIvWKQu5VPcJaq-q8IH8M4xSVSu-W_49gg_bObBKFdq8AcFOg8WjavzDGLaQGogLdH3XHX46eB420Cs8a0o2DHZT73r8iLGaGyES_kzX7jykzfUdcP7amRrJp8q8h9rLevCyM/s400/100410+cornhole+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356812272752146" border="0" /></a>Then it was back to our seats for our KW friends <a href="http://www.scottkirby.com/">Scott Kirby</a> and Dave Edmisten - as many times as we've seen those guys perform over the years, it still amazes me how good they really are and how much we love their music!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDzajPtIFR7d2mlGkiE_HZr18PmWeawj59TSqdVH4ubpvdyaadNtksChN3TEv-Hlw2AteFMIxxXJAS9A3X1mnt0Pd9Q4F663ouRKf9Ork4TrbOmm1C1L0U0gsFsUTLnQqn5tITIfloNw/s1600/100410+scott+adn+dave.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDzajPtIFR7d2mlGkiE_HZr18PmWeawj59TSqdVH4ubpvdyaadNtksChN3TEv-Hlw2AteFMIxxXJAS9A3X1mnt0Pd9Q4F663ouRKf9Ork4TrbOmm1C1L0U0gsFsUTLnQqn5tITIfloNw/s400/100410+scott+adn+dave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524346863297833346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott Kirby and Dave Edmisten</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaDXstQ0-0Kzb5FKH4Br3fNnY6J_xrMWIctt_2nqHCta5NHB3YhS30-ud8uSPK_1V6BmWRoxnL8qleTfQhdXzKGC_enn01tG89yrgWc0d8I6DZKbcBlus-v6-lBph3xY8kx-qxkg9T9o/s1600/100410+scott+meeting+his+public.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaDXstQ0-0Kzb5FKH4Br3fNnY6J_xrMWIctt_2nqHCta5NHB3YhS30-ud8uSPK_1V6BmWRoxnL8qleTfQhdXzKGC_enn01tG89yrgWc0d8I6DZKbcBlus-v6-lBph3xY8kx-qxkg9T9o/s400/100410+scott+meeting+his+public.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524346855296807058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott Signs CDs for his Adoring Fans</span><br /></div>Some rocking pizza at Ryan's across the street and we were ready to party out with the final band for the night - <a href="http://www.petermayer.com/">Peter and Jim Mayer</a>!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgHOgvkgiHLl1eGs-jI_7IUYtNV4D7YPxirhRe50k-j-Ku06rMZcAqMXKNGBBLH77iVtwgzDe1d3jo8Y5zQ56u60IxWLdJl2nOqoS8yqcRZrPeYCLZgMZ7BI0mAO9pPKgfgKN5XWH9Uw/s1600/100410+peter+and+jim.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgHOgvkgiHLl1eGs-jI_7IUYtNV4D7YPxirhRe50k-j-Ku06rMZcAqMXKNGBBLH77iVtwgzDe1d3jo8Y5zQ56u60IxWLdJl2nOqoS8yqcRZrPeYCLZgMZ7BI0mAO9pPKgfgKN5XWH9Uw/s400/100410+peter+and+jim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524346867224043826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Peter (left) and Jim (right) Mayer</span><br /></div>Those guys along with their band (including a 20 year old fiddle/mandolin player who was unbelievable) had everyone dancing and screaming for more.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW6MPhmZH3HEt677RgBcnShVjVTT16Q5mj1HBqVfKAGliWKUxDOsGNAGO6lyIcn-MiBt36S5fxwQTrjFU7HrBPFOWtpWYPly8COaw-0PiPTxCtMiEFHrMTCIMFurjmf4XO_abPGRk0Mw/s1600/100410+peter+and+band.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW6MPhmZH3HEt677RgBcnShVjVTT16Q5mj1HBqVfKAGliWKUxDOsGNAGO6lyIcn-MiBt36S5fxwQTrjFU7HrBPFOWtpWYPly8COaw-0PiPTxCtMiEFHrMTCIMFurjmf4XO_abPGRk0Mw/s400/100410+peter+and+band.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356511646454978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Peter Rocks with Maggie, the 20 Year Old Fiddle Player</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ghGfDTnS2uKydxq3gmq1xYNk4_NYx6jvNjc8eamQX3sWQYd7B5Cxbhjc1K-_Ph57yUg9qDUVc2uijdeYnpEnEnrazF61C0AvqD2gwFHnk3l0C2CpfJeqoV81590ViBMWXW0r5cISAos/s1600/100410+peter+after+the+conga.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ghGfDTnS2uKydxq3gmq1xYNk4_NYx6jvNjc8eamQX3sWQYd7B5Cxbhjc1K-_Ph57yUg9qDUVc2uijdeYnpEnEnrazF61C0AvqD2gwFHnk3l0C2CpfJeqoV81590ViBMWXW0r5cISAos/s400/100410+peter+after+the+conga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356516971105090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Peter Does an Encore for the Crowd</span><br /></div>Peter even came off the stage to join the huge conga line winding it's way around the park - now that's quite an entertainer (or a nut!) I'm sure Peter gets sick of it, but it's just too funny to see all the women in the crowd go crazy for him!! We overheard the guy behind us actually say that he loved when he and his wife saw Peter play because he knew he'd get lucky that night......you just can't make this up!!!<br /><br />Scott got us into the after party for all the musicians and I gotta say it was pretty cool hanging out with Scott and Dave, Peter, Jim and their band and Nadirah Shakoor!!!! That is until the bar opened up to the public and all the pirates from the pirate pub crawl invaded the party. Time to leave!!! Somehow (and we still aren't quite sure how this happened) it was back to Gypsies for a big nightcap party on the flybridge!! Before we knew it, we had Scott and Dave, Scott and Peter Mayer's marketing folks and believe it or not, Steve Huntington and JD Spradlin of Radio Margaritaville on Gypsies!!! Again - you can't make this stuff up!!! Steve runs the programming for RadioMargaritaville and DJs out of the New Orleans Margaritaville Cafe while JD DJ's in the Orlando Margaritaville - way cool guys and we all had a ball on Gypises until way past our bedtimes!! It's always great to hang with old friends and meet new ones sitting on the flybridge of Gypsies sipping some adult beverages and enjoying the peace and quiet of being on the water - what a way to wind up an awesome day! To protect the not so innocent, no pictures were taken of the after hours party or the ensuing party on Gypsies!!! although there was some drinking and dialing which in retrospect probably wasn't the best of ideas!!!<br /><br />A little slow to get going on Sunday but we were off to TropStock by about 12:30 - ready for another day of sun and great music - it didn't disappoint. Captain Josh was playing as we arrived and then <a href="http://www.jim-morris.com/">Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band</a> rocked out the afternoon! How can you not like someone whose saying is "Booze is the duct tape of life?"<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14P6vbqFbO6AcUKk4StU_n_bgDRIpF6NXgGwUMXBC9wphy1hmZAb7K3CksakfmCBs2XqrM9N525Gz3Mm2AfnMhR7jzme8Ep26VtidDQpCjm4m9SbyHvmUZwKEFm852x-U3ndf2Lusjhk/s1600/100410+jim+morris.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14P6vbqFbO6AcUKk4StU_n_bgDRIpF6NXgGwUMXBC9wphy1hmZAb7K3CksakfmCBs2XqrM9N525Gz3Mm2AfnMhR7jzme8Ep26VtidDQpCjm4m9SbyHvmUZwKEFm852x-U3ndf2Lusjhk/s400/100410+jim+morris.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356807182010770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band</span><br /></div>We had been given a Jim Morris CD from some friends we met in KW this winter and loved it, so it was a great afternoon - bare feet in the grass, coldies, scorching sun with a gentle sea breeze and live music - yippppeeee!!!! Could the afternoon get any better? Answer - you bet!!!! After Jim, came Doyle Grisham on the steel guitar (another member of Jimmy's band) and John Patti (aka Cabana Boy) on the steel drums - take me to the islands mon!!!!<br /><br />Saving the best for last, <a href="http://www.nadirahshakoor.com/fr_home.cfm">Nadirah Shakoor and Outside Art</a> took to the stage and treated us to an absolutely unbelievable evening!!! All I can say is that if you've never heard Nadirah (outside of Jimmy's concerts), you need to!!!! Not only does she have truly the most amazing singing voice I have ever heard, but the songs she sings are so positive, upbeat and empowering not just for women but for all people.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT4_DK1yuwd5BBDN_HoEZnjezFD20tthRtcJYHV60JYXJ2_2wf8RHO0ljVeJXlHG7rfGI1bsIP_g27zvY5EsbJkwBMHvgaF01cpjF15M8SszRNzeEZqqnOD_xjsB2tEN78EIh14HnQ7A/s1600/100410+nadirah+and+john+patti+in+background+on+steel+drum.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT4_DK1yuwd5BBDN_HoEZnjezFD20tthRtcJYHV60JYXJ2_2wf8RHO0ljVeJXlHG7rfGI1bsIP_g27zvY5EsbJkwBMHvgaF01cpjF15M8SszRNzeEZqqnOD_xjsB2tEN78EIh14HnQ7A/s400/100410+nadirah+and+john+patti+in+background+on+steel+drum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356534234439058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadirah Shakoor Rocks It for the Crowd</span><br /></div>She sings of love, freedom, peace, pride and power and does it in a way that makes you want to stand up and yell "you go girl!!!!"<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGgq8jxUdacBk48TfwbnC9RDslfeI-tFaT1rxIkfVo9WrIT-Vovjyyoki5v229tXEpWbEXaV6VgKFd9Zlf2h56E5tXWkgXfmatuyaiI5zjqUwgLNQhVIcNvDkyZ-v1j_5XrlBaHo4mGw/s1600/100410+nadirah.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGgq8jxUdacBk48TfwbnC9RDslfeI-tFaT1rxIkfVo9WrIT-Vovjyyoki5v229tXEpWbEXaV6VgKFd9Zlf2h56E5tXWkgXfmatuyaiI5zjqUwgLNQhVIcNvDkyZ-v1j_5XrlBaHo4mGw/s400/100410+nadirah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356519783210898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadirah Sings of Love, Freedom, Peace, Pride and Power</span><br /></div>She and her brother Rasheed (who plays drums and bongos) played several poignant songs together which really made you think (when was the last time a musician made you think??)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4lEym8qzZ7Nl3ErviXn-a5PgQVNyiQS-IrOvLG1_3hEymDHpRR_t4mPouJPDaQCYYreZlDV19OaCvKazWCm_ax9h6gPBMQ_mxZOMPsw2zoH1ZFTHnsWqGCrKO7zZM-RFaPkzO9ZHmqA/s1600/100410+nadirah+adn+rasheed.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4lEym8qzZ7Nl3ErviXn-a5PgQVNyiQS-IrOvLG1_3hEymDHpRR_t4mPouJPDaQCYYreZlDV19OaCvKazWCm_ax9h6gPBMQ_mxZOMPsw2zoH1ZFTHnsWqGCrKO7zZM-RFaPkzO9ZHmqA/s400/100410+nadirah+adn+rasheed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356803559692786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadirah Sings, Accompanied by Her Brother, Rasheed, on the Bongos</span><br /></div>Even though her songs were powerful, they had a beat to bring down the house or should I say the park. For an encore she came out into the crowd singing a song called Pride and had everyone on their feet.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDpoJZocbC9vkfJ75b7O1iR7iphgTdSjXPfJoxjfHeHVIGdrJXL-AmqyaQDrgwhMTKBsPzBgMY6QXGO9e6ibWaiAHSvWK56iWjO8TkWdqVt60dooNRmjt3D6_X_eYzogkLFEzMTlJWfg/s1600/100410+nadirah+in+the+crowd.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDpoJZocbC9vkfJ75b7O1iR7iphgTdSjXPfJoxjfHeHVIGdrJXL-AmqyaQDrgwhMTKBsPzBgMY6QXGO9e6ibWaiAHSvWK56iWjO8TkWdqVt60dooNRmjt3D6_X_eYzogkLFEzMTlJWfg/s400/100410+nadirah+in+the+crowd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524356529246668370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nadirah Sings "Pride" Down in the Crowd</span><br /></div>Doug and I just looked at each other when it was over and said "WOW!!!!!" We have already been on her website to find out when we can see her again - not only is she an incredibly talented musician but her songs make you believe that she is an equally wonderful human being.<br /><br />And then today, we rest - well not really. While Doug had to head off to work bright and early, I've been doing boat chores all day trying to get ready for the day I have to head back to work (Wednesday!!!!) No longer the woman of leisure, I'm trying to get all our errands done in anticipation of having no free time again!! We like our weekends way too much to have to do errands then - we'll figure it out I'm sure! All I can say is that TropStock was a great send-off into the working world - tough to beat a weekend like that!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-60029494597734009112010-10-02T10:19:00.004-04:002010-10-02T10:38:36.606-04:00Big NewsWell I have officially lost my life of leisure and joined the ranks of the working stiffs - I have accepted a position as Vice President and General Counsel for a company named <a href="http://www.sanswire.com">Sanswire</a>, which is relocating their corporate offices to Orlando in the next couple weeks. <a href="http://www.sanswire.cm">Sanswire</a> is a publicly traded bulletin board company that develops and markets lighter than air unmanned aerial vehicles. I met with several advisors to the company last week and then this week flew out to Colorado Springs to meet with the new CEO and Chairman of the Board who were attending the High Altitude and Near Space Conference which Sanswire was sponsoring (think lots of Air Force and Army Generals, NASA folks and assorted other military and scientific gurus - I fit right in.....haha) To say we all clicked would be an understatement!!! While there is an awful lot of work to be done, we all believe that based on the amazing technology the company has, we are in a unique position to really build something spectacular and save lots of lives along the way. Kind of cool to be doing something important rather than just making widgets or making money for people who already have too much!!! I fly off to Easton, MD (which we've actually been to before when cruising the Chesapeake which no one at Sanswire could believe!) this Wednesday to their facility to see a demo of the airship - how kewl!!! I am really excited about the opportunity and if you have to go back to work - this is a pretty cool gig!!! Doug is a little bummed at losing his "housewife" but I keep telling him, the second paycheck makes up for that!!! Plus its not like we won't continue to have lots and lots of fun!!!<br /><br />Last weekend there was supposed to be this great International Sound and Flavor Festival down in Melbourne - always game to try something new and thinking good food and music, we figured why not so we hopped in the car and headed down. Well - it was an experience shall we say!! We first drove into this park where we thought it was supposed to be (there was even a sign at the entrance announcing the festival) and after driving around twice, all we came across was a pavilion with a very sad sounding country western band and some fat, bald, old guys flipping burgers. This couldn't be it, could it???? But yet there was nothing else around - so we got out just to make sure but from the looks of the crowd (think Elks club outing meets biker bar) and the fact I don't really consider burgers and dogs to be "international," we packed it in and headed out. On our way out about a mile down the road we actually saw a whole bunch of signs for the festival we'd been looking for and followed them to a field - OK here we go. Well not so much..... but at least they had beer and a couple booths selling gyros (which I guess are international although they looked slightly less than desirable) - other than that, really not so much!!! We went into the tent to hear the "international sound" and were greeted by an old scraggly looking guy playing a banjo singing christian folk songs. You just can't make this up!! YIKES - time to leave!!! So much for the festival - although they did have on display a very funny limousine!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyDC7xurqmIqeUZt85dIGi2B_8UCr2H0zorlOUgjwZZnI3Q7OrcjeU4u3lm-U0z09tGbq8RNkZ_UZBvBpFTEXdGQA9xuslUWzzsgu6zpropiq4JifSYxkz50SRmpyiY35DKhC3TluPjo/s1600/100210+limo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyDC7xurqmIqeUZt85dIGi2B_8UCr2H0zorlOUgjwZZnI3Q7OrcjeU4u3lm-U0z09tGbq8RNkZ_UZBvBpFTEXdGQA9xuslUWzzsgu6zpropiq4JifSYxkz50SRmpyiY35DKhC3TluPjo/s400/100210+limo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523453964212017554" border="0" /></a><br />Thinking we would eat and drink our way through a fun festival teeming with delicious international cuisine, we hadn't had lunch and by this time we were hungry!! So as we always do, we made the best of the afternoon by finding the Conch Key Grill and Tiki Bar which sits right on the ICW and is a great little funky bar! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrpUSqPwQNGEcM0PkMasdl2hc_F5BpYqCTZhWX91r80arsZDiTFpOTw2cIQD1RsXU1NVECsZO3NG0YygGCTiUhRgz7BjxOu-JGf5AJa3YUhtWec3aFDCdrnCVjxsTcsMV9jq85KIqbmk/s1600/100210+conch+key.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrpUSqPwQNGEcM0PkMasdl2hc_F5BpYqCTZhWX91r80arsZDiTFpOTw2cIQD1RsXU1NVECsZO3NG0YygGCTiUhRgz7BjxOu-JGf5AJa3YUhtWec3aFDCdrnCVjxsTcsMV9jq85KIqbmk/s400/100210+conch+key.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523454263315167714" border="0" /></a>Hurricanes are a big deal down here and the Conch Key has survived quite a few which they proclaim proudly from above the bar!! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALfSLgxgRcL3MnwfPnH7dZ459Suqcgyn5ae3z8R2hD-0KQ0kpmXtz3fppwij2Ez019y1JMCUYa78cPyVgBCqnixGrsHenl2coAv9n2TXSaqm5RWvzvTDyiMYoTzixOUx2jqJBzOtDeog/s1600/100210+hurricane+board.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALfSLgxgRcL3MnwfPnH7dZ459Suqcgyn5ae3z8R2hD-0KQ0kpmXtz3fppwij2Ez019y1JMCUYa78cPyVgBCqnixGrsHenl2coAv9n2TXSaqm5RWvzvTDyiMYoTzixOUx2jqJBzOtDeog/s400/100210+hurricane+board.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523453968250507058" border="0" /></a>Knock on big wood but so far we've had a quiet season down here in FL - maybe Mother Nature decided to give us a break for our first season down here (normally she's not that nice to us)!!! Mahi sandwiches and cold beers - we like this place - plus we found out you get free drinks on your birthdays and anniversaries!!! And Bimini is only 193 miles away!!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2bGHHOPTz1MM9HzGHEM7IQz17-kydm73gaa5UolcCsPvtd9B-3c4DBnAdwAWhRDmhtcG1-VrAtBaKu9s6m0gI9cFSOc-F6YU7vgcNfAP_1lU4EbbiXIVZXJJfDEkEKX8cLyKA78KLug/s1600/100210+bimini+sign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2bGHHOPTz1MM9HzGHEM7IQz17-kydm73gaa5UolcCsPvtd9B-3c4DBnAdwAWhRDmhtcG1-VrAtBaKu9s6m0gI9cFSOc-F6YU7vgcNfAP_1lU4EbbiXIVZXJJfDEkEKX8cLyKA78KLug/s400/100210+bimini+sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523454269627917250" border="0" /></a><br />Last night to celebrate the new job (not really - we've had tickets for weeks), we hit the opening evening of The First Annual TropStock in the Village over at the Riverfront Park in Cocoa. We had wanted to see some of the afternoon music but Doug couldn't break free from work (even though he was working from the boat!!) - I hate when work interferes with our play time!!!! Oh well better late than never! TropStock is an unbelievable three day extravaganza of seriously good trop rock musicians - we're talking Scott Kirby, Peter Mayer and much of the rest of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band like Nadirah Shakoor, Doyle Grisham and Jim Mayer - can you believe it???? ALL in sleepy little Cocoa!!! What am I back in Key West?? We had a great evening sitting out on the grass at the park listening to first Jack Mosley, one of the great trop rock musicians whose music is played on radiomargaritaville and jimmydreamz as well as many other trop rock radio stations! Then it was Homemade Wine, a great tropical country jam band!! Playing trop rock to honky tonk country to Lynyrd Skynyrd, they had the crowd on their feet!! As the sun set and the stars came out, they lit up the stage with lights and great music - what a great way to spend an evening!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumkAC_YUExNt0YQUz3VPmyw2KsrgVPzDYr2IyEDZz4ynUMJ954rHRyxM1nxDEDR9cEXoLihgWLFSdDt7hSBL62fSPMJ6ZGJGRyMSbOW2TI5sjAg-Y6ZEzlGnaozmUKRSddrEhsTi_p3U/s1600/100210+tropstock.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumkAC_YUExNt0YQUz3VPmyw2KsrgVPzDYr2IyEDZz4ynUMJ954rHRyxM1nxDEDR9cEXoLihgWLFSdDt7hSBL62fSPMJ6ZGJGRyMSbOW2TI5sjAg-Y6ZEzlGnaozmUKRSddrEhsTi_p3U/s400/100210+tropstock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523453958895482578" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWSxdtv6kORnA0FF8e_YO7A9PJFp-dVzagmlWdfsPVGZelWoVnhqT0drgRwRLrAmD0m2nnmH-bZ5oH6P5BEJ4CJcpfXRw50bz4Wyir0AsOMD2vjKSb3e51p3TRohnuhJmkV4IIOup6Ho/s1600/100210+homemade+wine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWSxdtv6kORnA0FF8e_YO7A9PJFp-dVzagmlWdfsPVGZelWoVnhqT0drgRwRLrAmD0m2nnmH-bZ5oH6P5BEJ4CJcpfXRw50bz4Wyir0AsOMD2vjKSb3e51p3TRohnuhJmkV4IIOup6Ho/s400/100210+homemade+wine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523454258154493954" border="0" /></a><br />And we've still got two more days of great music to go - today we plan on bringing chairs for the afternoon/evening. The line-up includes Pyrates of the Coast, Tropical Motivations followed by our good friends Scott and Dave and then ending with Peter Mayer!!! Although my guess is our night won't end there - have we mentioned Scotty is in town!! There are also after hours parties in the pubs around Cocoa Village where other trop rock guys are playing!! Too fun! Then on Sunday we've got Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band, Doyle Grisham and then Nadirah!!!! Good thing I don't start work until Wednesday - think Monday will be a day of rest (sorry Doug!!)M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-87934684477212486272010-09-21T20:38:00.011-04:002010-09-21T22:34:37.929-04:00You Can Call Me Captain....Well maybe not quite yet but I did pass my Captain's license exam on Monday night - yipppppeeee!!! Now I just have to put together the application, letters of recommendation (any volunteers as to my character? no jokes please!) and take that drug test again....yes, I'm pretty sure I'll pass (know that there were those of you out there thinking it!) and then hopefully it will be official soon!!! We'll be a two Captain family since Doug got his last year - C squared - which is kind of ironic since we aren't cruising at the moment but settling into the work-a-day world (NEVER!!!) .<br /><br />We've been having lots of fun down here on Merritt Island - the other weekend was absolutely gorgeous. While our friends back in New England are talking about closing up their pools, cold nights around bonfires and where'd the summer go, down here we are saying this time of year is SWEET!!!! It's still big-time beach weather but lots of the humidity of the summer has gone - now we're just enjoying the 80ish weather and with the absence of hurricanes impacting FL this year (knock loudly on wood!), we are thoroughly enjoying our decision to hang out down here post cruise!<br /><br />We hit Cocoa Beach last Saturday with our books, beach chairs, boogie boards and brewskis to soak up some of that wonderful FL sun and ride some waves. Not sure if there are always waves on Cocoa Beach (it does claim to be the surfing capital of FL and sports the mother of all surfing stores in the 24 hour Ron Jon surf shop) or if it's just the progression of off-shore hurricanes which have kept us boogie boarders in huge waves and smiles. Down here the water is so beautiful too that you can actually spend time playing in the waves without your feet instantly becoming numb as they do in Maine - trust me, we still went swimming up there but each incursion into the water was short and painful!! Down here the water is so gorgeous, it's almost tough to get out....until the icy cold beverage calls out to you from your lounge chair!!! Really they do that down here - just another thing we like!<br /><br />Sunday it was off to Universal Studios again for us - now for someone who was never an "amusement park person," I have to admit that Universal and Islands of Adventure are really, really cool!!! I think the last time I was at a park was in high school when we all hit Whalom Park with it's 3 rides!!! We were psyched to get in a day at the park after all the kids are back at school but where it is still warm enough to want to experience all the water rides. Mission Accomplished!!! (and we actually even mean it....not to mention a sore subject!) We waltzed into the Park which was much less crowded than over the summer and breezed right over to see Harry - we rode the forbidden journey ride twice and had a butterbeer before we saw any kind of lines at all!! Then it was off to the water rides - the Dudley Dooright Riprock Falls had always had a wait of at least an hour or more (can you say NOT!!!) but on Sunday there was no line at all!! What an awesome ride - close to my favorite but man do you get wet!!! We went from riding the Falls to the Bilge Rat ride across the way where you get equally as wet about 4 or 5 times - loving every moment of it! Finally it was time to dry out a little....no sarcastic comments please. We hit the Jurassic Park ride and then dropped into the Hogs Head for a cool brew out on the sunny deck overlooking the park - way cool!! Finally on our way out of the park we had to try the Spiderman ride which we'd heard about and it rocked -so we'll be back!! Finally we headed to Universal to hit the Men in Black ride which Doug loves and then it was on to a sports bar to watch the Pats beat up on Cincinnati - got to tell you it was a near perfect day (see below)!!!<br /><br />The only thing that didn't go according to plan was when a fellow park-goer stepped on my toe and caused major blood loss. OK - some background. I had a hurt right big toe for about a year and finally went to a doctor when we were in Aventura who gave me some drugs and healed it without having to amputate (but that's old news). A couple weeks ago I was heading down the stairs to our room without turning on a light, slipped and came down on my left big toe causing a major bloody blowout. OK not the smartest thing I've ever done....but then again, not the dumbest either I guess... Well - it was just starting to get better when we went on the Falls ride - Doug and I sat in the two seats in the back which left three seats in the front. Two women joined us and of course ignored the front seat, choosing the two right in front of us - I pulled back my feet to make sure they could get in but lo and behold doesn't the larger of the two (of course) step full force on my recovering toe (not my foot, not the side of my foot, not my little toe but full on the big toe!!!!) It of course popped like a watermelon as blood started squirting and my eyes started watering - nothing to do but sit and grin as by then we were strapped in and our ride was moving!! Do I seriously have the biggest toes ever??? What is it about them that seems to attract pain?? Do they look incomplete without a red sheen to them? Seriously!!! So anyway - once again no close toed shoes - I'm back to flip flops. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the gym later this week when the swelling goes down!!<br /><br />We kicked off this weekend at happy hour over at the Cocoa Beach pier - what a way to watch the sunset - $6 pitchers and a $3 plate of bbq ribs - yum!!!! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmBu1eNXXMnlga2r4RmPZJypHB8uPrAEU2CV3fkNp0g_bCAkbCqGVt5NRBiT3RK89EkM5C0lgc9y_BazKnYj0-o-LM8IVdCJucTc7Af2BKGfzKV35G8im5V-7awm4TGsyI-KjYVophcE/s1600/092110+happy+hour+at+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmBu1eNXXMnlga2r4RmPZJypHB8uPrAEU2CV3fkNp0g_bCAkbCqGVt5NRBiT3RK89EkM5C0lgc9y_BazKnYj0-o-LM8IVdCJucTc7Af2BKGfzKV35G8im5V-7awm4TGsyI-KjYVophcE/s400/092110+happy+hour+at+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540792770593442" border="0" /></a>Saturday morning was filled with boat chores for Doug while I studied for my exam but by about noon we were done - all work and no play.....Off we went to scope out local sports bars for the Patriots game on Sunday and we found a great one - Beef O'Bradys!!!! It's named after our quarterback Tom terrific, the tv's were plentiful, the food was great and the beer was cold - works for me. Next we were off to the Brevard Zoo - what a great place for a small county zoo!!!! We walked around exhibits representing Africa, South America and Australian all afternoon scoping out jaguars,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwMSay1iRA2m3YjYcl5PMvRMP-Th2HrMc-3POCr8ONn_XOEYPYh_ni_QRKtMht8G8J-DBQQr1V-lvUOFtasSyi0PgVhHFsZWiGHcgUapgVw4SBV6u9l9G0VAxjZbl4pSwOBoMeeOJXjU/s1600/092110+jaguar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwMSay1iRA2m3YjYcl5PMvRMP-Th2HrMc-3POCr8ONn_XOEYPYh_ni_QRKtMht8G8J-DBQQr1V-lvUOFtasSyi0PgVhHFsZWiGHcgUapgVw4SBV6u9l9G0VAxjZbl4pSwOBoMeeOJXjU/s400/092110+jaguar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540744381185154" border="0" /></a>cheetahs, giraffes, impalas,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegVUOf7EiwHeoIQgmzini5zYA1wIjT03ECaVcAkasT1V7XZz6pRA6ujzT3nxPmfcbxYg7YP2v_MTRsjX3jwshyphenhypheny_hfqwXP5b7Cf-08I_Sj-Z_rRWJFsCMMEi1hZvNuU2za8REjNiwPNI/s1600/092110+giraffe+and+impala.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegVUOf7EiwHeoIQgmzini5zYA1wIjT03ECaVcAkasT1V7XZz6pRA6ujzT3nxPmfcbxYg7YP2v_MTRsjX3jwshyphenhypheny_hfqwXP5b7Cf-08I_Sj-Z_rRWJFsCMMEi1hZvNuU2za8REjNiwPNI/s400/092110+giraffe+and+impala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541186437825442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Giraffe and Impala</span><br /></div>a white rhinoceros,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPt8kriBR-ZLw1AdS5zmidXQRudsRa4LqXjc_4fwgzttIVKt4QioYGQyQCZUgEZgEVPhAJ1Qt4aId5Qj4bhAIyS3jHUsoPJO29JZKwBCCUHQg4XFv4VEu8NOmj5SeVF3n_bvhzSsssk2c/s1600/092110+rhino.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPt8kriBR-ZLw1AdS5zmidXQRudsRa4LqXjc_4fwgzttIVKt4QioYGQyQCZUgEZgEVPhAJ1Qt4aId5Qj4bhAIyS3jHUsoPJO29JZKwBCCUHQg4XFv4VEu8NOmj5SeVF3n_bvhzSsssk2c/s400/092110+rhino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540355118674114" border="0" /></a>anteaters,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMA6PszB3xl0P20wa1Kn2SdgwuRY8GCzkuzzJAGBmaZIRXD241tDdtgRF9WJCzNMXjunqzWQy-yxsIfYp9Tnfnbwv3rDckjFD0jva0l7dzB7dmThv5dmdR5HBg_73Bzj0NJArMkWGxTI/s1600/092110+anteater.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMA6PszB3xl0P20wa1Kn2SdgwuRY8GCzkuzzJAGBmaZIRXD241tDdtgRF9WJCzNMXjunqzWQy-yxsIfYp9Tnfnbwv3rDckjFD0jva0l7dzB7dmThv5dmdR5HBg_73Bzj0NJArMkWGxTI/s400/092110+anteater.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542950008620754" border="0" /></a>tapirs,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQduw6QjNTCkJ_hiMle_nu5LMcRobjQOhf1BzjQDRjEg1B-fKQbsMXLU72Rs_TwuOFEbuCpATcNiwYAOe33WTo4NwvsrqnKtg0eMiXwSsL612w3MQDB-5-niGsRpW_Fw-Mmf0cjVapwc/s1600/092110+tapir.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQduw6QjNTCkJ_hiMle_nu5LMcRobjQOhf1BzjQDRjEg1B-fKQbsMXLU72Rs_TwuOFEbuCpATcNiwYAOe33WTo4NwvsrqnKtg0eMiXwSsL612w3MQDB-5-niGsRpW_Fw-Mmf0cjVapwc/s400/092110+tapir.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519538635357378674" border="0" /></a>kangaroos<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wwom0ziFjaMu7csv01ItuiCJZ6kVZlYhtunBYRJ5zB2LkkDDuRv2y9RsXgrrEybap6ayERaAQ6RmyflxIu4YkLjRpVkKcX7ylqtXTsrvD9_-84RpYQbUKIEX1HcG5CMER2nwvaKE1MU/s1600/092110+snoozing+kangaroo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Wwom0ziFjaMu7csv01ItuiCJZ6kVZlYhtunBYRJ5zB2LkkDDuRv2y9RsXgrrEybap6ayERaAQ6RmyflxIu4YkLjRpVkKcX7ylqtXTsrvD9_-84RpYQbUKIEX1HcG5CMER2nwvaKE1MU/s400/092110+snoozing+kangaroo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519538648141945282" border="0" /></a>and warty pigs!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7R6JBxXz_3Y3TgoxWWOZBRqu9fU-5kOf1jA3MG7BSvWrQawKc5yY6Yvtei8DCC3wbq84r5z2eWOcibjZVp0pxrfSGHJ6CM85moepvgdJOajGzvh0bXGhvCsmr9bDvJjvcxmF8wEN_r4/s1600/092110+baby+warty+pigs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7R6JBxXz_3Y3TgoxWWOZBRqu9fU-5kOf1jA3MG7BSvWrQawKc5yY6Yvtei8DCC3wbq84r5z2eWOcibjZVp0pxrfSGHJ6CM85moepvgdJOajGzvh0bXGhvCsmr9bDvJjvcxmF8wEN_r4/s400/092110+baby+warty+pigs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541706589836018" border="0" /></a>As much as it was really cool to see such magnificent animals, I have to admit, I love the little monkeys!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmTl0MedSc6zoQkuWIurLy4OmT0mwK6WspCzEHCIT0y7JEEWT2OnsrU-goQZSeyW5uMY7Yn_O1_JQ4HpsRdU2bZb33vr7Cv8SWRIfOZi-XP4dJpAJDruJqIpuOjU-L-PmBUuLBpoutCo/s1600/092110+monkey.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmTl0MedSc6zoQkuWIurLy4OmT0mwK6WspCzEHCIT0y7JEEWT2OnsrU-goQZSeyW5uMY7Yn_O1_JQ4HpsRdU2bZb33vr7Cv8SWRIfOZi-XP4dJpAJDruJqIpuOjU-L-PmBUuLBpoutCo/s400/092110+monkey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540374626349986" border="0" /></a>They are so cute - we saw squirrel monkeys,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioafPxK0kYntbfUIJ504eRieOKJ-5FatF9L_SzXZNj-6PzXTUaAWbCZRckfDsetZtY9RHlzSiF4-sjmkLsiY2n9Rlg6-2OvLOBYjJKki9NvM8lkqzeC7q6gLAVKH4By4vp3SFvhRhaYI4/s1600/092110+squirrel+monkey.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioafPxK0kYntbfUIJ504eRieOKJ-5FatF9L_SzXZNj-6PzXTUaAWbCZRckfDsetZtY9RHlzSiF4-sjmkLsiY2n9Rlg6-2OvLOBYjJKki9NvM8lkqzeC7q6gLAVKH4By4vp3SFvhRhaYI4/s400/092110+squirrel+monkey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519538642588289778" border="0" /></a>pygmy marmosets<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAlvuEpFLVKPlisFlHtWzFEGZk3N3M9aYQUxqfUKyW8-nOhHDMfFUr-7NVKkIkxduKxb7B0hilXnX0WuyXVHdJxagzBpsOcohGMocf3AAIE2DJTGBWfKrpgj8QBHQPwUAa1lrgnws2JE/s1600/092110+marmoset.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAlvuEpFLVKPlisFlHtWzFEGZk3N3M9aYQUxqfUKyW8-nOhHDMfFUr-7NVKkIkxduKxb7B0hilXnX0WuyXVHdJxagzBpsOcohGMocf3AAIE2DJTGBWfKrpgj8QBHQPwUAa1lrgnws2JE/s400/092110+marmoset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540378974677634" border="0" /></a>and lots of other cute little guys - some even had babies on their backs that were just tiny - I love their little faces!! And of course there were all kinds of amazing birds<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3cdtSyk2fBuGflQUDc4GdXD-mUfeXx-BuFwPd84DOlV2JKcfsQ2Vz6Kl-ZFCIn4QO_5QpzBV_p9g4NvrblYdQU_1qWLxxQcARzz1T6SLBvxxnpD2_hfy5XQgeuLlYebL3jrPu_F96aI/s1600/092110+crested+caracara.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3cdtSyk2fBuGflQUDc4GdXD-mUfeXx-BuFwPd84DOlV2JKcfsQ2Vz6Kl-ZFCIn4QO_5QpzBV_p9g4NvrblYdQU_1qWLxxQcARzz1T6SLBvxxnpD2_hfy5XQgeuLlYebL3jrPu_F96aI/s400/092110+crested+caracara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541673936845026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Crested Caracara</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L4RU7YnR4_yktrDTu4hAAM8AA8N_KDrFW60iyrA4CRLBYqiq3iK6sz03f8zD4hP1skmf8XI3kPO8yUF35EkDJgBzjw_quvPVyjq3RAwiI1QbnFeWQQQwDPLn7_c6Azm31jzBMnIeey4/s1600/092110+sandhill+crane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L4RU7YnR4_yktrDTu4hAAM8AA8N_KDrFW60iyrA4CRLBYqiq3iK6sz03f8zD4hP1skmf8XI3kPO8yUF35EkDJgBzjw_quvPVyjq3RAwiI1QbnFeWQQQwDPLn7_c6Azm31jzBMnIeey4/s400/092110+sandhill+crane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540341849100754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sandhill Crane</span><br /></div>both in exhibits but also in the wild from different kinds of macaws (including a hyacinth macaw that could seriously talk to you in a conversation!!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfW9cIGuSd8zCPO9Idm2xs6AoT8sfN9vqG2mEJBNOSvXvWpUrw_tkIy-w7hzqQCc7Ji0bb9LvmS5268LTF0zH_T9JhK93ss9umoNFyh8vgQ_6ztaEbDrKuHxJG4-Jk_x3K8XIcKRaPeA/s1600/092110+hyacinth+macaw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfW9cIGuSd8zCPO9Idm2xs6AoT8sfN9vqG2mEJBNOSvXvWpUrw_tkIy-w7hzqQCc7Ji0bb9LvmS5268LTF0zH_T9JhK93ss9umoNFyh8vgQ_6ztaEbDrKuHxJG4-Jk_x3K8XIcKRaPeA/s400/092110+hyacinth+macaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540765308269282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hyacinth Macaw</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzuGXLT9JtM4buEM9JXxcv2fIqXa4zQDKO6v4X_C5EGcF_we0KEUJY8tymj1bn257yisHD7roOk27kQUlryC8VYz0afQWePpJUuOcb_YVo_MFFFPLHkzhAKki9aLdhpacFOe9jYU5fX8/s1600/092110+blue+and+gold+macaw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzuGXLT9JtM4buEM9JXxcv2fIqXa4zQDKO6v4X_C5EGcF_we0KEUJY8tymj1bn257yisHD7roOk27kQUlryC8VYz0afQWePpJUuOcb_YVo_MFFFPLHkzhAKki9aLdhpacFOe9jYU5fX8/s400/092110+blue+and+gold+macaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541687452753858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Blue and Gold Macaw</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5FaFuyt6cuJ8Kh6T9ZgpMspIrGn82C6KsMrwLI66RT9YaUk4ZaNGeCERHiZdzJuzdVXirXLb34niNQfd9tduns7Cg2hmaIuTKfPeSmpSUmvorE8-gxw_PavmwvggqG7uI1j-E9ANxLo/s1600/092110+scarlet+macaws.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5FaFuyt6cuJ8Kh6T9ZgpMspIrGn82C6KsMrwLI66RT9YaUk4ZaNGeCERHiZdzJuzdVXirXLb34niNQfd9tduns7Cg2hmaIuTKfPeSmpSUmvorE8-gxw_PavmwvggqG7uI1j-E9ANxLo/s400/092110+scarlet+macaws.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519538663820513106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlett Macaws</span><br /></div>to the roseate spoonbills and flamingos who are so cool<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxATRpzGd6q4iYQAvyid8CKS-Ae5OzAX1cE4LCi8mV8H7UnGUFnwxuCFruvRTr9De5Sqaazv5x03Q0wBQ1npZ0SnsH-Ayu2q3c77kY-hscHl42Nq6nbdRRpG2lpGupIDtnjIEF23oyL0/s1600/092110+flamingos.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxATRpzGd6q4iYQAvyid8CKS-Ae5OzAX1cE4LCi8mV8H7UnGUFnwxuCFruvRTr9De5Sqaazv5x03Q0wBQ1npZ0SnsH-Ayu2q3c77kY-hscHl42Nq6nbdRRpG2lpGupIDtnjIEF23oyL0/s400/092110+flamingos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541213714324610" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDPLJrEDE2GdlnPojD_4rYGKxHhKnUz_BrTmOAvHWPTL_FT3Fpw21j4SKp9TfIV53rsNcksiaNHXzqlfw492VJR-3MiDFI0uvZzgCxmwa4IqGDZm99u_1jJaS8dIBIJ7g_MM6hRQD7Y0/s1600/092110+baby+flamingo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDPLJrEDE2GdlnPojD_4rYGKxHhKnUz_BrTmOAvHWPTL_FT3Fpw21j4SKp9TfIV53rsNcksiaNHXzqlfw492VJR-3MiDFI0uvZzgCxmwa4IqGDZm99u_1jJaS8dIBIJ7g_MM6hRQD7Y0/s400/092110+baby+flamingo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541714361246674" border="0" /></a>to bald eagles,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskldWxUqk3RvAF5lZUFnUJW8kS-iCRRult1BBXJHznWuhatOLRGAVkCPGgRTJKZ_4lvcrVDskuYe7k0-eqnlIDFKPqfFaRX_7tVKKeTeOE06VIS5lkM05D3LNfSEXoBaplUYJCKaGTJo/s1600/092110+bald+eagle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskldWxUqk3RvAF5lZUFnUJW8kS-iCRRult1BBXJHznWuhatOLRGAVkCPGgRTJKZ_4lvcrVDskuYe7k0-eqnlIDFKPqfFaRX_7tVKKeTeOE06VIS5lkM05D3LNfSEXoBaplUYJCKaGTJo/s400/092110+bald+eagle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541699707342338" border="0" /></a>herons and all kinds of crazy looking guys!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp6hQbjT3pqDVPnE2cDiSTOloN7ixPZ5F1w7GuwkySK0s4gV2tany7BFIvM19J8m7rksLNekyu3G3j1nRvH6qOBYQgGazQrO80mkItl4w3KhANAobaPypOU-UOUxTsmJ4wkZ0sXcSvdw/s1600/092110+hawk.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp6hQbjT3pqDVPnE2cDiSTOloN7ixPZ5F1w7GuwkySK0s4gV2tany7BFIvM19J8m7rksLNekyu3G3j1nRvH6qOBYQgGazQrO80mkItl4w3KhANAobaPypOU-UOUxTsmJ4wkZ0sXcSvdw/s400/092110+hawk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540781705380530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hawk</span><br /></div>There was even an open air aviary complete with flying foxes<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV1ERsvw4tvIPW_xddFs3GVz6wMNbFuETaKn_92_p7p4X_2k7FB-lw6oBSSci14mtQSj1RDwmtFzJkwxJXn1T81xCX5Njox5vZvYsLkTKPURk8eu_mPAsXZWCRG-gGV90579sqP9EYxI/s1600/092110+flying+foxes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV1ERsvw4tvIPW_xddFs3GVz6wMNbFuETaKn_92_p7p4X_2k7FB-lw6oBSSci14mtQSj1RDwmtFzJkwxJXn1T81xCX5Njox5vZvYsLkTKPURk8eu_mPAsXZWCRG-gGV90579sqP9EYxI/s400/092110+flying+foxes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541203686915890" border="0" /></a>and beautiful exotic birds - you are warned on entering to watch your heads (for any number of reasons!!!) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwmwN5sJQcSDYUk6RcqdO9MahtO3zi90PBKofjWkfee2x40l1mzzT4R36hhMsWjg_f5aiRSYWMgw70YCgfQNlw3JvDy2wp5HeqJGyNqM7G6Bj8irBiQD2bVYvdDQcinRnO9k1GwFT_Bk/s1600/092110+aviary+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwmwN5sJQcSDYUk6RcqdO9MahtO3zi90PBKofjWkfee2x40l1mzzT4R36hhMsWjg_f5aiRSYWMgw70YCgfQNlw3JvDy2wp5HeqJGyNqM7G6Bj8irBiQD2bVYvdDQcinRnO9k1GwFT_Bk/s400/092110+aviary+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542934821820290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQql5H9v6I1PQqKKhVshc1SDTxFKnyb2zFATnuu-2lbVAiEyPMPpJFBKML1CEcvLI-X6X_93LtXVO-wgoJ9Z6wLArJnfsI2qkTi6Kt_Ep6XBQ7mXGsLDFiWQn3sR8xrCHlitL_y65jQ4/s1600/092110+aviary+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQql5H9v6I1PQqKKhVshc1SDTxFKnyb2zFATnuu-2lbVAiEyPMPpJFBKML1CEcvLI-X6X_93LtXVO-wgoJ9Z6wLArJnfsI2qkTi6Kt_Ep6XBQ7mXGsLDFiWQn3sR8xrCHlitL_y65jQ4/s400/092110+aviary+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542926713541538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuN8E4Kff7vbvmI80456NrJ6Rd-nl9YupmvfcFCFlRcaobH_Cz5vI1G4zZh7DXw7u33mTY_jPTC9f0eclRmS4mtFBCkFWa6gZJJnWwxjoNEBDeEab_KW8BQSvr011jOlCpTaNtdQTwVfc/s1600/092110+aviary+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuN8E4Kff7vbvmI80456NrJ6Rd-nl9YupmvfcFCFlRcaobH_Cz5vI1G4zZh7DXw7u33mTY_jPTC9f0eclRmS4mtFBCkFWa6gZJJnWwxjoNEBDeEab_KW8BQSvr011jOlCpTaNtdQTwVfc/s400/092110+aviary+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542709155279458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aM7m-wEmKlxG-L126CAHyIlptCYveBIMQ_ixCRJKbZDgGyqkVQNJi_o1fb5rZVK9TYCg_CAoNDwpM0hsNdGItsAZ3vMlAa8GYM4suij_vN5FYjcRLEd6W1luj82G6N9mYBDuJfdf_sU/s1600/092110+aviary+5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aM7m-wEmKlxG-L126CAHyIlptCYveBIMQ_ixCRJKbZDgGyqkVQNJi_o1fb5rZVK9TYCg_CAoNDwpM0hsNdGItsAZ3vMlAa8GYM4suij_vN5FYjcRLEd6W1luj82G6N9mYBDuJfdf_sU/s400/092110+aviary+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542706181609346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZN3ym80ZY054BdZ98QaayPd_fth5Osn52TzMLKUF5vJPkbwG6mBPrYL3cfVLbFq5KAxCSrsyVtZu4EHNciy24dCAXWrGYCXCAmEpeNvA1XS7AGFZcX5-SHPQB2kQFBXsggl38mmrzUE/s1600/092110+aviary+6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZN3ym80ZY054BdZ98QaayPd_fth5Osn52TzMLKUF5vJPkbwG6mBPrYL3cfVLbFq5KAxCSrsyVtZu4EHNciy24dCAXWrGYCXCAmEpeNvA1XS7AGFZcX5-SHPQB2kQFBXsggl38mmrzUE/s400/092110+aviary+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519542696294568306" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMpyLGSmVUod2ESYYJQqfTiFc6WacMvKHegqzAbXRrJ7o8kM4AN0ErLiixsfpkhz9f6BXBIsTRyMKatnnJlv3nmoHQ9QeQdkzmoFcTwGzcDO8mQsVu4iHqqe-myA6xEbBtmoA-hzqn4k/s1600/092110+inside+the+aviary.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMpyLGSmVUod2ESYYJQqfTiFc6WacMvKHegqzAbXRrJ7o8kM4AN0ErLiixsfpkhz9f6BXBIsTRyMKatnnJlv3nmoHQ9QeQdkzmoFcTwGzcDO8mQsVu4iHqqe-myA6xEbBtmoA-hzqn4k/s400/092110+inside+the+aviary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540760310417698" border="0" /></a>Before leaving we visited the petting zoo where Doug got up close and personal with the alpacas and pygmy goats<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3__vEpAIW8Ezc3LSxnObSAEijd-SU3h_UgwVthHW06yjhaXU_VYXIjDP2wRgiE05EaYNJP7FfhpAM7bLPS7d-mhMOHUGpIV9nCB0Zrm1thYJk6Uq5qPN5P_8carB0kcDXCm9iwjLWaY/s1600/092110+doug+meets+the+alpacas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3__vEpAIW8Ezc3LSxnObSAEijd-SU3h_UgwVthHW06yjhaXU_VYXIjDP2wRgiE05EaYNJP7FfhpAM7bLPS7d-mhMOHUGpIV9nCB0Zrm1thYJk6Uq5qPN5P_8carB0kcDXCm9iwjLWaY/s400/092110+doug+meets+the+alpacas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541227469824578" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwB1kQSLbzUANEqApykaER6EMVU_7m9Le3UlMkGA1VRMUyDySKKMsLeuig7BxAWlvtJPIabeaJmrcrCJGt7fzWFxIgVTN5PzFhde740lnVShQD280IxW1weT_3uxCnCS3XTYYoZPf8tDw/s1600/092110+get+this+kid+away+from+me+-+alpaca.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwB1kQSLbzUANEqApykaER6EMVU_7m9Le3UlMkGA1VRMUyDySKKMsLeuig7BxAWlvtJPIabeaJmrcrCJGt7fzWFxIgVTN5PzFhde740lnVShQD280IxW1weT_3uxCnCS3XTYYoZPf8tDw/s400/092110+get+this+kid+away+from+me+-+alpaca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519541196697898850" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH2VRJH9Z5AsDjv6AJNWlhJLYdRnbKnSgI5wkvReR8xLib6RXX_8PBEbYjURJ4JDZ0jbH-ZY645JnlDOUfbO6A_oTSvjyRHX4G8brNP3geYkCELJW10UDYeoOQHzSRKOZGl7p4r158xs/s1600/0921110+isn%27t+the+alpaca+cute%3F.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH2VRJH9Z5AsDjv6AJNWlhJLYdRnbKnSgI5wkvReR8xLib6RXX_8PBEbYjURJ4JDZ0jbH-ZY645JnlDOUfbO6A_oTSvjyRHX4G8brNP3geYkCELJW10UDYeoOQHzSRKOZGl7p4r158xs/s400/0921110+isn%27t+the+alpaca+cute%3F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519538628411286994" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpva9cZO9-UAI6zeuBo9SYlR4BCNIC1l4ohqFvzY7sM5ACuQf058ZSDSYtIdyIWoJcaQwCXtQYSlCggEv5ZDrNHJoWBxC4828N-ABCh4TstlTAHL2QbdMZWGBhjsqWi-Him2BdY-eUdo/s1600/092110+pygmy+goat+chatting+with+us.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpva9cZO9-UAI6zeuBo9SYlR4BCNIC1l4ohqFvzY7sM5ACuQf058ZSDSYtIdyIWoJcaQwCXtQYSlCggEv5ZDrNHJoWBxC4828N-ABCh4TstlTAHL2QbdMZWGBhjsqWi-Him2BdY-eUdo/s400/092110+pygmy+goat+chatting+with+us.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519540362098287170" border="0" /></a>- we let the armidillos to themselves!! What an awesome little zoo to have in our backyard - there are so many treasures around here that make it so fun to explore.<br /><br />Sunday was more studying, boat chores and then a wonderful football watching extravaganza all afternoon and evening - the only bummer was the Patriots failure to show up for the second half of their game against the much hated Jets!! Anybody, anybody but the Jets!!!! Think it may be a long season with our young defense! Other than that, we had a wonderful afternoon of being lounge lizards - much needed in anticipation of the exam on Monday night. But now that's over - have I said yipppppeeeee!!!! Next up - maybe there will be movement on the job front this week - don't want to jinx things but lots of activity and lots of cool stuff happening!! Keep you all posted!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-24251644585440308512010-09-09T20:25:00.013-04:002010-09-09T22:02:43.171-04:00St. Augustine and Best FriendsEven though we're back in the work-a-day world and can't just pick up and go cruising on Gypsies, we're not letting any grass grow under us - we're making the best of our free time, seeing the sights and enjoying life!!! I know, big surprise there!!! This past weekend we headed up to St. Augustine by land yacht to see our cruising buddies from September Song, Stephanie and Bob - unfortunately they had to arrive from Georgia by land yacht as well so Cassie and Godiva couldn't come with them!! We've been to St. A several times in the past couple years as it is one of our favorite places (the last time was actually last Thanksgiving when we spent a wonderful turkey-day weekend there with...you guessed it...Bob and Stephanie!!) What was so weird was to arrive by car and not on Gypsies - although I must say I didn't mind not having to deal with the current that rips through there or the construction at the Bridge of Lions (actually I guess I missed even that when I think about it because I would have loved to have been on Gypsies!) Besides, Gypsies is much more comfortable than the local Days Inn although there was a pool where we met the SS gang for a couple cold adult beverages and lots of laughs while catching up on all things work and fun since our last visit several months ago up in Fort Pierce when they had just gotten back from the Bahamas.<br /><br />After poolside coldies, it was time to hit one of our favorite St. A watering holes, Scarlett O'Haras, for happy hour 2-for-1 cocktails including Big Boat Bob's (yes we still call him that on occasion) Captain and Coke - think the waitress liked us!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuULAYeJBmvXAtWKsJPbV1qmnlFUzsQhzncIyXCEuGh9E_tlz1My4IDDR1Rv40Q78htqzg-MTewMs7bWMOsqzrTiIIHjUECL0-juq_pMporrJfukiIzV8JK3vgKcHbhRKFL5eDp3yM8bQ/s1600/090910+scarletts+at+night.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuULAYeJBmvXAtWKsJPbV1qmnlFUzsQhzncIyXCEuGh9E_tlz1My4IDDR1Rv40Q78htqzg-MTewMs7bWMOsqzrTiIIHjUECL0-juq_pMporrJfukiIzV8JK3vgKcHbhRKFL5eDp3yM8bQ/s400/090910+scarletts+at+night.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080126722682594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Crew Arrives at Scarlett O'Haras</span> </div>And can I tell you how good their onion rings were!!!! I'm talking the mother of all crispy and slightly spicy o-rings here!! Normally I don't get that excited about onion rings - but these were the best (we went back the next day for more and more!!!) No calories in St A I heard!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-dj0uek9LWo0iuIrpRLEmyB0RyULfPAvMIpzmEX4FCKJOmz7Bx0bbDT2_itMTOZH2GCaWMJH1SMe_d9Rjd16QQ76NsaaM3pqhXXLWSl31rFEFOmnMHUN4GOfqg3IlIM4hxKM8Wgrna8/s1600/090910+scarletts.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-dj0uek9LWo0iuIrpRLEmyB0RyULfPAvMIpzmEX4FCKJOmz7Bx0bbDT2_itMTOZH2GCaWMJH1SMe_d9Rjd16QQ76NsaaM3pqhXXLWSl31rFEFOmnMHUN4GOfqg3IlIM4hxKM8Wgrna8/s400/090910+scarletts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080111274303234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Back Together for Cocktails at Scarlett O'Haras</span> </div>It was great to be back in a place with live music too - even if it wasn't nearly as good as what we got used to in KW!!! But when you're with good friends - who cares? We topped the night off with great pizza in the back of a funky little pizza place in the old town - xtra cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms was just what we needed before bedtime!!<br /><br />The next day we played tourist and visited the Alligator Farm and Zoological Park - what an amazingly cool place!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAhFhMLLKUVvyOVEzAXhgsusJUW4cO-cxxUmFkwStQtbykHRsTwz5qL80THB6HGyo2R4H4G1WHFL-wrAopzKUOtGCJSco-NspARt6CcBsX0RPhoJdlqAEsHQQYD8C99syxF_I20ESZoQ/s1600/090910+alligator+farm.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAhFhMLLKUVvyOVEzAXhgsusJUW4cO-cxxUmFkwStQtbykHRsTwz5qL80THB6HGyo2R4H4G1WHFL-wrAopzKUOtGCJSco-NspARt6CcBsX0RPhoJdlqAEsHQQYD8C99syxF_I20ESZoQ/s400/090910+alligator+farm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082360920544962" border="0" /></a>As the only place in the world that displays all 23 living species of crocodiles, we walked through exhibit after exhibit of alligators (including a couple albino gators)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaxL929W9V8NeGDht41ucFzzunD3_NHp3k1mwuDOvO0KZbgPxL-pqPXJSZXCG45wdWpVZvO9DHdFEBYjeg0AjfLVHF1gwz_pp2zsspPkmLHSWbdQ4SWPx3d7nPWONFKswil-yWyW9i-A/s1600/090910+albino+gator.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAaxL929W9V8NeGDht41ucFzzunD3_NHp3k1mwuDOvO0KZbgPxL-pqPXJSZXCG45wdWpVZvO9DHdFEBYjeg0AjfLVHF1gwz_pp2zsspPkmLHSWbdQ4SWPx3d7nPWONFKswil-yWyW9i-A/s400/090910+albino+gator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082370401106866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Albino Alligator</span> </div>and crocs, some in small "private rooms" while others lived communally in pools and sand islands!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SvKiA9-DVYsau3l8fNOiIp4s_i7G0DGFxANaBIdRlPE96DwaHo_hvH1I19D9UZqL88ooALGWSN12hukmyK_-Y3iEs57K1ixXw2cJsWT2pG8d5lk-bV54X0UXtTsVxeuyzxXyeZDSHpU/s1600/090910+gator+island.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SvKiA9-DVYsau3l8fNOiIp4s_i7G0DGFxANaBIdRlPE96DwaHo_hvH1I19D9UZqL88ooALGWSN12hukmyK_-Y3iEs57K1ixXw2cJsWT2pG8d5lk-bV54X0UXtTsVxeuyzxXyeZDSHpU/s400/090910+gator+island.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081220053496242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Alligator Island</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0v1L08emiEj9MBZlfT47W4jCddinDpcTIf-9C9Jj6aFSY75j9E9exfTiUClUuXBIMi-DaaP7lPndX-wH49YvNdJknxhMEv6uTXgFskUnsTuj0KtfqRgJ1eR6tz6bhMnm2GtdwcdXeXA/s1600/090910+baby+gators.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0v1L08emiEj9MBZlfT47W4jCddinDpcTIf-9C9Jj6aFSY75j9E9exfTiUClUuXBIMi-DaaP7lPndX-wH49YvNdJknxhMEv6uTXgFskUnsTuj0KtfqRgJ1eR6tz6bhMnm2GtdwcdXeXA/s400/090910+baby+gators.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082103699911122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Resting Alligators</span> </div>We saw an alligator feeding where they were thrown small rodents - unfortunately one of the big guys near us went postal on his neighbor almost tearing off his arm and knocking out teeth (that was enough for me thank you!!) The gators looked so mellow that you forget how fast they can move and how vicious they really are - got it!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL1gQNKg7WggRQ_f3c0Vg89dZnSHis3nuIag4hF44M1QxCNGUZhMmsmlm6kWhZfoHdsG0FnhoouahQLfMckVbfrBtzua6gLiXlBJUt0NH4L9dUnmOref4DspRCPh1uslorwh-xcPxGTA/s1600/090910+ugly+croc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL1gQNKg7WggRQ_f3c0Vg89dZnSHis3nuIag4hF44M1QxCNGUZhMmsmlm6kWhZfoHdsG0FnhoouahQLfMckVbfrBtzua6gLiXlBJUt0NH4L9dUnmOref4DspRCPh1uslorwh-xcPxGTA/s400/090910+ugly+croc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078310996677970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One Ugly Croc</span> </div>There was even a wading bird rookery which replicated a native swamp where hundreds of birds, including herons, egrets, ibis, roseate spoonbills, and wood storks roost knowing the thousands of alligators below would protect them from any tree-climbing predators.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgtop2Ax473qxsJSicsM8KhDb6tc5q3lbAVIXrdjj7k6MnBw1pV623NMdN8ccfRGyoH0sadZb8eiNh74_0iGmvJL-Q7ITcIwQR2DQ1ecsxYcmGwx_MYxmc03DgRYUit5AkqJ1bdr7K6Y/s1600/090910+gators+in+teh+rookery.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgtop2Ax473qxsJSicsM8KhDb6tc5q3lbAVIXrdjj7k6MnBw1pV623NMdN8ccfRGyoH0sadZb8eiNh74_0iGmvJL-Q7ITcIwQR2DQ1ecsxYcmGwx_MYxmc03DgRYUit5AkqJ1bdr7K6Y/s400/090910+gators+in+teh+rookery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081212042414434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Alligators in the Rookery</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-irnxduiQJ2m1ekG29CR_f5r-gZsgMf-tASOtVP1A07W3YGB3qi1PZxFyO9Mm0XZdVGViwa60kL9MigCt3jkdjKgEUjNVJuWycikDrTyRUtNmBNAMskRLYkkpwMWuo29w2aBnMbT4EX0/s1600/090910+the+rookery.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-irnxduiQJ2m1ekG29CR_f5r-gZsgMf-tASOtVP1A07W3YGB3qi1PZxFyO9Mm0XZdVGViwa60kL9MigCt3jkdjKgEUjNVJuWycikDrTyRUtNmBNAMskRLYkkpwMWuo29w2aBnMbT4EX0/s400/090910+the+rookery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078952944480082" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7PA-mrUkFuV9jVxTYGKgnzqg_KrjUS6NtbYbtYr32eF9Rc7I_1CBOkBbcMloi1Jqzgi9q41qw4Blsybyv9q7ECUodL7nVp4508zpx0lUqV2rVLj5zM29OG4aIwjAgAWZUuHQxsgt7fs/s1600/090910+funky+bird.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7PA-mrUkFuV9jVxTYGKgnzqg_KrjUS6NtbYbtYr32eF9Rc7I_1CBOkBbcMloi1Jqzgi9q41qw4Blsybyv9q7ECUodL7nVp4508zpx0lUqV2rVLj5zM29OG4aIwjAgAWZUuHQxsgt7fs/s400/090910+funky+bird.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081657329172786" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBvAphFjwq94H8YHONycthlX1TiS8RVKCfbzDE8nbBMRdxYoh_Uvi7WGvkGJr0CBQSSPB2ZB8WfMgP4dMBnWC5z8E9FxRNjVtKhtW5row8ltt0XX2RYzpMwV4JD1XIRdGRorsthnuVrA/s1600/090910+funky+bird+in+rookery.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBvAphFjwq94H8YHONycthlX1TiS8RVKCfbzDE8nbBMRdxYoh_Uvi7WGvkGJr0CBQSSPB2ZB8WfMgP4dMBnWC5z8E9FxRNjVtKhtW5row8ltt0XX2RYzpMwV4JD1XIRdGRorsthnuVrA/s400/090910+funky+bird+in+rookery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081669631752450" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NNYqgyS2Z0G-OES9dp-SsxVWrdv6yZ_Pu9wC-_9lcNw7FeAJ9aKubMqz7CYqiowdlrxj0Bzy_lGZJT5WhUYGwhlI6zuo9zlxhG5x7LGJyZzF4QvacXbRIRrId35ww-jDEWszdRSLXMk/s1600/090910+black+swan.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NNYqgyS2Z0G-OES9dp-SsxVWrdv6yZ_Pu9wC-_9lcNw7FeAJ9aKubMqz7CYqiowdlrxj0Bzy_lGZJT5WhUYGwhlI6zuo9zlxhG5x7LGJyZzF4QvacXbRIRrId35ww-jDEWszdRSLXMk/s400/090910+black+swan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082098778471586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Black Swan</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_rdjXGhcYy-67P84O_FMSU0GyXaAcWGa4FlhQm2OmOJCLZ5UPo4yh9Rl-mFICD7BzSt5_1JhvH1lMTshJ736RWdzBx7Tcl3H8Nr2P7b6gaEAuOf_u02RDXDGrRpMnHUutcMAEgjT8J0/s1600/090910+cockatoo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_rdjXGhcYy-67P84O_FMSU0GyXaAcWGa4FlhQm2OmOJCLZ5UPo4yh9Rl-mFICD7BzSt5_1JhvH1lMTshJ736RWdzBx7Tcl3H8Nr2P7b6gaEAuOf_u02RDXDGrRpMnHUutcMAEgjT8J0/s400/090910+cockatoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082083327743186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cockatoo</span> </div>There were also exhibits of exotic birds, the cutest monkeys you've ever seen, and other wild reptiles,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuerUuvlx0zkAbZr7E4LFPyt6YMdZPBTigBFWCeU9TRmzHZmmCBY4gf6JVPHf5Ra5WmKaZv-QkFKcjg9jg6YOGmnc704hA5jthrCMUGXuZqZWUz58UNvCW-UZM022R4afZ63f5DLQd47Y/s1600/090910+marabou+stork.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuerUuvlx0zkAbZr7E4LFPyt6YMdZPBTigBFWCeU9TRmzHZmmCBY4gf6JVPHf5Ra5WmKaZv-QkFKcjg9jg6YOGmnc704hA5jthrCMUGXuZqZWUz58UNvCW-UZM022R4afZ63f5DLQd47Y/s400/090910+marabou+stork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080608744256114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Marabou Stork</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M5510oDBMxB8a9QTSfggD_TbH_1Mghr3ev8Hoqb5GbN-BGKXAFtWK2sHZtqFDkjuytw89xLELv03Lmeb3RgmmGGhqSewXCzdeMUdsfPQED33H7D1uhIcEhQuAxNqNgRac8vx7dWAaQE/s1600/090910+green+back+macaw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M5510oDBMxB8a9QTSfggD_TbH_1Mghr3ev8Hoqb5GbN-BGKXAFtWK2sHZtqFDkjuytw89xLELv03Lmeb3RgmmGGhqSewXCzdeMUdsfPQED33H7D1uhIcEhQuAxNqNgRac8vx7dWAaQE/s400/090910+green+back+macaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081202664745058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Green Back Macaw</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTJl7YXbFhYVqUzIzZksj3wPzrZdUhhRrHGxVHaJx7sCeHRXHdSHzSCbE-F9w_k97UfB0AyFfN1y7ab39BgD-y-iEOZABKawc2bifLf2UrRbcpgf8H8kOhDTI9yxRzyS8v7igXjWxiE8/s1600/090910+macau.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTJl7YXbFhYVqUzIzZksj3wPzrZdUhhRrHGxVHaJx7sCeHRXHdSHzSCbE-F9w_k97UfB0AyFfN1y7ab39BgD-y-iEOZABKawc2bifLf2UrRbcpgf8H8kOhDTI9yxRzyS8v7igXjWxiE8/s400/090910+macau.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080609260399570" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Green Back Macaw</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtueBLefrmvoSii3ipl58hT6sni1T_GE1h3SbiYUP1yAye89_nlBTgMVeH1FjWW8MxpwqnjqQy0KqSz3Id1qUvplzGQ4ZL6tE2LKzNfWrm6o0fEi1ASn7Co-AXS7CkOXT7H4Ho3wb_sU/s1600/090910+scarlet+maccau.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtueBLefrmvoSii3ipl58hT6sni1T_GE1h3SbiYUP1yAye89_nlBTgMVeH1FjWW8MxpwqnjqQy0KqSz3Id1qUvplzGQ4ZL6tE2LKzNfWrm6o0fEi1ASn7Co-AXS7CkOXT7H4Ho3wb_sU/s400/090910+scarlet+maccau.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080591073110546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlett Macaw</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj8QSBzsgndYgC0HyBVDX1m_NBUuffgRH7pk_D5jJHasUxspZOZk2dyD7r04Y7AoUo313iPzCpANHMCIIg9PHMxfqXspeyeNLWDQREsU5LnBfZw-Bhs_Ce3FMQF4BtlbFTl926pSn02o/s1600/090910+scarlett+macaw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj8QSBzsgndYgC0HyBVDX1m_NBUuffgRH7pk_D5jJHasUxspZOZk2dyD7r04Y7AoUo313iPzCpANHMCIIg9PHMxfqXspeyeNLWDQREsU5LnBfZw-Bhs_Ce3FMQF4BtlbFTl926pSn02o/s400/090910+scarlett+macaw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080132287719650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlett Macaw</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgOVzps93g2Yz0upwxS4E_WjR1FZY5lx2OYYC9p8qciuTd7rz8Z6E-_eNA8sz6Jm30K2J9dKSMUY__HEXl0ufiIctuBNnvd7C5MNYhr0jBPgpMbgj1-9TEbTOb0e7dIgnqsOb9PrqJEs/s1600/090910+fake+looking+turtle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgOVzps93g2Yz0upwxS4E_WjR1FZY5lx2OYYC9p8qciuTd7rz8Z6E-_eNA8sz6Jm30K2J9dKSMUY__HEXl0ufiIctuBNnvd7C5MNYhr0jBPgpMbgj1-9TEbTOb0e7dIgnqsOb9PrqJEs/s400/090910+fake+looking+turtle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081676336648274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This Turtle is Really Alive!</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKs0l-1Y-nJQ6fj71laa_zNQx6IBBOs1Y0JiLiJek7lv5z0sulZOyrf3e480qhnENESVQGTU1HWxgyKAVcNEUSyrYrFPne08XldbPsk6K8Y8mHwtZObdi360adLXSYFUdYMIkwqO71LA/s1600/090910+southern+cassowary.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKs0l-1Y-nJQ6fj71laa_zNQx6IBBOs1Y0JiLiJek7lv5z0sulZOyrf3e480qhnENESVQGTU1HWxgyKAVcNEUSyrYrFPne08XldbPsk6K8Y8mHwtZObdi360adLXSYFUdYMIkwqO71LA/s400/090910+southern+cassowary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080106018462114" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Southern Cassowary<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiEmFLOYgZebrOzBQuLIEcNXKcX4ER27rfVCQxQkC1c3eq3UO2F5UWmjQwMn_Jw5T6PWegHQnnRuRmzCo2mJ5g4uYM8VANJCl6KBaPtk6cmzeks6bus7gns3OFXwp9W2LAC9ULydzV0k/s1600/090910+spoonbill.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiEmFLOYgZebrOzBQuLIEcNXKcX4ER27rfVCQxQkC1c3eq3UO2F5UWmjQwMn_Jw5T6PWegHQnnRuRmzCo2mJ5g4uYM8VANJCl6KBaPtk6cmzeks6bus7gns3OFXwp9W2LAC9ULydzV0k/s400/090910+spoonbill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515079431989314306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Roseate Spoonbill</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharLUZ34EcGNuAGzEN0kTJAazqi7lXEpy6-9JhmP7BODXbsdgJPO48l_CSZy0Cl3W9KDNvoN9yNY3sftKbXAp8ow6kI2ypaiIYD0IjcWivtIvDA0FtTyoeq8IKy12i6hkrsy-AztXbRR8/s1600/090910+sulawesi+red-knobbed+hornbill.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharLUZ34EcGNuAGzEN0kTJAazqi7lXEpy6-9JhmP7BODXbsdgJPO48l_CSZy0Cl3W9KDNvoN9yNY3sftKbXAp8ow6kI2ypaiIYD0IjcWivtIvDA0FtTyoeq8IKy12i6hkrsy-AztXbRR8/s400/090910+sulawesi+red-knobbed+hornbill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078978013236450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sulawesi Red-knobbed Hornbill</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoeSLlRnKGJD6AcbCVFxaM_IKl2IW6vxRKkH8D7DzvXRLaNwdXEagIGlmR-doK6QF9gEgFlOjwQJIdTXWqWMH_0VQHtqZg2bsxunpFIiyAjtO2goQX0TsiVUNAxgyNJoDGblPsKvjvJQ/s1600/090910+west+african+crowed+crane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoeSLlRnKGJD6AcbCVFxaM_IKl2IW6vxRKkH8D7DzvXRLaNwdXEagIGlmR-doK6QF9gEgFlOjwQJIdTXWqWMH_0VQHtqZg2bsxunpFIiyAjtO2goQX0TsiVUNAxgyNJoDGblPsKvjvJQ/s400/090910+west+african+crowed+crane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078292190625874" border="0" /></a>West African Crowned Crane<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYY_tvPQ-A3AH56dNAGZv3C2yOCWBjHHHvby2BC-FNo0XEF3H7NHdiJjgpwZVaISsLPC76PrQGKpwSuFsXNppRDn_QVNnEnUSNg4yNMuUunj-9G699lZxYXI-84tRGkR0qZS1S0q9ruC8/s1600/090910+west+african+vulture.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYY_tvPQ-A3AH56dNAGZv3C2yOCWBjHHHvby2BC-FNo0XEF3H7NHdiJjgpwZVaISsLPC76PrQGKpwSuFsXNppRDn_QVNnEnUSNg4yNMuUunj-9G699lZxYXI-84tRGkR0qZS1S0q9ruC8/s400/090910+west+african+vulture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078283159752178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">West African Vulture</span> </div>including a komodo dragon (he almost got Bob's finger - OK not really but it was a fun picture!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAac0EDMM2BCoiQ4XWo1jDUYJn-8Xk67j3-t-VkESIJJTE2rVws9QE_CrfNM3GCtEoYAgHy9HI74HdcWXhtxccARKgXDkduOrsRrBGZ7RD_gKPQc6b0c4uiPwAUCQRhoLHIAyPL-kmvVI/s1600/090910+komodo+dragon.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAac0EDMM2BCoiQ4XWo1jDUYJn-8Xk67j3-t-VkESIJJTE2rVws9QE_CrfNM3GCtEoYAgHy9HI74HdcWXhtxccARKgXDkduOrsRrBGZ7RD_gKPQc6b0c4uiPwAUCQRhoLHIAyPL-kmvVI/s400/090910+komodo+dragon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081188822280066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Kimodo Dragon Tries to Bite Bob Through the Glass</span> </div>Oh and let's not forget the humongous tortoises who seemed "otherwise occupied" shall we say the whole time we were there - if you can figure out the picture, let us know - we think that's why they are almost extinct!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnKr1OSMnHCFIBW3d-8YWItrJrgCYqhzxlHZyTT_AoOvaCh_4hgGGIGhg9HltKz1TRLXUPZEkOGMnZDztwlVmjP20DzZ-ZCOpLqUc1TRZtW9UAwk8QsMMmufbI5kqs2PbyotjmivhBGs/s1600/090910+tortoises.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnKr1OSMnHCFIBW3d-8YWItrJrgCYqhzxlHZyTT_AoOvaCh_4hgGGIGhg9HltKz1TRLXUPZEkOGMnZDztwlVmjP20DzZ-ZCOpLqUc1TRZtW9UAwk8QsMMmufbI5kqs2PbyotjmivhBGs/s400/090910+tortoises.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078320506208914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Otherwise Occupied"</span> </div><br />From the Alligator Farm we went over to climb to the top of the St Augustine Lighthouse - all 165 feet above sea level and 219 steps!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaeaRUOI8iMn7ObaWAGbz71SUi9F-Wkzq17-4-n1-L1jS0m1evmwYrjzPDQTggyXz8H1UkrvIqMipmswm9v6BnWCxFQbDgGJOQ1F3nft2x9zksilwUoD-OZypSKdrkVe4fsKjG1FdL94/s1600/090910+st+augustine+lighthouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaeaRUOI8iMn7ObaWAGbz71SUi9F-Wkzq17-4-n1-L1jS0m1evmwYrjzPDQTggyXz8H1UkrvIqMipmswm9v6BnWCxFQbDgGJOQ1F3nft2x9zksilwUoD-OZypSKdrkVe4fsKjG1FdL94/s400/090910+st+augustine+lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078987803248178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The St. Augustine Lighthouse</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6kcnRmqO9oD8JCbV98NaLaMO_zwzr_71jjlk528zrTM7u18JPPtPvMkaMcMZJxQ0TDlw96_NntAWuyT2ZKCF_HdwBS06ApUD3EeG08zkoXniQ1F8fMrjLeQSom8czYdaMegok8wn5UQ/s1600/090910+looking+up.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6kcnRmqO9oD8JCbV98NaLaMO_zwzr_71jjlk528zrTM7u18JPPtPvMkaMcMZJxQ0TDlw96_NntAWuyT2ZKCF_HdwBS06ApUD3EeG08zkoXniQ1F8fMrjLeQSom8czYdaMegok8wn5UQ/s400/090910+looking+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080621407730722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A View of the 219 Stairs From the Bottom</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">St Augustine is the site of the oldest aid to navigation in North America - the original Spanish watchtower became Florida's first lighthouse in 1824. However, by 1870 the tower was threatened by shoreline erosion and construction began on the current lighthouse. The new lighthouse was completed in 1874 and has at the top a first order Fresnel lens which serves as the beacon. The lens consists of 370 hand-cut glass prisms arranged in a beehive shape towering twelve feet tall and six feet in diameter. The lighthouse is St. Augustine's oldest surviving brick structure and in 1876, a brick light keeper's house was added to the site. Light keepers' and their assistants lived and worked there until the tower was automated in 1955. The history is cool but the views were unbelievable!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd_0vaL5sGbexOn4CgjG0EVQ_Jkf9an8hKfMnW7haq4A5vod3OjK6J55-vCm0kgclYWO0IJHIkqtgcfzRGL_5uiWr00f3gcpTTR7i4ucWvufADXGQPYjAovu8JeezYVpSRrn_UNnm4Bg/s1600/090910+st+a+from+the+lighthouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd_0vaL5sGbexOn4CgjG0EVQ_Jkf9an8hKfMnW7haq4A5vod3OjK6J55-vCm0kgclYWO0IJHIkqtgcfzRGL_5uiWr00f3gcpTTR7i4ucWvufADXGQPYjAovu8JeezYVpSRrn_UNnm4Bg/s400/090910+st+a+from+the+lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515079420881087602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">View from the Top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh9qD8xLjWclIYPgP6fKU6BKW2bVJLQHixVa_VzA7XSgth-54eYJYa3y9YrqlBSTD2Uuq9d5pu3OilB_pm4K5JklPDu2Y7suz5x4Nhyphenhyphenuo4HH1NrehjEekPwd9u4j_aZwBtelYTxZWN4g/s1600/090910+view+from+the+top.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggh9qD8xLjWclIYPgP6fKU6BKW2bVJLQHixVa_VzA7XSgth-54eYJYa3y9YrqlBSTD2Uuq9d5pu3OilB_pm4K5JklPDu2Y7suz5x4Nhyphenhyphenuo4HH1NrehjEekPwd9u4j_aZwBtelYTxZWN4g/s400/090910+view+from+the+top.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078300370065234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">View for the Top</span><br /></div>At least Steph and I enjoyed them - the boys were a little wary of the height thing but they were great sports and made the climb anyway!! Gotta admit, it was a long way up!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVIhmmnoGrZcaDMACfqWitlWnp-aXhdISZ8MKfaZhuJQDfzWLb_Uoh3cgBWHPCgk1SXksNCbhfJPxn_bri-vorI6atBpQZ1SucgtsScuoI9BM4gzpsxa1ogUmVqB4th4Sa6dxJyysCrk/s1600/090910+the+boys+and+heights.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVIhmmnoGrZcaDMACfqWitlWnp-aXhdISZ8MKfaZhuJQDfzWLb_Uoh3cgBWHPCgk1SXksNCbhfJPxn_bri-vorI6atBpQZ1SucgtsScuoI9BM4gzpsxa1ogUmVqB4th4Sa6dxJyysCrk/s400/090910+the+boys+and+heights.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078960900186274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Not Everyone Likes Heights!</span> </div></div></div><br />You know the saying, all culture and no fun.....ok maybe I'm improvising but after a day of playing tourist, one gets thirsty! So we hit the nearest watering hole, the Conch House Lounge for some sustaining coldies and popcorn.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoIO2lQ13QNcfLyC97D8wWPa1pqZafEFlsinGPLwie9LFLp99FIX_pLsPVkqZfuzdrAh84DzVlVEKwif5RXhmuJ7jCHpZQbpJDhONUADM3mVi5gYaZfxFBIVpylLAVxx56Gdoe6t6s9k/s1600/090910+conch+house+lounge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoIO2lQ13QNcfLyC97D8wWPa1pqZafEFlsinGPLwie9LFLp99FIX_pLsPVkqZfuzdrAh84DzVlVEKwif5RXhmuJ7jCHpZQbpJDhONUADM3mVi5gYaZfxFBIVpylLAVxx56Gdoe6t6s9k/s400/090910+conch+house+lounge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081684486536786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Conch House Lounge</span> </div>With the thirst partially slaked, we were off again towards the beach - of course - in search of cool beach bars. We didn't find many to choose from but hit on Jakes for pitchers and wings - with friends any place can be fun!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXrvYirSGTmMS2p7es8zZi_laiBG-VF-uqX2CbH0t9pEiC5pQWcqYwLct0HQpyOEya3-Apuh1_8Q0zOfDIQ2sWN3oS1RayBju5oY_9ra9TRTsAgglbCWEZYULBnikWSTiPpM_F-g0omQ/s1600/090910+jakes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXrvYirSGTmMS2p7es8zZi_laiBG-VF-uqX2CbH0t9pEiC5pQWcqYwLct0HQpyOEya3-Apuh1_8Q0zOfDIQ2sWN3oS1RayBju5oY_9ra9TRTsAgglbCWEZYULBnikWSTiPpM_F-g0omQ/s400/090910+jakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081196530672930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jakes</span> </div>A quick change and we were off for a night of frivolity, starting of course at Scarlett's for more o-rings! Chased out by some seriously not good music, we hit the Milltop in search of better - not to be!!! if anything it was worse - at least topsides. The musician downstairs was somewhat better (we at least could finish our beers without actual pain in the eardrums!) There we were entertained by a game of guess whether it's Pat or Patricia - we took turns trying to get full frontal views surreptitiously of course and even at the end of the night we had a hung jury - 3-1 in favor of female. Does this make us bad people??? Not that we cared one way or the other but shouldn't you be able to at least tell??? OK maybe we should have gone home at that point....but we didn't. We found more music at a yard garden cafe<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMNWt4lpC8gdG9NBIp04tuKPieXCCLgQL1lkKNMd0rxlHXq7Xbf06sEGavfBSDSyiy8nMr4fhz4PaiGtNrW-QPSazTwoqGulMhK3MJp3LlxgKOhJ6gJ31MG9CXwTgkCeNkxc5CHR726I/s1600/090910+garden+cafe.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMNWt4lpC8gdG9NBIp04tuKPieXCCLgQL1lkKNMd0rxlHXq7Xbf06sEGavfBSDSyiy8nMr4fhz4PaiGtNrW-QPSazTwoqGulMhK3MJp3LlxgKOhJ6gJ31MG9CXwTgkCeNkxc5CHR726I/s400/090910+garden+cafe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515081656388211794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cocktails at the Garden Cafe</span> </div>and then had some mexican food at the glamorous Taco Shop - kidding....not that we ate there, but the glamorous part. Pretty much a dive - just the way we like it!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fYupYndHW99l9vTytbFpnL_0Z0DzJqdglKzuRWw9I5_KL8ui5jlKZwBsSNrBcs1JxeBEUlXCwL21uoJ_Nd18sqleYcqkUqMzcuxhYs3TG1xWTG0VBY9rksqbQttfZA4Uq_Y4cfrlYWU/s1600/090910+taco+shop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fYupYndHW99l9vTytbFpnL_0Z0DzJqdglKzuRWw9I5_KL8ui5jlKZwBsSNrBcs1JxeBEUlXCwL21uoJ_Nd18sqleYcqkUqMzcuxhYs3TG1xWTG0VBY9rksqbQttfZA4Uq_Y4cfrlYWU/s400/090910+taco+shop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515078967514294450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Taco Shop</span> </div><br />Sunday was a little rainy but what better way to start it then a big grand slam breakfast at Dennys???? Seriously!! Us and about 100 others - luckily we got a table before the line began to snake out the door. Guess everyone else went to church first ..... knew there was something we forgot! It was sad saying goodbye to Steph and Bob but we know we will see them soon - on their trip south they plan on stopping here at our marina on Merritt Island for a bit this Fall. What a great weekend though - thanks guys for meeting us in the middle!!!! We braved the raindrops to walk around town a little to soak up some of the awesome Spanish culture and architecture<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO8h5VfGQRSLyM7MZzoFznCVGeLH_f3G8vHYLj4nugXFRbuJ_-pa-kuLd2T_qJmsupe7H9dTE-Ptvkk8b6qaoMXODQM9bINfKARG2j7hasJTx-TbNgJ7G-E_2DLUvsl3qoGR0DnqjmJ4/s1600/090910+spanish+architecture.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO8h5VfGQRSLyM7MZzoFznCVGeLH_f3G8vHYLj4nugXFRbuJ_-pa-kuLd2T_qJmsupe7H9dTE-Ptvkk8b6qaoMXODQM9bINfKARG2j7hasJTx-TbNgJ7G-E_2DLUvsl3qoGR0DnqjmJ4/s400/090910+spanish+architecture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515079454181483986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Spanish Architecture</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUWnRSgD-lqI7JlJb61RuDNgOIz-OxPASH-xLLC5uQdyvIyeU-eyXvf7Gb-cwIq0JD_Y6jLX7Xkd0UTcdrsIK4GpfR93QgHCUs8m5REBIobQ2BiHRhyphenhyphendoZdQ4hZ98UaIzfD2taqHdqXo/s1600/090910+spanish+statue.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUWnRSgD-lqI7JlJb61RuDNgOIz-OxPASH-xLLC5uQdyvIyeU-eyXvf7Gb-cwIq0JD_Y6jLX7Xkd0UTcdrsIK4GpfR93QgHCUs8m5REBIobQ2BiHRhyphenhyphendoZdQ4hZ98UaIzfD2taqHdqXo/s400/090910+spanish+statue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515079451901714930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Spanish Statue</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDduo-XQsToj7YZTMSS71gWqAxlV65zHAioZdIpsQ4-pSqvY-YGOJcdW8uhbF8EBiElVTWCUrUiAfhVVM9afaMo_IbxErOm8HER7eCIyqqogPrcyd-KHANmgDs0wtUSxJXHKDgCa2rCMA/s1600/090910+spanish+style+church.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDduo-XQsToj7YZTMSS71gWqAxlV65zHAioZdIpsQ4-pSqvY-YGOJcdW8uhbF8EBiElVTWCUrUiAfhVVM9afaMo_IbxErOm8HER7eCIyqqogPrcyd-KHANmgDs0wtUSxJXHKDgCa2rCMA/s400/090910+spanish+style+church.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515079443347062114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Spanish Style Church</span> </div>and surprise, surprise wound up back at Scarletts for one more round of o'rings.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLPMaHzI9PJ59wHibdhsmQhtk1J3WQ5WbM23t7PEnsuqq_0Li1rFBBF8uPPVzPyulzGUF0mE9HSq_tvNS-WevZrUwT5-nVPjo45CDXjmuS2LQVMMbM23fnS6A5Tsam1L-7Xe4Uyo95t8/s1600/090910+scarletts+by+day.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLPMaHzI9PJ59wHibdhsmQhtk1J3WQ5WbM23t7PEnsuqq_0Li1rFBBF8uPPVzPyulzGUF0mE9HSq_tvNS-WevZrUwT5-nVPjo45CDXjmuS2LQVMMbM23fnS6A5Tsam1L-7Xe4Uyo95t8/s400/090910+scarletts+by+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080118743759538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlett O'Haras</span> </div>Good thing there are no calories in that place!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w6Kyvua3XLpuQOoEcarrZ_W1sujPTr6URMAbkxf3qoOT3cGCI_oWYnnz7eL6dALja6WBiQeqMmJO6oqwu16Z7Sd16AphM24_ywu7CbHGJ-v3Dvyw6f3kPIW-GzpCP4av6_oDcMibwAk/s1600/090910+oldest+schoolhouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w6Kyvua3XLpuQOoEcarrZ_W1sujPTr6URMAbkxf3qoOT3cGCI_oWYnnz7eL6dALja6WBiQeqMmJO6oqwu16Z7Sd16AphM24_ywu7CbHGJ-v3Dvyw6f3kPIW-GzpCP4av6_oDcMibwAk/s400/090910+oldest+schoolhouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515080596956969202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Oldest Schoolhouse in America</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitO-6MfJvgXjqAQzrMhp7Xmty5F2aoNo4wJQd-Kur7ZoJeiCVl10x7Iq8ABUplMDWg4LOaYIDUqdY2Lxj8cAMy5yEG8UguF112av9lt56UjohuJs5WfZQlUjFxLMsDN6Iipz8tXZW0qJQ/s1600/090910+capt+ralph%27s+monkey+band.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitO-6MfJvgXjqAQzrMhp7Xmty5F2aoNo4wJQd-Kur7ZoJeiCVl10x7Iq8ABUplMDWg4LOaYIDUqdY2Lxj8cAMy5yEG8UguF112av9lt56UjohuJs5WfZQlUjFxLMsDN6Iipz8tXZW0qJQ/s400/090910+capt+ralph%27s+monkey+band.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515082087278389106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Captain Ralph's Monkey Band on the Streets of St. Augustine</span> </div><br />Part of the fun of where we are located now is that there are so many kewl places and things to do within two hours of us - on the way home from St. Augustine, we ran through a list of all the places and things we want to do. It's a seriously long list!!! So much fun to be had, so little time......what a great way to live life!!<br /><br />Thanks everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes - despite a rainy day, I watched a movie marathon, complete with popcorn and all kinds of treats (because there are no calories on your bday either). Dinner was Chinese food and a great bottle of wine (a real bottle no less) and for anyone who knows me, they know that by the time I went to sleep, I had a big grin on my face! This week the gym has been calling my name - in all CAPS!!!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-65773160105668782072010-08-30T17:31:00.009-04:002010-08-30T18:19:24.993-04:00Cocoa Beach - Land of Surf and Beach BarsWell we are back to living for weekends like most people I guess - we work during the week (Doug in his office and me at the gym and on the boat - I actually had a two day legal project this past week for a former client and it was a total blast. Guess I forgot how much fun legal stuff can be - did I just say that??? who am I???) We enjoy our cocktail hour and some pretty amazing sunsets each night but let's be real - we love our weekends!! and we are sure making the most of them!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoS-h9Lhq39SdA2QLC32vrdQdUfjJZn8NYw9zvpOE8zmLJF5dd3Q53AgEjBrw6CrIyUOhyphenhyphen0ll8ROhFlBr83yiBqAuBFsaU8QecJ0h8onzPh_6xtKRkdGP2VaGwHif1DqWFo4AvSr0A9U/s1600/083010+sunset.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoS-h9Lhq39SdA2QLC32vrdQdUfjJZn8NYw9zvpOE8zmLJF5dd3Q53AgEjBrw6CrIyUOhyphenhyphen0ll8ROhFlBr83yiBqAuBFsaU8QecJ0h8onzPh_6xtKRkdGP2VaGwHif1DqWFo4AvSr0A9U/s400/083010+sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322480481403570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A Beautiful Sunset Over Harbortown Marina</span> </div>We hit the Thunder on the Water Power Boat races at Cocoa Beach the other weekend - man what a blast. Of course we had to search for the perfect venue at which to watch the races - thinking (correctly as it turned out) that the Cocoa Beach Pier would be jamming and not in a good way, we drove further down the beach in search of more local color and great beach bars. Never fear - we sniffed out a couple awesome joints (yes Stephanie - these are real joints!!) The first and probably our favorite is the Sandbar Grill - I can see many, many, many afternoons spent here!!! How can a place be bad when it's slogan is "we don't run from hurricanes, we drink 'um!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqJiSc6FdV6PCCfiTHzJ_Ciiehr5ZYj0LZ9S0lobK0KufBvnwe0POx7PURoUAZBpmO54u293IvcPLb_mKvzpDAKEuJmMWiHSi_xJR00Fun1h5YG-dKAnaRGLZYu04oo_RnZQEJsb8fGw/s1600/083010+sandbar+motto.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqJiSc6FdV6PCCfiTHzJ_Ciiehr5ZYj0LZ9S0lobK0KufBvnwe0POx7PURoUAZBpmO54u293IvcPLb_mKvzpDAKEuJmMWiHSi_xJR00Fun1h5YG-dKAnaRGLZYu04oo_RnZQEJsb8fGw/s400/083010+sandbar+motto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322507611767794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">We Haven't Tried to Weather the Category 5 Hurricane Yet</span> </div>They serve category 1 through 5 hurricanes - the cat 5 is unbelievable!!!! We're talking white rum, spiced rum, coconut rum, triple sec, a dark rum floater and a shot of 151 down the straw for good measure (oh yeah - forgot to throw in a little fruit juice) - and no I have not had one yet, but can only imagine what one of those puppies would do to you. Actually we saw a couple "lovely ladies" who had had more than one from the looks of them - yikes - hurricanes are destructive!! Maybe we'll try and make them in the safety of our own boat - we do have all the fixings!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqR_a80SfB_4NGAXYEBhqlYIjW3dmDnhntFd21hsMqwUpcJunNZJ6TkCR-HZ2tSpCSdG_3HsKplbeWveEbBcObvnvb9eYRRrLPuHv6Z8-hqU_kcuc8iLkd7yOyJaCkMtpGZ-yQUDP0V0/s1600/083010+back+patio+of+sandbar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqR_a80SfB_4NGAXYEBhqlYIjW3dmDnhntFd21hsMqwUpcJunNZJ6TkCR-HZ2tSpCSdG_3HsKplbeWveEbBcObvnvb9eYRRrLPuHv6Z8-hqU_kcuc8iLkd7yOyJaCkMtpGZ-yQUDP0V0/s400/083010+back+patio+of+sandbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511323026805732178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Back Patio at the Sandbar</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKCAEQQcQVuc29K8z6qBk2GMTZ7Nj7rtzvSgthYonWWaR-dExQFK6CTfrbsz6ON5ZxJHzWt67geUsVV1rvCwduTDyijnZNeO8YlsakQ9a8eDWzLXmH9JDJ6zJLR8Xdsd_7rA7Pz7R2Fg/s1600/083010+doug+at+the+entrance+to+the+sandbar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKCAEQQcQVuc29K8z6qBk2GMTZ7Nj7rtzvSgthYonWWaR-dExQFK6CTfrbsz6ON5ZxJHzWt67geUsVV1rvCwduTDyijnZNeO8YlsakQ9a8eDWzLXmH9JDJ6zJLR8Xdsd_7rA7Pz7R2Fg/s400/083010+doug+at+the+entrance+to+the+sandbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511323017029095602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Front Door at the Sandbar</span> </div><br />The Sandbar has a pool table with an old sofa in the front - reminiscent a little of a well used frat basement (boy do I miss my Dartmouth days sometimes) - with it's own bar. As you follow through there are lots of TVs for us sports hounds and then a bar and open patio out back leading to the ..... parking lot (which is right in front of the beach - so it's real close to being a beach bar!!) Doesn't seem to matter as this is clearly a locals joint and the place everyone comes for lunch and after a long hot day at the beach. It is filled with all those wonderful things that make a bar so kewl - very cold beer, sports on tvs, tan, ripped surfer dudes many sporting no shorts (sorry typo or freudian slip - I meant shirts), great fish tacos, cat 1-5 hurricanes, sand on the floor, live music and did I mention very cold beer?<br /><br />For the boat races we wanted a little more elevation though so chose to head to the roof deck next door at Capt J's where we had a great vantage point to see all the kewl speed boats racing up and down the beach<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCzdelU_s0mUz0xoxX_QJy52HZTmdvt9PWilafV-xC1Sx4FezX_rwGvO_kGlvtHjwH0EgNaWRHqWfm47v2C4vJPVc6mIHxLHnyS_E2g-9UFvx-1l0vn2RV3bichs3JAI-pHLiI24cgBQ/s1600/083010+roof+deck+of+Capt+J%27s.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCzdelU_s0mUz0xoxX_QJy52HZTmdvt9PWilafV-xC1Sx4FezX_rwGvO_kGlvtHjwH0EgNaWRHqWfm47v2C4vJPVc6mIHxLHnyS_E2g-9UFvx-1l0vn2RV3bichs3JAI-pHLiI24cgBQ/s400/083010+roof+deck+of+Capt+J%27s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322512683422018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug at Captain J's</span><br /></div>- they all have such awesome, testosterone driven names!!! It looked like a parade route out there on the water with the thousands of anchored boats forming the sidelines of the race track - ya think there was some fun happening out there??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-SmaMWWRH2CTJRk1woLnlz8pg9aD9kZ4Z4UIMFAnLKb-KQRSLmIqBK8oxgr3Sv1MLPsUqTPK_SBqdUcQSO7ATcaZ5weieDux8I7Kyl63tlbbitHiUiwwYXBZKvoUC8VIgAawmtHYOnE/s1600/083010+parade+route+of+boats+waiting+for+race.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-SmaMWWRH2CTJRk1woLnlz8pg9aD9kZ4Z4UIMFAnLKb-KQRSLmIqBK8oxgr3Sv1MLPsUqTPK_SBqdUcQSO7ATcaZ5weieDux8I7Kyl63tlbbitHiUiwwYXBZKvoUC8VIgAawmtHYOnE/s400/083010+parade+route+of+boats+waiting+for+race.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322816043656994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ18Z4cmzYdpQpkT1r7GSP8T7WSg7p-FnDBCJQ6Rqr6UBpvjc5xbAk-wGH_WBVDOIuGplWXFMxnUvpjJ9QmWB-vsF4xn3pfDZ-4fIubJqB_CZz6Tw_5-J00tAnb9vIFu8tSQbHTJIbUEU/s1600/083010+speedboat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ18Z4cmzYdpQpkT1r7GSP8T7WSg7p-FnDBCJQ6Rqr6UBpvjc5xbAk-wGH_WBVDOIuGplWXFMxnUvpjJ9QmWB-vsF4xn3pfDZ-4fIubJqB_CZz6Tw_5-J00tAnb9vIFu8tSQbHTJIbUEU/s400/083010+speedboat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322486996239010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dguRLTYxzB5uZDqSarix9k1BtSJvZNk_6URnzlU9MhOGmLzAVg7muG-PoMEGnE7R1gVcPWlVdhl0mosaDIXpQTwZZscheaqnTAXo6TF4lpE9Wv8NRRd3VaJXLy7D-JYr24y5_0d0Ccc/s1600/083010+way+too+close+to+the+swimmers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dguRLTYxzB5uZDqSarix9k1BtSJvZNk_6URnzlU9MhOGmLzAVg7muG-PoMEGnE7R1gVcPWlVdhl0mosaDIXpQTwZZscheaqnTAXo6TF4lpE9Wv8NRRd3VaJXLy7D-JYr24y5_0d0Ccc/s400/083010+way+too+close+to+the+swimmers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322046957339634" border="0" /></a><br />The beach was packed with people watching from the sand and the water - I don't know but from our vantage point it looked like the boats were coming awfully close to those idiots actually swimming in the water!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIlip8kncm0xpQoDc05PJCdltrzFr4PbkYlgJ_6frUFd8clO2NAKB-Cy4bC5ml7B_qhbSAW4xCySHBXAUyXj1YQQSnm79mRVvNcZC9FzPwlVcN_YbCCCiRc6aNGGDU44VxFBp1Gj1hqU/s1600/083010+race+boat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIlip8kncm0xpQoDc05PJCdltrzFr4PbkYlgJ_6frUFd8clO2NAKB-Cy4bC5ml7B_qhbSAW4xCySHBXAUyXj1YQQSnm79mRVvNcZC9FzPwlVcN_YbCCCiRc6aNGGDU44VxFBp1Gj1hqU/s400/083010+race+boat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322804468264962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPcRPa_dhXLCyLH1ZsRXv6dwAe655N7X77P5CXZxbw6x-2zQ3daV6HDhNSPwA_mQohk-l2UT51wR09Ou-po66XneC_z9o6p8OiE70-C5zYqfkzGGSQ3mU9Hyqm1_cUcxtyduWIU1hpTk/s1600/083010+instigator.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPcRPa_dhXLCyLH1ZsRXv6dwAe655N7X77P5CXZxbw6x-2zQ3daV6HDhNSPwA_mQohk-l2UT51wR09Ou-po66XneC_z9o6p8OiE70-C5zYqfkzGGSQ3mU9Hyqm1_cUcxtyduWIU1hpTk/s400/083010+instigator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511323010659940306" border="0" /></a><br />While the beach was jammin' there sure was some fun happening up on the deck where we were - it was packed with people who had seemingly been there quite some time (a couple "gentlemen" and I use that term loosely appeared to have been there since the day before!!!) We were all betting on how soon it would be before one of them fell over the railing....does that make us bad people? What a great day - lots of sun, fun company, great food, boating entertainment and did I mention cold beer?<br /><br />This past weekend we spent Saturday hanging out and boogie boarding on Cocoa Beach (with of course some refreshments at the Sandbar in the late afternoon). Is there any better feeling than that sun kissed, salty, sandy I've been at the beach all day and am now drinking a cold beer listening to live music feeling??? Cocoa Beach is known as the surfing capital of FL (who makes this up?) and with Hurricane Danielle off the coast, the waves were immense!!! Unfortunately we were having so much fun that we failed to take pictures - our bad. Sounds like we will have a few more opportunities with Earl and Fiona coming along on Danielle's heels - what's the best kind of hurricane (besides the ones at the Sandbar?) - ones that don't hit you or do any damage but kick up the waves so the boogie boarding is huge!!! We missed you and your slick lizard 41 Bob - when you come down in the Fall we'll get out there since the waves are supposed to be great year-round down here - yippeee!!<br /><br />Yesterday we spent exploring the town of Cocoa which is off the ICW - very cute little town with lots of shops including Whatnots General Store,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36_0Qn383Dbu_HUvrr5SqUfiSXUlurX2OluoRoPoabO1wFL9dDnsM0oqYOCzYDpGKkMZZgYT8cy-rcMt3cpTnMl6EIo8IEucnp2wiK__E0ZDd4aSJym5YymK5WHw-luG8jkwW9EKRspw/s1600/083010+whatnots+general+store.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36_0Qn383Dbu_HUvrr5SqUfiSXUlurX2OluoRoPoabO1wFL9dDnsM0oqYOCzYDpGKkMZZgYT8cy-rcMt3cpTnMl6EIo8IEucnp2wiK__E0ZDd4aSJym5YymK5WHw-luG8jkwW9EKRspw/s400/083010+whatnots+general+store.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322039970004498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Whatnots General Store</span><br /></div>a beautiful playhouse,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNIssW6CWhO76c6ZD3SKEGop0OmvLhPfXZMF1Y1dBYTvV3Y3E7cF5QNMaPfuMMoqVDBVYMIEQ7GQUxwaSFBqsoj5W9cvUt_YPlePRNklwaN3g_BzxMhKTfhfVWDXDsU4tZ0VpotoOhwo/s1600/083010+the+playhouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNIssW6CWhO76c6ZD3SKEGop0OmvLhPfXZMF1Y1dBYTvV3Y3E7cF5QNMaPfuMMoqVDBVYMIEQ7GQUxwaSFBqsoj5W9cvUt_YPlePRNklwaN3g_BzxMhKTfhfVWDXDsU4tZ0VpotoOhwo/s400/083010+the+playhouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322065645573586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Village Playhouse in Cocoa</span> </div>and a great waterfront park with an amphitheater, wading pool and everything.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnKGePgyJfqOecqAXVsPKHo3bDZ4QlxJnyQcfEksx0vpV0e5u0v-exWD0ilcEmTpZiMXT7a3mO-24pnuQgZAGLWLcOZSKSxit16l7qnOOaZtbxBZjK944hgwnP4Gi9k2h-5zCIUvRLZY/s1600/083010+riverfront+park+adn+amphitheater.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnKGePgyJfqOecqAXVsPKHo3bDZ4QlxJnyQcfEksx0vpV0e5u0v-exWD0ilcEmTpZiMXT7a3mO-24pnuQgZAGLWLcOZSKSxit16l7qnOOaZtbxBZjK944hgwnP4Gi9k2h-5zCIUvRLZY/s400/083010+riverfront+park+adn+amphitheater.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511330070770977426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Amphitheater</span><br /></div>In fact the first weekend in October is <a href="http://www.tropstock.com/">TropStock in the Village</a> - a whole weekend of TropRock musicians including our own friends from Key West, Scott Kirby and Dave Edmisten - also playing are Peter and Jim Mayer and Nadira Shakoor from Buffetts Coral Reefer Band and a whole bunch of other cool folks. We already have our three day pass, have scoped out the venue which is awesome and have been told by Dave that we will have a blast - are you kidding me, of course we all will!!! So if anyone loves good music, that would be a great weekend to visit!!!<br /><br />As cute as Cocoa is, it lacks one of the things that we consider essential to a great town - cool bars. There was The Dog and Bone British Pub (do you think the door was a dead giveaway? it looks like Austin Powers' car for pete's sake) which we made a beeline for and attempted to go in for a warm pint of British beer but we only made it about 3 feet inside the door before the accumulated smoke from the 3 people at the bar (at least we think there were only 3 although it was hard to see through the purple haze) drove us out in in search of oxygen. Now as most of you who know me can attest to, there's rarely a bar I can't be comfortable in no matter how much a dive - but I gotta tell you this was so bad my eyes were watering and my throat closed up within seconds of walking in the door. No beer (and I don't say this lightly) is worth that!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrJDAQjJbzYrRnYAJ6f2xrs3-pBH60EtxMWDsTUo6taJE11AGKe0awXbhyphenhyphen3q0BNrOIgowM2VBrkOMC9fCyEGQqK8WNSfa71IahXs53uCS77ZpORk1h81gMBP8Ud8hYa0DUOEKxagI8jg/s1600/083010+the+dog+and+bone+british+pub.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrJDAQjJbzYrRnYAJ6f2xrs3-pBH60EtxMWDsTUo6taJE11AGKe0awXbhyphenhyphen3q0BNrOIgowM2VBrkOMC9fCyEGQqK8WNSfa71IahXs53uCS77ZpORk1h81gMBP8Ud8hYa0DUOEKxagI8jg/s400/083010+the+dog+and+bone+british+pub.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322077703535570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dog and Bone</span><br /></div>Being the only real bar we found in town, it was time for us to move on - so of course we headed back over to Cocoa Beach and our favorite dives!!!<br /><br />Before hitting our local favorite watering holes though we just had to walk through Ron Jon Surf Shop which is by far the largest and kewlest surf store I have ever been in - it's open 24 hours a la LL Bean and is just knarly dude! It's brightly colored (some might call it gaudy)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNpxM3Fvcbjy9gSITeomFK_9yShRam9TGMt1heuiFmAGb4hcVwgS2Y5CVnrC1q1HEOPyyNKXanFv6m-HnycjhV3cZpnE_EkA9iX6MrDc3AUaQ85u0aprFS6wZssSAqI-9WM_Q9Z25GYg/s1600/083010+ron+jons.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNpxM3Fvcbjy9gSITeomFK_9yShRam9TGMt1heuiFmAGb4hcVwgS2Y5CVnrC1q1HEOPyyNKXanFv6m-HnycjhV3cZpnE_EkA9iX6MrDc3AUaQ85u0aprFS6wZssSAqI-9WM_Q9Z25GYg/s400/083010+ron+jons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322529731318994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Entrance to Ron Jon</span> </div>with huge surfer sculptures and an old woody (get your mind out of the gutter and think surfing) outside<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsQ08vxFL0a8z4tUUGul_9iMnZQlP13f8htBKML9alt-B6-a5RiwcS7ZggTOmkiVniVJS805RC4P8Yd04-h2fN9CdR83gXLPCpbzNv_6yhFmoUo6AAtwU7u0bj4Fu1vuYQ68ZHDwUVmg/s1600/083010+the+woody.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsQ08vxFL0a8z4tUUGul_9iMnZQlP13f8htBKML9alt-B6-a5RiwcS7ZggTOmkiVniVJS805RC4P8Yd04-h2fN9CdR83gXLPCpbzNv_6yhFmoUo6AAtwU7u0bj4Fu1vuYQ68ZHDwUVmg/s400/083010+the+woody.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511322053703051058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Woody</span><br /></div>- on the inside it is a veritable fun house of surf gear, clothes and more flip flops than I've ever seen in one place!!! Despite the fact I could have done some serious damage there, we walked out with only a surfboard shaped rug for our galley - we'll be back. I'm also thinking seriously of taking some surfing lessons - might as well take advantage of our location here and learn something new and kewl!!!<br /><br />Next week we'll have lots to talk about and lots of pictures (some of which I may not be able to post I'm sure - hopefully!!) since we are heading up to St Augustine by land yacht to meet up with Stephanie and Bob from September Song. Yup - the four of us together again with nothing but decadence on our minds - we'll let you know if the city is still standing when we leave!!! Word to the wise - next weekend would not be a good weekend to visit St A's, there may be a run on beer and Captain Morgan!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-30622751914912640302010-08-16T19:18:00.011-04:002010-08-16T22:02:00.481-04:00Our New Home - Merritt Island!With the passing of our 24 year old boat kitty and best friend, Boots, I haven't really been in the sarcastic, funny mood I am usually in when writing a blog but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy or that we didn't love the three days of cruising to get from Aventura to Merrittt Island or that our "new life and new hood" aren't great!! They are - I just haven't been in the mood - it's been a really tough time for us and the boat has been a pretty sad place of late. But at Doug's urging and after a really fun weekend of hanging at the Cocoa Pier and over at Universal Studios and Island of Adventure acting like little kids, I finally have some of that fun spirit back (although I know we will miss Bootsie more than we can ever say for a very long time!) and am going to give the blog a shot. Bear with me and I'll get back to my old self with time....<br /><br />It felt unbelievably great to throw off the dock lines in Aventura - not that we hadn't liked the marina, but Gypsies and its crew were going cruising again after a long time as dock bitches!!! and we were headed to someplace we believe to be really fun!!! We left the marina and headed up the ICW through a couple bridges (oh yeah - forgot that part of the ICW!!) to the Port Everglades inlet which on a Saturday was rockin'!- we wanted to head offshore to make some serious miles. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jv9GQqcdYDM5Je_97narkFKuKYBS2iOsn_ceo5WO5xuAttYeNq_9TSLsL_MHbMXeFNJG-YLE7GgMwY4PzjN5vDvmyPfZeOPoWqR-DhReRKPhsTLpZxaQP0KJXB5WCBTFy1VRggU45Uo/s1600/081610+bridges+on+icw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jv9GQqcdYDM5Je_97narkFKuKYBS2iOsn_ceo5WO5xuAttYeNq_9TSLsL_MHbMXeFNJG-YLE7GgMwY4PzjN5vDvmyPfZeOPoWqR-DhReRKPhsTLpZxaQP0KJXB5WCBTFy1VRggU45Uo/s400/081610+bridges+on+icw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506171461873484050" border="0" /></a>We had been fantasizing about catching mahi on the run north but that dream bubble was burst for Doug and I at the same time as we went to load our scooters on the transom - oops no room to fish and even if we could finagle it, we didn't want blood and guts on the bikes (because after all - of course we'd catch lots of fish!!) Oh well - it turned out rougher than had been forecast so to make the Bootser more comfortable, we decided to head back in at Lake Worth even though we were flying at 11-12 knots (I love the Gulf Stream). Bootser was such a trooper and dealt with the seas once she got her sea legs - aided by lots of love and treats!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsnVrNkztwuMGBv66IFfdvAmNcUZpEa6qxLJXEzgvgCOF1cFcIRrX8qHI3mA-LhZBck0EQYPgcnDb1iB-qfXYiklfuG4SJYkb3oI4B-GrHk3UbZ0ArD4MX-BttppeolF4nBBauHFCYoo/s1600/081610+bootser.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsnVrNkztwuMGBv66IFfdvAmNcUZpEa6qxLJXEzgvgCOF1cFcIRrX8qHI3mA-LhZBck0EQYPgcnDb1iB-qfXYiklfuG4SJYkb3oI4B-GrHk3UbZ0ArD4MX-BttppeolF4nBBauHFCYoo/s400/081610+bootser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506171469061659122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Boots Relaxes During Gypsies' Cruise</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0rV5VXxwolF280_9NbopfUA908pQ81LkYrfQ7ZWO3malSxCpcmH0e712rracTsh43n0Yn6v9bg7RfKWaVVubtLPUgHFMFW_Zc0uwmVyCqwJUzWNrKhXFSAJwR4eXbZZz7NFi-XWV8vw/s1600/081610+ft+lauderdae+offshore.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0rV5VXxwolF280_9NbopfUA908pQ81LkYrfQ7ZWO3malSxCpcmH0e712rracTsh43n0Yn6v9bg7RfKWaVVubtLPUgHFMFW_Zc0uwmVyCqwJUzWNrKhXFSAJwR4eXbZZz7NFi-XWV8vw/s400/081610+ft+lauderdae+offshore.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506170387696489842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fort Lauderdale from Offshore</span><br /></div>Coming in through the Lake Worth inlet and passing around Peanut Island we saw part of what we love about FL - boaters hanging out on little sand bars having fun and partying!! (there aren't many sandbars in Maine where you can hang out in the water without freezing your whatevers off!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW98Sge7iKCsjTacDFKhAwQJ0ITjDH3tqKuy638j9zBm7K5Av5SfNX_807Ks5CgP3L7eWg73DvPUs-Wnb0vStWVFoKrAxfgfYaNLgwI-A4_4suo8iOGqSoRUix0SEXXywe9P9l4Hmmkc/s1600/081610+peanut+island+party+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW98Sge7iKCsjTacDFKhAwQJ0ITjDH3tqKuy638j9zBm7K5Av5SfNX_807Ks5CgP3L7eWg73DvPUs-Wnb0vStWVFoKrAxfgfYaNLgwI-A4_4suo8iOGqSoRUix0SEXXywe9P9l4Hmmkc/s400/081610+peanut+island+party+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157037966131730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9T1_jVyn9b-5DqhCaFsUMH1Dv6ATMjKPU3bi6TQle4WoJiIvEnI_DANAVLgyhVGPjpxQMRRf7NZMl-NUdFLnO5E8D2QO15JQHo4AaM7LueBxvcEchnOwnsLi2Sv4wXyM_KW0fF6U08o/s1600/081610+peanut+island+party.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9T1_jVyn9b-5DqhCaFsUMH1Dv6ATMjKPU3bi6TQle4WoJiIvEnI_DANAVLgyhVGPjpxQMRRf7NZMl-NUdFLnO5E8D2QO15JQHo4AaM7LueBxvcEchnOwnsLi2Sv4wXyM_KW0fF6U08o/s400/081610+peanut+island+party.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157029473553906" border="0" /></a><br />After a great dinner at Carmines at Soverel Marina in Palm Beach Gardens we had an early night since we wanted to be on the water bright and early. I've really missed being up and on the water for sunrise - there is something so peaceful and beautiful about that time of day but somehow we never quite got to see sunrise when we were in KW - wonder why? <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rKvWpxAv0f6cw6CMS1gb-V4AYRHp-kjQOQsoDoSvpGITMEZfbSE-j52XVAHHkntvCwnF_AAltMR8Sai2azZVRbSHChOVD8jzxt9AtX9lJ7TrbJdGdvk_tkAm7asp0OJZkqf2ePB55fE/s1600/081610+sunrise+over+icw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rKvWpxAv0f6cw6CMS1gb-V4AYRHp-kjQOQsoDoSvpGITMEZfbSE-j52XVAHHkntvCwnF_AAltMR8Sai2azZVRbSHChOVD8jzxt9AtX9lJ7TrbJdGdvk_tkAm7asp0OJZkqf2ePB55fE/s400/081610+sunrise+over+icw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156578073179666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunrise Over the ICW</span><br /></div>Saturdays on the ICW are always interesting - lots of boaters fishing and playing, PWCs flying all over the place, kayakers and divers (believe it or not!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbneKt2mZhmuJ_Z2Q3e24oMn5xhv2hepun1owPjszf9JFMY7TiXQRx4225nx9bpZHULJsp2F9FIlDjS7TBR2llm_3yHfNc-oi-ZNH17cV6DXv3ePSCoGtsOpUSqgSkd9RLi846tfwVAk/s1600/081610+kayakers:divers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbneKt2mZhmuJ_Z2Q3e24oMn5xhv2hepun1owPjszf9JFMY7TiXQRx4225nx9bpZHULJsp2F9FIlDjS7TBR2llm_3yHfNc-oi-ZNH17cV6DXv3ePSCoGtsOpUSqgSkd9RLi846tfwVAk/s400/081610+kayakers:divers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506169513643944866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Kayakers That Went Diving</span><br /></div>and the fairly new phenomenon of paddleboarding (my favorite was the guy with the huge cooler on the front of his board!! and at least it wasn't topless pbding as in Key West - I kid you not! ouch...) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb7kNuPPWy0VHP6nZruzrjH1BwZbFMortDzvj_PUesFFB1gyYkMtF5sdfkQp4nFm1gddUf-o3Bpw0-kw9XGyTiGsjlrFRfvPMXqb0i806EGgdvq_WiyHN-nLvma7ebRA17_fxZISuF9o/s1600/081610+paddleboarders.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb7kNuPPWy0VHP6nZruzrjH1BwZbFMortDzvj_PUesFFB1gyYkMtF5sdfkQp4nFm1gddUf-o3Bpw0-kw9XGyTiGsjlrFRfvPMXqb0i806EGgdvq_WiyHN-nLvma7ebRA17_fxZISuF9o/s400/081610+paddleboarders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157491322322514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Paddleboarders</span><br /></div>As always the wildlife was awesome especially once we got north of Palm Beach,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-7hMgCTcLLMeT9hG1MpTKvzOwHFsIV36FrBRkWlB9C9PEcGZUn3sWwbLGZtD9TNOgXF11u83C1KOMLzCpC5-ALsBni62YGIycryxuOSl4hrAyGZHrL2wdGcFgJ7xMIex3UYoOepXZcY/s1600/081610+blue+heron+on+canal.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-7hMgCTcLLMeT9hG1MpTKvzOwHFsIV36FrBRkWlB9C9PEcGZUn3sWwbLGZtD9TNOgXF11u83C1KOMLzCpC5-ALsBni62YGIycryxuOSl4hrAyGZHrL2wdGcFgJ7xMIex3UYoOepXZcY/s400/081610+blue+heron+on+canal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506171481910503922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi_7cbFglkmgPQRfokuNEdG4Fbu-c0i5-DlB8jEE0vcOyNn0DLKw_po84w6DQzMHZEMeg_uwbYcNp28LkUu6ZOKtiu92ER6RE7UixPTwqzcbbQ6F1s39LhrYqN4jahAjOoS6LvTDqyAQ/s1600/081610+osprey+on+shore.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi_7cbFglkmgPQRfokuNEdG4Fbu-c0i5-DlB8jEE0vcOyNn0DLKw_po84w6DQzMHZEMeg_uwbYcNp28LkUu6ZOKtiu92ER6RE7UixPTwqzcbbQ6F1s39LhrYqN4jahAjOoS6LvTDqyAQ/s400/081610+osprey+on+shore.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157492430861074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9G9ajTYvDhRTzG6fFIaEhBeQamPB3v91fR6GegmCEPrxJEpjL5EKWwf9bud_vj0B8Q92XLx7IaKU0v632R_fsUZx5mC1AMlAP1jC9_tzlUwiS5If7TOqIVrRE2qKe_uMXWZCG0tGxv4/s1600/081610+pelican+party.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9G9ajTYvDhRTzG6fFIaEhBeQamPB3v91fR6GegmCEPrxJEpjL5EKWwf9bud_vj0B8Q92XLx7IaKU0v632R_fsUZx5mC1AMlAP1jC9_tzlUwiS5If7TOqIVrRE2qKe_uMXWZCG0tGxv4/s400/081610+pelican+party.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157022305141042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf0il4TxAR-79DeyrRsx0Ywbv5zUUsQR4x8D_SUTUZncQmEnrQTeUH51rXGwvaFdDLHyxxmCmcHH1VIXKTN2zqdK700NnQLmhXGfmE8TQ8JuXKH4FySecqrgkgOvXcxzxAQP4yFkd8lg/s1600/081610+pelicans+on+21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf0il4TxAR-79DeyrRsx0Ywbv5zUUsQR4x8D_SUTUZncQmEnrQTeUH51rXGwvaFdDLHyxxmCmcHH1VIXKTN2zqdK700NnQLmhXGfmE8TQ8JuXKH4FySecqrgkgOvXcxzxAQP4yFkd8lg/s400/081610+pelicans+on+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157011340626802" border="0" /></a>the houses were spectacular (altho some of them simply make you cringe - proof enough that money doesn't guarantee taste)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_4lhJnX-nsJutKa9Mo6ypH3P5tFwkrPe1vqBVs6rOK81xAa2ZHFsOg7ipoglstI3auIa1pldmrWVYw5FOmFOn8VrbH3mWqLhiEFzgDIaVBpssSUHBvlF65p9D-ct-tTSglpgoal_Jpc/s1600/081610+mcmansion.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_4lhJnX-nsJutKa9Mo6ypH3P5tFwkrPe1vqBVs6rOK81xAa2ZHFsOg7ipoglstI3auIa1pldmrWVYw5FOmFOn8VrbH3mWqLhiEFzgDIaVBpssSUHBvlF65p9D-ct-tTSglpgoal_Jpc/s400/081610+mcmansion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506168764624073474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3xbBIaaUwaVpMmAUh-txQgFJkJePPBoELjrMzA6DnR79PyBRI9l71EchfQynhVe4qfYyyjFqxjTdGjKOei1Ppt3XEYU7EsYw_QlS882bbTRAnMLz8dfxSKLXiSzTEu7akyNOF38IuUY/s1600/081610+palm+beach+mcmansion.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3xbBIaaUwaVpMmAUh-txQgFJkJePPBoELjrMzA6DnR79PyBRI9l71EchfQynhVe4qfYyyjFqxjTdGjKOei1Ppt3XEYU7EsYw_QlS882bbTRAnMLz8dfxSKLXiSzTEu7akyNOF38IuUY/s400/081610+palm+beach+mcmansion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157480007353090" border="0" /></a>and boats lined the waterway (very few of which aren't compensating phallic symbols!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkFMXyWTj59JN8CRdnddfo4fojcYVFeBCX92GTeswL6xqcyqyVL0wdduDA0t81X-XkCaAZx-JpIMdJFEUl8rsFiu48s_yBr1rJnWi0_wLE_NAfpSBGvP5iPogkLJOc5jGqnj8ryexlOQ/s1600/081610+non-phallic+icw+boat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkFMXyWTj59JN8CRdnddfo4fojcYVFeBCX92GTeswL6xqcyqyVL0wdduDA0t81X-XkCaAZx-JpIMdJFEUl8rsFiu48s_yBr1rJnWi0_wLE_NAfpSBGvP5iPogkLJOc5jGqnj8ryexlOQ/s400/081610+non-phallic+icw+boat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506168746848073890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the Non-phallic Boats</span><br /></div>We wound up at the municipal marina in Vero Beach and chose a quiet night on the boat to avoid getting caught in the huge thunderstorms!<br /><br />The next morning was so gorgeous it's tough to even describe - up before dawn and pulling away from the dock as the sun tried to peak out between the clouds, we caught our breath at the beauty and serenity of floating along the calm waters with the dolphins all that broke into our peaceful little world.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYmcbbwNMqzQT5Y1CTxHGYn3LHoBHXIdz4STJptRVskD67J7jtSwGolDyoqELlngF85hTtGQhySibpip2hTD6SxIetRm7X3hfMQS6iIchXtmiqvJvy2UJkssNzmp_0z7iXkhrcDeH668/s1600/081610+sunrise+ouside+of+Vero.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYmcbbwNMqzQT5Y1CTxHGYn3LHoBHXIdz4STJptRVskD67J7jtSwGolDyoqELlngF85hTtGQhySibpip2hTD6SxIetRm7X3hfMQS6iIchXtmiqvJvy2UJkssNzmp_0z7iXkhrcDeH668/s400/081610+sunrise+ouside+of+Vero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156587188049570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunrise Outside of Vero Beach</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzinz8BbBRpmOOO1uvvo26GoJ5YW7WDeyHaTOImpYj7VBXrHHjiuuICobqlescQk6NaDlOQHnIxSO66ugtpDbXY1v9nit42wqd4gqIlvLGgay-UVUZSHvzLZI-bFJRPFKWrzwvwS11SI/s1600/081610+welcome+back+dolphins.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzinz8BbBRpmOOO1uvvo26GoJ5YW7WDeyHaTOImpYj7VBXrHHjiuuICobqlescQk6NaDlOQHnIxSO66ugtpDbXY1v9nit42wqd4gqIlvLGgay-UVUZSHvzLZI-bFJRPFKWrzwvwS11SI/s400/081610+welcome+back+dolphins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156556957519266" border="0" /></a>How we've missed cruising and our dolphin friends!!! It's mornings like this that make us realize how lucky and privileged we have been to be able to live this cruising life we love so much. When at dock sometimes it's easy to forget how wonderful a life it is - we won't forget again and won't let so much time go by between cruises!!! Passing Johns and Barker Islands we saw the most amazing homes and unlike those in Palm Beach, these had acres and acres of land and waterfront rather than being so close you could reach out your bathroom window to your neighbors for some grey poupon!! Much more to our taste - the houses not the mustard!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNp2mexfCa3zSmOforsoG9mJIg8c8tnmZJkxkhrnF4QHuZKU82S-DgkE2Ky43gxNeTgfKKgs455etON3Ujq4Hzm1leGNxysdGqBG62fBie8nBoIqzw2meC8DP2sqg3UOW-skMojf2W9M/s1600/081610+homes+on+johns+island.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNp2mexfCa3zSmOforsoG9mJIg8c8tnmZJkxkhrnF4QHuZKU82S-DgkE2Ky43gxNeTgfKKgs455etON3Ujq4Hzm1leGNxysdGqBG62fBie8nBoIqzw2meC8DP2sqg3UOW-skMojf2W9M/s400/081610+homes+on+johns+island.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506169525523482370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Home on Johns Island</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4zB5O0ILExgL2ZXdwb-r6cdkiIf8sYFDXyUgBmFBomFyN1nc30nB-stNWpGULsmJj-P0s1AY9XUeubR24otcWA3HsIVqrzpCcc-MWQ3aBDJ6SB7jh3GktEMzS6Z7n_DJF7FSMPDcSvI/s1600/081610+johns+island+home.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4zB5O0ILExgL2ZXdwb-r6cdkiIf8sYFDXyUgBmFBomFyN1nc30nB-stNWpGULsmJj-P0s1AY9XUeubR24otcWA3HsIVqrzpCcc-MWQ3aBDJ6SB7jh3GktEMzS6Z7n_DJF7FSMPDcSvI/s400/081610+johns+island+home.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506169522088540978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Home on Johns Island</span><br /></div><br />But just when we were reveling in the cruising life, the clouds started to roll in along with a very noticeable shift in the wind - ruh, roh....... You guessed it, just as I was approaching one of the bridges spanning the Indian River the skies opened up, the wind kicked up to over 40 knots, the waves kicked up to shoot water sailing over our bow and the visibility dropped to zero - I couldn't even see the fenders on the bridge - UGH!!! Why am I always driving when the weather gods decide to screw with us?? Doug of course took over just in time for the winds to drop, the rains to stop and the sun to shine - luckily just as we were heading into the Canaveral Barge Canal on approach to our new marina (ok he got a little rain but nothing like that amazing 20 min span I had!) The wildlife along the canal is spectacular - can't wait to drop the dink and go for a photo shoot!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgVPhQLxoLJM7iW2bwCXlehALj6D41ElTRtnxYeC84va9lDG-hY_BHWB7M9JGuKWspqsSmfmC4xmra40wE9AUvB5lOZMOOFoc83Bpdagv52JEidTafQGRdQjE1c6RFkITfu7gouzQ3Os/s1600/081610+heron+in+canal.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgVPhQLxoLJM7iW2bwCXlehALj6D41ElTRtnxYeC84va9lDG-hY_BHWB7M9JGuKWspqsSmfmC4xmra40wE9AUvB5lOZMOOFoc83Bpdagv52JEidTafQGRdQjE1c6RFkITfu7gouzQ3Os/s400/081610+heron+in+canal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506170372914299010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Heron in the Canaveral Barge Canal</span><br /></div><br />So Gypsies is safely and securely tied up at her new docks which aren't the gorgeous new concrete docks of Aventura, but we're pretty comfortable with the trade-offs. We have a protected spot with older wooden docks and a much smaller and older pool, in return for a great restaurant/bar on premises with happy hour everyday and all day on Sunday (and a bartender who tries out new shots on us when we went in for dinner Sunday evening), wicked friendly people and a location surrounded by cool stuff to do and see!!! Compared to our sterile (but protected) spot in Aventura, I'd say we're pretty psyched!!<br /><br />While we spent our first week here in Merritt Island largely tied to the boat to share Bootser's last days, we finally went out to play this past weekend. We have joined an amazing health club (which I know doesn't sound like much fun, but believe me it is - great lap pool, lots of machines and free weights, walking track, racquetball courts and lots of classes - it's very cool!!) Finally time to get back into shape after 5 mos in Key Weird!! And of course all work and no play is no fun, so Saturday we spent the afternoon over on the beach at the Cocoa Beach Pier!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfxuT5SAHgMJsFR9aiyMnNKuLAypaGnPM7IKE59ausuZncR4nS84SyHV1f20JYE-or1cTYO2d88m0fA3TJl3GJ6RDZLa8QbxTn7wm4nKMZhKVUsPv8cqrInJy8kohHRyyV5N5AMLtV4/s1600/081610+cocoa+beach+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfxuT5SAHgMJsFR9aiyMnNKuLAypaGnPM7IKE59ausuZncR4nS84SyHV1f20JYE-or1cTYO2d88m0fA3TJl3GJ6RDZLa8QbxTn7wm4nKMZhKVUsPv8cqrInJy8kohHRyyV5N5AMLtV4/s400/081610+cocoa+beach+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506170395052932194" border="0" /></a>Yippee - we finally found some great joints!!! Oh Shucks<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fVZReSamu6r3VagZ8xRhxRHcIVZ9c2mVCliLZz9GU-eHHDfC3H3reaYpUfFEDLC-Y9uGH7SOQajY2rrAvyKtx-aas5Lublu6j7vPhMmNsQuX6O7wmzxqv4ZTGPj6-ckDSwGrt4Wg1hw/s1600/081610+oh+shucks.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fVZReSamu6r3VagZ8xRhxRHcIVZ9c2mVCliLZz9GU-eHHDfC3H3reaYpUfFEDLC-Y9uGH7SOQajY2rrAvyKtx-aas5Lublu6j7vPhMmNsQuX6O7wmzxqv4ZTGPj6-ckDSwGrt4Wg1hw/s400/081610+oh+shucks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157514925782354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beers at Oh Shucks</span><br /></div>and the Boardwalk Cafe both drew us in with their cheap beer, live music, views of the beach and cool pub food!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTBcXOSOezdPcgLxNEVXdRE8yEfi56cvhSPtEJYn-8jSrh7S0n72dzkCPWGq0vPcJjOxjP3tD45_o4laLGPibmGhKMfd7kSmW1cZLigQKGvpnC3kTn9T56D6oC6ESJhDBhYSWKGVB3KI/s1600/081610+party+beach.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTBcXOSOezdPcgLxNEVXdRE8yEfi56cvhSPtEJYn-8jSrh7S0n72dzkCPWGq0vPcJjOxjP3tD45_o4laLGPibmGhKMfd7kSmW1cZLigQKGvpnC3kTn9T56D6oC6ESJhDBhYSWKGVB3KI/s400/081610+party+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157047603538706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The View of the Beach from Oh Shucks</span><br /></div>We searched in vain all over Aventura for this type of place - the cost of a beer in Aventura at one of the stuffy mall restaurants bought us a whole pitcher in CB!!! Very Kewl!!! We even sat by some die hard Patriots fans there on a cruise - a friendly argument arose with some Dolphin fans but as another couple ambled by and became part of the convo (they were from south of Boston) the good guys won the day!! I love this kind of friendly banter over cool beers!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkck8M3HwnV1gu-v9EpOExrnZYyOfFBZjCp3qNL5pI5N0ckRRnfIlrZWa_y7xhGoaDVfKdqp8ZRGEwEat4mVS0YDAak7rmPjyMn7N8PxF1MH9tHgXs9DREf1O-1nk_PH8TsFWWpcaZtI/s1600/081610+boardwalk+cafe+with+our+pats+friends.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkck8M3HwnV1gu-v9EpOExrnZYyOfFBZjCp3qNL5pI5N0ckRRnfIlrZWa_y7xhGoaDVfKdqp8ZRGEwEat4mVS0YDAak7rmPjyMn7N8PxF1MH9tHgXs9DREf1O-1nk_PH8TsFWWpcaZtI/s400/081610+boardwalk+cafe+with+our+pats+friends.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506171475665570818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our Pats Fans are to Doug's Left</span><br /></div>This weekend are the offshore speed boat races with live bands - sounds like fun!!<br /><br />Sunday we spent over at Universal Studios and Island of Adventure theme parks - we're only about 50 minutes away!! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0C1o2lucJFsQXHZCFMPlvq0dYO733KuldVAZAKCH1qMdWvGZ1LpX3TyECP0EbaQ9LddN51sOLaM0zmqdZdA68EcLxekxFHXi_WKC4ovUb03U982m_VcmBiQZ4p6dEpT5yeEZhg7UKfY/s1600/081610+universal.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0C1o2lucJFsQXHZCFMPlvq0dYO733KuldVAZAKCH1qMdWvGZ1LpX3TyECP0EbaQ9LddN51sOLaM0zmqdZdA68EcLxekxFHXi_WKC4ovUb03U982m_VcmBiQZ4p6dEpT5yeEZhg7UKfY/s400/081610+universal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156567133273890" border="0" /></a>What a fun day - of course we had to revisit the Harry Potter exhibit<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAYxP3sCBY7JlBLkoTvZ7YciArePHggbwrnENMntyrZQDaon47z03Khyphenhyphenct2G4O-nlpxmLwf5EFuVqv1kbUEqKHmPqsFWVZgvENWuV8Wf5KStqbNAIa9TIJ-rEiV81z3k4whTWwET8OyA/s1600/081610+harry%27s+castle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAYxP3sCBY7JlBLkoTvZ7YciArePHggbwrnENMntyrZQDaon47z03Khyphenhyphenct2G4O-nlpxmLwf5EFuVqv1kbUEqKHmPqsFWVZgvENWuV8Wf5KStqbNAIa9TIJ-rEiV81z3k4whTWwET8OyA/s400/081610+harry%27s+castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506170379788535522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Horwarts Castle</span><br /></div>but then we spent time at Universal on the Jaws ride which sports a Maine Lobster Co-op<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0tUJekkmlIvAgNSIukw-Cm3iXkm3FqPs4eRN2gL7qsMgper-FM3twGlT4Tv-vXlsYasQyW7Nh8nprAQlH6NrbNjCLtxm1F3U2bFTJS4ehSzwOYQgINef_oTCnndU9yxvPlnFC7-RAlE/s1600/081610+lobster+co-op.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0tUJekkmlIvAgNSIukw-Cm3iXkm3FqPs4eRN2gL7qsMgper-FM3twGlT4Tv-vXlsYasQyW7Nh8nprAQlH6NrbNjCLtxm1F3U2bFTJS4ehSzwOYQgINef_oTCnndU9yxvPlnFC7-RAlE/s400/081610+lobster+co-op.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506169498671560002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Maine Co-op</span><br /></div>and Norm's boat repair (Norm!!!),<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH_KgIbSWtkZIGww94JGg_Ozw33HnSCG6abghik_N3jRHWjyaOg1TI6tGHbHw4Ixg840z_zTtRM3IREsa-DPluHKmbOYc4NyvphPloKFt2hjp_4XmSMmDEYeR39wbF7kYIeKbYtLw5B4/s1600/081610+norms+at+the+jaws+ride.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH_KgIbSWtkZIGww94JGg_Ozw33HnSCG6abghik_N3jRHWjyaOg1TI6tGHbHw4Ixg840z_zTtRM3IREsa-DPluHKmbOYc4NyvphPloKFt2hjp_4XmSMmDEYeR39wbF7kYIeKbYtLw5B4/s400/081610+norms+at+the+jaws+ride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506157524275854322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Norm's Boat Repair</span><br /></div>the 4-D Shrek movie, the Krustyland Simpsons virtual roller coaster<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41g_lU7Y79I84AOV8YtLdKql_i8ymx5t_hY1D5qZbqV_lYbW5PpOj5vcPnaAXaNZcg5SmP43XIq3pRAwT24iQ0E-zkWfT-xZ5nwRmEugis7dhYetTfIfnQjsCZPxuyF1HrarPokGuKN0/s1600/081610+krustyland.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41g_lU7Y79I84AOV8YtLdKql_i8ymx5t_hY1D5qZbqV_lYbW5PpOj5vcPnaAXaNZcg5SmP43XIq3pRAwT24iQ0E-zkWfT-xZ5nwRmEugis7dhYetTfIfnQjsCZPxuyF1HrarPokGuKN0/s400/081610+krustyland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506169505700551186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Krustyland</span><br /></div>and Doug's favorite (of course after Harry), the Men In Black Alien Attack! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_cYvlBj2vD1mz6cOsNSYbWdoUU8R1VcdeSW9ztxh9HhGFcpjACGRSUe6YFRBwAwXR9UiyjP7lGJxR77BCdI5szThT7mlz3Clana7JFoPG_D1BrkKRSnQ-kwmUWOTd9NhbIrtEqG4KaQ/s1600/081610+men+in+black+immigration+controllers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_cYvlBj2vD1mz6cOsNSYbWdoUU8R1VcdeSW9ztxh9HhGFcpjACGRSUe6YFRBwAwXR9UiyjP7lGJxR77BCdI5szThT7mlz3Clana7JFoPG_D1BrkKRSnQ-kwmUWOTd9NhbIrtEqG4KaQ/s400/081610+men+in+black+immigration+controllers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506168756412983218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Control Room at the Men in Black Ride</span><br /></div>Lunch and some frosty beverages at the Margaritaville Cafe<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E7bWu-25icBmn7QnYsc3oHByO00cr4k6wQffBwNdbPCgV2uy1yHfxS7X8GF8jT_fCFU7a0mP4IyfvN2sQxIjCiQ2w99PteYhjghWpbv7p98jLDQ0u9IcwWjjhkTHXandmFKi3hJ4zv0/s1600/081610+margaritaville.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E7bWu-25icBmn7QnYsc3oHByO00cr4k6wQffBwNdbPCgV2uy1yHfxS7X8GF8jT_fCFU7a0mP4IyfvN2sQxIjCiQ2w99PteYhjghWpbv7p98jLDQ0u9IcwWjjhkTHXandmFKi3hJ4zv0/s400/081610+margaritaville.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506168772799099986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Margaritaville Cafe and the Hemishere Dancer</span><br /></div>and an afternoon walking through the lost continent<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNL6sOpeWyPdQnS-8lnoP9c1tQJe0QyDEWEKljim1GGRHWmvBbv-hyqv-Av66UOZl05-s80rV-oSTxGou7Vk-N0-eHWlZDBoKcXj29JnVL9JYZiEhz4ENBl9gBqS3FqLW8Ji43LLlQnHQ/s1600/081610+lost+continent+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNL6sOpeWyPdQnS-8lnoP9c1tQJe0QyDEWEKljim1GGRHWmvBbv-hyqv-Av66UOZl05-s80rV-oSTxGou7Vk-N0-eHWlZDBoKcXj29JnVL9JYZiEhz4ENBl9gBqS3FqLW8Ji43LLlQnHQ/s400/081610+lost+continent+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506168783762439986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Continent</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsNLCv5uMfYkYiWd_2Tz0QZZcampoFGsueHUGh2P-1gJC8INC6RZU4bkyQFlgIldb5iS-M7M7NUruCvpTuJluVvmSOOIFCArmo4CrlyRN6GIZbuQlMrRz0wNldq32g4Ijs9s92e7sMgI/s1600/081610+the+lost+continent.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsNLCv5uMfYkYiWd_2Tz0QZZcampoFGsueHUGh2P-1gJC8INC6RZU4bkyQFlgIldb5iS-M7M7NUruCvpTuJluVvmSOOIFCArmo4CrlyRN6GIZbuQlMrRz0wNldq32g4Ijs9s92e7sMgI/s400/081610+the+lost+continent.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506156572832665778" border="0" /></a>and on the water rides at Islands of Adventure (and a second ride on the Forbidden Journey) was just what the doctor ordered!! Finally a late afternoon Landshark at the Lone Palm Airport where our clothes had a chance to dry out after the Popeye and Bluto Bilge Rat ride (at least a little!) sent us on our way happy but exhausted!!<br /><br />We were a little bummed we couldn't be up in Solomon Island with our Chesapeake friends for the Scott Kirby concert which we have been at the past couple years (hope you guys had a ball Kathy, Tim and Lisa, JR, Rick, and Dave, Diane and Tom!) but hopefully we will see you guys soon - maybe in KW for MOTM in Nov!! Another option is TropStock in the Village on October 1-3 which is right in Cocoa, FL all of 2 minutes from us - God is good!! Not only is Scott playing but Peter and Jim Mayer, Nadira, and lots of other troprock musicians!! How kewl is that - in our own backyard!!! I think we've finally found our "place" in FL - come visit us and we'll share our southern paradise!<br /><br />We miss you Bootsie - Gypsies is not the same without you!!! RIP and hope you're having fun with Puss and Momma!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-53115960231818856022010-08-11T16:20:00.003-04:002010-08-11T16:29:09.748-04:00Farewell BootsThe past couple weeks have been pretty tough ones on Gypsies as we watched our 23 year old best friend and the best cruising boat kitty ever, Boots (aka Bootsie, the Bootser, muffin doodlebug, etc - we told her that all her silly nicknames meant we loved her so very much!) go downhill. Knowing that the end was near didn't make last night any easier for us, though, as we finally lost our furry little friend and the lord and master of the boat (anyone who has ever lived with a cat, and notice I didn't say owned because you don't own a cat - they own you, knows that cats are the master of the house and you are there to do their bidding - as it should be!) after almost 24 amazing years of love, friendship, laughs and lots of treats and kisses (going both ways). Today is a very sad and quiet day on Gypsies as we try through our tears to remember all the great memories we have of not only Boots, but her sister Puss who we lost right after Christmas this past year, and their Momma, who we lost several years ago.<br /><br />I remember like it was yesterday when I first saw Boots and Puss after they were born - and Bootsie, not even able to stand yet, leaned over and kissed my nose with her scratchy little tongue. It was love at first sight - she had me from hello! Believe it or not, that was shortly after I had graduated from college (yes I know I'm dating myself - could it really have been so long ago?) - Boots has been a huge part of my life for more than half my life and virtually all my adult (and I use that word loosely) life!!! She has made us laugh so often with her antics and has given us so much unconditional love that we feel a gaping hole in our hearts as we think of life without her. Despite the fact she made me sneeze as she slept on my head each night (yes I was allergic), we wouldn't have traded an instant of our time with such a special animal. I have never seen anyone or anything more empathetic - if you were down or sick, Boots always sensed it and would sit with you giving kisses and love until you felt better. All she asked in return was a few shrimp, some tuna, a little fresh deli ham or turkey, and maybe some fresh mahi now and again - and of course to be treated as the Queen she was!! Of course she was spoiled but then she spoiled us too with all her love and after all, if you can't spoil your animals, why have them? What a special and loving girl she was!!!<br /><br />Boots spent several days of her last week cruising with us as she had for the prior two years as we moved the boat to our new home up in the Canaveral Barge Canal at Harbortown Marina on Merritt Island - she quickly got her sea legs back and made the most of the trip. But the past couple days she spent doing what she loved the most - she was in our laps and in our arms being fed tuna and treats and getting lots of kisses from Mom and Dad. I truly think she knew what was up and wanted as much time with us as possible. Unfortunately we didn't have any fresh mahi for her as we cruised on the ICW most of the time for her comfort rather than heading offshore to fish. Tuna was one of her favorites although nothing topped fresh mahi for Boots - when we cruised in the Bahamas, nothing made her happier than to see a nice big mahi swinging onto the back of the boat - she literally would stand at the back door knowing fresh fish treats were in store for her.<br /><br />Happy fishing in heaven Bootser - hope the mahi are running for you! We loved you so much and will miss you - Gypsies will never be the same without you!! Say hi to Puss and Momma for us!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSquGEfikMvqm7K4GD7GnAhDxniDLDleyJm2FqaGy6U1a-7Gk9JY8O6DQi4Lbnx43vtynghF4LxH7DaiLj3jKerYlNNEI9XSeiDJAeuCn-1NOxJqDlpxTrA6-5DxBfCNCGQbuaVAsTokI/s1600/bootsie+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSquGEfikMvqm7K4GD7GnAhDxniDLDleyJm2FqaGy6U1a-7Gk9JY8O6DQi4Lbnx43vtynghF4LxH7DaiLj3jKerYlNNEI9XSeiDJAeuCn-1NOxJqDlpxTrA6-5DxBfCNCGQbuaVAsTokI/s400/bootsie+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504251010313988162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9rROkFQdT4Auz7HnxLQ5h-Pmw9dkVMt8uaQiUS3hNjro5uatqgGEHxDqLkCVFB0yAGO60qalhrXlyHZt_-jYhvaG0rkwW-lMXmVrVGH1tAZ22cof1fErYFTo5twHFeltUMEKhtpxTFk/s1600/bootsie+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9rROkFQdT4Auz7HnxLQ5h-Pmw9dkVMt8uaQiUS3hNjro5uatqgGEHxDqLkCVFB0yAGO60qalhrXlyHZt_-jYhvaG0rkwW-lMXmVrVGH1tAZ22cof1fErYFTo5twHFeltUMEKhtpxTFk/s400/bootsie+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504251001351200402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Eep9gEqakxr2-jC32sUCPSokFzF7_AuU9g2tmMNe3LtPXkvz84bMRMQuwl99MK97RrcLH_ibSogy-VNY4kLfTioHqLHTUInixaMAjknoT71vTjYLcpkakfcB4t94Z5cepJ3g7D8UdVM/s1600/bootsie+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Eep9gEqakxr2-jC32sUCPSokFzF7_AuU9g2tmMNe3LtPXkvz84bMRMQuwl99MK97RrcLH_ibSogy-VNY4kLfTioHqLHTUInixaMAjknoT71vTjYLcpkakfcB4t94Z5cepJ3g7D8UdVM/s400/bootsie+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504250993665050946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CV-oNuYK0dgOH-5OxiWY2ARugq0LwX8TQZ-tRDHx3CX9BsxwZPXc7ZiVG315Z5hEX_f8zXOKDAGP2Ea0r7UmAnH_ObU3TOJEm8f7c9A-8y-0mno10c6RNLyCpIcjo1EGKbAOGRcSdBE/s1600/bootsie+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CV-oNuYK0dgOH-5OxiWY2ARugq0LwX8TQZ-tRDHx3CX9BsxwZPXc7ZiVG315Z5hEX_f8zXOKDAGP2Ea0r7UmAnH_ObU3TOJEm8f7c9A-8y-0mno10c6RNLyCpIcjo1EGKbAOGRcSdBE/s400/bootsie+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504250984688545746" border="0" /></a>M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-82505893826824457792010-07-30T11:46:00.001-04:002010-07-30T15:03:22.677-04:00BIG NEWS...Our Florida adventure is continuing to evolve as is our location, although I think (hope) this new location will be for awhile. So what's up?? Doug just accepted an offer to be the Executive Vice President and CFO of a very cool open source business intelligence software company called Pentaho based in (drum roll please)......Orlando!!! So that means some time next week Gypsies is going to head her pointy end north to a new marina somewhere in the Cocoa/Merritt Island area which will be about a 45 minute commute to Doug's office in Orlando. Best part of the job is Doug can go back to business casual - ie no suits!!!!! Part of jumping right into the fire is that Doug has to be on a plane to San Francisco on Sunday for Pentaho's semi-annual sales meeting Mon-Tues, so Bootser and I will be having wild girls nite out parties back on the boat - heck now we can even spring for wine in a bottle since we have an income again!!! So if anyone is in town......<br /><br />We are heading out soon to the Apple store to get Doug (a/k/a the gadget guru - he's baaaaack) the new iPad he's been drooling over (and which we had to go look at every single time we passed an Apple store since it came out) - that was the deal, he got the job so now he gets his iPad!!! Tomorrow we will set off by car to Cocoa to look at marinas (we've already narrowed it down to a couple - based on hurricane protection, amenities etc) and to check out our (once again) new hood. From what we can tell Cocoa and Merritt Island are pretty cool places!!! We will be right next to Cape Canaveral and should be able to watch the shuttle launches from the boat (that's what all the marinas advertise anyways), 45 minutes to Disney, Epcot and Universal Studios (home to the awesome Harry Potter rides!!! which I see lots of in our future - heh maybe I'll get a job there....), 10 minutes from Cocoa Beach (yippee - it looks awesome), and even better further away from the disgusting display of Lebron James (aka the loser king) and Dwayne Wade playing together in South Beach! Unfortunately, we'll also be further away from Key West, but I guess we'll just have to make a long weekend of it when we head down there - gee if we have to!!!! And besides, we'll actually have money to take advantage of all this stuff now - not that we won't still be found at Guy Harveys for $1 drafts and at El Alamo for $1 pork sliders!!!!<br /><br />While we will miss the marina we are in (which has been really awesome with the pool and the beach club), we won't miss Aventura which is about the most boring town I think I've ever been in (no offense to Aventura since the people who live here obviously like it that way....) but for pete's sake, there isn't even a sports bar in town!!!! No joints to hang out in and not much to do other than go to the shi shi mall to hang out with the teen and 20 something yuppies and their plastic looking, rode hard parents......ugh!!! An outing for us in Aventura is going to the public library.... (I've already checked out the library in Cocoa and it looks much bigger and better......) so we're ready for a change!<br /><br />So it's all good - we're excited about the move, the job, the new opportunities and hopefully a little more happening hood to play in. Of course this means I have to start my job search all over again, but who knows maybe I'll do something wild and crazy.....I've got some fun ideas but we'll just have to see how things pan out. For now, Gypsies is going cruising again and we can't wait to get out on the water, drop some lines off the back to catch mahi and see new places!!! <br /><br />Congrats Doug!!!!<br /><br />M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-74744365058145858072010-07-27T12:51:00.006-04:002010-07-27T13:31:05.076-04:00The Land Adventure Continues...Most of you know how much I really hate doctors....even when I was working and could afford them, I had to be on my last breath before I'd even think of going to see one - besides it was always a virus which they couldn't do anything about so explain to me why I wasted 4 hours in waiting rooms when their only advice was to get some rest - duh!!! I used to spend weeks thinking up excuses of how to postpone even my appointments with my regular physician when there was nothing wrong and she really wasn't all that bad I guess - although I did once tell her that it was nothing personal, I hated all doctors - her included - made for a great relationship! Anyways, long winded way of saying I guess that I've put off for about a year seeing a doctor about my toe that somehow got split open (gremlins on the boat I think because for the life of me I don't remember doing anything to it...) and which has yet to heal. I know, I know....Doug (and Stephanie) has been on my case about it for oh I don't know... a year!<br /><br />Due to the fact that we're now trying to re-enter what "they" call the real world (although I have my serious doubts) which means squishing my feet that have only seen flip-flops the past two years into witch of the west pointy high heeled shoes (what sadist invented them and then decreed they were high fashion???) to go on interviews, I realized the time had finally come to do the dreaded deed - see a doctor. So I wander into the local urgent care facility surrounded by people hacking up a lung, with gaping head wounds, and puss tubes hanging out of their innards (OK maybe it wasn't that bad...) and after about an hour, I get to see a nurse who after I tell her the issue, just looks at me and says..."you've had this for a YEAR????" OK I get it - maybe I should have come in a little sooner - so sue me. Next I get a very perky doctor maybe a year or two out of med school who again asks incredulously how it is that I haven't dealt with my toe before this...not wanting to be rude and tell her I hate her, I make up some good sounding excuse and ask if she can't just give me some antibiotic to make it go away. BUT NO...she thinks x-rays are needed immediately if not sooner since the infection is likely deep in my bone which may require amputation of the toe....HUH???? Not wanting to tell her she is a quack to her face, I ask for a second opinion and she sends me to a podiatrist.<br /><br />I finally find one who can see me the same day - I'm thinking right about now that maybe I shouldn't have postponed this visit for a year....Finally, finally I find a halfway sane doctor who has the bedside manner of Shrek but knows what she's doing and doesn't want to be my friend - thank goodness, I don't have to explain to her that I hate her. Half an hour later after a little minor surgery but no x-rays and no amputation (thank you very much), I walk out of the office with a relatively clean bill of health and a prescription for some antibiotics. I should be good as new in a week or so and capable of wearing real shoes - although my desire to do so has not increased at all (I've really come to love flip-flops!) So what's the lesson?? I guess it's that not all doctors are Satan or unqualified quacks (although some definitely are!!!) - anyone reading this in the medical profession should know that they are excluded from this rant and I apologize in advance for offending you if I in fact do. I'm not sure I'll be any quicker to drive on in to a doctor's office in the future but at least I'll be able to strut around the boat in my Jimmy Choos now.........<br /><br />So what else is new??? Doug finally got our air conditioning working on the boat again after two visits from the "experts" (not so much), two new A/C pumps which he had to take out and put in again, a new part for the strainer which took days to arrive, and a desperation portable A/C unit that has to have the air hose snaked out the back door or all the hot air it puts out overcomes the cool air (huh??? found that out the hard way...)!! We got the portable unit as a stop gap since it's been really, really hot down here in FL (102 degrees? 102 DEGREES?) and Bootsie at almost 24 years old doesn't deserve to swelter in the heat!! But we're good to go now and we can actually get dressed downstairs instead of having to only put our clothes on the second before leaving the boat for our meetings - luckily it's not exactly a full marina at the moment or I think we would have been asked to leave!!!<br /><br />Since we no longer need to have the door open to run the A/C, we are back to being able to do stuff - yippeee!!! In our attempt to take in what Florida has to offer and get more familiar with our new "home", we drove up to Delray Beach this past weekend for a little exploring. We had passed through the town on Gypsies on our trips up and down the ICW so it was fun to walk over the bridge we had passed under - looked familiar!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ_3YttK4gt3nCyHxuTTtT8MhQ2DGBRbUINzz1sGVVJnNfjwVUh-iYg-7yE5rdiXv8gxUEbSgWjkIVVxApohBAZ4FtAFHJQ-fiy-T87CwMpB1ys9eXYzixv0_xqewyl3NJYdioVuW4hM/s1600/072710+ICW.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ_3YttK4gt3nCyHxuTTtT8MhQ2DGBRbUINzz1sGVVJnNfjwVUh-iYg-7yE5rdiXv8gxUEbSgWjkIVVxApohBAZ4FtAFHJQ-fiy-T87CwMpB1ys9eXYzixv0_xqewyl3NJYdioVuW4hM/s400/072710+ICW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633321060125138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The ICW from a Different View</span><br /></div>What a cute little town - in many ways it reminded us of our former home in Kennebunkport - quaint little shops, restaurants, antique stores (which had a very wide array of eclectic goods ranging from estate sale items to signature Ed Hardy colored bongs...??)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh355_MzqT4cqHQ3Td6-P3KQC1kdJn9AX-v0ROoLhQnRcVkxP5HcJwLH-n5lkKsNJIdLmyvpylAg8Hghv0fLV06M9KJMQae8yVCt70rO5tiuoVeuj4xBG6MZfIub-675HWR8GSPWs57k/s1600/072710+ed+hardy+bongs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh355_MzqT4cqHQ3Td6-P3KQC1kdJn9AX-v0ROoLhQnRcVkxP5HcJwLH-n5lkKsNJIdLmyvpylAg8Hghv0fLV06M9KJMQae8yVCt70rO5tiuoVeuj4xBG6MZfIub-675HWR8GSPWs57k/s400/072710+ed+hardy+bongs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633960162673218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Ed Hardy Signature Bongs</span><br /></div>and art galleries all around a main drag!! We walked around Pineapple Grove which is the artist community<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczyCJTWe26-0IkfMOFzVyBO_MDokGbFNxEot6Xwwq-5_UrvVj6JCoalncx4nmZKtHn1JK9g_6xuVmQ95TZt3z3YDNMC9RTLxJHYRqbjceoRKEzvGHwWEnQSU1zrDbOm0s7eBz_6_uw6k/s1600/072710+pineapple+grove.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczyCJTWe26-0IkfMOFzVyBO_MDokGbFNxEot6Xwwq-5_UrvVj6JCoalncx4nmZKtHn1JK9g_6xuVmQ95TZt3z3YDNMC9RTLxJHYRqbjceoRKEzvGHwWEnQSU1zrDbOm0s7eBz_6_uw6k/s400/072710+pineapple+grove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498632873288686914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Entrance to Pineapple Grove</span><br /></div>and saw fountains and sculptures everywhere.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfaHnxNrIVTpLtTgDCPQOsj1ZbTRWYNrkLriqaVguLQOUTmWQdUpTE-wXFPPqjTOgH7ObXb9AklbFZj5AlftUk23hF4yLzlEkrMtPSjuIM0X_lm4uXQc71U3UpzFBpX-R8j4qydbtaOw/s1600/072710+colored+fountain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfaHnxNrIVTpLtTgDCPQOsj1ZbTRWYNrkLriqaVguLQOUTmWQdUpTE-wXFPPqjTOgH7ObXb9AklbFZj5AlftUk23hF4yLzlEkrMtPSjuIM0X_lm4uXQc71U3UpzFBpX-R8j4qydbtaOw/s400/072710+colored+fountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633987544879698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjF8HcR2ZtoHKgJIByuQbMWw38oj3Zc5FgxPoocCmnkAu8FETatW-H2jsq8FFZXO7aM3eg0ZuKX81gZ7T4OebkuSGfrDLyRJcQJc1k_IuwglgctAnn2JCkXJCu9dGxNM9Q2ICtafAa4U/s1600/072710+Doug%27s+Harley.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjF8HcR2ZtoHKgJIByuQbMWw38oj3Zc5FgxPoocCmnkAu8FETatW-H2jsq8FFZXO7aM3eg0ZuKX81gZ7T4OebkuSGfrDLyRJcQJc1k_IuwglgctAnn2JCkXJCu9dGxNM9Q2ICtafAa4U/s400/072710+Doug%27s+Harley.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633970543138098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyp2Z9aviejk-F1ULjyJsnry-BMGWDuyxld68kxZFcPaRICFwhy1eR3AOex0u4UxG3fXsaN3EObzLorbPktenmPYJlguEPX5l4nXIzlK_V51tl2aA1Kd0bUQcsjzhpDnyTZRnC89GiGzQ/s1600/072710+Mr+Ted.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyp2Z9aviejk-F1ULjyJsnry-BMGWDuyxld68kxZFcPaRICFwhy1eR3AOex0u4UxG3fXsaN3EObzLorbPktenmPYJlguEPX5l4nXIzlK_V51tl2aA1Kd0bUQcsjzhpDnyTZRnC89GiGzQ/s400/072710+Mr+Ted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498632894175129682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fdrI-e-kn2BmLawcCbRuRYQ0PHXUVFlZjZgjq-KRuC_60ORDEO1wEFfvNErkLakjLPLCvpahx34ti54sW2b-uxeIyIeFeoEB_Y1o_vNcZtgn0L7P8lkIrHsXljGcZgaO23vm4zlOdTE/s1600/072710+musical+fountain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fdrI-e-kn2BmLawcCbRuRYQ0PHXUVFlZjZgjq-KRuC_60ORDEO1wEFfvNErkLakjLPLCvpahx34ti54sW2b-uxeIyIeFeoEB_Y1o_vNcZtgn0L7P8lkIrHsXljGcZgaO23vm4zlOdTE/s400/072710+musical+fountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498632882006211602" border="0" /></a><br />Like K'port there are some funky old hotels right in town too<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04MYEdkjggkWWOZGsD8GGL7CNWg1fZ10BFVWVKVwOZ6rXZStHKxLfI0y-aDLaeuRCiQc2JJS3JZErPLMbPtO5MXNYICBypUPDIMcrpjOr4JRtuJ_0Zf4EzWQZMPO13CUrBQop-pm12EU/s1600/072710+the+colony+historic+hotel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04MYEdkjggkWWOZGsD8GGL7CNWg1fZ10BFVWVKVwOZ6rXZStHKxLfI0y-aDLaeuRCiQc2JJS3JZErPLMbPtO5MXNYICBypUPDIMcrpjOr4JRtuJ_0Zf4EzWQZMPO13CUrBQop-pm12EU/s400/072710+the+colony+historic+hotel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498632858482663474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Colony Hotel, Even Named After a Hotel in K'port</span><br /></div>and some of the shops even looked familiar (for good reason since three of the stores we passed have locations by the same name in Dock Square in Kennebunkport!!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4bp7FjN5ZCJUxrMYec6ij4rRp7CAh1PbT72MUj2nusoYxsD4CZUlwYYdUJiFnXtksFwfi5BEMg9z0qo5wbUQbv9e7rf9Dc9IjZC_Bf8ntQUbszUkCZQ8ErSpbxXaFR21CqR8eG4cfYE/s1600/072710+dock+square+clothiers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4bp7FjN5ZCJUxrMYec6ij4rRp7CAh1PbT72MUj2nusoYxsD4CZUlwYYdUJiFnXtksFwfi5BEMg9z0qo5wbUQbv9e7rf9Dc9IjZC_Bf8ntQUbszUkCZQ8ErSpbxXaFR21CqR8eG4cfYE/s400/072710+dock+square+clothiers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633980646371746" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCmo0FgRkVVqmHCRfA3K8OjmILp-5258FnpRcHQx6FBK6OdA3PdJzHBXn9lbfmMrj4NAUL-LeNLlbsild4FNWRhb7ORhiNP3LVkZqmqvC_Pg9-4kXK2AJ6UbhU0PXqhHmPkhXqbPFaA4/s1600/072710+snappy+turtle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCmo0FgRkVVqmHCRfA3K8OjmILp-5258FnpRcHQx6FBK6OdA3PdJzHBXn9lbfmMrj4NAUL-LeNLlbsild4FNWRhb7ORhiNP3LVkZqmqvC_Pg9-4kXK2AJ6UbhU0PXqhHmPkhXqbPFaA4/s400/072710+snappy+turtle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498632865423858898" border="0" /></a>The town even has a connection to former President "W" - but I'll let their sign say it all!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_tg0MPBd8Oblgcu49q-xYXVfUfISST5lEGJ7j1ZcQBx89GA7p5SYWCZ2GGgr-UjCcSJI9gKBLNO7iwGrmR9jLMpmwAPXPYEJo0t54ab74_J0oMIMgmW7RPZjvyDLW_Sp6jQxALEhAHo/s1600/072710+bush+sign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_tg0MPBd8Oblgcu49q-xYXVfUfISST5lEGJ7j1ZcQBx89GA7p5SYWCZ2GGgr-UjCcSJI9gKBLNO7iwGrmR9jLMpmwAPXPYEJo0t54ab74_J0oMIMgmW7RPZjvyDLW_Sp6jQxALEhAHo/s400/072710+bush+sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633997446407122" border="0" /></a>Finally there's a place called Linda Bean's which is owned by a relative of the founders of LL Bean and which serves authentic Maine lobster rolls!!! Who knew we would find K'ports sister southern town??! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmanY-Gh1EVvCb7vP_ukpzdExVXMihq897cQf3DzUcMWpDrmSZ1_nYzCOG5A2ExkiQme8_0ZCbw_zDy_xqQsvIXlm83i4ylttbCugUcBSofPeSV5_2euGIXmooQLWh7p884PRTL9DoNyk/s1600/072710+linda+beans.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmanY-Gh1EVvCb7vP_ukpzdExVXMihq897cQf3DzUcMWpDrmSZ1_nYzCOG5A2ExkiQme8_0ZCbw_zDy_xqQsvIXlm83i4ylttbCugUcBSofPeSV5_2euGIXmooQLWh7p884PRTL9DoNyk/s400/072710+linda+beans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633298786327426" border="0" /></a><br />But most importantly there are some funky, beachy local joints where you can partake of a cool adult beverage along the way!! Due to the heat, we made several stops in such establishments to replenish our electrolytes - you wouldn't want us to suffer heat stroke would you?? <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYaDHeJRB0JItnWHLK2Ad37MQIkF5tmpkM5_GH9UosoORCV7aldFRdjkJh6Z2kEskUqxWiHJGJDHR-pkxgMg2lG9JuiZVibTjOdyq-7WnOrgcgDvBy_CdM_j-AH058j5EnHp2HA2dvBQ/s1600/072710+Johnnie+Brown%27s.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYaDHeJRB0JItnWHLK2Ad37MQIkF5tmpkM5_GH9UosoORCV7aldFRdjkJh6Z2kEskUqxWiHJGJDHR-pkxgMg2lG9JuiZVibTjOdyq-7WnOrgcgDvBy_CdM_j-AH058j5EnHp2HA2dvBQ/s400/072710+Johnnie+Brown%27s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633312739719858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Joe Brown's, Our First Stop</span><br /></div>Our final stop turned out to be my favorite place since it was right across from the beach so had a nice breeze, served killer mahi sandwiches and it was happy hour all day long!!! Cold Landsharks anyone??<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKVZ5-aGUrZr3inQYpp6E2WAKV4vmHe9iII8l0UwbUqJpfXsFIFieZjusNLH6k8uZMCHmsdhR5LGyqlk-8xwEh4-2MeA6azErhgAb5hNtCF97u515c5EuC_NXwr7s8jYwrLGz2kVY5bw/s1600/072710+happy+hour+all+day.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKVZ5-aGUrZr3inQYpp6E2WAKV4vmHe9iII8l0UwbUqJpfXsFIFieZjusNLH6k8uZMCHmsdhR5LGyqlk-8xwEh4-2MeA6azErhgAb5hNtCF97u515c5EuC_NXwr7s8jYwrLGz2kVY5bw/s400/072710+happy+hour+all+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633324672342850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Now That's a Welcome Sign!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFgVLSTfXvK-H1uA5ObRYutFgj8kKW9dGpyG9I-h-oLlTq0Chgv1DBTsFSQAm5IiW_gVbGNDvHuy7Vocc2vz6QGMqVFA4blV4ctVeQDbA8Kp8db86Z8Yq3f0dQ-zr3P48UsuqB2WbkRw/s1600/072710+mahi+and+landsharks.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFgVLSTfXvK-H1uA5ObRYutFgj8kKW9dGpyG9I-h-oLlTq0Chgv1DBTsFSQAm5IiW_gVbGNDvHuy7Vocc2vz6QGMqVFA4blV4ctVeQDbA8Kp8db86Z8Yq3f0dQ-zr3P48UsuqB2WbkRw/s400/072710+mahi+and+landsharks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498633291325553778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Awwwwww, a Landshark!</span><br /></div><br />Instead of taking the highway back to the boat, we drove along the famous A1A - which runs all the way to Key West although we had to stop ourselves from continuing on down there.... we do miss Key Weird!!! Back on the boat we found Bootser waiting for us, in need of treats and love, but otherwise snoozing and keeping cool in the recently fixed A/C.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw-mSgL-nQIkaJ7VQcZ4sI-DI951vsIvxCdzQsZVC9FNC3_51oCypEGtInteKQyOLheNlxX03XXSbmxpgl0YvH8hB7UkejYDHopXHusge-F7PF1VA_99TE_lVyCOxg6VsBgh5lr0nYCA/s1600/072710+bootser.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw-mSgL-nQIkaJ7VQcZ4sI-DI951vsIvxCdzQsZVC9FNC3_51oCypEGtInteKQyOLheNlxX03XXSbmxpgl0YvH8hB7UkejYDHopXHusge-F7PF1VA_99TE_lVyCOxg6VsBgh5lr0nYCA/s400/072710+bootser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498634618523307122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Thanks for Fixing the A/C, Dad!"</span><br /></div><br />We may have some interesting news later on this week so check back to the blog then....we'll keep you all posted!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-74193028828537933612010-07-13T15:27:00.001-04:002010-07-13T15:28:31.963-04:00Land Ho....For the past couple weeks we have been getting land acclimated again - even though we are still living on the boat, we're tied up to a dock and not moving from port to port, one particular harbor after another, one quaint little beach town after another...you get the idea. Yup - our boat lines are firmly tied off to the cleats at our marina in Aventura, FL other than our brief "adventure" over to A dock to pump out. There's no in-slip pump-out here so our big boat trip the other day was to go around the corner to the face dock at the marina - now with all modesty I must say I handled it like a champ (not just leaving the slip, but docking at the pump-out station (no I didn't take it out causing a royal stink as per Eileen Quinn's song) and then backing Gypsies once again into our designated slip!!!) Pretty pathetic that was our grand boating adventure in the past couple weeks, huh?? Soon....<br /><br />Fourth of July down here was not the best of weather so our three day boat trip down to Biscayne Bay was put on temporary hold but we spent lots of quality time with the Bootser watching movies, making homemade pizza and lots of popcorn and watching a great firework display from the back of our boat. Can't really complain about the couple days of rain - it's the only bad weather we've really had down here since arriving (if you don't count the 100+ degree, 150% humidity days which are most of them and the daily afternoon thunderstorms that occur pretty regularly between 4-6 pm!!) We actually don't mind the heat and humidity when we can be in shorts and flip-flops or bathing suits, but when you have to dress up in a suit for a networking lunch or a meeting, can I tell you how much it stinks!!<br /><br />Speaking of which Doug and I are in the fun position of building up our professional networks down here, me in search of the "perfect job" - is there such thing?? - and Doug in his role as a consultant with Tatum. Because we were starting to have meetings and lunches on the same days in different cities, it was starting to be hard to carpool with our one car - unlike in Key West, the scooters really don't work too well at 70 mph on the highways between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm, especially when in a business suit (although they are awesome to get back and forth to the beach club which we do whenever we have a little free time!!!) So....we are now a two car family again - UGH!! Yup - we went out a couple weekends ago and bought me a car - basically a twin of Doug's only white (down here you really want a light colored car and even then getting into it after its been sitting in the sun all day is worse than sliding into a sauna after throwing a gallon of water on the rocks!)<br /><br />Not to fear - we are not turning into really boring "grounded" people - we've been having fun getting familiar with our new hood which is a pretty cool place. We've even ventured into the Aventura Mall which I have to admit is unbelievable - since when were malls the size of small villages complete with 15 screen movie theaters, more restaurants than most small towns and where it's easier to get lost than it would be in the Everglades. And the mall wildlife is equally as shocking - lesson number one, never go to the mall on a Saturday when all the teenagers in Miami-Dade County are on the prowl with pockets full of cash and bodies full of attitude!! HELP!<br /><br />Another sign that we are becoming land dwellers again - today I got a library card!! I don't think I've had one of those since I was about 12 but since we're not traveling from port to port anymore (at least for awhile), then I don't have access to those wonderful book exchanges that were so plentiful and which kept me in new books while we were cruising. Not that I've even begun to tap into those two huge crates of books I brought with us when we left Maine and which Doug continually swears over as he has to move around in the lazarette (who knew marinas would have book exchanges??) But I figured, since we plan on being here for awhile, why not take advantage of the library to keep me in new books - Doug's pretty happy too because they also lend movies!!! Besides it makes us feel almost civic.....<br /><br />So for now, we are enjoying the beach, the pool and all our marina and the beautiful coastline of Florida has to offer - have I mentioned that the ocean here is the absolute perfect temperature? refreshing yet warm enough to lounge around in for hours!!! I think back with much fondness to the frigid waters of Maine where the numbness set in 10 seconds after sticking your big toe in other than those several days in August when the Gulf Stream swung up the eastern seaboard and made the water reach about 62 degrees!! Although we love Maine, think I'll take the water down here!!! This weekend the weather looks good so we plan on casting off Gypsies' lines and heading down to Biscayne Bay for an overnight - we're going to pretend just for the weekend that we are cruising again!!! YIPPEEEEEE!!!!<br /><br />ps - I'll make sure we have some pictures for the next blog!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-41279898004809573792010-06-27T16:49:00.013-04:002010-06-27T19:10:30.754-04:00Harry Potter Lives.....in Florida!!!We just got back from Universal Orlando where the new Harry Potter exhibit opened last week - all I can say is if you are a HP fan (and frankly even if you're not...you will become one while you're there!) - you will be blown away (as we found out - figuratively and literally)!! Make a point of getting there - it is that cool and that unbelievable!!! The exhibit is so incredibly true to the books and the movies that you feel like you are stepping back in time and space to the hinterlands of England, to a world inhabited by magical witches and wizards in flowing cloaks and pointy hats, singing frogs, flying dragons and bowing hipppogriffs, owls that bring mail, and all other kinds of things you can't explain but can only appreciate. Take it all in as I try and bring you along on a magical mystery ride through Hogwarts and Hogsmeade....<br /><br />As you enter the park at the City Walk, your first sight of the Hogwarts castle is breathtaking - it is perched atop towering rocks across a still lake visible through a strategically placed clearing (the only thing weird are the palm trees in the foreground - all HP fans know the castle is situated in cold northern climes!) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvPkK0Obuuul1dpm99-iPHA-Ouxla51kz3xJ2WKrl_HIM8fVy47x-TPlOLz-7vS-2S5g4U0AGRL2fxU4TuZxMG8uraAp_34JaXtE5qF6VsaqRGlJEoItmSNy00R2NEGPhu8gguUji6sQ/s1600/062710+first+view+of+the+castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvPkK0Obuuul1dpm99-iPHA-Ouxla51kz3xJ2WKrl_HIM8fVy47x-TPlOLz-7vS-2S5g4U0AGRL2fxU4TuZxMG8uraAp_34JaXtE5qF6VsaqRGlJEoItmSNy00R2NEGPhu8gguUji6sQ/s400/062710+first+view+of+the+castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562269848633266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hogwarts Castle from the Park Entrance</span><br /></div>As we (and thousands of our newest bestest buddies) made our way around the park to the HP exhibit, the excitement continued to build - everyone around us sported the crimson and gold of Gryffindor, the green of Slytherin or other HP attire (we were seriously underdressed - although given the heat, I was seriously questioning some of those in Hogwarts colored scarves!!) We passed through Toon Town (complete with the Incredible Hulk roller coaster (can you say not in a million years!)) and Jurassic Park.....and then we were on the bridge with Hogsmeade laid out before us - the slanted roofs of the stone Hogsmeade village were even covered in snow. TOO KEWL!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh4nE1sk6DnkuYzROAptpYHGmL8jH-0jnRQuhLahAJo9Kj9FygocdPigkyQ4V2QvRNRNKrjWlw_xe_XGtqITOrFYMQe7pPlRi5b62gD1NkoL1qVdh_lmeg1NM8Uas1UCd5FyYzrFcoPU/s1600/062710+bridge+to+hogsmeade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh4nE1sk6DnkuYzROAptpYHGmL8jH-0jnRQuhLahAJo9Kj9FygocdPigkyQ4V2QvRNRNKrjWlw_xe_XGtqITOrFYMQe7pPlRi5b62gD1NkoL1qVdh_lmeg1NM8Uas1UCd5FyYzrFcoPU/s400/062710+bridge+to+hogsmeade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564155260274594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Bridge into Hogsmead</span>e<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYXCLmm0iqj_x_xZgPxKR7gx7QRQVKcjUaXAS1F4aY-RGedcs_NmXYNq2evFBx-G5C0xNZB83AMjWnAbld7Fxx99hzTRKkZDaI08A-f2kq2b7XdINWQyLSUWv_rz0Ssj6FBKUog6iqp4/s1600/062710+welcome+to+hogsmeade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYXCLmm0iqj_x_xZgPxKR7gx7QRQVKcjUaXAS1F4aY-RGedcs_NmXYNq2evFBx-G5C0xNZB83AMjWnAbld7Fxx99hzTRKkZDaI08A-f2kq2b7XdINWQyLSUWv_rz0Ssj6FBKUog6iqp4/s400/062710+welcome+to+hogsmeade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559219136912722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Archway into Hogsmeade</span><br /></div>As you pass through the stone arch, you can bear left towards the castle or right into the town of Hogsmeade. The castle is amazingly imposing with it's stone hog gargoyles guarding the gates to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry so of course it was there that we went first - to experience the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwLhBvDTmwF067a0cXRWtLCRF1eqcaprQfe0Df0nS4YPSmAfoufENdDZp2B-EZq93L-VJpzW-LItYvpdjucaH6DmiZZcl1jkyRMlTXz2eqZ4PRBb2qUsZuJaagOuGfOB4HnK4IXDyChU/s1600/062710+the+castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwLhBvDTmwF067a0cXRWtLCRF1eqcaprQfe0Df0nS4YPSmAfoufENdDZp2B-EZq93L-VJpzW-LItYvpdjucaH6DmiZZcl1jkyRMlTXz2eqZ4PRBb2qUsZuJaagOuGfOB4HnK4IXDyChU/s400/062710+the+castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559749414667522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Castle</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyDZ2LEmRrbR_NGEqvbyV71fSyLyC-DxzKrg_Czw1PL35sUDIvafbpBylcN45GQOi_bUcRYZ-VsRESWoo04DHec88qpSSES7FGzI95d8co5-153yJkyPOTRM8lipN2pPsBQVKMp5U26U/s1600/062710+guardians+of+hogwarts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyDZ2LEmRrbR_NGEqvbyV71fSyLyC-DxzKrg_Czw1PL35sUDIvafbpBylcN45GQOi_bUcRYZ-VsRESWoo04DHec88qpSSES7FGzI95d8co5-153yJkyPOTRM8lipN2pPsBQVKMp5U26U/s400/062710+guardians+of+hogwarts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561727771328770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Guardians of Hogwarts</span><br /></div>Before we got to the castle though we were serenaded by the Hogwarts' frog choir and regaled by the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhjcDaRnjh2QgJJeMadZEy1OUUbri1nbcfiPVl9M4MA0WMotUnqrk8tTTBMwhzzD0E10NVeHzoidgGV0mG7iM481ADCSDI-UJyvGn6cALGMFbKsAXQ9t11nq4reWkcAizY2vbsOHd4lE/s1600/062710+frog+choir.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhjcDaRnjh2QgJJeMadZEy1OUUbri1nbcfiPVl9M4MA0WMotUnqrk8tTTBMwhzzD0E10NVeHzoidgGV0mG7iM481ADCSDI-UJyvGn6cALGMFbKsAXQ9t11nq4reWkcAizY2vbsOHd4lE/s400/062710+frog+choir.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561750994629170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Frog Choir</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoijcQT0NmWs06Qks6qK2RcL1sh39V9dhagnKeqBT-e8jwZtZHgvxYGejPcEMC03TT9BZP-gNQXtwUsxdMx2e5BI0CMOf3fMgtHrduR7qhBVpSgMA27M9rjjRqpnM3dkPgA6gXhvjpQM/s1600/062710+entrance+to+the+castle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoijcQT0NmWs06Qks6qK2RcL1sh39V9dhagnKeqBT-e8jwZtZHgvxYGejPcEMC03TT9BZP-gNQXtwUsxdMx2e5BI0CMOf3fMgtHrduR7qhBVpSgMA27M9rjjRqpnM3dkPgA6gXhvjpQM/s400/062710+entrance+to+the+castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562288795474146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Entrance to the Castle</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4pOqtcmbL04Kfd9Ub7aVvAldTrQi5tn-qmqJJHiM13f_NCfjrSWOhoFxOE6g18f5LRgt9luyI3WKzhexTniEjozwBfXkWgOTvIkSc8gtYhBwPHGd46XWNgW5LQTg_8eHP171-_8hJLM/s1600/062710+hogwarts+school+of+witchcraft.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4pOqtcmbL04Kfd9Ub7aVvAldTrQi5tn-qmqJJHiM13f_NCfjrSWOhoFxOE6g18f5LRgt9luyI3WKzhexTniEjozwBfXkWgOTvIkSc8gtYhBwPHGd46XWNgW5LQTg_8eHP171-_8hJLM/s400/062710+hogwarts+school+of+witchcraft.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561153590902274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry</span><br /></div><br />Your entry into the castle is in the dungeons where you experience the dark, dank, drafty stone corridors that are home to the potions classroom where Snape tormented Harry for so many years.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgncgBrRPyEvbRTDaO5AJBNJ_YCoVu0rONboHOXOLfjQNbM0oI00RM9OJRDaYBsi-PuDQak0mjnD0p_YZMf3_69awbIfMvVQeTYDIn508zL-B2v4XvaDnFuxakcwGsLTfIQePFNNUIrXk/s1600/062710+entering+the+dungeon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgncgBrRPyEvbRTDaO5AJBNJ_YCoVu0rONboHOXOLfjQNbM0oI00RM9OJRDaYBsi-PuDQak0mjnD0p_YZMf3_69awbIfMvVQeTYDIn508zL-B2v4XvaDnFuxakcwGsLTfIQePFNNUIrXk/s400/062710+entering+the+dungeon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562833925487954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Entering the Dungeon</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPrLLykAq9h0eMEPhtzfNb590mOgefuXB_BJfUUkO2X5k4rZlLbhOCHQbGlxxILBWN9H3Mn_o3Yrj0BfHfsEWvcNnFdz7MxT4AsNgMt4Bayo4xmkQd2dqb7PFcwHbmAeJLjeIDjid704/s1600/062710+potions+classroom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPrLLykAq9h0eMEPhtzfNb590mOgefuXB_BJfUUkO2X5k4rZlLbhOCHQbGlxxILBWN9H3Mn_o3Yrj0BfHfsEWvcNnFdz7MxT4AsNgMt4Bayo4xmkQd2dqb7PFcwHbmAeJLjeIDjid704/s400/062710+potions+classroom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559769069606850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Potions Classroom</span><br /></div>You see the mirror of erised, various gargoyles and the kitchens where Dobby labored as a free elf once Harry rid him of the Malfoy family! You emerge from the dungeons into Professor Sprout's green house (which is all part of the waiting line - but once you reach the castle, the line moves pretty well) - you see the mandrake plants that played such a role (once their acne cleared up) in the Chamber of Secrets as well as other plants maybe only Neville could name. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij40OnBU7bhhF7I1QzyGIMRrXLo4Q5vm-zcox14zukV2X1rRE7nmZwBNf0F4D_xaqq1oLdo8YuKhZzasVNY73MFM5PGV5icgvUvvAhJKSg3hO67W79WwbTmT2bq0jGv_6oYNf0ev_IM9E/s1600/062710+the+mandrakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij40OnBU7bhhF7I1QzyGIMRrXLo4Q5vm-zcox14zukV2X1rRE7nmZwBNf0F4D_xaqq1oLdo8YuKhZzasVNY73MFM5PGV5icgvUvvAhJKSg3hO67W79WwbTmT2bq0jGv_6oYNf0ev_IM9E/s400/062710+the+mandrakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559248418992354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mandrakes</span><br /></div>When you finally enter the castle proper, immediately inside the door is a statue of Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all time,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9gkA0HNTMZ4SLgXgErEfva2HcOVShjZOQpT7o5tbEqs4tMznRDHkUcT7JOsHcx7XdWwA8-zWgHzFI08RPvFX4-1sUOM6shRUyaF1YgGEGF5h5nGfuDgkX2C33E13juCpMe11XGm0U7o/s1600/062710+entrance+statue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9gkA0HNTMZ4SLgXgErEfva2HcOVShjZOQpT7o5tbEqs4tMznRDHkUcT7JOsHcx7XdWwA8-zWgHzFI08RPvFX4-1sUOM6shRUyaF1YgGEGF5h5nGfuDgkX2C33E13juCpMe11XGm0U7o/s400/062710+entrance+statue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562302709700002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Statue of Albus Dumbledore</span><br /></div>followed by the columns registering the score in the house cup (Gryffindor is ahead!!).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYv1dyGKudBvuHCG9lxcBuy-mObnYky3pxJLxsqMKJpQB6XyMVRtIMT3XLp3AsKL9Q7_My3SVt3cPEfER3VjHduZKnzDYkZAN5_plQFFR5r-4AAbV31Z00GivfIU85oRBnFcGqQUUtzk/s1600/062710+gryffindor+winning+the+house+cup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYv1dyGKudBvuHCG9lxcBuy-mObnYky3pxJLxsqMKJpQB6XyMVRtIMT3XLp3AsKL9Q7_My3SVt3cPEfER3VjHduZKnzDYkZAN5_plQFFR5r-4AAbV31Z00GivfIU85oRBnFcGqQUUtzk/s400/062710+gryffindor+winning+the+house+cup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561737930108610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gryffindor Winning the House Cup</span><br /></div>Ahead of you is the phoenix that guards the stairs to Dumbledore's office<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mPCFt76FSwaUGf-toMTwRQy0LeHt3qm8A5hMijVm7Rer2g58ZIKfH4b0UQJNubxpaS33HZAmF6pQndSDxlwioBHJ_gQsSkeMIMmcUp0EvvI4-505aC2jrZE0CCe7Qt8k5ylxyaNlAOU/s1600/062710+entrance+to+dumbledores+office.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mPCFt76FSwaUGf-toMTwRQy0LeHt3qm8A5hMijVm7Rer2g58ZIKfH4b0UQJNubxpaS33HZAmF6pQndSDxlwioBHJ_gQsSkeMIMmcUp0EvvI4-505aC2jrZE0CCe7Qt8k5ylxyaNlAOU/s400/062710+entrance+to+dumbledores+office.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562294430798898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Entrance to Dumbledore's Office</span><br /></div>- we mentioned the password (which is lemon drops or fizzing whizzbies - depends on Dumbledore's mood) and we were allowed to enter his office where we saw the portraits of all the former headmasters (the pictures even move and talk!! Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor argue over muggle borns and half-bloods!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DBIM1jI0RbGcN1UZ2FBp2lannsZK_Fzh6WVQL32vRqgqFAzesz_QqS3L-nmpT14go4MhODSYzDVhbj3qTSy-q_bLJYlXSX6hRRuSEnml1qTzsqdO9jh8yupV3dAzA8xaNuLlaPPZyvA/s1600/062710+talking+headmasters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DBIM1jI0RbGcN1UZ2FBp2lannsZK_Fzh6WVQL32vRqgqFAzesz_QqS3L-nmpT14go4MhODSYzDVhbj3qTSy-q_bLJYlXSX6hRRuSEnml1qTzsqdO9jh8yupV3dAzA8xaNuLlaPPZyvA/s400/062710+talking+headmasters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559751693901666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Talking Headmasters</span><br /></div>Dumbledore greets you as you wander past Fawkes and his gadgets including the pensieve!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1Yn89_PgO-n0rxj-2aa_FZ2uc7Q3XNsVg-xtSWKGbnSUlDAUBRfvhjp0ExVnjKhLrgsN9hjtT8kFI_Sgi3mRqqKy2g1p_CfiKepXNIj7ZiNNOq7izgCpSGApQ8wfTX9KSENx1S-2bII/s1600/062710+dumbledores+office.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1Yn89_PgO-n0rxj-2aa_FZ2uc7Q3XNsVg-xtSWKGbnSUlDAUBRfvhjp0ExVnjKhLrgsN9hjtT8kFI_Sgi3mRqqKy2g1p_CfiKepXNIj7ZiNNOq7izgCpSGApQ8wfTX9KSENx1S-2bII/s400/062710+dumbledores+office.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562859086033138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dumbledore's Office</span><br /></div>Next it is on to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Hermione and Ron greet you<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwY6vyb11acX4sbsvTbhsnz-KNH4wPRpKfElv04X2-w8NX2nnYHOF4mf_YBU94s49qZHtb1Q2kz8LfyKFDTjeKNQKoFGR2sWaVir1m36OjY9gmXEKdcwRvmTzntVjpyz3M471zX8Mffwo/s1600/062710+defense+against+the+dark+arts+classroom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwY6vyb11acX4sbsvTbhsnz-KNH4wPRpKfElv04X2-w8NX2nnYHOF4mf_YBU94s49qZHtb1Q2kz8LfyKFDTjeKNQKoFGR2sWaVir1m36OjY9gmXEKdcwRvmTzntVjpyz3M471zX8Mffwo/s400/062710+defense+against+the+dark+arts+classroom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487563704040832994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom</span><br /></div>- seriously weird stuff is strewn around the room - just as you pictured it in your mind!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RJlGiBFeoeH59dIohoYIQ3R7K43Lj3BMQSUWe1WRDriyRjT6HggnAAUW1BUD-OyOshEJEk7zWOnerpclgLeDCQVMSzUFO3jWIyIRIrxh7WUXMMqOaYzO8epZCyXWWP58u9sUhr0v8Dg/s1600/062710+dark+arts+stuff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RJlGiBFeoeH59dIohoYIQ3R7K43Lj3BMQSUWe1WRDriyRjT6HggnAAUW1BUD-OyOshEJEk7zWOnerpclgLeDCQVMSzUFO3jWIyIRIrxh7WUXMMqOaYzO8epZCyXWWP58u9sUhr0v8Dg/s400/062710+dark+arts+stuff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487563712129462098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dark Arts Stuff</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNczwM0pyxyswEjIK0K-hkO9yOe55UZVxNn2aCXy2yM2KAREaJNv3cCkS0UDn-dGWN-FawDLzhjVurRtMku57WNlsNzpY8APY0d1yJriEuYjiDgSyD9eOeb9cC847njbFKIsVzb3jS4/s1600/062710+dark+arts+skeleton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNczwM0pyxyswEjIK0K-hkO9yOe55UZVxNn2aCXy2yM2KAREaJNv3cCkS0UDn-dGWN-FawDLzhjVurRtMku57WNlsNzpY8APY0d1yJriEuYjiDgSyD9eOeb9cC847njbFKIsVzb3jS4/s400/062710+dark+arts+skeleton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487563723129796898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dark Arts Skeleton</span><br /></div>You pass the portrait of the fat lady<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXQS3FypZtJKhHFG4XAWwpZ5uc8sg7mPTyTMynUnLhjnO0sbVEo256e-BfCa3vzrnnY8jjofewXXtvq23VOrXNQhQDsDTc5LHnjQPKsgCXbHOvoR9Mmf36w9OFTlpMR0w0WI79A-cFrI/s1600/062710+fat+lady.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXQS3FypZtJKhHFG4XAWwpZ5uc8sg7mPTyTMynUnLhjnO0sbVEo256e-BfCa3vzrnnY8jjofewXXtvq23VOrXNQhQDsDTc5LHnjQPKsgCXbHOvoR9Mmf36w9OFTlpMR0w0WI79A-cFrI/s400/062710+fat+lady.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562279808355858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Fat Lady Outside Gryffindor's Common Room</span><br /></div>and the sorting hat which warns you of the terrors of the upcoming ride<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DnHkOFap-RFy8tlFKxa3go40lftgxH6AX-4bRQflFJ1Hm_i6L3r8KZn6TO2UrkltWRnx3ZX71i8xK1RRPuod8AQ-UjCQx2Y1v0PrK4a5f-xnS0TPwX7bCCTd22LKRRekAA4lPFsvJxE/s1600/062710+sorting+hat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DnHkOFap-RFy8tlFKxa3go40lftgxH6AX-4bRQflFJ1Hm_i6L3r8KZn6TO2UrkltWRnx3ZX71i8xK1RRPuod8AQ-UjCQx2Y1v0PrK4a5f-xnS0TPwX7bCCTd22LKRRekAA4lPFsvJxE/s400/062710+sorting+hat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559763560736130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sorting Hat</span><br /></div>and then it's time to strap everything down, buckle up, and hang on tight for the ride of your life!!!!!<br /><br />There are no pictures of the ride itself because, let's be real, you are moving so fast and half the time you are upside down or spinning around being scared out of your mind by huge spiders that spit liquid at your face, dragons that breath hot fire at you (OK not real fire but it's amazingly lifelike in that it's hot smoke!), towering black dementors that exude cold air and try to suck your soul out your mouth, a giant basilisk that stares at you from huge red eyes, and a whumping willow that aims for your head - all while swooping steeply up, over, around, down and through the castle, playing quidditch while followed by a rogue bludger, and following Harry down through the Chamber of Secrets that is collapsing.....getting it yet?? You are flying along with Harry, Ron and Hermione on a broomstick ride through their seven years at Hogwarts!!!! One ride is just not enough to take it all in - especially since for half the ride, your eyes are closed (especially if you are a wee bit nervous about heights...not mentioning anyone by name!) WOW!!!!<br /><br />I don't know about you, but I'm thirsty just reliving it - think how we must have felt having lived the real thing!! Off to Hogsmeade we went in search of the Hogs Head tavern - we needed real beer not just pumpkin juice or butterbeer!! Passing Ollivander's wand shop, Dervish and Banges and the Owl Post,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv7UMBhYTHNIKbdfpzPN6m6gQN940e3rG05rEyKx9mPxghaHuu3n0oxfRajZyDVuIeA409C349pSt5odLt0ncTsq5c_b4Tl-I75a9nHwYZhnksdFISJlgeh6MFAPhEwlTZCVRhb2um6g/s1600/062710+owl+post.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv7UMBhYTHNIKbdfpzPN6m6gQN940e3rG05rEyKx9mPxghaHuu3n0oxfRajZyDVuIeA409C349pSt5odLt0ncTsq5c_b4Tl-I75a9nHwYZhnksdFISJlgeh6MFAPhEwlTZCVRhb2um6g/s400/062710+owl+post.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487560230665032034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Owl Post</span><br /></div>we spied the Hogs Head up a bit from the Three Broomsticks. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDkAgn4fJu4mwAjAUuz5TlRR9F_ZrFrB9PMrEAju_gBPU4y8cXCnjRSFBjf5-Xv2QHxMVpZOdhACXLDbMCPVDY9aonzrTkyXR5MVDjhuv1n3-4lfKU6be_El2HP6viVX7wreiPxKKlOU/s1600/062710+hogs+head+pub.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDkAgn4fJu4mwAjAUuz5TlRR9F_ZrFrB9PMrEAju_gBPU4y8cXCnjRSFBjf5-Xv2QHxMVpZOdhACXLDbMCPVDY9aonzrTkyXR5MVDjhuv1n3-4lfKU6be_El2HP6viVX7wreiPxKKlOU/s400/062710+hogs+head+pub.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561181650977714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Hogs Head Pub</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcIh0_rGBI1Xw88Wg67zx6YecMZ9W7LIIif3dbtPlvv-xOaNRewsHA66ALueyfz9qrSB2xtsJBSwb86J2AHJQsLqWNvPpj1lzFd4xi0gEgtI-Q-4_z4_zC8rifZ_31L4b-Tz3SMnIFNw/s1600/062710+insode+the+hogs+head.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcIh0_rGBI1Xw88Wg67zx6YecMZ9W7LIIif3dbtPlvv-xOaNRewsHA66ALueyfz9qrSB2xtsJBSwb86J2AHJQsLqWNvPpj1lzFd4xi0gEgtI-Q-4_z4_zC8rifZ_31L4b-Tz3SMnIFNw/s400/062710+insode+the+hogs+head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487560241749430034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Inside the Hogs Head Pub</span><br /></div>A couple Hogs Head ales sitting out on the terrace overlooking the castle in Hogsmeade was the perfect thing<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Dv4o1Js9MSjVDhKUfUf36f6DQddnbAmRZPphSkqrOc1VJEikgr4SHpbnYQsqxgmbaDgLOtWPx8tlwElrygQ_KjBKdNzk7vAgv4NwD_GpjbgjHUcIO19y7CSm_Rxv1FhYyuOFY_CWmY/s1600/062710+beers+at+hogshead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Dv4o1Js9MSjVDhKUfUf36f6DQddnbAmRZPphSkqrOc1VJEikgr4SHpbnYQsqxgmbaDgLOtWPx8tlwElrygQ_KjBKdNzk7vAgv4NwD_GpjbgjHUcIO19y7CSm_Rxv1FhYyuOFY_CWmY/s400/062710+beers+at+hogshead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564181431686898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beers at the Hogs Head</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSiRk2S7bTJkZlho34y8nMz7ms8Lj8f1HjZ8W1PB3a39Ag9uqpCInBGDmjNHKC8Tf3v-_J1UhgTGdPIdrouo4Dq-hu15oRxZSgt7a2tFpIGPmlgguQtRhBrzM86wGaIwVwtwIPr1Z30Q/s1600/062710+three+broomsticks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSiRk2S7bTJkZlho34y8nMz7ms8Lj8f1HjZ8W1PB3a39Ag9uqpCInBGDmjNHKC8Tf3v-_J1UhgTGdPIdrouo4Dq-hu15oRxZSgt7a2tFpIGPmlgguQtRhBrzM86wGaIwVwtwIPr1Z30Q/s400/062710+three+broomsticks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559230459781762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Broomsticks</span><br /></div>to get our courage up enough to try the Dragon Challenge roller coaster ride - are you kidding me???? <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgm3inyYbUOQ6X3Ta8itALRr9Qgd-q5zPJK8MIuPuJ3YVrqzq0ywuoxtoCnq9oClBpo-KN3PcTm0S1NIBkTdWv2WTrxvLWm4MeJw-wHERpSfXVUMEjABl6HMSmJh1qc6fySK5lo_NSNk/s1600/062710+dragon+challenge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUgm3inyYbUOQ6X3Ta8itALRr9Qgd-q5zPJK8MIuPuJ3YVrqzq0ywuoxtoCnq9oClBpo-KN3PcTm0S1NIBkTdWv2WTrxvLWm4MeJw-wHERpSfXVUMEjABl6HMSmJh1qc6fySK5lo_NSNk/s400/062710+dragon+challenge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562864344495602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Entrance to the Dragon Challenge</span><br /></div>Well - we did it (and no one hurled!!) As Triwizard champions<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaBu7r4ybPN3q5bjJp1lRCOWYHGFeozKhxsDyFANas6MO-3waeaO6rvUJPx2-NT3qZcGShV27gy9fh_foeM5H9Ilb8_uTMXm3pLu-8hMi1IIbNUDhrc6qerOfv374KYNLzKV08wsliik/s1600/062710+a+Triwizard+Champion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaBu7r4ybPN3q5bjJp1lRCOWYHGFeozKhxsDyFANas6MO-3waeaO6rvUJPx2-NT3qZcGShV27gy9fh_foeM5H9Ilb8_uTMXm3pLu-8hMi1IIbNUDhrc6qerOfv374KYNLzKV08wsliik/s400/062710+a+Triwizard+Champion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564881082105874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A Triwizard Champion</span><br /></div>we passed the magical Weasley muggle car,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BTJpH0K6LzmFDgLwUVb69StKuqOsXttw4AUZyZokZqgfq9z0AYkCNOQc1tsSSf8941O1_OJAjii68-T5PITetFURsNVL4cXVfS_rJH255dZ1s6lmyT09hJJzMndDshvjJ1VEF-cWYLM/s1600/062710+the+weasleys+magical+car.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BTJpH0K6LzmFDgLwUVb69StKuqOsXttw4AUZyZokZqgfq9z0AYkCNOQc1tsSSf8941O1_OJAjii68-T5PITetFURsNVL4cXVfS_rJH255dZ1s6lmyT09hJJzMndDshvjJ1VEF-cWYLM/s400/062710+the+weasleys+magical+car.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559239222938850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Weasley's Magical Car</span><br /></div>signs for the Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball we would face and prepared to compete -<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQL9EefNoyxhuGObgjF0rJKJu-7fcHUUkVL0AisqFKdy5oy-Xg8OvwXcCndNENydJL2kFqEFSfJy8gYAHJuCKqMu7SRaCp5UCqXXlYsD9O7c5IrzlNKxVdsK-F22nHJEOjOiOnldBm-4/s1600/062710+the+dragons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQL9EefNoyxhuGObgjF0rJKJu-7fcHUUkVL0AisqFKdy5oy-Xg8OvwXcCndNENydJL2kFqEFSfJy8gYAHJuCKqMu7SRaCp5UCqXXlYsD9O7c5IrzlNKxVdsK-F22nHJEOjOiOnldBm-4/s400/062710+the+dragons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559741785752050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dragons</span><br /></div>I'll let the ride picture speak for itself (obviously that's not us but it's the ride we went on - once!!!) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnibOJJJUe6LBCHY_oJ3kCZbNFDkYNgdYhVNgYjcO3tRSI7Aj83_Z5RXk0I3JtbPV_ioZcWGiyt-qy_izbi7iN-ClqVeBMM1i1djp1sBq1zw9yLZM0ccpmmYAm8uvivLA_vVBYrA-xCKs/s1600/062710+dragon+challenge+ride.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnibOJJJUe6LBCHY_oJ3kCZbNFDkYNgdYhVNgYjcO3tRSI7Aj83_Z5RXk0I3JtbPV_ioZcWGiyt-qy_izbi7iN-ClqVeBMM1i1djp1sBq1zw9yLZM0ccpmmYAm8uvivLA_vVBYrA-xCKs/s400/062710+dragon+challenge+ride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487563687240428210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dragon Challenge Ride</span><br /></div>Feeling more than a little queasy (although very proud of ourselves), we stumbled over to Honeydukes sweet shop - it just wasn't the same without Bob and Stephanie. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rFtdD_kfoawWUFjTkRQHUEl27btHFv5nLZCu6jX96BI2lLO4hX0g8IS-df_0q3KeYYbSUeSopbvUVcW3uXkU0bKWRC-lBYdSBkOJN9QdOUyClg57qiQiGyttOffv-S73P3wKL-HOnto/s1600/062710+honeydukes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rFtdD_kfoawWUFjTkRQHUEl27btHFv5nLZCu6jX96BI2lLO4hX0g8IS-df_0q3KeYYbSUeSopbvUVcW3uXkU0bKWRC-lBYdSBkOJN9QdOUyClg57qiQiGyttOffv-S73P3wKL-HOnto/s400/062710+honeydukes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487560254837687490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Honeydukes</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__fKdxQKC7cmqkkWfiufUt7JmptfmOH3LwKXqrYS7EuCPX3NgzfcXUy3HTr_eSmLVoNJ9zzhSwLq9n2PiHvxB4dOQPpzdCauUNRs-9jXw-9cYJ8I3zAOSYl3DrOveMiEB7jFNPJmAFfI/s1600/062710+inside+honeydukes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__fKdxQKC7cmqkkWfiufUt7JmptfmOH3LwKXqrYS7EuCPX3NgzfcXUy3HTr_eSmLVoNJ9zzhSwLq9n2PiHvxB4dOQPpzdCauUNRs-9jXw-9cYJ8I3zAOSYl3DrOveMiEB7jFNPJmAFfI/s400/062710+inside+honeydukes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487560251552614978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Inside Honeydukes</span><br /></div>They would have been in heaven with all the chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's every flavor beans (no, we didn't find any boogie or vomit flavored ones although we ran into a couple people who had!!) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq-AOk2icAyntsBWkmCVby9uCnxJ4X3U7HsWLeAUedho7EYc8j9-fWZDi2rfyY4ckX5CzohE4qy2ZEAJRxE9Qc1wexe2n2Xp51Y2VrG20DO1lptSAVT44bVrsUH8MpqAlVzU5GqYWOnM/s1600/062710+bertie+botts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaq-AOk2icAyntsBWkmCVby9uCnxJ4X3U7HsWLeAUedho7EYc8j9-fWZDi2rfyY4ckX5CzohE4qy2ZEAJRxE9Qc1wexe2n2Xp51Y2VrG20DO1lptSAVT44bVrsUH8MpqAlVzU5GqYWOnM/s400/062710+bertie+botts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564174619906994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans</span><br /></div>Now that's a candy store!!! Right next door was Zonko's joke shop - but we couldn't find any extendable ears or Peruvian black out powder - cool nevertheless although we're sure Fred and George's soon to be opened joke shop will rule!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTptORLHsnuXcCZaxRjZiKejj8clJKVEYXUhRlYH6RGjT1KbEnSEWJtOrlYB_PrYOnNL8SI9mu0acGMmFm_TiRZCecujL5PeuTzWLSM7rQP2NZoi8mke0f4waMuuGRKnKerFSZWiLzKNg/s1600/062710+zonkos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTptORLHsnuXcCZaxRjZiKejj8clJKVEYXUhRlYH6RGjT1KbEnSEWJtOrlYB_PrYOnNL8SI9mu0acGMmFm_TiRZCecujL5PeuTzWLSM7rQP2NZoi8mke0f4waMuuGRKnKerFSZWiLzKNg/s400/062710+zonkos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487559214574218930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Zonkos</span><br /></div><br />Finally needing a little easier ride, we headed back through Hogsmeade<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPXPJlE-UHSX6m23uwrJIDPfhRe9yb_qOwzr8ilI7iRsVz6B5s5x4j5lxzvxPGZ3qc5jiJ7YTcfnZfRE-Yo4U4VtvVrCw8BLSaBpXlu2FMwIPOlplxURsK7TIPIkx-xFjKm0ONtV-l3o/s1600/062710+hogsmeade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPXPJlE-UHSX6m23uwrJIDPfhRe9yb_qOwzr8ilI7iRsVz6B5s5x4j5lxzvxPGZ3qc5jiJ7YTcfnZfRE-Yo4U4VtvVrCw8BLSaBpXlu2FMwIPOlplxURsK7TIPIkx-xFjKm0ONtV-l3o/s400/062710+hogsmeade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561164568001250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hogsmeade</span><br /></div>sampling the butterbeer along the way as we passed the Hogwarts Express<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5pLPg9G22PJruZZ5CeGC-6fOkeSeQG8BpNbhsEFWCljCJjoqszXt_UlOcWdkgKoQEHW5nkeH5l7yWgintNK8IxZ9GmT82CUBv9L-NCEUdDfQ7X13CW5gozhgcvX5JgaXRieFQjZ5vbM/s1600/062710+hogwarts+express.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5pLPg9G22PJruZZ5CeGC-6fOkeSeQG8BpNbhsEFWCljCJjoqszXt_UlOcWdkgKoQEHW5nkeH5l7yWgintNK8IxZ9GmT82CUBv9L-NCEUdDfQ7X13CW5gozhgcvX5JgaXRieFQjZ5vbM/s400/062710+hogwarts+express.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561163444580082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Hogwarts Express</span><br /></div>- believe it or not, butterbeer just may be better than beer (did I actually write that - or even think it??) Butterbeer is THE nectar of the gods or at least the absolute best thing that magical witches and wizards could invent!!! Part cream soda, part caramel slushy, part whole fat whipped cream, you can get it cold or frozen - we of course had to sample both!!! Then it was on to the Flight of the Hippogriff<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJDPAgioNWPgSNSfcD1R1cy0ziBeQz52iJt2Gy7BtxNlF7nNRWeL8OT-TOYm0DVgd9aE6TSY-Y5C0JldQlfaUF9gDwHpA5FG-s9qKOetgm5EozToek2ysLuUwk1eZzOt7VzqMbCsBEMg/s1600/062710+flight+of+the+hippogriff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJDPAgioNWPgSNSfcD1R1cy0ziBeQz52iJt2Gy7BtxNlF7nNRWeL8OT-TOYm0DVgd9aE6TSY-Y5C0JldQlfaUF9gDwHpA5FG-s9qKOetgm5EozToek2ysLuUwk1eZzOt7VzqMbCsBEMg/s400/062710+flight+of+the+hippogriff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561758780955314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Flight of the Hippogriff</span><br /></div>where we passed Hagrid's home<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRnWouYzRrJWLn6us8TD5WmkDTjc1B8WmXtfkR27EI4iR2ffcC-BJqDW94ZGL25unFHEgIziQLQgb9jvKyFNTpte-F5RQXJ2rbUSBOgJ-Q0OSmWluiVoqhuLchVM3xENkYxZbqaa4C9k/s1600/062710+hagrids.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRnWouYzRrJWLn6us8TD5WmkDTjc1B8WmXtfkR27EI4iR2ffcC-BJqDW94ZGL25unFHEgIziQLQgb9jvKyFNTpte-F5RQXJ2rbUSBOgJ-Q0OSmWluiVoqhuLchVM3xENkYxZbqaa4C9k/s400/062710+hagrids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561193752164514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hagrid's House</span><br /></div>and bowed to Buckbeak. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPDyjtXsJitAO7bOSOxuCblAcQ8zZMDxQ4qr-bLvTFSU0PGQihzsVhjgBQqBV6qgmD5evKKzXSfngwDn4X7-2ZLAfQ6yC4njZIXIWguO5LUbzEL4vSL6_q0oBkwk3tYS02-79U2L5x-k/s1600/062710+buckbeak.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPDyjtXsJitAO7bOSOxuCblAcQ8zZMDxQ4qr-bLvTFSU0PGQihzsVhjgBQqBV6qgmD5evKKzXSfngwDn4X7-2ZLAfQ6yC4njZIXIWguO5LUbzEL4vSL6_q0oBkwk3tYS02-79U2L5x-k/s400/062710+buckbeak.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487563731386769314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Buckbeak</span><br /></div>After two hair-raising rides, this one was just plain fun!! Well hopefully I've brought the wizarding world of Harry Potter to life for you a little - you really need to see it to believe it though. We planned on heading back the next day to once again ride the Forbidden Journey - this time maybe with our eyes open!!<br /><br />But the day was not done - we had to work our way back to the park entrance so we figured we might as well take advantage of the rides along the way. It being hotter than Hades in the park, we chose to partake of many of the water rides. First the Jurassic Park river ride where we battled stegasaurus, raptors and the iconic T-Rex chased us over the falls for a dramatic (and very wet) plunge down into the river. Next it was on to Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges ride - they warn you about getting wet, but not enough!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfPiR2ApEK9syppZYsPpsCfAFNkBq97IgBatPoO4FaoYGP6j7J-V-gVZRrQpJYxN4rICTRwW_x5ZatnuC6GjXgrTCF0pbYze8Xduy11UONSQxygK1AEJcg0Ag1ruW8RmCtdTPOdkzk2Q/s1600/062710+bluto%27s+bilge+rat+barges.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfPiR2ApEK9syppZYsPpsCfAFNkBq97IgBatPoO4FaoYGP6j7J-V-gVZRrQpJYxN4rICTRwW_x5ZatnuC6GjXgrTCF0pbYze8Xduy11UONSQxygK1AEJcg0Ag1ruW8RmCtdTPOdkzk2Q/s400/062710+bluto%27s+bilge+rat+barges.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564161006760818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcBRS8RyYvVegsxkB-eYKizb2IhvnaK1q1JOEu6l3M5_X74R2fuvV51GHvBOZj9Svf2ElTeKdS8esVV9Fze-wpQs64QHdwDA3Hjm2vFNevL9KVhwv5kBM6Ya9ZswAl9SpbsCY5Sq0Bh8/s1600/062710+barges+ride.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcBRS8RyYvVegsxkB-eYKizb2IhvnaK1q1JOEu6l3M5_X74R2fuvV51GHvBOZj9Svf2ElTeKdS8esVV9Fze-wpQs64QHdwDA3Hjm2vFNevL9KVhwv5kBM6Ya9ZswAl9SpbsCY5Sq0Bh8/s400/062710+barges+ride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564878502570658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Ride</span><br /></div>We could not have been wetter at the end of the ride, had we jumped in and swam back to the park entrance - not that it wasn't tons of fun and not that it didn't feel good enough for us to turn around and do it again!!!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H_ffo8MCSoFO7SybDI8J9eMG-Xpac4Y_OHE9M2UIr8SjoPr7rdkTDoKZdN-2YyjuxbgMN1tF9h59to5Xb21EVCmBac2eJjLR7LHKLghbh5_4SUa1-UFdTIhY_14uEr7bZi87Nl9KyyU/s1600/062710+a+drowned+bilge+rat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-H_ffo8MCSoFO7SybDI8J9eMG-Xpac4Y_OHE9M2UIr8SjoPr7rdkTDoKZdN-2YyjuxbgMN1tF9h59to5Xb21EVCmBac2eJjLR7LHKLghbh5_4SUa1-UFdTIhY_14uEr7bZi87Nl9KyyU/s400/062710+a+drowned+bilge+rat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564888286332626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A Drowned Bilge Rat</span><br /></div>Sopping wet we passed up the rides in Toon Town for happy hour at the Lone Palm Airport, part of Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville - his plane the Hemisphere Dancer is part of the scenery! What a day!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0i_l7eGRkUHmqLGILRsUrNkLIBfQDH8R2-O99LZsXdwjmFoUm0mEwVLmyq5KqztndPrnEVtYyIm1ra3sSutrSMfbUQzSBsmq3318na9yMxfNoZWSWRB9FubYHP_cKqw3pb-ymYBFh4/s1600/062710+lone+palm+airport.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0i_l7eGRkUHmqLGILRsUrNkLIBfQDH8R2-O99LZsXdwjmFoUm0mEwVLmyq5KqztndPrnEVtYyIm1ra3sSutrSMfbUQzSBsmq3318na9yMxfNoZWSWRB9FubYHP_cKqw3pb-ymYBFh4/s400/062710+lone+palm+airport.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487560240422136306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hemisphere Dancer at Lone Palm Airport</span><br /></div><br />Back to the park bright and early the next morning we made a beeline for HP and the Forbidden Journey - what an unbelievably cool ride (even better when your eyes are open - although the spitting spiders still freak you out!!) There is so much going on in the castle and the ride that you see new stuff each time (yes we went back the third morning for yet another go - it's really that cool!!!!) More Hogs Head ale, butterbeer, etc - you get the picture!!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuGhHWJBAHT9gYw_W5PPmUwpmEZfAZXJ2bQWz4ezp8UbVNxNVQDulHh9ac-w8rjJFgC_7mFaSzhIlXXmXeTfyrFGJgkqIxy5XHr1Ce2c9Y6FDG4SAzTpqdQldPwjovWngdwgjCJZae5M/s1600/062710+got+butterbeer%3F.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuGhHWJBAHT9gYw_W5PPmUwpmEZfAZXJ2bQWz4ezp8UbVNxNVQDulHh9ac-w8rjJFgC_7mFaSzhIlXXmXeTfyrFGJgkqIxy5XHr1Ce2c9Y6FDG4SAzTpqdQldPwjovWngdwgjCJZae5M/s400/062710+got+butterbeer%3F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487561740446087874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Got Butterbeer?</span><br /></div>This time though we were treated to the march of the Triwizard Champions from Durmstrang and Beaux Batons - each decked out in full costume performing their school routines. Fleur and Viktor Krum never looked so good!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0goJ9ndi_AFUvXw92ICHmJ5xfVNTB5lSPxACQB1Ntrs29-vAIJpnogZjbTQ6NcJb0znle1wdEYVsD9p2lJw7vs234pxhXnJyoOEsd-VAVVeDRACkLI3Sn5rzPp-SwrTUj1uIJRp1CXQY/s1600/062710+durmstrang+adn+beaux+batons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0goJ9ndi_AFUvXw92ICHmJ5xfVNTB5lSPxACQB1Ntrs29-vAIJpnogZjbTQ6NcJb0znle1wdEYVsD9p2lJw7vs234pxhXnJyoOEsd-VAVVeDRACkLI3Sn5rzPp-SwrTUj1uIJRp1CXQY/s400/062710+durmstrang+adn+beaux+batons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562848431813138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Durmstrang and Beaux Batons</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGq_6gZF7XP-GR9wU4s3xO5yDg4n0hchyphenhyphenh8gwGnp7ISXS1ZUn7whzgkLdqUvcLzyCVjBbaEiDlY0WqUjiLsVPLXLJVWhHXpOYlfWZ-dH-1lX30TyI475rCWix-RFVgLLURCUJOxwAAaY/s1600/062710+durmstrang.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGq_6gZF7XP-GR9wU4s3xO5yDg4n0hchyphenhyphenh8gwGnp7ISXS1ZUn7whzgkLdqUvcLzyCVjBbaEiDlY0WqUjiLsVPLXLJVWhHXpOYlfWZ-dH-1lX30TyI475rCWix-RFVgLLURCUJOxwAAaY/s400/062710+durmstrang.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487562842524416546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Durmstrang</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBtvai6GEjSFRhnJD7xpRhwKJ0BogXZiCzsAKOivNu_q1OmC8ytcOOfMvUMvhg4oMOIrASnuabD83jbS2xuB7WwVu8QIoJLjhyHS6iQNlzvt-ybG3NNRkabpbH6x9R3cHBYJdV2RnjOI/s1600/062710+beaux+batons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBtvai6GEjSFRhnJD7xpRhwKJ0BogXZiCzsAKOivNu_q1OmC8ytcOOfMvUMvhg4oMOIrASnuabD83jbS2xuB7WwVu8QIoJLjhyHS6iQNlzvt-ybG3NNRkabpbH6x9R3cHBYJdV2RnjOI/s400/062710+beaux+batons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487564868195640514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beaux Batons</span><br /></div>We decided to forego the wettest of the rides the second day as we wanted to watch the US world cup match - OUCH!!!<br /><br />Anyways - no need to bore you with the rest of our rides, snacks, etc but suffice it to say that Universal and Island of Adventure are two seriously cool parks. We have FL resident annual passes so I see many return trips to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade in our future - whenever we need a HP or thrill fix!! At our new home in Aventura, we're 3 1/2 hours to Orlando and 3 1/2 hours to Key West - decisions, decisions, decisions...... Time for me to sign off as I have an overwhelming urge to re-read all the HP books - Sorcerer's Stone here I come!!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-68565606215697549562010-06-17T11:42:00.007-04:002010-06-17T12:22:23.826-04:00Aventura - Our New HomeI know, I know - a blog is seriously overdue!! We are safely ensconced in our new home at Turnberry Isle Marina - Gypsies is tied up in her cement dock cocoon and Bootsie is a very happy girl since the boat no longer rocks and rolls with the Biscayne Bay winds and chop. In fact we are so well protected that we barely move at all - while we miss some of that sea breeze which used to cool things off in Coco Grove, we do have the pool to cool off in here - point to Turnberry! We are fairly comfortable that we can ride out a hurricane if we have to - let's all hope and pray we don't have to!!!<br /><br />Life used to be so simple when we were cruising - at least we had it down pat after a couple years on the water. When we wanted to go somewhere, we just threw off the lines and went - no muss, no fuss. Not so anymore - when we wanted to leave Dinner Key Marina we had to figure out what to do with the new car (not just load the scooters on the boat which we had already figured out in KW but which is still a real pain!) - no now a car was involved! So after trying to figure out the public transportation situation between Aventura and Coconut Grove which we determined was abysmal (4 buses were necessary), we decided that Doug would single hand Gypsies while I got stuck motoring the car up to our new home. Doug has only cruised on Gypsies once without me and that was only across the Chesapeake Bay from Rock Hall to Baltimore (a pretty easy straight stretch) when I had flown to MA for a visit and Mother Nature had prevented our move of the boat while I was still there. Can I tell you how weird it was for me to throw off Gypsies' lines but stay on the dock??? I watched her cruise out of the marina and into Biscayne Bay until I couldn't see her any longer - despite knowing we'd be reunited in a couple hours, it was very strange - there was our home, with Doug and the Bootser, leaving me behind....way weird!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpW_eqsQWJWd_T41V22GWdRqQl32-5_HWI1ILy5ItpMYVPcu1MB9Q8JiBgZ0ck_aLSIlHmCf0C5mkROMzHXSCQwNqHNI4AkyXK00vR5Tg0GdyMeON9X4ZEO1z_8QuOeEtCfUDgLyVFxo/s1600/061610+d%27s+boat+trip+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpW_eqsQWJWd_T41V22GWdRqQl32-5_HWI1ILy5ItpMYVPcu1MB9Q8JiBgZ0ck_aLSIlHmCf0C5mkROMzHXSCQwNqHNI4AkyXK00vR5Tg0GdyMeON9X4ZEO1z_8QuOeEtCfUDgLyVFxo/s400/061610+d%27s+boat+trip+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772623384350066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug Took Gypsies Out the Port of Miami and Back in Bakers Haulover Inlet</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh46J55F49GhlhiBZcsq7kEK-T_s39c2HLC3PFQR_Bge0c8MrQiaVnYYeV2ASrtMclF8NU-Vl7uZBSJasgfau_-jqRU7TakPps2BB6Sg419kulBkwJwXjejs5goyU0Pp1LmIXrRg0EW8/s1600/061610+d%27s+boat+trip.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh46J55F49GhlhiBZcsq7kEK-T_s39c2HLC3PFQR_Bge0c8MrQiaVnYYeV2ASrtMclF8NU-Vl7uZBSJasgfau_-jqRU7TakPps2BB6Sg419kulBkwJwXjejs5goyU0Pp1LmIXrRg0EW8/s400/061610+d%27s+boat+trip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772069941781826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">It Was a Busy Day Out on the Water</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5ZYR4V63VNtS3aygHhg4IggGFkTs5EmFaR7waieoat7Nc3uY9cBnTK_8yasMNREgLhK62Ofe6vYXodC0GumZCO7-7JuJai2iRm-eaUKoTHHriWTXfWKvSy8_sLoC8kMrtiWRwjUTt70/s1600/061610+entrance+to+our+marina+on+icw.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5ZYR4V63VNtS3aygHhg4IggGFkTs5EmFaR7waieoat7Nc3uY9cBnTK_8yasMNREgLhK62Ofe6vYXodC0GumZCO7-7JuJai2iRm-eaUKoTHHriWTXfWKvSy8_sLoC8kMrtiWRwjUTt70/s400/061610+entrance+to+our+marina+on+icw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772041557702658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gypsies Approaches the Turn into Turnberry Isle Marina</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7AkhyphenhyphenMxR3FMJ0TX6p_tW6EP92elvBkzKxoB46b_oZaRXrBgZMr7VwWa_ntU6sB4_zM5oxhX68qdTyt6RFyNSdx1hfsMd3c2xKu4B334VWtDxUkUOfOFpWfE7jYLjrfOjnJZjPQ1sLh8/s1600/061610+our+marina+from+fuel+dock.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7AkhyphenhyphenMxR3FMJ0TX6p_tW6EP92elvBkzKxoB46b_oZaRXrBgZMr7VwWa_ntU6sB4_zM5oxhX68qdTyt6RFyNSdx1hfsMd3c2xKu4B334VWtDxUkUOfOFpWfE7jYLjrfOjnJZjPQ1sLh8/s400/061610+our+marina+from+fuel+dock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771131124553442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gypsies Approaches Her Slip</span><br /></div><br />Driving in traffic is something I definitely didn't miss while we were out cruising but just another thing we are having to get used to again in our return to the real world! After a 30 mile trip up the macadam highway (which took me 1/2 an hour but which took Gypsies several hours, time I spent lolling by the pool), I met up with Gypsies by jumping aboard at the fuel dock - with no current and not a lot of wind, Gypsies easily slid into her new home slip with the help of a great dock hand. I must say that all of the people here at Turnberry have been fantastic - incredibly welcoming, friendly, helpful and they know how to run a marina (how refreshing after our KW experience!!!)<br /><br />The past couple weeks we have spent acclimating ourselves to our new home - we have liberally taken advantage of the pool which is rarely inhabited by more than a couple people at a time and we have gotten our bearings by finding the local Home Depot, West Marine, the grocery stores, Walgreens, the library, the mall and most importantly good Chinese food!! And of course we have taken advantage of the beach club which is amazing - gorgeous long stretch of sandy beach with beach loungers, towels, umbrellas and crystal clear water that is actually warm enough to enjoy (much more like the Bahamas than Maine)!! Think we're going to like it here!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfDZq9Cwd5ur5bDx0OPXuOgJgDbLyE57BYe883Yc8Y_ZZOin-mheq1Z035YGo1zJMcv2TlNiBlKU0duPAs2RIjEpSRcxAUUppfOY1vBfKXmAaKZ29GCYCHQpxVmm4vEF0KZm4u6owQkU/s1600/061610+beach+view+from+our+lounge+chairs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfDZq9Cwd5ur5bDx0OPXuOgJgDbLyE57BYe883Yc8Y_ZZOin-mheq1Z035YGo1zJMcv2TlNiBlKU0duPAs2RIjEpSRcxAUUppfOY1vBfKXmAaKZ29GCYCHQpxVmm4vEF0KZm4u6owQkU/s400/061610+beach+view+from+our+lounge+chairs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772648829317714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Beach and Water View from Our Beach Chairs</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3wHsqpvdsKOFejLWZzqYYG0rgg5JvSWbdAAApSzpbBLeGvxEvOicyQupplM5lH2K0c3SP-_bOKbf1w7K2-wBiHrpITqIiTfPnYTZR-xS1-2XnyX84SGpD_AP37_4c-lSr4a-0Iou8Ms/s1600/061610+Beach+View.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3wHsqpvdsKOFejLWZzqYYG0rgg5JvSWbdAAApSzpbBLeGvxEvOicyQupplM5lH2K0c3SP-_bOKbf1w7K2-wBiHrpITqIiTfPnYTZR-xS1-2XnyX84SGpD_AP37_4c-lSr4a-0Iou8Ms/s400/061610+Beach+View.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772646635393698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Beach</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXI7bkaAO8aoPDqcFj9a6y_VzGg4LND1hqjek631qB0sJfOddgmo20Hk94OguToy6AWM1TYgZur9wanc5WPzJJzurA229uXkrhfc1eOg3tJSU8lJJ8WG8O3UAfz5nT-uMGVzSMTYrD39k/s1600/061610+doug+enjoying+a+beach+day.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXI7bkaAO8aoPDqcFj9a6y_VzGg4LND1hqjek631qB0sJfOddgmo20Hk94OguToy6AWM1TYgZur9wanc5WPzJJzurA229uXkrhfc1eOg3tJSU8lJJ8WG8O3UAfz5nT-uMGVzSMTYrD39k/s400/061610+doug+enjoying+a+beach+day.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772054701665938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug Relaxes on the Beach</span><br /></div>There is also a great 3 mile long exercise path that rings the golf course here - it is a wonderful spot for people watching as it sports bikers, walkers, runners and rollerbladers (we're getting ours out next visit to the pod for sure!) but also to see some fun wildlife. The same weird and ugly ducks that populate KW are up here - maybe it's FL that creates these mutant ducks!! But they sure do love the golf course - they are everywhere!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6g74uh9FPU-p0Ysc7Xp3nnS2gaxumxNHodYKpGawbnJBwpVU0rwEMGZD9czAq432hduSo28Qwcf5wOxDLRSAuUmevqGwZEerF2byTZLQFxQvmd-sQS2TT1469-yI8Mt-9U6tChTUT-U/s1600/061610+mutant+ducks.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6g74uh9FPU-p0Ysc7Xp3nnS2gaxumxNHodYKpGawbnJBwpVU0rwEMGZD9czAq432hduSo28Qwcf5wOxDLRSAuUmevqGwZEerF2byTZLQFxQvmd-sQS2TT1469-yI8Mt-9U6tChTUT-U/s400/061610+mutant+ducks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771139698608098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mutant Ducks</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8mViRg1WjGIjs4t8IVwSWTJuhA5jLcMwXzV_LGxspdHSdiDoIxwkLkdNJx0BObwRySFmiG99795VW7GQk9X5pf8AU6abGPr4fMDjhKAejsUc3e440pyWNk6TPhFysXMgtZpxapmCl0Q/s1600/061610+ducks+on+the+golf+course.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8mViRg1WjGIjs4t8IVwSWTJuhA5jLcMwXzV_LGxspdHSdiDoIxwkLkdNJx0BObwRySFmiG99795VW7GQk9X5pf8AU6abGPr4fMDjhKAejsUc3e440pyWNk6TPhFysXMgtZpxapmCl0Q/s400/061610+ducks+on+the+golf+course.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772050713075106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mutant Ducks Walk Across the Green</span><br /></div>The coolest sight on my first walk was a real live flamingo - not being from down here, I don't think I've ever seen a real one - way too many plastic ones in people's driveways or yards (what is up with that really??), but a real one - nope. Cross that off my list - they are very cool! Beautiful and graceful - even when cleaning themselves - check out the pics!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLeTIZId_fYIB8Ny5i306DSzMVEirXIecDdG_h_3DYKw22gQhl9dKmk5LS_blqANmykViRyGzkDO1p8_Pmmbpi-0uZGaqX-DrFQYjd1-GAj8rf13NTs1bcp2oDsVTlcC5wgbKNz3Ftms/s1600/061610+flamingo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLeTIZId_fYIB8Ny5i306DSzMVEirXIecDdG_h_3DYKw22gQhl9dKmk5LS_blqANmykViRyGzkDO1p8_Pmmbpi-0uZGaqX-DrFQYjd1-GAj8rf13NTs1bcp2oDsVTlcC5wgbKNz3Ftms/s400/061610+flamingo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771563091227922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLH-67c5gYypEsdamz_-CeHwWNR1ZaMOcvuMUNuTe6br7uIkc5EFbH7G4QPpcznEhwXoeuT2HVeImEjGKoP2QdOFnYqBkuzOZM45XP_S1UeetaCkDbiJLO5rtc9fgUKfgGy28iiP5RkU/s1600/061610+where%27s+her+head.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLH-67c5gYypEsdamz_-CeHwWNR1ZaMOcvuMUNuTe6br7uIkc5EFbH7G4QPpcznEhwXoeuT2HVeImEjGKoP2QdOFnYqBkuzOZM45XP_S1UeetaCkDbiJLO5rtc9fgUKfgGy28iiP5RkU/s400/061610+where%27s+her+head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771110132380594" border="0" /></a><br />Our second weekend here was our first road trip - yippee!! September Song was back from the Bahamas and in Fort Pierce. Did you really think we'd miss out on seeing Stephanie, Bob, Cassie and Godiva??? Guess the car isn't such a bad thing since we didn't have time to take Gypsies all the way up to Ft Pierce (going 7 knots when you have time constraints can be a problem! funny how it never was when we were cruising!) Anyways....we had a great reunion!! We were welcomed by Cassie and Godiva on the dock - big hugs all around! Their grand-daughter Brianne is traveling with them so we had the added bonus of being able to hang out with her as well. Drinks and apps up on the flybridge to try and catch up were followed by a great dinner of wings and coldies up at the tiki bar!!! Just like the old days!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYi6vuesdhq0oa5WCFWeMhstuDlxpXzbCZTCb23BHk2Mnh0AojE8C76QqXwWaDjA4VafBtS98xtRni67PmgXqz9CVBti9kILRwASeajmLUddm8muUnWJ7sI3Sc0CZOBCQAmRNt3w-tn0/s1600/061610+happy+hour+on+flybridge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYi6vuesdhq0oa5WCFWeMhstuDlxpXzbCZTCb23BHk2Mnh0AojE8C76QqXwWaDjA4VafBtS98xtRni67PmgXqz9CVBti9kILRwASeajmLUddm8muUnWJ7sI3Sc0CZOBCQAmRNt3w-tn0/s400/061610+happy+hour+on+flybridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771544116139602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cocktails and Apps on the Flybridge</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CYaWnjnLjFBwE-LHNsJWRMng3z9cqxF7neJRtQr-pBVNM3fRCRlodowVLebDrdqs6ZfF414AiXDWuQqNNKMcqPPPuYsNQHEC_0prCGE6q9O1-kp43e3ejWE9eXQjkYBa2Qc2yHPggZM/s1600/061610+the+gang+at+the+tiki+bar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CYaWnjnLjFBwE-LHNsJWRMng3z9cqxF7neJRtQr-pBVNM3fRCRlodowVLebDrdqs6ZfF414AiXDWuQqNNKMcqPPPuYsNQHEC_0prCGE6q9O1-kp43e3ejWE9eXQjkYBa2Qc2yHPggZM/s400/061610+the+gang+at+the+tiki+bar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771118991281058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner at the Tiki Bar</span><br /></div>The gang was all back together even if just for one night - have we always laughed like that - yup!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg279Pa6c3Qc_HX7VYeL2gWi_JcldgfN_qnWNFzlfK05UOsy-Fh6n1ztx2DfhB8v63ZH_DHjshom1H52ixv5kmLQifqqd92cH6Qoip1UQun6jQ7eWlWmQFmpJ7h6ZwMSta_r4XQ_QknSa0/s1600/061610+the+boys+laughing+it+up.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg279Pa6c3Qc_HX7VYeL2gWi_JcldgfN_qnWNFzlfK05UOsy-Fh6n1ztx2DfhB8v63ZH_DHjshom1H52ixv5kmLQifqqd92cH6Qoip1UQun6jQ7eWlWmQFmpJ7h6ZwMSta_r4XQ_QknSa0/s400/061610+the+boys+laughing+it+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771125566135250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">And We Laughed and Laughed...</span><br /></div>The next morning we woke up to the best farmers market ever - Bob was all but salivating at the thought of all the warm baked goodies awaiting him!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4mIrxfQJ_COqlxhaj0TGtO2233kpjWwhF0vUZyYVxBwKUAMgRBB-c1MaiF-AD0-9TdgBMMS_E47WlXqvyFGqW_9n6Hl0BW3jOjeV2Eoy48ZrNFFubbWMyljtFwYCM2cSjW7RGXXfX0w/s1600/061610+farmers+market.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4mIrxfQJ_COqlxhaj0TGtO2233kpjWwhF0vUZyYVxBwKUAMgRBB-c1MaiF-AD0-9TdgBMMS_E47WlXqvyFGqW_9n6Hl0BW3jOjeV2Eoy48ZrNFFubbWMyljtFwYCM2cSjW7RGXXfX0w/s400/061610+farmers+market.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771570754952786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Farmers Market</span><br /></div>Last summer when we cruised with SS we had discovered this same farmers market and had been dreaming about it - we weren't disappointed!! After scoping out all the offerings (and after Bob had scored his first chocolate something!),<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9nhnOpw9f_V6SrqxgBZuC352e4Qyi0Lw0pTjBZAJ6iQ46rWddnzRfBFlx78BnB1n1WqdV_bzF_tybF2TcKo_WbcMjArAoDZQ_Nogo3A5Z9h1eNNgZzV9cbyNmUmeaheoFonXb02Haaw/s1600/061610+bob%27s+chocolate+treat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9nhnOpw9f_V6SrqxgBZuC352e4Qyi0Lw0pTjBZAJ6iQ46rWddnzRfBFlx78BnB1n1WqdV_bzF_tybF2TcKo_WbcMjArAoDZQ_Nogo3A5Z9h1eNNgZzV9cbyNmUmeaheoFonXb02Haaw/s400/061610+bob%27s+chocolate+treat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772631975815634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob's First Chocolate Something!</span><br /></div>we munched on breakfast while the sun shone brightly and the band played its Latin rhythms. Life is good! The farmers market is always a great place for people watching (or in this case dog watching - is that really a dog or is it a pony??)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8HeOqhVB-8qliirOvPfWT1WTxAcps_xndYcoaSE0VDeKC3baOqJPiwPIgSdRYH1wuUoHoKdaMktzJ3v_lCtVPPyIplhBO8zloUDV073pz4Wn3LyM2u3vFubSLRRm23MkqJDy8TECvw0/s1600/061610+dog:horse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8HeOqhVB-8qliirOvPfWT1WTxAcps_xndYcoaSE0VDeKC3baOqJPiwPIgSdRYH1wuUoHoKdaMktzJ3v_lCtVPPyIplhBO8zloUDV073pz4Wn3LyM2u3vFubSLRRm23MkqJDy8TECvw0/s400/061610+dog:horse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772066374863122" border="0" /></a>and the vendors all have such a sense of humor - witness a few of these signs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsEke9hgAy7SvumflWUwDpsUtyp9tAx2tB0yJysFY5cni6a4Oou1GKr18Pu2ITq_Dl8h_uGahZ-ItW1VFWykAG0IMKsfXPgecNMIlwergPhusikoKXwZNxaBOr3x3xrTNfHxLuvbZz7k/s1600/061610+funny+sign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsEke9hgAy7SvumflWUwDpsUtyp9tAx2tB0yJysFY5cni6a4Oou1GKr18Pu2ITq_Dl8h_uGahZ-ItW1VFWykAG0IMKsfXPgecNMIlwergPhusikoKXwZNxaBOr3x3xrTNfHxLuvbZz7k/s400/061610+funny+sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771558835964946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyzc0nl00_fPB70-Iu7p8Xv72UzIMqiEr7KEDPOrGjEm1-RBUZgBroj0rl91ixiCAhFnmM22cnpNWQJ6fcQa3mQvB6ywf88dV3uvIthcYWIsIgIMCCVS80QYrH_D3_93o1vRNWoGUIlc/s1600/061610+more+humor+.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyzc0nl00_fPB70-Iu7p8Xv72UzIMqiEr7KEDPOrGjEm1-RBUZgBroj0rl91ixiCAhFnmM22cnpNWQJ6fcQa3mQvB6ywf88dV3uvIthcYWIsIgIMCCVS80QYrH_D3_93o1vRNWoGUIlc/s400/061610+more+humor+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483771534750814722" border="0" /></a><br />Next it was on for a quick provisioning trip - although cruisers are pretty self reliant and walk with backpacks to get most things, when a car is available, you take advantage of it!!! Even provisioning can be fun when you're with friends!! We hung out for awhile up on the flybridge because none of us wanted to say goodbye again - way too short of a visit!!! From the flybridge we had a great view of the boats coming in and out of the marina - it was Saturday so we saw boats with palm trees,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbgtSyxhxMg4B36_6wKVtErkVCbhjXqdxTOaKeKSrw8zBgioSwWQM_sVVIe7vFnZ4JY0ZciIiTYsaujo47thO67NYSUvZNZhYNg9FZnPf435sYIVwFVSATcsqJlRJ2wiZzkNA5Z0Pk3c/s1600/061610+boat+humor.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbgtSyxhxMg4B36_6wKVtErkVCbhjXqdxTOaKeKSrw8zBgioSwWQM_sVVIe7vFnZ4JY0ZciIiTYsaujo47thO67NYSUvZNZhYNg9FZnPf435sYIVwFVSATcsqJlRJ2wiZzkNA5Z0Pk3c/s400/061610+boat+humor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483772635695528002" border="0" /></a>boats filled with grass skirted, coconut bra wearing parrotheads (no not us) and fishing charters filled with wanna be anglers!! But too soon we had to trek home to feed the Bootser - when you get to be a 24 year old cat, you deserve to be waited on and even spoiled and September Song was leaving the next morning for points north!! Before saying goodbye, we all promised to figure out a reunion sometime this summer halfway between Aventura and Georgia where Bob and Steph will be - whenever and wherever it is, it will be fun - you can count on that! Thanks guys for such a great time .... as always!!!<br /><br />Back on the home front, Doug and I have both been busy networking our you know what's off - Doug in his new role at Tatum and me to get my butt back to work. Once you make the decision to head back to work, you want to just jump right back in - unfortunately it doesn't happen like that but hopefully something will shake out. A really fun part about the past week has been re-connecting with so many old friends and clients - the best email I got to a linked in connection request was "holy *#@! - where the hell are you?" WE'RE BAAAAACK........M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-63804358007840123642010-06-04T14:42:00.005-04:002010-06-04T20:47:17.072-04:00On the Road Again.....I just got back from a great visit to see friends and family back in MA and ME - what a whirlwind!!! While Doug and the Bootser "batched it" on Gypsies for 6 days, I had the pleasure of flying (I had forgotten how much fun that is in today's day and age - NOT) and then circling New England in a rental car. But along the way I found out how cool it is to reconnect to family and friends after not seeing them for a long time - it's one thing to email, facebook and occasionally telephone but it's a whole other thing and so much cooler to sit with a beer or a glass of wine and really catch up face to face!!!!<br /><br />I spent lots of time with my cousins and my 78 year old Aunt Peg who can still whack a whiffle ball out of the park and pitches a mean slider - sorry I thought I had taken pictures of her swinging for the fences with my iphone which I just got, but obvious operator error has prevented me from sharing those pictures (in fact it prevented me from actually taking them - seems I pushed the wrong button - OK Peggy, go ahead and laugh!) She's my idol - at the gym every day working out, watching movies with us 'til midnight, laughing hysterically about my stories of drag queens and other oddities of Key West, telling tales about her 60th high school reunion and did I mention that swing!!! I won't bore everyone with all the family details but it was amazing to see everyone - and man I can't believe how much all the kids have grown!!!<br /><br />After a not so quick stop in at my old firm for hellos and lunch with my assistant Peggy (is it really true that many of my fellow attorneys have not moved from their desks in two years????) it was on to visit friends from ME. Congrats Kim on everything - the house, James who had just been born before we left and who now is a "terrible twoer" and one of the cutest guys ever!! Then up to Maine where I had a chance to catch up with lots of friends - love to see all of you in FL this winter!!!! Thanks for a great dinner date John - at least Francesca will know the rumors are just about me!!! As I drove along the beaches and coastline of ME it struck me how beautiful it is and how lucky we are to have once lived there and called it home - Maine will always have a huge part of my heart even if we never go back there to live - just not sure we could handle the winters up there again!!! But as I drove by, I had this irresistible need to get out and walk the beaches with my feet in the sand - it's not like FL or the Bahamas or any of the other places we've been - Maine is quintessentially it's own place with rocky outcrops breaking up the long expanses of hard sand, cooled by the frigid water (did I mention I had seriously forgotten how cold that water is!!!!) And yet when I went to the beach the next day with my cousin Melissa and her kids, I watched aghast as Brigit and Mac dove right in and only came out at the end of the day when they were red as lobsters!! I could barely get my feet in the water and yet I had once gone swimming in ME in March - WOW I've become a wimp!!! But seriously that water is unbelievable - my toes were numb within seconds!!!<br /><br />From ME it was back to my cousin Chris and his beautiful fiance Carolina's house for a Memorial Day bash with Aunt Peg and my all grown up nephew Drew - and then on to see my niece Samantha (and her son Rocco and husband Steve) and my nephew Wyatt the next day. What amazing kids - I am so proud of how they have all grown up!!! And Rocco is the bomb - a happy, adorable, head-strong, all boy, one year old who's going to give mom and dad an interesting trip shall we say!!! I love you guys!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_16ZS0rD24BG8NplFbtHcgfeT-WESVHM2UO7w8x4TlCGTTW_qK4ABAXfpV_5ldj6WlJpE9vnfhGtLm3srM2EqvHmUWaSeqpX-EN3ou9vL-tdKpECE3GyXIePVcaVQ453WE89uzK6V5k/s1600/060310+the+gang+at+kristys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_16ZS0rD24BG8NplFbtHcgfeT-WESVHM2UO7w8x4TlCGTTW_qK4ABAXfpV_5ldj6WlJpE9vnfhGtLm3srM2EqvHmUWaSeqpX-EN3ou9vL-tdKpECE3GyXIePVcaVQ453WE89uzK6V5k/s400/060310+the+gang+at+kristys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991838057858658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Wyatt and his mom, Kristy, and Sam, Steve and Rocco</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBbk_ZJ6WCyjCyVQDQ8_z5eqVNf98LJ5SsYlGMRJjG9l9CYZv0GfY7V3sTdRMsVhOJQ6BYwiaHKgKyEzIwbFA_jzxOxeJ-I3VBqMaduqFjn_FL83xm0uwDUf5L8KYB6OBQVItJ0zvzGc/s1600/060310+sam+and+rocco.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBbk_ZJ6WCyjCyVQDQ8_z5eqVNf98LJ5SsYlGMRJjG9l9CYZv0GfY7V3sTdRMsVhOJQ6BYwiaHKgKyEzIwbFA_jzxOxeJ-I3VBqMaduqFjn_FL83xm0uwDUf5L8KYB6OBQVItJ0zvzGc/s400/060310+sam+and+rocco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991420909238242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sam and Rocco</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRH3a5FC4bWvDHN-V8B-OpU0WelNPsISzeLIlBUxNpOQklMVPj7qrQsZR2u11uCc48ZeU5dz8zxUnqL2gYwo6thtQACi2ErZfWZbTAlWXZzO1OULQg97EKMJpQxyw0qepZi1efWyKm9k/s1600/060310+steve+and+rocco.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRH3a5FC4bWvDHN-V8B-OpU0WelNPsISzeLIlBUxNpOQklMVPj7qrQsZR2u11uCc48ZeU5dz8zxUnqL2gYwo6thtQACi2ErZfWZbTAlWXZzO1OULQg97EKMJpQxyw0qepZi1efWyKm9k/s400/060310+steve+and+rocco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991834873480290" border="0" /></a>Steve and Rocco as Wyatt's Dog Bailey Looks On<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeO34sO9NC5D79pdYtc3N_wTJiM-u0q3EUhjVvo3zcCO3wJhD1h9oqWiolufsTm8YRrOM_-YL46S8ppd6zE53YMfw77XnonlpQgR_GOdRSsr5G1PnuDU1MCcEBGsxEPNTIPQWq-3ZMPg/s1600/060310+sam+and+rocco+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeO34sO9NC5D79pdYtc3N_wTJiM-u0q3EUhjVvo3zcCO3wJhD1h9oqWiolufsTm8YRrOM_-YL46S8ppd6zE53YMfw77XnonlpQgR_GOdRSsr5G1PnuDU1MCcEBGsxEPNTIPQWq-3ZMPg/s400/060310+sam+and+rocco+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991412028798178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sam and Rocco with the Presents Aunt Tammy Brought</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9xcwRnbWNFeNy_Qsbr-dpkCI_b-UThqAfmYSV3bi5K1xLOfXljPh07aehBRFZaJgw3ZzjSDpR8FtnQ5WAnccdbSQ45PbmgqTW8Tv2B7rtzqwO1pnEpZD131NmVAv2sahQSYitm0WOsI/s1600/060310+wyatt+and+rocco.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9xcwRnbWNFeNy_Qsbr-dpkCI_b-UThqAfmYSV3bi5K1xLOfXljPh07aehBRFZaJgw3ZzjSDpR8FtnQ5WAnccdbSQ45PbmgqTW8Tv2B7rtzqwO1pnEpZD131NmVAv2sahQSYitm0WOsI/s400/060310+wyatt+and+rocco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991846090446770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Wyatt Plays with Rocco as Steve Looks On</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSV55AciPYcl_Ak0gAm4-uB6Vfbhoz5y-0kCEMUu2zSpT2MuOjymfV-ngHDAebKaJabunw3_t9rECzSdiroPfKcnfeLHLbKzEKK3oqS2zq1hBYT0RbDLXMy2vzghpxyWFmp-goU3RAAC8/s1600/060310+cigar+smoking+rocco.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSV55AciPYcl_Ak0gAm4-uB6Vfbhoz5y-0kCEMUu2zSpT2MuOjymfV-ngHDAebKaJabunw3_t9rECzSdiroPfKcnfeLHLbKzEKK3oqS2zq1hBYT0RbDLXMy2vzghpxyWFmp-goU3RAAC8/s400/060310+cigar+smoking+rocco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478991406272948370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rocco "Smokes" One of His Lincoln Logs</span><br /></div><br />Thanks to everyone who let this wandering gypsy crash at their house, fed her wonderful food and wine, spent time swapping stories and catching up and made her trip so great - we'd love to repay the hospitality if you all ever get a chance to come to FL!!!! Due to my above mentioned operator error, I don't have too many pictures to share with everyone - I think I was too busy enjoying all that northern hospitality!!!<br /><br />Finally it was time to head back to the boat which I fully realize now is home - the trip back to New England was to see friends and family, but the trip south was to go home!!! Gypsies, Doug and Bootser are very much my home now - it's just that our home can move. And move it will be doing this weekend - we have decided to leave Coconut Grove for ports north, or at least one port north - our new home for at least the next four months and if the job situations work out, it may be for longer than that. Doug scoped it out while I was gone, and then we visited it yesterday - two thumbs up!! We will leave tomorrow morning for the 30 mile trip up to Turnberry Isle Marina Yacht Club in Aventura, FL (on the ICW between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale) - it is an awesome place although there are always trade-offs. Unlike Coconut Grove, it is not a funky little community with lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance, but it makes up for that in lots of ways. We can use our scooters to get around and we're talking free wifi, cable and water at the dock (so we'll be able to actually watch the Celtics recover and come back to stomp on the Lakers!!!); a pool, cool cafe poolside, tennis courts and a golf course on site; a complimentary shuttle service that brings you to the Aventura Mall which is enormous and has lots of restaurants and movie theaters (so when the next two Harry Potter movies come out, we won't have to be frantically scouring the countryside looking for a place to see them!!) or alternatively to the Fairmount Turnberry Isle Resort (where we have reciprocal privileges) or the private Turnberry Ocean Club (can you say private beach club right on this gorgeous stretch of ocean - think private pool, cabanas, beach bar and did I mention gorgeous beach!!!!!!) OK that just about sold me - for any of you that don't know me or have never met the sun pig, I really really really like the beach!!! Moreover, it is a wonderful hurricane hole and the marina is very well built for hurricane protection with all cement docks with finger piers on either side of each boat slip, lots of heavy duty cleats, the entrance to the marina is at least 4 1/2 miles from the nearest inlet (Bakers Haulover in Miami - for our cruising buddies we're also about 8-9 sm south of Port Everglades) so surge is unlikely to be a problem and the marina is entirely surrounded by mangroves and buildings supposedly built to withstand even a bad hurricane. I have to admit this was huge - where we are now in Coconut Grove is very exposed and we've been rocking and rolling even with the 20 knots of wind we've had and with the prediction of a bad hurricane season, that was seriously on our minds!!! Turnberry Isle actually sells "hurricane leases" for boats that want to come into the marina to weather an approaching storm!!! It's not foolproof I'm sure, but it sure will give us some peace of mind - and did I mention they have a pool and a private beach club????? We're a little farther from the Keys but heck we used to go down there from Maine and we're still a lot closer than that - and we're still only about 60 miles from Bimini so on long weekends or vacations, we'll be steaming Gypsies to the Bahamas - mon!!!! Now that's seriously cool!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-1461719791673838772010-05-26T21:10:00.008-04:002010-05-27T10:27:02.271-04:00News from the GroveSo what have we been up to these first few weeks in Coconut Grove you may be asking - lots of scoping out the neighborhood trying to get a feel for our new hood (let me help you, it's WAY different than KW) and lots of drying out the liver that was sorely tested those five months in Key West let alone the two years of cruising!!! We also have been trying to get back into shape (did I mention those 5 months in KW??) We joined a gym within walking distance of the marina and believe it or not have been there almost every morning - in fact when we signed up, we each got 3 personal training sessions and I had my second one yesterday. Needless to say, today I can barely walk let alone squat or even move and my shoulders are so hunched over from the thousands of arm, shoulder and chest exercises that I resemble an ugly quasimodo - I am convinced that Yvonne (that evil woman who claims to have my best interests at heart and has the nerve to call herself a personal trainer) lies awake at night devising one scheme after another solely to torture me and then she has a way of smiling during my agony while claiming her exercise was too easy so maybe we'll just "modify it a bit so I burn a little bit more..." Well it's burning so much I'm in hell....probably for a lot of reasons....so enough already!! Actually she's great - a total KW, diving, water sports lover who in another life if she wasn't my demented torturer I'm sure I'd be hanging with having drinks!! and besides, tomorrow she is Doug's vehicle of torture - I don't have to see her until next Thursday!!!<br /><br />Have I mentioned yet that we miss the Keys - especially all our friends from the dock (our ghetto buds) and in town as well as the live music. We were going through Keys and music withdrawal the other day, so we hopped in our little car (having not had one for 2 years, that still sounds so weird - but for all our cruising buddies passing through Miami - we have a car and can take you to provision - hint hint!!!) and you guessed it, headed to the Keys!! From Coconut Grove we are about an hour from Key Largo where it just so happened our friends Scott Kirby and Country Dave were playing at Snappers - yahoo!!!! A friend and music fix all at once!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8qCcyWX2ZLi0Avpd5FX0XV1SIlmh8r0ACwixcYjAClRrDbj78guquZrB1c8lOmuXBlE36qMJZKmBNN3ZTbz5gjuaVfzksV7aZI4L8usqCZBkcSO0UKPB7HhXQau4HtE06xQ8U6MYsNw/s1600/052610+scott+adn+dave+at+snappers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8qCcyWX2ZLi0Avpd5FX0XV1SIlmh8r0ACwixcYjAClRrDbj78guquZrB1c8lOmuXBlE36qMJZKmBNN3ZTbz5gjuaVfzksV7aZI4L8usqCZBkcSO0UKPB7HhXQau4HtE06xQ8U6MYsNw/s400/052610+scott+adn+dave+at+snappers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475941265084492914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott and Dave Playing at Snapper's</span><br /></div>Those guys were awesome as always - we got to hang outside on the water with Scott's wife Michelle, abuse our livers again and listen to great music - definitely needed!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre8jvgZ3Kby1NvgSuh94ZUZOqsccu-Gy2vvwe9u65gK9NyA26f4Cdw5pMilBo6ltbu8qCsG8PEdYSmqMpVUlHMImA_bYCEyxNh6SVUwRhb-285hLumi9EQl0K8lUm6wRsGA9-_7WZD0Y/s1600/052610+snappers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre8jvgZ3Kby1NvgSuh94ZUZOqsccu-Gy2vvwe9u65gK9NyA26f4Cdw5pMilBo6ltbu8qCsG8PEdYSmqMpVUlHMImA_bYCEyxNh6SVUwRhb-285hLumi9EQl0K8lUm6wRsGA9-_7WZD0Y/s400/052610+snappers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475941256083569346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">It Was a Windy Night at Snapper's</span><br /></div>Scott and Dave unfortunately head out soon to tour the country for the summer so we'll miss seeing them for awhile - we're already hearing from our Chesapeake Bay buddies to see if we're coming to all his shows up there this summer. Sorry guys - we'll be there in spirit though - hoist a coldie or two for us!!!<br /><br />Speaking of friends, I had a visit from one of my bestest high school buddies the other day - Margaret Arpano Hogue - who was in town on vacation. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLdAWoVzqNvOqYoHtvQeaLADm7xJHhTuXZetohdF_t-O472_O_tu0S_grzivlEdq11h_DpdMtBB86wEGbl3ZnLJASl_LM7_Nf91uRFs41uMugKLYU0BcI1bhC16IoUQpl_WYyrTyGz7k/s1600/052610+tam+and+marg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLdAWoVzqNvOqYoHtvQeaLADm7xJHhTuXZetohdF_t-O472_O_tu0S_grzivlEdq11h_DpdMtBB86wEGbl3ZnLJASl_LM7_Nf91uRFs41uMugKLYU0BcI1bhC16IoUQpl_WYyrTyGz7k/s400/052610+tam+and+marg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475751758620278482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy and Margaret</span><br /></div>You know how there are just some friends that you have that you can go a year or two without seeing and you just pick right up where you left off??? Well Marg is that kind of friend - man did we laugh (although I could have done without her telling some of our old high school stories to Doug - after all he did meet me as a very serious, uptight attorney........ok maybe the last two years have dispelled that notion!!!) What, didn't everyone drive around in an old woodie station wagon with a flip up bar in the third seat or use a friend's grandmother's lake camp as party central where we slept in inner tubes, ate spam sandwiches and brushed our teeth with beer??? No - then I think you missed out on some good times in high school!!! Great to see you Marg - ya know you could work down here in the sun!!!!<br /><br />[Note from Doug] I did meet Tammy as an attorney but she was NEVER a "serious, uptight attorney". She was a great attorney, just never serious and uptight. If she had been, would I have married her? Now I ask you!<br /><br />Bootsie is still loving life on the boat - she is adjusting to life in the Grove just fine although she doesn't much like when Dad has to go off to work. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc67x9-11gB9Zim0KsbfAtOcCDdlUQmyukeKZ5mFAI5i9djnJjRKI-wV582NCAu9wQfLb31Xz-paOAS573MoRxELySWNg8Fr1ANofRjV69fIt56hJ3hNDHi3GankN-SXAxSPHiymQXZE/s1600/052610+bootser+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc67x9-11gB9Zim0KsbfAtOcCDdlUQmyukeKZ5mFAI5i9djnJjRKI-wV582NCAu9wQfLb31Xz-paOAS573MoRxELySWNg8Fr1ANofRjV69fIt56hJ3hNDHi3GankN-SXAxSPHiymQXZE/s400/052610+bootser+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475942784845207602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bootsie Enjoying Life in the Grove</span><br /></div>I keep telling her that he's only doing it to keep her in the style to which she's become accustomed which seems to placate her somewhat although she's going to be pretty mad at me tomorrow when I leave to head back to MA/ME to see family and friends for a week. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFJf0IL4rEVzlTGPFKrfRqAP45Ucwzo3nx7s0r5146TwR9nZK_ladDsc77rGO8xMMNjx7nOOWv5amr1m5EMyFiWKPCwckACWRWrT6jXnPA8cXa3ofjBiOXQ1Mvd98rq8z9up64wW-OkQ/s1600/052610+mad+bootser.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFJf0IL4rEVzlTGPFKrfRqAP45Ucwzo3nx7s0r5146TwR9nZK_ladDsc77rGO8xMMNjx7nOOWv5amr1m5EMyFiWKPCwckACWRWrT6jXnPA8cXa3ofjBiOXQ1Mvd98rq8z9up64wW-OkQ/s400/052610+mad+bootser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475941272494460674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bootsie is Not Happy that Mom's Gone for Six Days</span><br /></div>Doug just got back from his first business trip to Dallas (what a culture shock after two years on the boat and no plane travel!!!!) so he will keep the Bootser company and be her slave (heh at almost 24 years old she deserves lots of TLC!!!) While Doug is doing lots of business development stuff, I just recently started the whole job search - can I just say YUCK!!!! I had to wear a suit AND heels yesterday - yes I know Doug's been doing it for a couple weeks but this is me we're talking about!!!! and did I mention I was in HEELS - what sadistic pr_ck invented those???? But gotta do it I suppose - God I hate navy blue........<br /><br />We finally got out the other day to explore the Grove a little - yes we've hit Moe's, Flanagans and the Sandbar for happy hour and to watch Celtics games since we don't have cable on the boat and yes they were fun, but this is seriously not KW!!!! I've not seen anyone in drag, nor have I seen Spiderman or the Rabbit from Monty Python sitting in the street playing guitar, there are no X-rated bed races or dogs sitting at the bars drinking beer, not even any girls showing us their tattoos where they shouldn't be in front of the web cams (miss you Ron!!!) or guys with ponytails for gosh sake!!! No parrots sitting on shoulders or drag queens passing around joints, no $1 pork sliders or $0.50 oysters!!! It's an artist community up here they tell us and there are funky statues all over the place but there's no live music!!!! I know, I'm sounding like a broken record, but there's really none!!! Give me a break - I'm still trying to adapt to this you need to work for a living thing again!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bPUj50PN4bDguHv2kC9HI-O0eq0Pw6qGFTg-WpWe6sAmNUFKA8Qaa9sTmTpFiq4zxNEoCACDI3RtGjwvyeik8CEAZX13QCkTgbGrP5LU-Xx9nw4WTUy7EwDDiQSXZS9mEouOvdSl26o/s1600/052610+color+in+the+grove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bPUj50PN4bDguHv2kC9HI-O0eq0Pw6qGFTg-WpWe6sAmNUFKA8Qaa9sTmTpFiq4zxNEoCACDI3RtGjwvyeik8CEAZX13QCkTgbGrP5LU-Xx9nw4WTUy7EwDDiQSXZS9mEouOvdSl26o/s400/052610+color+in+the+grove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475941290555707170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Color in the Grove</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvv3XyVKW2yeAr8IBlM9fM8-KvWP_Z-fyqTWiPexOWbk1IdBxbpjEu93kOXAUQ64PrO57Onf1djB34S93a5GVf8tWzRCIiHrngGqds_8wwoZYASIuDl17KOOv7kQqOSpKGkgjNBkgIt3o/s1600/052610+houses+in+the+grove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvv3XyVKW2yeAr8IBlM9fM8-KvWP_Z-fyqTWiPexOWbk1IdBxbpjEu93kOXAUQ64PrO57Onf1djB34S93a5GVf8tWzRCIiHrngGqds_8wwoZYASIuDl17KOOv7kQqOSpKGkgjNBkgIt3o/s400/052610+houses+in+the+grove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475941283889181874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Interesting Architecture in the Grove</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ95ABGW2GMzfWAqtyHWMijm3sb6cZ4heoshzaZ4i6JXkgvIpGg1rS8y3xno9zFS7J0iV9kjKbqbforhQlb0DqgU-Zs2wRXXemu_UpqaQr8cmNYqNTafdC3IAMMWvggUyEwFRcpKkk9UI/s1600/052610+statue+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ95ABGW2GMzfWAqtyHWMijm3sb6cZ4heoshzaZ4i6JXkgvIpGg1rS8y3xno9zFS7J0iV9kjKbqbforhQlb0DqgU-Zs2wRXXemu_UpqaQr8cmNYqNTafdC3IAMMWvggUyEwFRcpKkk9UI/s400/052610+statue+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475751774326327202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Statues in the Grove</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWMeCh7rVecGg8Abk0XUycn8TWBunATClR12F7S06z4HFvPnZWgNtiFo-lRQOQ4b6A9Vi7jlKF1gtYwzgjzh9Z4mQDmUzboYdtyX3Tvwg3JOkc4trqrZYy4XaXijpDsf4mHdQ-0kCa7g/s1600/052610+statue+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWMeCh7rVecGg8Abk0XUycn8TWBunATClR12F7S06z4HFvPnZWgNtiFo-lRQOQ4b6A9Vi7jlKF1gtYwzgjzh9Z4mQDmUzboYdtyX3Tvwg3JOkc4trqrZYy4XaXijpDsf4mHdQ-0kCa7g/s400/052610+statue+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475751767425110306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cool Benches in the Local Park</span><br /></div><br />One thing they do have here though are some really cool birds (I'm trying!!) - they hang out on the local working boats early in the morning so we see them when we walk over to the gym. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoegDHX7y1TiWLlDwzKZ_rETTi6bzyM2pAPKFTzqzsDUmcTMcdy4mWDABx2AD3Xz3KEQn9-pjvbRM0CA-ezO69m3Ondzfz-i7ZY0QDZ1wxprjC0kSsqDyCwL0UxDPrDUw8LgRZI68cpI/s1600/052610+work+boats.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoegDHX7y1TiWLlDwzKZ_rETTi6bzyM2pAPKFTzqzsDUmcTMcdy4mWDABx2AD3Xz3KEQn9-pjvbRM0CA-ezO69m3Ondzfz-i7ZY0QDZ1wxprjC0kSsqDyCwL0UxDPrDUw8LgRZI68cpI/s400/052610+work+boats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475751740045889378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Working Boats of the Grove</span><br /></div>We went for a long walk trying to find a cool breakfast joint the other morning (it was closed...) and got some great shots. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnxljbMnJPswlSjhGXYWfko1YZIwGfBhC9wwumqMAss8HeDZUkSOqJLxYToxAEFheHkIUNnNIsagWfHEkaRUoDaD9I9S5xpL0MEuXvkR3uot7gWMxIpg1tCroyAkq0J0yr7Uy_AIviK8/s1600/052610+bird+gotcha+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnxljbMnJPswlSjhGXYWfko1YZIwGfBhC9wwumqMAss8HeDZUkSOqJLxYToxAEFheHkIUNnNIsagWfHEkaRUoDaD9I9S5xpL0MEuXvkR3uot7gWMxIpg1tCroyAkq0J0yr7Uy_AIviK8/s400/052610+bird+gotcha+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475942810082423346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N3BpaHznar2l3FsPtWOi0WZJ4qXRn_Z2cy5pda8vVysNQRqQjF5pfso_gAf7IHZjoDj-oc3skitAngoC2NV8YXzE2720BklCz20owi3uqQKNLOyalb1ps029sm836nANviubqjb7ALA/s1600/052610+birds+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N3BpaHznar2l3FsPtWOi0WZJ4qXRn_Z2cy5pda8vVysNQRqQjF5pfso_gAf7IHZjoDj-oc3skitAngoC2NV8YXzE2720BklCz20owi3uqQKNLOyalb1ps029sm836nANviubqjb7ALA/s400/052610+birds+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475942804225390210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzBT1hz7y76A4pF4WnEH1kXi1XLECLSJ4Cyd_Rne9LuBGeRJi5EBGE0fiTuFA0xtu_SZy-Dy_cH7T3_zZOFEqx0QSMwFQJBszcNmFeNQvPTs9C9yi4ld5a2Ee1uNiicz2MBlfRwBSsZM/s1600/052610+birds+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzBT1hz7y76A4pF4WnEH1kXi1XLECLSJ4Cyd_Rne9LuBGeRJi5EBGE0fiTuFA0xtu_SZy-Dy_cH7T3_zZOFEqx0QSMwFQJBszcNmFeNQvPTs9C9yi4ld5a2Ee1uNiicz2MBlfRwBSsZM/s400/052610+birds+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475942799899731698" border="0" /></a>We wound up walking through some neat residential areas before finding that one of our favorite new haunts the Sandbar serves a really kick butt breakfast - you know the sad part about it was that all I could see around my carne asada steak eggs benedict was the evil face of Yvonne telling me she was going to make me pay and pay and pay.....nobody did that in KW!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ9HMquDFdd6sngWjrErTOYq82FV5TWuzJ-WiQ6jIfm5Kk2YCWup3XD89NyHqgQHi3aT1avOpUn3Cye_7nzFSmbzDy9QqgoFbSTcFhyY-PGqhTYw4eiNaYpu2mrkHPhC98BGjQpmL890/s1600/052610+breakfast+at+sandbar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ9HMquDFdd6sngWjrErTOYq82FV5TWuzJ-WiQ6jIfm5Kk2YCWup3XD89NyHqgQHi3aT1avOpUn3Cye_7nzFSmbzDy9QqgoFbSTcFhyY-PGqhTYw4eiNaYpu2mrkHPhC98BGjQpmL890/s400/052610+breakfast+at+sandbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475942776780277698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">...When Have You Seen Doug Drinking Coffee in a Bar?</span><br /></div><br />The other thing we did was go through all the stuff we had put in storage before we left two years ago since we needed business clothes and shoes, etc....that was a fun day let me tell you (it was the day after my, and the day of Doug's, first torture session with Yvonne!!) There's nothing better than unloading a POD full of boxes that were packed in haste in 90+ degree heat with the blazing sun beating down on you trying to find that elusive pair of blue shoes (never found them) or those silk dress shirts (not them either) but we did manage to find enough to make us look presentable (well...don't say anything!) Once we got back to the boat, the only question was what do we do with it all - clothes, shoes, ties, belts, OH MY!!! Doug to the rescue - he turned the front cabin into a walk in closet - kind of - but it's a boat so getting dressed for work in the morning is as much a project as anything else on a boat!! The joys of boat living - wouldn't trade it for the world!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu3Rxt8IWK_F2S9YxEmJtUmDs6_GNF8gihjSRsc3O07lFmstzCBa_hjK-WZNbl6pLjai37n2IP7M0HanNot1YVRXPovnods_l_3OjofDbeITisXQyzowhn2SzTd3zTHUTiCFVxoNdCyQ/s1600/052610+what+do+we+do+with+all+this+stuff%3F.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu3Rxt8IWK_F2S9YxEmJtUmDs6_GNF8gihjSRsc3O07lFmstzCBa_hjK-WZNbl6pLjai37n2IP7M0HanNot1YVRXPovnods_l_3OjofDbeITisXQyzowhn2SzTd3zTHUTiCFVxoNdCyQ/s400/052610+what+do+we+do+with+all+this+stuff%3F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475751752040751010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Now Where are We Going to Put All These Clothes?</span><br /></div><br />Think that about catches you up for the moment - we probably won't blog quite as often as we used to but we will make sure you know what is going on with us and where we end up!! We're thinking of moving to a marina a little farther north as soon as I get back into town - in the West Palm Beach area which will be closer to Doug's office and clients and has cable (can you tell I'm a little sick of watching the Celtics on an internet gamecast!!! Boy did I get spoiled in KW - think I became a dock b_tch - I never missed a TV for the two years we were cruising - what has happened to me???) Keep your fingers crossed for us - just read that this year's hurricane season is supposed to be ugly!!!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-90573354878456198622010-05-10T11:00:00.009-04:002010-05-10T12:23:53.714-04:00New Adventures in Coconut GroveWell if you read Doug's blog yesterday, you know we made it to our new "temporary/permanent - who knows" home at the Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove on Saturday and we've had one whole day to get acclimated before Doug had to start work today (although he doesn't have an office so right now we are both on our computers sitting at the helm station table). The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy - in fact we had expected to still be in Key West until the end of this week but as cruisers we know that plans often change. The Key West Harbor Yacht Club where we had been staying tried to milk us for another month's rent despite the fact that that wasn't our deal so we said see ya - one of the great things about having a boat is being able to pack up and move instead of taking anyone's sh_t!!! After all the crap we put up with at that marina all winter - unbelievable!!! But that's OK, cruisers also have long memories and a long reach through all the cruiser associations (hint hint)!!!<br /><br />Anyways, despite the marina issues we had a great last week in KW enjoying the rest of the Songwriters Festival and hanging with all of our friends. Drinks out on the sunset pier with new musicians to hear,<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibRlF_bVHKroJTDcXaNFvaHu_wpgHrvgSfa-PZRnbBGTYodrCsEOcVaDsgP4Vvh3g-mqvTHwpRt2g-xZwFZsmIwEhsROCerKG8nK0Kz87ZuQBcoNEq5NwiVV7GccP9L-GEX1U2ct-8gM/s1600/051010+doug+at+songwriters+festival.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibRlF_bVHKroJTDcXaNFvaHu_wpgHrvgSfa-PZRnbBGTYodrCsEOcVaDsgP4Vvh3g-mqvTHwpRt2g-xZwFZsmIwEhsROCerKG8nK0Kz87ZuQBcoNEq5NwiVV7GccP9L-GEX1U2ct-8gM/s400/051010+doug+at+songwriters+festival.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469662506098273970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I6ChJjUVqRTrLEOzQ8YHdmJHIfCOincKzpsGapmFDqZUIs1QUbbQR3_t1gnLQLUZ6ieYvdZpKrGO0hnfg9THuLqzXrKmidy7TlyFk5FtIPCmlMmuDio9UkzJLneXSo-lz7SCK3n8PmU/s1600/051010+singers+at+festival.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I6ChJjUVqRTrLEOzQ8YHdmJHIfCOincKzpsGapmFDqZUIs1QUbbQR3_t1gnLQLUZ6ieYvdZpKrGO0hnfg9THuLqzXrKmidy7TlyFk5FtIPCmlMmuDio9UkzJLneXSo-lz7SCK3n8PmU/s400/051010+singers+at+festival.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469660307316274754" border="0" /></a><br />listening to Freebo at the Galleon tiki hut with Jill, Brett, Nancy and Bob (several of our last remaining dockmates - we'll miss you guys tons!!),<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdm8PusoOi_GaO-y7vxaabWJVDyqFhGbMhpYriy2up3BnhawuRFFX7ztEswAeZPnenyMitiYGX-u2h2JDF_PxUfSJP7nrbrfoYmjEopEu85Q8SqqdzaoelsMjdfwjES9mqHpi1qfuEFU/s1600/051010+brett,+jill+and+doug+at+tiki+hut.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdm8PusoOi_GaO-y7vxaabWJVDyqFhGbMhpYriy2up3BnhawuRFFX7ztEswAeZPnenyMitiYGX-u2h2JDF_PxUfSJP7nrbrfoYmjEopEu85Q8SqqdzaoelsMjdfwjES9mqHpi1qfuEFU/s400/051010+brett,+jill+and+doug+at+tiki+hut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469662519624729026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1JuLZK25sj6I795hdTaOchrqDZfRQkSrEl4jb7AEf0zUNoAQddIiRUpN5aNlikSsRD1tUd2h_D4i2uB4hLxgFRAMwASil90ezOhQBMSaoC8IyEe12L0txg1YxuRvkHgk_VbdxE4wcMw/s1600/051010+the+gang+at+Freebo%27s+gig.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1JuLZK25sj6I795hdTaOchrqDZfRQkSrEl4jb7AEf0zUNoAQddIiRUpN5aNlikSsRD1tUd2h_D4i2uB4hLxgFRAMwASil90ezOhQBMSaoC8IyEe12L0txg1YxuRvkHgk_VbdxE4wcMw/s400/051010+the+gang+at+Freebo%27s+gig.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658051549796146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicjVrMbfHVj3Vsrkc5SgyKPvs_mRYS4ZRKzbXsabS-cjqyo1f9oF-PZxe8n0W8-fFjFmLkrd9QKcILvAINBgOoFfLeei64OAXiLiA4FghgPRR548TrhYd9qBOUyOKpBcjs9nFCSFxSEk/s1600/051010+sunset+at+the+galleon.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicjVrMbfHVj3Vsrkc5SgyKPvs_mRYS4ZRKzbXsabS-cjqyo1f9oF-PZxe8n0W8-fFjFmLkrd9QKcILvAINBgOoFfLeei64OAXiLiA4FghgPRR548TrhYd9qBOUyOKpBcjs9nFCSFxSEk/s400/051010+sunset+at+the+galleon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658727311169954" border="0" /></a><br />watching the Cavs/Celtics with Brett of hardcore Cavs fame, saying rounds of goodbyes to Caroline and Lindsay at GH's, Patty at the Hogfish, Wendy and Vicki at Schooners etc and one final show listening to Scott and Dave followed by our last drinks in KW with Scott at Louie's Backyard - somehow that seemed so fitting!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNIvbEDHJp4kaVcD4c2GkHbRNSufSRwjF1wpDDs4yS_Mr_SNSowZuZ5dHm6Le5FZKPl_Y3pLr9y9vkL5Fwn0i4CaXVLU54hW53zi-tNYzPlFsKwZHSKbAEKnCe8UsSkbtI6ZBLYWfHWs/s1600/0510101+scott+and+dave.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNIvbEDHJp4kaVcD4c2GkHbRNSufSRwjF1wpDDs4yS_Mr_SNSowZuZ5dHm6Le5FZKPl_Y3pLr9y9vkL5Fwn0i4CaXVLU54hW53zi-tNYzPlFsKwZHSKbAEKnCe8UsSkbtI6ZBLYWfHWs/s400/0510101+scott+and+dave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469657422428863890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott and Dave at the Sunset Pier</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7MywhkHu8vaLVgFtM2yPZe-bao_7idfOCwmS1vGbO_CLRFAxSQf7gyUHO4HJOMozaMzoDNP1t0NKf3yaFQd_0-rJWAtCO0t_X6Vdmr5kyouN4kWkMAF5FZqagVSVPDjMT0lADLVVh54/s1600/051010+the+gang+at+the+sunset+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7MywhkHu8vaLVgFtM2yPZe-bao_7idfOCwmS1vGbO_CLRFAxSQf7gyUHO4HJOMozaMzoDNP1t0NKf3yaFQd_0-rJWAtCO0t_X6Vdmr5kyouN4kWkMAF5FZqagVSVPDjMT0lADLVVh54/s400/051010+the+gang+at+the+sunset+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658040329199458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang Watches Scott and Dave</span> </div>We never did get in last happy hours at Raw Bar or Kelly's or the Alamo but I guess you have to have things to come back for!!! Don't worry KW - we'll be back!!! In between the evenings of fun, laughter, music and friendship was a lot of boat work that we had put off all winter - all of a sudden Gypsies needed to be mobile again - we had become dock whores!!! Work hard, play hard has always been our motto! So soon enough Gypsies was ready to go and after final goodbyes, we cast off the dock lines intending on a leisurely path up the Keys.<br /><br />The first day out under beautiful skies and peaceful seas on our way to Marathon, Doug got the call that he had gotten the job - good news, bad news....the bad news was they wanted him to start today which meant our leisurely steam up the Keys had become a mission to get here, get settled and get ready to re-enter the real world. Despite not having the time to dawdle, we anchored outside of Marathon and enjoyed a wonderful sunset and dinner under the stars! We had missed this about cruising!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuzOVcm6BomWH-i40S8ttxrUiiI3k-UkKIkJQcTYqwfGkX3hzXLB-tA_cOLmyelmFtsJeQggwxjmpgMNhFAEW9sJtYjpwx10k4oxO0Q7bkbFO9uDxv0dbivpzAK0P2-o_tCoH708Kym8/s1600/051010+enjoying+cocktail+hour+in+marathon.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuzOVcm6BomWH-i40S8ttxrUiiI3k-UkKIkJQcTYqwfGkX3hzXLB-tA_cOLmyelmFtsJeQggwxjmpgMNhFAEW9sJtYjpwx10k4oxO0Q7bkbFO9uDxv0dbivpzAK0P2-o_tCoH708Kym8/s400/051010+enjoying+cocktail+hour+in+marathon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469662496207023074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug Relaxes on the Bridge After Arriving Just Outside Boot Key Harbor</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQibiJigxzCYWsmwW9xDXsQ_Sf3qoDVOY2-x1-vK7tETWcsc8pShztoPlwFCmGYpHS1H7hXqKWOPnrNt2vxGA5OZmtB5C2MdWeuZ1LqFRNLoa1UDJrbNpTFR0H0WpVTnXMucWtl8DoAs/s1600/051010+sunset+over+seven+mile+bridge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQibiJigxzCYWsmwW9xDXsQ_Sf3qoDVOY2-x1-vK7tETWcsc8pShztoPlwFCmGYpHS1H7hXqKWOPnrNt2vxGA5OZmtB5C2MdWeuZ1LqFRNLoa1UDJrbNpTFR0H0WpVTnXMucWtl8DoAs/s400/051010+sunset+over+seven+mile+bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658053168855666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset Behind Seven Mile Bridge</span> </div>The next day after another gorgeous day on the water with dolphins dancing around, sea turtles popping their heads up to say hello and those crazy fish skidding and jumping across the water on their tails, we tried to anchor at Rodriguez Key for the night but our recently bent anchor finally decided to betray us....nothing we did could get her to hold!!! Unbelievable - but as cruisers we had a backup plan luckily which entailed steaming back to Indian Key and picking up a mooring ball. After another beautiful sunset and fairly peaceful evening we awoke early for the long steam to Miami and were greeted by a truly gorgeous sunrise - something we didn't see often in KW unless it was as we were creeping back onto the boat trying not to wake Bootsie after another night out!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NyJja3tghS8385IVlnJW3D_8aKK_ffnM0NRGu2B3DuTXhsD4eEUycHOHfjqkMhVHX_ELNol95Dhodx7GJzY_vROH3gCQtCNl94vDkmlOkbcTqnbn90ay63P8y7LGGnFhS5TXF2V3a9c/s1600/051010+sunrise+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NyJja3tghS8385IVlnJW3D_8aKK_ffnM0NRGu2B3DuTXhsD4eEUycHOHfjqkMhVHX_ELNol95Dhodx7GJzY_vROH3gCQtCNl94vDkmlOkbcTqnbn90ay63P8y7LGGnFhS5TXF2V3a9c/s400/051010+sunrise+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469659430018939682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmATaBbO8T83vWePU_-_-Hj4z8MCDVezclxnid1Jv2sd8ocKGFhu-9sAAu1R5N0zc092A4PnmWEr_zY4rAe_kk2bVaPs7SA0jC8QLFexYj68-DRUaynYORs4hMhC-wP4K1wXo64sWkyc/s1600/051010+sunrise+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmATaBbO8T83vWePU_-_-Hj4z8MCDVezclxnid1Jv2sd8ocKGFhu-9sAAu1R5N0zc092A4PnmWEr_zY4rAe_kk2bVaPs7SA0jC8QLFexYj68-DRUaynYORs4hMhC-wP4K1wXo64sWkyc/s400/051010+sunrise+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469659415959705442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Nh6XJ25XIROy3Prb3kmtMQGb-NZGN0__BxBqrlnR5_RtNULIgIy_S3aLYEedS1PLB71s2Jo-49kDUTrwYVwi-fxdWEMCPyFcO494d7VFefdmBofFZewA4KQobc4lvXDvOqnODl-PndA/s1600/051010+sunrise+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Nh6XJ25XIROy3Prb3kmtMQGb-NZGN0__BxBqrlnR5_RtNULIgIy_S3aLYEedS1PLB71s2Jo-49kDUTrwYVwi-fxdWEMCPyFcO494d7VFefdmBofFZewA4KQobc4lvXDvOqnODl-PndA/s400/051010+sunrise+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658759633336194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOn8bTeg8zIE_uho8j8fcQ2YPj4QmVCzrrK2u7NDzugj7vnDffWJ4gsj9OIDPeVHO8v6Fk_6Yn74LP_nCR_99-ncdlnbbCQj8MDfSxpjSxmwi_ODqoFwobB8-qT7sU07Rgpbl4p65ung/s1600/051010+sunrise+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOn8bTeg8zIE_uho8j8fcQ2YPj4QmVCzrrK2u7NDzugj7vnDffWJ4gsj9OIDPeVHO8v6Fk_6Yn74LP_nCR_99-ncdlnbbCQj8MDfSxpjSxmwi_ODqoFwobB8-qT7sU07Rgpbl4p65ung/s400/051010+sunrise+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658752162904274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkXYOaCru-YWs87jEqfNfV6XQ_ubhX4Kn-AoeKQhCQVL9KMB0jqqB4OT0VqAj72n1OA8PV7ZFBCIDTMJXXtTh9VtyJCZeGiXN0qgis8hpNE9u_R-VRxaJ4OK4ehS8m8Z10yUzcEJv_M8/s1600/051010+sunrise+5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkXYOaCru-YWs87jEqfNfV6XQ_ubhX4Kn-AoeKQhCQVL9KMB0jqqB4OT0VqAj72n1OA8PV7ZFBCIDTMJXXtTh9VtyJCZeGiXN0qgis8hpNE9u_R-VRxaJ4OK4ehS8m8Z10yUzcEJv_M8/s400/051010+sunrise+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658737190211634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunrise as We Leave Indian Key</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The trip up to Coconut Grove was amazing - we lucked out on having three truly gorgeous traveling days which even Bootise didn't mind too much (although she was very glad once we got tied up and the "house" stopped moving!!)<br /></div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6FwF6GX5-yLWgCWdgyxTCp9DGpyDNKH2fDagNW77hIX1wTJzzl-l9HYBgj9HtEz-Gvedc8DeuAEc5o9YIA5l8f-umhjA9R0cbDLOHINaL7fdhWxDIgWfYY6tXK3vMKbauwyUPpVDJEc/s1600/051010+first+view+of+miami.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6FwF6GX5-yLWgCWdgyxTCp9DGpyDNKH2fDagNW77hIX1wTJzzl-l9HYBgj9HtEz-Gvedc8DeuAEc5o9YIA5l8f-umhjA9R0cbDLOHINaL7fdhWxDIgWfYY6tXK3vMKbauwyUPpVDJEc/s400/051010+first+view+of+miami.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469662483340600818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cruising Through the Hawk Channel with the Skyline of Miami in the Distance</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFvN2MNjQrX5Za085DegSFHoVYaLGj0PEL2E475t-_bhYHx4wXK_AqDLXnp6OkmPJwEjCiNeTrJhN9825HXPxOh90jKWSLYo0Yh9Q7nacHSYWbFzvWMMpjFr55iRbszfDKIP0FUEs0zs/s1600/051010+light+on+key+biscayne.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFvN2MNjQrX5Za085DegSFHoVYaLGj0PEL2E475t-_bhYHx4wXK_AqDLXnp6OkmPJwEjCiNeTrJhN9825HXPxOh90jKWSLYo0Yh9Q7nacHSYWbFzvWMMpjFr55iRbszfDKIP0FUEs0zs/s400/051010+light+on+key+biscayne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469660338756956418" border="0" /></a>Passing Key Biscayne as We Head Into Biscayne Bay<br /></div>Coming through Biscayne Bay we had to avoid the numerous snorkelers (yes in the channel - yikes), jog around a ton of sailboats on an "Around the Island Regatta"<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Zv2TX00nilfcnzz-9F5OdzgN9TEPPbY9_mjNfeSCn6PSk0kpW_Q4xiICOlCq44PrhEa3LYLWZBdP4r_tTAnV67LPqXB_C9MRIc0GtJpy1bPGfj6vH4Fk3XYpYG8KL7Z_gE85RdZsR14/s1600/051010+regatta.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Zv2TX00nilfcnzz-9F5OdzgN9TEPPbY9_mjNfeSCn6PSk0kpW_Q4xiICOlCq44PrhEa3LYLWZBdP4r_tTAnV67LPqXB_C9MRIc0GtJpy1bPGfj6vH4Fk3XYpYG8KL7Z_gE85RdZsR14/s400/051010+regatta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469660316093102354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Around the Island Regatta</span><br /></div>and then dodge through "Stiltsville" which is a channel that cuts through the Bay with houses (and I use that term loosely) built on stilts sitting along the sand flats at the channel edges.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_xEOuO1KtH2C4EoqHYFZnBt3btr5lJhT-w7kCFfjt6l12WyetcWxDrriW71GmAwer9DdYfYdG1Ub108V7Nl5IrUqYc1emhJBY_1GiFpjSbL9FqdhwUxh5YguerY5MyHOfCa1sFZXv8Y/s1600/051010+stiltsville+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_xEOuO1KtH2C4EoqHYFZnBt3btr5lJhT-w7kCFfjt6l12WyetcWxDrriW71GmAwer9DdYfYdG1Ub108V7Nl5IrUqYc1emhJBY_1GiFpjSbL9FqdhwUxh5YguerY5MyHOfCa1sFZXv8Y/s400/051010+stiltsville+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469659448720866050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuMraYftR5G_X0GtPUUyUw7SpR1B5-70xAIhSSsroeeJopIeu4JHvgBOak29TCuyikSSGGxESBem8L6tnF8hGDqCCagYTLPxB8ExTqt3YAKsU2PAFICh_S_p9dZ02WnYgW748w1jfrgc/s1600/051010+stiltsville2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuMraYftR5G_X0GtPUUyUw7SpR1B5-70xAIhSSsroeeJopIeu4JHvgBOak29TCuyikSSGGxESBem8L6tnF8hGDqCCagYTLPxB8ExTqt3YAKsU2PAFICh_S_p9dZ02WnYgW748w1jfrgc/s400/051010+stiltsville2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469659443855798066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stiltsville</span><br /></div>The water in the Keys is such an unbelievable shade of turquoise that it casts a spell on you such that you never want to leave but being based in Miami we know that Key Biscayne and the Keys are such a short trip away that we plan on taking every chance we get to kick off the dock lines and head south!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXZ5bjO3b4wzGOiBmYZwUD7AgwtRN5EDtJbtm6eWUFtCkcyKhoyUFFrc6MLirbM3cvtQe8Mau_XtEQPEWeDhOYv8a5BS4W-adz4ypkIcKamglahjyr-mjZLTGYqznyl9U8kf_6DM-ESg/s1600/051010+water+in+teh+keys+w:+seven+mile+bridge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXZ5bjO3b4wzGOiBmYZwUD7AgwtRN5EDtJbtm6eWUFtCkcyKhoyUFFrc6MLirbM3cvtQe8Mau_XtEQPEWeDhOYv8a5BS4W-adz4ypkIcKamglahjyr-mjZLTGYqznyl9U8kf_6DM-ESg/s400/051010+water+in+teh+keys+w:+seven+mile+bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469657444598153970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO2K5PhrQlC5xmL7m1tPhGZNvU725YSO2ZdWzFtHCpR9mGqTqk5WPO5ei97x1JWqPtLF1Db-P2wp-G8m0DneZojy21LdYzMkkEWqL0pBliLurRZy0WaypA_0GC3E1kO9oA0SbBz2PJj0/s1600/051010+trip+to+rodriguez.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO2K5PhrQlC5xmL7m1tPhGZNvU725YSO2ZdWzFtHCpR9mGqTqk5WPO5ei97x1JWqPtLF1Db-P2wp-G8m0DneZojy21LdYzMkkEWqL0pBliLurRZy0WaypA_0GC3E1kO9oA0SbBz2PJj0/s400/051010+trip+to+rodriguez.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469657462220050162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Beautiful Water in the Keys. We'll be Back!</span> </div>Scott is in fact playing at Snappers in Key Largo next weekend so we may just surprise him and head down for the show - maybe by land yacht......because that's another weird change in our lives since moving Gypsies up this way. We actually bought a car yesterday - Doug needed a way to get to and from clients and our scooters just won't cut it on these crazy Miami/FL highways!! (We did keep the scooters for bopping around Coconut Grove though!!) YIKES - we are feeling very weighted down at the moment - jobs (well OK technically just Doug has a job yet but I plan on starting to look now that we have gotten up here..), a car, a gym membership and no near term cruising plans - I'm getting the urge to run away!!! As Doug mentioned though in his blog, we are in a great spot for cruisers to stop by and see us - and given that I'm not working yet, I'd be happy to entertain and play (I've already got a pretty good handle on the best happy hours and joints in town!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfjRAU7RT4ZxlVDk8gaIqarnuU8y0f_koln9JdUZTTkS_y3eJyP5SWJBuK9p2ImOmMwtOYJgBSKPiKk2dnlzUfQCz9upCi7ra1u4_ueXJcKFfC1niC_KWnUmj3nNje8EQvDziPWT8n8U/s1600/051010+heading+into+the+marina.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfjRAU7RT4ZxlVDk8gaIqarnuU8y0f_koln9JdUZTTkS_y3eJyP5SWJBuK9p2ImOmMwtOYJgBSKPiKk2dnlzUfQCz9upCi7ra1u4_ueXJcKFfC1niC_KWnUmj3nNje8EQvDziPWT8n8U/s400/051010+heading+into+the+marina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469662474219371074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gypsies in the Palace Approaches Dinner Key Marina</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The marina we are in is HUGE - 582 slips - so not the real cozy liveaboard feel we had in KW despite the inept management there - we did meet one liveaboard on our dock yesterday, Bruce, who welcomed us to the neighborhood.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9nG0hGi4n1Vu8IjrNIlamcng5uxwIr0hZVQuVDM0XhlEZAfACJf_Tv2fq-vTwlExt2bJw0un5FyLuVzg_hmsmJz2DdeIJQs3h6AE9OozVpk4xJIHbKqZXuqvVX_bNRtzsCGT8rmhHKU/s1600/051010+the+marina.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9nG0hGi4n1Vu8IjrNIlamcng5uxwIr0hZVQuVDM0XhlEZAfACJf_Tv2fq-vTwlExt2bJw0un5FyLuVzg_hmsmJz2DdeIJQs3h6AE9OozVpk4xJIHbKqZXuqvVX_bNRtzsCGT8rmhHKU/s400/051010+the+marina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469658035283892370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner Key is One Very Large Marina</span> </div>Think this place is going to take some getting used to but the views out to Key Biscayne and of the Miami skyline are pretty cool.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJAw957ChBj_xmj7ooyYKOu8BBfHlzDvo1jsZcj3x7lystARZ5dmHsmBeeivyoANiJJiU9zGgDIsSsVo3zcC8k66MG_cN87LveC4epqI3TQLtR27I4tDjbM7LN3RBO05Ws21bKXbWlGc/s1600/051010+view+of+miami+from+our+slip.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJAw957ChBj_xmj7ooyYKOu8BBfHlzDvo1jsZcj3x7lystARZ5dmHsmBeeivyoANiJJiU9zGgDIsSsVo3zcC8k66MG_cN87LveC4epqI3TQLtR27I4tDjbM7LN3RBO05Ws21bKXbWlGc/s400/051010+view+of+miami+from+our+slip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469657454391826018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Miami Skyline from the Bridge of Gypsies in the Palace</span> </div>Plus did we mention the Keys aren't all that far away and once we replace our anchor, we can zip across Biscayne Bay and anchor out and pretend for a weekend at least that we are still cruising!!!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaDFP1JbSfjOh4acZ58XYlXu2wTq0SjCLEuy92lo5PBGIX-cDKstkACxLrTdQ1NsBdt0vnfrrc9NvWwP7HlIppNZiEo0VHaudESwcXj0GrTfYiOa3GMEBNWB9Rq7VoKZWG7E3ir-yGPo/s1600/051010+our+front+door.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaDFP1JbSfjOh4acZ58XYlXu2wTq0SjCLEuy92lo5PBGIX-cDKstkACxLrTdQ1NsBdt0vnfrrc9NvWwP7HlIppNZiEo0VHaudESwcXj0GrTfYiOa3GMEBNWB9Rq7VoKZWG7E3ir-yGPo/s400/051010+our+front+door.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469660325758489810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gate to Our Dock on Pier 1</span><br /></div>M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-82690375730848265102010-05-09T08:33:00.002-04:002010-05-09T08:37:23.342-04:00Back to WorkHello, everyone, this is Doug. You don't normally hear from me but don't worry, you'll have Tammy back next blog. I wanted to tell you all about my next step. As Tammy mentioned in a recent blog, she and I went to Ft. Lauderdale on April 23rd so that I could have an interview. Well, the interview went well and I was offered the job and start tomorrow as a Partner in a firm called <a href="http://www.tatumllc.com">Tatum LLC</a>!<br /><br />Tatum is the country’s leading consulting firm focused on the Office of the CFO. Tatum acts as trusted financial advisor to middle market companies in the US and Latin America, offering consulting, advisory and interim management services. Tatum focuses on optimizing the Office of the CFO, helping organizations facing challenges or transition due to:<br /> • Performance issues<br /> • Mergers, acquisitions or exit<br /> • Rapid growth<br /> • Infrastructure constraints<br /> • Leadership skill or capacity gap<br /><br />Tatum has 37 offices nationwide and I will be located in the office that serves southern Florida. The office is in Ft. Lauderdale but as a consultant I will either work from home (the boat) or at the client's office. I will not have a specific Tatum office. Most of the clients are in the area between Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton.<br /><br />As most of you know already, I spent the majority of my career as a CFO in various high tech companies in the DC area, the Boston area and in Montreal. That background, including three initial public offerings, a number of acquisitions and several restructurings made this position with Tatum possible and will let me do those types of strategic events but as a consultant now instead of as an employee.<br /><br />I'm very excited about this opportunity. Not only will it be a fun job, if one must have a job, but Tammy and I will get to explore and get to know a whole new area of the country. We plan to spend the first month of our time here docked at the Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, just south of Miami on Biscayne Bay across from Key Biscayne. Coconut Grove is a cool little town that tries to keep its own personality even though it is technically part of Miami and carries a Miami address. After Coconut Grove, who knows, we may move up the coast toward Ft. Lauderdale. The final destination will be dependent on where Tammy ends up working.<br /><br />If any of our cruising buddies are passing through, please look us up. If any of our other friends end up in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, be sure and give us a call. Remember, we're only 3 hours from Key West!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-59984739793344103512010-05-01T11:48:00.016-04:002010-05-01T14:00:22.107-04:00Too Much Fun, So Little Time!Well the dirty deed is done - no get your mind out of the gutter - Doug went and got his hair cut!!! It was a pretty traumatic day for both of us - it had been over two and a half years since his last haircut and we both hated to see his ponytail go - after all, who else am I going to share my scrunchies with????<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1KnKKHNKFIm02Yp03cRILlkvKpoB3ASZNrZKJmlTeMx_QBkCUuvc50A-NZYn7v3VUqigZ7gjVJqt7CzxR9TYQFzHZDiTBbsmwFGM8tTAkBZ_cF3svd2BmHLqasH9_NTbZuzFLn-cdxw/s1600/050110+the+haircut.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1KnKKHNKFIm02Yp03cRILlkvKpoB3ASZNrZKJmlTeMx_QBkCUuvc50A-NZYn7v3VUqigZ7gjVJqt7CzxR9TYQFzHZDiTBbsmwFGM8tTAkBZ_cF3svd2BmHLqasH9_NTbZuzFLn-cdxw/s400/050110+the+haircut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335079729804146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Haircut in Progress</span> </div>But neither of us was sure if the corporate world was ready for a long-haired, ear pierced, tattooed pirate so the hair at least was one thing he could change - the rest they'll just have to deal with!!! So here are the "after pictures" - refer to our last blog for the "before" pictures!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-McjNCGgvPDvdFs5ISsTaVhJsrxYUAe6PwVFKjQznFqh9I3RtoFhao8fUT-TXRz4UgHmscF_ObOCfjEDbb-LugRZWD-uQ-0Y50_OUZPUvZqa-sXZEVS8-R2-0VOU_-FMT385GxYojN8/s1600/050110+after+picture+of+haircut.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-McjNCGgvPDvdFs5ISsTaVhJsrxYUAe6PwVFKjQznFqh9I3RtoFhao8fUT-TXRz4UgHmscF_ObOCfjEDbb-LugRZWD-uQ-0Y50_OUZPUvZqa-sXZEVS8-R2-0VOU_-FMT385GxYojN8/s400/050110+after+picture+of+haircut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466346091913201858" border="0" /></a>Doug did save the majority of the ponytail which he can attach to random baseball hats whenever he is in the mood to relive his pirate years!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgustKaOd8OdrRMEv-HBMfeGU_7rwi9jXFNZL6jcwG4uhzOvTmgHai4i40LvbLR3Cljj5ewNnLD68dvS8ZZzbPtgTzyfXGaN5zQdV4-IxkdFBNXwTdEEKn2jUZZyw399RNJ2YrTuQB3QXQ/s1600/050110+the+ponytail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgustKaOd8OdrRMEv-HBMfeGU_7rwi9jXFNZL6jcwG4uhzOvTmgHai4i40LvbLR3Cljj5ewNnLD68dvS8ZZzbPtgTzyfXGaN5zQdV4-IxkdFBNXwTdEEKn2jUZZyw399RNJ2YrTuQB3QXQ/s400/050110+the+ponytail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466333161988191506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Ponytail</span><br /></div>Doesn't he look cute!!<br /><br />We made a quick trip up to Fort Lauderdale where Doug had an interview for a "real job" (see the picture of Doug in a suit - yikes!!!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0QLSsfU8VC-J0FxZBPp2nzsuV6L_DRXyZhNssPlaNPvLVJ3hYJW63T3Ne3S2oZaoqhMCbiZ_GvIp13Ci84E6Wd96BXd8cbtJRgS4aVuSRYtKjX1n7q4-LTYpVUlazrrClOAZeyk1mgM/s1600/050110+doug%27s+suit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0QLSsfU8VC-J0FxZBPp2nzsuV6L_DRXyZhNssPlaNPvLVJ3hYJW63T3Ne3S2oZaoqhMCbiZ_GvIp13Ci84E6Wd96BXd8cbtJRgS4aVuSRYtKjX1n7q4-LTYpVUlazrrClOAZeyk1mgM/s400/050110+doug%27s+suit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466348388551248338" border="0" /></a>- of course we had to make it an adventure so we stayed overnight at the Bahia Mar marina which all you John MacDonald fans will understand is the home of the Busted Flush, Travis McGee's houseboat that he won in a poker game (for any of you that have not discovered these books, you are in for a treat - they are truly one of the greatest series of books ever written and were the first in a subsequently long line of zany, slightly off-based Florida characters although in my humble opinion none has ever come close to the charming, devil may care, dangerous yet oddly philosophical Travis!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LLxXVYf2yyWfoYhJgvWNs_R4fdhXwC8dvne2yESK-Nwf7vS9aQxPKM1JddiN_Hh6LEpTtjIpi3ZTXT_mhyphenhyphenZjoQ2LW8hWUXy1a2h7FyySKR63aGDHBIt7JhOL4TjgYdEP9mtyLtol8_w/s1600/050110+bahia+mar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LLxXVYf2yyWfoYhJgvWNs_R4fdhXwC8dvne2yESK-Nwf7vS9aQxPKM1JddiN_Hh6LEpTtjIpi3ZTXT_mhyphenhyphenZjoQ2LW8hWUXy1a2h7FyySKR63aGDHBIt7JhOL4TjgYdEP9mtyLtol8_w/s400/050110+bahia+mar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466345134392552930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bahia Mar in Ft. Lauderdale</span><br /></div>Unfortunately some mega-yacht has taken over slip F-18 - not sure exactly what Travis would think of Bahia Mar now with all its oversized luxury crewed yachts, although I'm thinking he wouldn't have thought the changes are for the better!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLK9n0EKqgF9QyUFph1s7xuXWD4N_Dn23oOJj4KQ0ALvEnpco1O97Dq6a3ABCpHu5npGbPN-SLepsyOijpWg02mCzFFdlo0tK-huFlvq7e2rPZkZiwO11YW1FunuvmwJZMzjqmoL6X20/s1600/050110+slip+f-18.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLK9n0EKqgF9QyUFph1s7xuXWD4N_Dn23oOJj4KQ0ALvEnpco1O97Dq6a3ABCpHu5npGbPN-SLepsyOijpWg02mCzFFdlo0tK-huFlvq7e2rPZkZiwO11YW1FunuvmwJZMzjqmoL6X20/s400/050110+slip+f-18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335966293668402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Slip F-18 at Bahia Mar</span><br /></div>We had a great evening strolling along the beachfront and the people watching is surely worth it's weight in gold!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkD33aKZiNqvwO4xZ4fZYqoY5IS5Ie_V3s_ln76PaUlHtaGfB-pOliscGPhkrYmUKmQO8v0PlD7ruTitpNZJUyC1pif1WVKSc3yj-BV0Nr0DQqeRgYUXBIvfSKd-fZcdjv5F-XeCdbyc/s1600/050110+ft+lauderdale+people+watching.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkD33aKZiNqvwO4xZ4fZYqoY5IS5Ie_V3s_ln76PaUlHtaGfB-pOliscGPhkrYmUKmQO8v0PlD7ruTitpNZJUyC1pif1WVKSc3yj-BV0Nr0DQqeRgYUXBIvfSKd-fZcdjv5F-XeCdbyc/s400/050110+ft+lauderdale+people+watching.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466340035641777282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Having at Beer on the Boardwalk in Ft. Lauderdale</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwbVOE_kvONBgHAJCL-ya2QJ2Mktxz3AWcL7ORQPJOiT68RjItPOCv40OjXHSsWzTp1OJuN8n96crWZCfp8dpmSDj2-nRdBvtEkrgWNZl_rKnUGzhv4iDWAsktE7NUIHOxs1dN48IC3U/s1600/050110+ft+lauderdale+beach+scene.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwbVOE_kvONBgHAJCL-ya2QJ2Mktxz3AWcL7ORQPJOiT68RjItPOCv40OjXHSsWzTp1OJuN8n96crWZCfp8dpmSDj2-nRdBvtEkrgWNZl_rKnUGzhv4iDWAsktE7NUIHOxs1dN48IC3U/s400/050110+ft+lauderdale+beach+scene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466340040890778786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Waterfront in Ft. Lauderdale</span><br /></div><br />Upon returning to KW, the independence celebration was still in full gear so we watched the bloody battle (a re-enactment of the Conch Republic navy and US Navy going at it during KW's secession) from the sunset pier - the pleasure boats and schooners armed with super soakers thought they would carry the day until the Coast Guard boats turned their water cannons on them - game over!!! After meeting up with our dockmates Brett and Jill, we had an "early" evening celebratory dinner at Mangia Mangia - who needs a reason to celebrate - we're in Key West after all!!!<br /><br />No sooner had we returned to the SIG, when our long time friend Mary Ouellette and her boyfriend Jim came into town - just in time for the end of the KW independence celebration too!! We wasted no time getting them settled in before we headed into town for the bed races - yes you read that correctly.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_HzD-PVAbkm1pPKFXcE_CElOPAlb9eYpc9uPgE9ZJM7I4K2Yzvr7yGrEsST2SQjlN-1GscATkD1NPaD9MOncAF4ADpeyqg1DQqKeTMuj_uSzw4HNkydLGF9py6l7LdhcWm3xJGkDcK0/s1600/050110+at+bed+races.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_HzD-PVAbkm1pPKFXcE_CElOPAlb9eYpc9uPgE9ZJM7I4K2Yzvr7yGrEsST2SQjlN-1GscATkD1NPaD9MOncAF4ADpeyqg1DQqKeTMuj_uSzw4HNkydLGF9py6l7LdhcWm3xJGkDcK0/s400/050110+at+bed+races.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466346088647654722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang Waiting for the Start of the Bed Races</span><br /></div>As part of the independence festivities Duval Street is closed down and various bars deck out beds on wheels and race them down the street. Words alone can not do this justice so I'll let the pictures do the talking - welcome to KW guys!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtLoGCQ3Al_nds2t7nGpJwX9IUcPHYOPjRVLrOhN61Nf7hmulcFq54564000eipTn59GKT6B2Wig9-4l75EYh8ezVr4bhpFtLOfKW-awfIoDKBXvrvP57GXtEUp_O2J1PHpAdx95Jp8Y/s1600/050110+bed+races+drunken+cheeseburger.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtLoGCQ3Al_nds2t7nGpJwX9IUcPHYOPjRVLrOhN61Nf7hmulcFq54564000eipTn59GKT6B2Wig9-4l75EYh8ezVr4bhpFtLOfKW-awfIoDKBXvrvP57GXtEUp_O2J1PHpAdx95Jp8Y/s400/050110+bed+races+drunken+cheeseburger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466345132832836978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95IvoNxE8y0pNBm1BOYz467y4smSxNm-Ujyjyaym235ZbRuaID4tL0M6WIt-2ku9Fa7WvQtzO386JvUk4RaJjhfou_FVj34O_oNrJnsKqbmdCjOe29f4o07Dj2P0MWFS21R7-CiS4Tr8/s1600/050110+bed+races+el+alamo+the+winner.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95IvoNxE8y0pNBm1BOYz467y4smSxNm-Ujyjyaym235ZbRuaID4tL0M6WIt-2ku9Fa7WvQtzO386JvUk4RaJjhfou_FVj34O_oNrJnsKqbmdCjOe29f4o07Dj2P0MWFS21R7-CiS4Tr8/s400/050110+bed+races+el+alamo+the+winner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466345124341752194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYGehV9Tzznjx5VzwmKfEIq-1wjPGzgUQVe1gDElSVHWCKoB9S3m29qnLfn3MGRhXEW0BC61mx7NX6PCEiQHDkyx4HJizmbx4FPxT_6kie5RdVWDfAHjkhoMcX2uhyQ_gNipqaWRIPOk/s1600/050110+bed+races+hogs+breath.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTYGehV9Tzznjx5VzwmKfEIq-1wjPGzgUQVe1gDElSVHWCKoB9S3m29qnLfn3MGRhXEW0BC61mx7NX6PCEiQHDkyx4HJizmbx4FPxT_6kie5RdVWDfAHjkhoMcX2uhyQ_gNipqaWRIPOk/s400/050110+bed+races+hogs+breath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466344616409330738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7LnsDz9j4znvEvw4QKLf2CWEqxlNlYzYPOrXzAbqe-h8oESAYMOkKVQiWu6ml8IHR-v8ZACO3gKOiUtLrm23kAACZPb37DubvTDd1AGVkIUn-DFoBs78SBmWup4SSOoaewI68wH7KQ8/s1600/050110+bed+races+pearls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7LnsDz9j4znvEvw4QKLf2CWEqxlNlYzYPOrXzAbqe-h8oESAYMOkKVQiWu6ml8IHR-v8ZACO3gKOiUtLrm23kAACZPb37DubvTDd1AGVkIUn-DFoBs78SBmWup4SSOoaewI68wH7KQ8/s400/050110+bed+races+pearls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466344607313574834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv1bgfO_Gv2nSCyjp3XLpi9hfA2E6eHDzeNtZbS6VLbGGqpqLqEIZzhB2OhDJPAyzJv5fO9PPWczH722TkVOx_61dmlfeMbDs8Q9CMaoOopBPrMBDOFCohuHYwAN3OWjos7VHN2p9fX4/s1600/050110+bed+races+shanna+key.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHv1bgfO_Gv2nSCyjp3XLpi9hfA2E6eHDzeNtZbS6VLbGGqpqLqEIZzhB2OhDJPAyzJv5fO9PPWczH722TkVOx_61dmlfeMbDs8Q9CMaoOopBPrMBDOFCohuHYwAN3OWjos7VHN2p9fX4/s400/050110+bed+races+shanna+key.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466344004010219138" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs_ddQ2iZkfh7fO1FS56akaKcBDLe5EcARq8w3qdQXukxVD76_9Sjjv3EsvpJzbKMm0C85r8G5buE9v0O4GiIEvO_z7t8j0oiAk5w5xvrjTAk3PF7hRUBOlbyXQY0_-Nda1KNre6IYYM/s1600/050110+bed+races+fogartys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAs_ddQ2iZkfh7fO1FS56akaKcBDLe5EcARq8w3qdQXukxVD76_9Sjjv3EsvpJzbKMm0C85r8G5buE9v0O4GiIEvO_z7t8j0oiAk5w5xvrjTAk3PF7hRUBOlbyXQY0_-Nda1KNre6IYYM/s400/050110+bed+races+fogartys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466344626366478050" border="0" /></a>From the bed races, it was on to Guy Harveys,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qd6CZsT7hTqRVBqOeArg9ALbxdJk6mWroD4I_WzPAI8rT7npBpP0fJWZ1isDJ7QvEOwS4VLFxi4BJgWsfQhoNnUZ9NCKefLngLSwWDi3uo6TEV86CjKRX41lSY5zzhFfy4AOJ7W7SVA/s1600/050110+guy+harveys+before+bed+races.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qd6CZsT7hTqRVBqOeArg9ALbxdJk6mWroD4I_WzPAI8rT7npBpP0fJWZ1isDJ7QvEOwS4VLFxi4BJgWsfQhoNnUZ9NCKefLngLSwWDi3uo6TEV86CjKRX41lSY5zzhFfy4AOJ7W7SVA/s400/050110+guy+harveys+before+bed+races.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466340031624850242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Having a Beer at Guy Harvey's</span><br /></div>Flying Monkeys where Mary got a "good size" sippy cup full of some frozen concoction,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74wFy_E6YszjhS5cSDkrPTqJC8dObnUdPuDcfR0rBRJ2XJlEyh8MhmPmdgvQzj5ZkXpeFpf1zBaOPWyW09DwiW9y6qPipHLIqsjThR6yGoM4yjScATybK0kC8mMvc_YTzhd59uw6sl2A/s1600/050110+mary%27s+sippy+cup.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74wFy_E6YszjhS5cSDkrPTqJC8dObnUdPuDcfR0rBRJ2XJlEyh8MhmPmdgvQzj5ZkXpeFpf1zBaOPWyW09DwiW9y6qPipHLIqsjThR6yGoM4yjScATybK0kC8mMvc_YTzhd59uw6sl2A/s400/050110+mary%27s+sippy+cup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337100788054018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mary and Her Sippy Cup of Adult Beverage</span><br /></div>El Alamo where Mary met a new friend and learned the cornhole game,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v7vrv2oK6zSSgsQhxAcSTQBo3sZCq7MELbe3SXc8DAgsXxHT1Jc2CknP3UgokcS4tydv8UqtovLYbdfjKZtk1snydAlru822vNir1KVTvsdCb4jGEnwGykVh52EqFGFo1ZSaM_GRkJ8/s1600/050110+mary%27s+new+friend+geo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v7vrv2oK6zSSgsQhxAcSTQBo3sZCq7MELbe3SXc8DAgsXxHT1Jc2CknP3UgokcS4tydv8UqtovLYbdfjKZtk1snydAlru822vNir1KVTvsdCb4jGEnwGykVh52EqFGFo1ZSaM_GRkJ8/s400/050110+mary%27s+new+friend+geo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337968225438466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mary and Her New Friend Geo</span><br /></div>and then over to the pirates ball at Schooner Wharf for more music, cigars, adult beverages and Jim's imitation of a Macy's Day parade float (go Jim!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WolLVEOCxin2fkFDPfGtzvznc90vfIuuLIOPZ5RbW8TIGL7rXe3I0fT8g0DPhb4duqe6WAhARXg9m_th6dMSsXcsOjkfj6pdsszxPxAJEcMBV3WJr9hDkc2yVX8Wk8epU9sYQD1jlQ0/s1600/050110+schooner+pirate+ball.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WolLVEOCxin2fkFDPfGtzvznc90vfIuuLIOPZ5RbW8TIGL7rXe3I0fT8g0DPhb4duqe6WAhARXg9m_th6dMSsXcsOjkfj6pdsszxPxAJEcMBV3WJr9hDkc2yVX8Wk8epU9sYQD1jlQ0/s400/050110+schooner+pirate+ball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466336002123156770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pirate Band at Schooner Wharf</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7k2JL6nJujGHRQ6-LBX-PP3h4CJCL6lC5Tob_5FCMAc1cFgMixBkpgA04hb9S1E8kUOQxV2NaIQLBeozzl5I4hK9i3AqAkDpUlqLC0Autt10dxPuGNSrVxhXrXbeyG75CYbfS2z5YZA/s1600/050110+jim+as+a+float.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7k2JL6nJujGHRQ6-LBX-PP3h4CJCL6lC5Tob_5FCMAc1cFgMixBkpgA04hb9S1E8kUOQxV2NaIQLBeozzl5I4hK9i3AqAkDpUlqLC0Autt10dxPuGNSrVxhXrXbeyG75CYbfS2z5YZA/s400/050110+jim+as+a+float.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337999298751890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jim Imitates a Macy's Blimp</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPetI3gVjd_lRE2LzXQ4momkAxM_LqVizAsYKlBuNBSF8RYQwbdEk_1OlT21h6J_BCWXuh6bnusL__0ro1u6kEUqXZzZEQFiswPzMVDhagXRV_utjPiiBvVCbG6a9AsCCMAyv1KwaFak/s1600/050110+cigars+at+schooners.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPetI3gVjd_lRE2LzXQ4momkAxM_LqVizAsYKlBuNBSF8RYQwbdEk_1OlT21h6J_BCWXuh6bnusL__0ro1u6kEUqXZzZEQFiswPzMVDhagXRV_utjPiiBvVCbG6a9AsCCMAyv1KwaFak/s400/050110+cigars+at+schooners.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466343406356950594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jim and Tammy Have a Cigar at Schooner Wharf</span><br /></div>Seemed like everyone was at Schooners that night as we ran into Jay and Nancy from Serendipity who were down from Marathon and Bob and Nancy from our dock!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-DAzxTGLB_NLj0-2mRlTUxSVD6EXItnrZiU5M8WxB_19Mkzp1tF94InteeiQOzRcAbk72Q7O5H0V1AUceOFw4HdT6WgI7ayGBaEkKEX2JoAzJp1sci-U4kBkW-AASzWkYNm_fb5v85U/s1600/050110+the+gang+and+jay+and+nancy+at+schooners.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-DAzxTGLB_NLj0-2mRlTUxSVD6EXItnrZiU5M8WxB_19Mkzp1tF94InteeiQOzRcAbk72Q7O5H0V1AUceOFw4HdT6WgI7ayGBaEkKEX2JoAzJp1sci-U4kBkW-AASzWkYNm_fb5v85U/s400/050110+the+gang+and+jay+and+nancy+at+schooners.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335096383424626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jay and Nancy with the Gang at Schooner Wharf</span> </div>A very late dinner at Salsa Loca was just what the doctor ordered after more refills of the sippy cup - you can't just gradually introduce someone to KW, we believe the best way is total immersion or nothing at all. Mary and Jim saw more than they bargained for that day I would guess and we had the whole rest of the week to go!!!!<br /><br />Sunday after more fun and games (and some recovery time), we wound up at the Green Parrot for soundcheck where our friend Bill Blue was playing - awesome blues, popcorn and good friends!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK5C1ryRvjwjOLib-CdRQ7PaRswMdmRp6UXqAw99YQ8otLD-SzeMKF6lo0vT9W1Q84g4VmJDq2AwpuVN1NYYuS7wjl_EJTosqw1S3Iw7srzTqUnFAPXe__c6nghVdJRPMropLqEXDxRs/s1600/050110+the+parrot+for+bill+blue.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK5C1ryRvjwjOLib-CdRQ7PaRswMdmRp6UXqAw99YQ8otLD-SzeMKF6lo0vT9W1Q84g4VmJDq2AwpuVN1NYYuS7wjl_EJTosqw1S3Iw7srzTqUnFAPXe__c6nghVdJRPMropLqEXDxRs/s400/050110+the+parrot+for+bill+blue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466333172818532978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang at the Green Parrot to See Bill Blue</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprEpqpYiih4NKG09aKMbrov0u-6OkFMiSnm7MQ0NJ66q5WXXnbZMQpIQcME7OGgEVSpxPYKEvEPtYJPVf1XrL2Tniz_jY2_gQzrCQNn5hc8sAa7eAJ5QBdcAix7BGooltLtwe4Cfopxg/s1600/050110+bill+blue+at+parrot.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprEpqpYiih4NKG09aKMbrov0u-6OkFMiSnm7MQ0NJ66q5WXXnbZMQpIQcME7OGgEVSpxPYKEvEPtYJPVf1XrL2Tniz_jY2_gQzrCQNn5hc8sAa7eAJ5QBdcAix7BGooltLtwe4Cfopxg/s400/050110+bill+blue+at+parrot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466343998345421058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bill Blue at the Green Parrot</span><br /></div>Scott and Michelle Kirby showed up after an afternoon of sailing so they were raring to go (or at least Scott was but Michelle was very happy!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIENA2uKypc0tglDkoSA2IKSbyyEb_5IaOA7GeU073onU1ptJRfC-BcyX4qHPMIyCXbAqQFAf42jCg6z6VOybcrRUD3Ky9PMwIy5veZiiUePWerOfzO3qJONCwj2LAIWWKH30Y5gvh5A/s1600/050110+michelle+and+scott.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIENA2uKypc0tglDkoSA2IKSbyyEb_5IaOA7GeU073onU1ptJRfC-BcyX4qHPMIyCXbAqQFAf42jCg6z6VOybcrRUD3Ky9PMwIy5veZiiUePWerOfzO3qJONCwj2LAIWWKH30Y5gvh5A/s400/050110+michelle+and+scott.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337073374281314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott and Michelle at the Green Parrot</span><br /></div>The Parrot is great for people watching and some of the dancing is more than entertaining - we laughed for hours!! This coozie took the cake though!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY-vx0RbBip-50izEjoHmPHa1Iu4TJJeZvORbHnczSMOx-8_7jIPVmYXhG-FSm3deenS1taGnAVRP6ShmvdDWIA7S9k7QKufV8vwgIDFSAhbCM-5M4gXCLCoDyufq59DC3HsLCSbwt28/s1600/050110+the+best+coozie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY-vx0RbBip-50izEjoHmPHa1Iu4TJJeZvORbHnczSMOx-8_7jIPVmYXhG-FSm3deenS1taGnAVRP6ShmvdDWIA7S9k7QKufV8vwgIDFSAhbCM-5M4gXCLCoDyufq59DC3HsLCSbwt28/s400/050110+the+best+coozie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335101546240242" border="0" /></a>Following the great music at the Parrot no one was ready to go home (except Michelle), so we headed over to Louie's Backyard where we were joined by Bill Blue, his wife Bev and the band!!! There is no better place on a warm KW evening to enjoy a few cocktails with friends while watching the stars and being lulled by the rhythmic sound of the waves lapping gently against the shore!! Late night Chinese food was a perfect way to end a great day (yes I've finally found a good Chinese place down here although I had to kiss a lot of frogs first!!!)<br /><br />Our dockmates Paula and Dave snuck off and got married the other day so it was time to celebrate with them on their boat Bellissimo on Monday - it was also somewhat of a good-bye party as our friends Greg and Karen were leaving the next morning to head back to Michigan via Stuart and the Chesapeake Bay and our friends Terry and Loie on Coconuts who had hosted so many of our Wednesday night sunset parties all winter were heading out the next day for their summer home back in Islesboro, ME!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghytAn5jSYhwRXNAUPHv63MQ0jRMh71Y6FKhLjZ7aAkupwXjvzY3S61oT1A5v0sBTp7bRtLShHr81CINE5ifl7-CFmCqMRbxpAIuW0PFUn8m9PAq-L4wA3lAHGRE-3qBbWgxwQs5Z7l6g/s1600/050110+party+on+belissimo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghytAn5jSYhwRXNAUPHv63MQ0jRMh71Y6FKhLjZ7aAkupwXjvzY3S61oT1A5v0sBTp7bRtLShHr81CINE5ifl7-CFmCqMRbxpAIuW0PFUn8m9PAq-L4wA3lAHGRE-3qBbWgxwQs5Z7l6g/s400/050110+party+on+belissimo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337064357994562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cocktails on Bellissimo</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IXOIGaATRN9Qp66c7RC5JJ00qJmLtGB_rldSE50QZshOfKbLiIwGOcOhp6r3BHc8d6uoUTc7mGTcAEy-DhxErQ6wrPaKq_6qo51jTcVEHQbDbA5GTiVGO4lokEa7OE4e5lj-2n_tswc/s1600/050110+the+newlyweds+and+jill.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IXOIGaATRN9Qp66c7RC5JJ00qJmLtGB_rldSE50QZshOfKbLiIwGOcOhp6r3BHc8d6uoUTc7mGTcAEy-DhxErQ6wrPaKq_6qo51jTcVEHQbDbA5GTiVGO4lokEa7OE4e5lj-2n_tswc/s400/050110+the+newlyweds+and+jill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466333189152984498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jill is Surrounded by Dave and Paula, the Newlyweds</span><br /></div>Dinner at Hogfish in beautiful downtown Stock Island seemed to be the thing to do - Mary and Jim are now addicted to Key West pink shrimp and hogfish!!!<br /><br />Gypsies actually headed out the next morning for a couple days - we went out for some fishing (unfortunately not catching) and headed up to Boca Grande for the night, a gorgeous little island next to the Marquesas and further south on the way to the Dry Tortugas. What a beautiful steam we had with unbelievably clear turquoise water and lots of dolphin, turtles and flying fish to keep us company!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIlP7HFH6SNFu_Wf59bsomxo-4tXlNLDbaiMWUHQeZNtO-S0DHQn06Y9ayxATNogvJS1zgkTM-9EIxVD3cB2KEy8ja1R_qvmpc5bUHn537vfqMu7ZgwLJ5mbpv3GPOQ_rCOT6mtqZSrI/s1600/050110+turtle+.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIlP7HFH6SNFu_Wf59bsomxo-4tXlNLDbaiMWUHQeZNtO-S0DHQn06Y9ayxATNogvJS1zgkTM-9EIxVD3cB2KEy8ja1R_qvmpc5bUHn537vfqMu7ZgwLJ5mbpv3GPOQ_rCOT6mtqZSrI/s400/050110+turtle+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466333150123500802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A Sea Turtle Watches Gypsies Pass By</span> </div>Although we had a bit of a rockin' and rollin' anchorage, the water was great and the sunset to die for!! It was great to be back out cruising again and Mary and Jim got to see a small slice of the life we've been living for the past couple years - they didn't want to come back!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-a3p6IW8cYciLPyQbde1dZVs8uv61q1zCWSmbIXumiyLoW3zh4_ByqcpvPqvp8M4ZQcxW1TLT0olpWxfprlIM4d9MAR1saHDoElOR1skAHJgakCgJdwORI1oOttqu_5-k5wTfkWuctQ/s1600/050110+mary+and+jim+enjoying+the+cruise.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-a3p6IW8cYciLPyQbde1dZVs8uv61q1zCWSmbIXumiyLoW3zh4_ByqcpvPqvp8M4ZQcxW1TLT0olpWxfprlIM4d9MAR1saHDoElOR1skAHJgakCgJdwORI1oOttqu_5-k5wTfkWuctQ/s400/050110+mary+and+jim+enjoying+the+cruise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337975062693826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jim and Mary Enjoy Being at Sea on Gypsies</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu9BTkPlysW11KVSISwEWUG8WSkiBmGvcNJNW9s9BoCuaEKfzESxQ0TSSbLMn7yTRRSA_S_Mq-IkN4dUlfqb8Slbc9ldW0Y1nEBvdvGAlrfr7OeFbVMrJEvM_gU0EDJDqhM9MXuPAMtw/s1600/050110+boca+grande+swimming.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu9BTkPlysW11KVSISwEWUG8WSkiBmGvcNJNW9s9BoCuaEKfzESxQ0TSSbLMn7yTRRSA_S_Mq-IkN4dUlfqb8Slbc9ldW0Y1nEBvdvGAlrfr7OeFbVMrJEvM_gU0EDJDqhM9MXuPAMtw/s400/050110+boca+grande+swimming.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466343987889599842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mary and Jim Try Out the Water at the Anchorage</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQOC0zIxfmsg4y_lvNJDcfVep0-HGiEHJ4pthdh8zqxkunaA_hyphenhyphenXDht-ilcTAKOEtdn6n5m1UQfLkSW8NL-o2o0kbFoco6qlXV-KlxDqi8LVZb1xPdTHvEyhyphenhyphenjRj0INSqxUwS80CDebQ/s1600/050110+sunset+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQOC0zIxfmsg4y_lvNJDcfVep0-HGiEHJ4pthdh8zqxkunaA_hyphenhyphenXDht-ilcTAKOEtdn6n5m1UQfLkSW8NL-o2o0kbFoco6qlXV-KlxDqi8LVZb1xPdTHvEyhyphenhyphenjRj0INSqxUwS80CDebQ/s400/050110+sunset+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335118176037218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset off Boca Grande</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7ClCpmLsZsARSWLUxlyHbCG-QNRCLDjAAHxryZULo3nvp9t08FaE9qKhKyNzsUp3hraZ3xH8cNZdNOaTGcolzfZknQD7APwjyUrcS2-TcC_lyQ_FnTWUm4ksBIv0me-6gH-TD2XKGoQ/s1600/050110+sunset+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7ClCpmLsZsARSWLUxlyHbCG-QNRCLDjAAHxryZULo3nvp9t08FaE9qKhKyNzsUp3hraZ3xH8cNZdNOaTGcolzfZknQD7APwjyUrcS2-TcC_lyQ_FnTWUm4ksBIv0me-6gH-TD2XKGoQ/s400/050110+sunset+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335111577268722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset off Boca Grande</span> </div>The next day was a bit rougher than was predicted but we still went outside the reef to fish - Doug and Jim both caught fish (unfortunately they were bonito which aren't good eating fish but at least we were catching and not just fishing!!!) Lots of fun!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMkjVXe0CSi5ApFkmYDDA266hPGn8iQJE1bc2xgsDZ9KkNwb5Y4WrCIU6D9mjHvpdkbPR4Bc7-2LjE25Av3aN4FrLj_xHMc4F5I3pJis-lFIXA-BmURNLykS31cAH0HBW7Oqq8wYKKOg/s1600/050110+doug+adn+his+fish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMkjVXe0CSi5ApFkmYDDA266hPGn8iQJE1bc2xgsDZ9KkNwb5Y4WrCIU6D9mjHvpdkbPR4Bc7-2LjE25Av3aN4FrLj_xHMc4F5I3pJis-lFIXA-BmURNLykS31cAH0HBW7Oqq8wYKKOg/s400/050110+doug+adn+his+fish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466348394271194018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgVPTKayU2KFC6trrN5AFg23YpOfTdKPJw6JCE3qZVwEgfgFoSONn2tDiWD4wLgoKPRHu9hoW7uNn0wmBVlmyTVf3trQFXvnhBTn4vvorBJP6XTcQSztZZCORTN0O2D9M8nh1aij0ouQ/s1600/050110+jim%27s+fish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgVPTKayU2KFC6trrN5AFg23YpOfTdKPJw6JCE3qZVwEgfgFoSONn2tDiWD4wLgoKPRHu9hoW7uNn0wmBVlmyTVf3trQFXvnhBTn4vvorBJP6XTcQSztZZCORTN0O2D9M8nh1aij0ouQ/s400/050110+jim%27s+fish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337987657038514" border="0" /></a>Plus after a couple days away from the insanity of KW, we were ready to head back into town and hit the Raw Bar for some happy hour oysters, KW pinks and pitchers of ShockTop!!! We headed back for another soundcheck at the Parrot to see the Red Elvises who truly rocked out the house (think cross between the B-52s and the Talking Heads!!!!) Talk about a great show - we had to have their greatest hits cd for the ipod - I'll be working out to their music (sometime when I get my butt back to the gym!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncSPOTBPwMGw53GESMFZ68DQWD4_bLDybOEurl39HZqpthzLVFRvTfjVh6SXyn5kp8P0ApI1uQVvW6ocfzbGdLPCzRQQUBwwqRh5K-wti-RTAX2llkAgyPsiZHCI4639fAGQE7hqqhOA/s1600/050110+the+red+elvises.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncSPOTBPwMGw53GESMFZ68DQWD4_bLDybOEurl39HZqpthzLVFRvTfjVh6SXyn5kp8P0ApI1uQVvW6ocfzbGdLPCzRQQUBwwqRh5K-wti-RTAX2llkAgyPsiZHCI4639fAGQE7hqqhOA/s400/050110+the+red+elvises.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466333155635740114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Red Elvises at the Green Parrot</span> </div>After a great dinner at Fogarty's, we were treated to some street music from spiderman (I keep saying this but you just can't make this stuff up!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFpNb1SIZ6vq6OVn34kUsjz7KcbNVa1IRA0havvHTs5TY8db2m3X6UJ5WWUvf5DagXSbHLVlHJwXwZj_CvX0tRrQcnR-AnHIOB4LVYMgxeHxO2_XEqyekpxNA_xH2IskbNywtLuJyGB8/s1600/050110+spiderman.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFpNb1SIZ6vq6OVn34kUsjz7KcbNVa1IRA0havvHTs5TY8db2m3X6UJ5WWUvf5DagXSbHLVlHJwXwZj_CvX0tRrQcnR-AnHIOB4LVYMgxeHxO2_XEqyekpxNA_xH2IskbNywtLuJyGB8/s400/050110+spiderman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335961207769426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Spiderman Plays on the Street in KW</span><br /></div>before heading up to Margaritaville where our friends Scott and Dave were playing!! Brett and Jill had the same idea so we made a party of it!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ss96Vp4FLgtyLzeJhwkmNQydNeKsp4t2a1N83Cj80anZKSX2QQKXiVi-XFeVMYN7qfLzhtFGlb-Yv8ww7pgb-7qxkMhFSuhhbv346-wVaf0kGAGxZK2sUUSvBkf_3ACGyQMgRfQ4JAw/s1600/050110+scott+and+dave.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ss96Vp4FLgtyLzeJhwkmNQydNeKsp4t2a1N83Cj80anZKSX2QQKXiVi-XFeVMYN7qfLzhtFGlb-Yv8ww7pgb-7qxkMhFSuhhbv346-wVaf0kGAGxZK2sUUSvBkf_3ACGyQMgRfQ4JAw/s400/050110+scott+and+dave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335977517840786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scott and Dave Play at Margaritaville</span><br /></div><br />We started out Thursday at the Southernmost Beach Cafe (guess where that was located?) for some music from the Songwriter's Festival - we learned the hard way that the best performers definitely don't play that early in the day although we did get our toes in the sand!! After struggling to listen to songs like "I like cowgirls butts" and such other stimulating lyrics, we headed off in search of alternative fun (I can watch just about any live music but even I struggled with that!) Soon enough it was time for Mary's tattoo at Paradise Tattoo that she had picked out the other day - a blue and black gecko on her ankle!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNhtAYe0-UCP_RRinqwhPOAiYjvk94mleAxLW9FiUp87FBhXB5nqhrP9Sto6_qHMpw6PReV81KCDlZCyXXkJOmoOELeC43qhu6B6UxzR_OR2kT-bY-nF_j0Z2LOpQTKLmDUlrAcyLArs/s1600/050110+mary%27s+tattoo+experience.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNhtAYe0-UCP_RRinqwhPOAiYjvk94mleAxLW9FiUp87FBhXB5nqhrP9Sto6_qHMpw6PReV81KCDlZCyXXkJOmoOELeC43qhu6B6UxzR_OR2kT-bY-nF_j0Z2LOpQTKLmDUlrAcyLArs/s400/050110+mary%27s+tattoo+experience.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337087637314338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mary Getting Her Tattoo at Paradise Tattoo</span><br /></div>Contrary to popular opinion, we do not encourage tattoos, it's just that everyone who comes to visit wants one and we just tell them where to go - so to speak! Well Mary's came out great but clearly she was in need of some sustenance and something to dull the pain, so off we went for an afternoon of Schooner Wharf wings while listening to the "dulcet" tones of Michael McCloud!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64aXBYcqzn48-f4RSvzOusDai85sWRVlJnbTOOdGsZ2bzvKqIf1hBmhcbgbZE72gFnSE19QQTUyLy-VK9yf0yP0wXrl4itHkWoSgnHcvM_LxTCLIZfuGU8TpdRrkQATGm6HZfJ5_CtqE/s1600/050110+michael+mccloud.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64aXBYcqzn48-f4RSvzOusDai85sWRVlJnbTOOdGsZ2bzvKqIf1hBmhcbgbZE72gFnSE19QQTUyLy-VK9yf0yP0wXrl4itHkWoSgnHcvM_LxTCLIZfuGU8TpdRrkQATGm6HZfJ5_CtqE/s400/050110+michael+mccloud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466337079370426498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Michael McCloud at Schooner Wharf</span><br /></div>Two platters of caribbean spiced wings later (we all agree they are the best wings ever!!!), Jim needed the complete set of Michael's recordings!! If there is any better place to spend an afternoon, I'm not sure where it is!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BZt9lzhNEViRIJ_aG3MAa_s2l3qd1lPGb12j0EIuFZA-Jq2B9frY7RSPsJCHwn20HLpejmgO-hcMrvAvQizysnBoSMejvSvxPcaWa2TDgpew6LHeLu5APE7EUKL_PW8dSijSIxUqnXQ/s1600/050110+schooner+wharf+.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BZt9lzhNEViRIJ_aG3MAa_s2l3qd1lPGb12j0EIuFZA-Jq2B9frY7RSPsJCHwn20HLpejmgO-hcMrvAvQizysnBoSMejvSvxPcaWa2TDgpew6LHeLu5APE7EUKL_PW8dSijSIxUqnXQ/s400/050110+schooner+wharf+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466335989642390658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beer and Wings at Schooner Wharf</span><br /></div>But once Michael stopped playing, we had to find somewhere to go so crawling up Duval we stumbled into Durty Harry's lured by a sign that Freebo (Bonnie Rait's former guitarist and former performer on Gypsies) was playing as part of the Songwriters Festival. Very cool - we watched more great music as he was joined by songwriters who have written for Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, etc - you get the picture, these guys are really, really good!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4zblo4KodWt7WL8vSA5XzJ1RxWKCevMFazN7Vl2spoKcavMo4q1gUmNZiOG-JX7Ag83KaTaVr-mUF7NhE5Ay9LQjqX8IMfz0lT3uvxsd50D6hjZU6VRwZ1wdeVW-UP8YHyQXBzuhzBc/s1600/050110+freebo+at+durty+harrys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4zblo4KodWt7WL8vSA5XzJ1RxWKCevMFazN7Vl2spoKcavMo4q1gUmNZiOG-JX7Ag83KaTaVr-mUF7NhE5Ay9LQjqX8IMfz0lT3uvxsd50D6hjZU6VRwZ1wdeVW-UP8YHyQXBzuhzBc/s400/050110+freebo+at+durty+harrys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466348371889140162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKTUPEbvKwER8r86B_FVtMtm6-_2PmvdmDzSAUmQpeOo4CRKAyFyw2Rd7HvrqkX1MC_pUxkhQvU3ODEZj7IdztIdHqahENIVVyKA8nXdJrD0Y0hZiYnRuLJe6j9e8jx2rz9l-QCXhxQw/s1600/050110+a+great+songwriter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKTUPEbvKwER8r86B_FVtMtm6-_2PmvdmDzSAUmQpeOo4CRKAyFyw2Rd7HvrqkX1MC_pUxkhQvU3ODEZj7IdztIdHqahENIVVyKA8nXdJrD0Y0hZiYnRuLJe6j9e8jx2rz9l-QCXhxQw/s400/050110+a+great+songwriter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466346100585390962" border="0" /></a>But the evening was not over as El Alamo lay in our path back to the car and pork sliders and $1 drafts called our name!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWq7Wtp99nLRVTMQQbvSo58C8nTbJ5LhKft1pUzbQkrbbn35KNzvxilusWTrIhYU-2NyhzoJPlcrv4uaZf6bTacnTki4qETnJ7KnL4xAEVznEs1QRfAOB2MBcOH9Gw5lxbx_-zET8hI/s1600/050110+el+alamo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWq7Wtp99nLRVTMQQbvSo58C8nTbJ5LhKft1pUzbQkrbbn35KNzvxilusWTrIhYU-2NyhzoJPlcrv4uaZf6bTacnTki4qETnJ7KnL4xAEVznEs1QRfAOB2MBcOH9Gw5lxbx_-zET8hI/s400/050110+el+alamo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466348376378986978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug, Jim and Mary at El Alamo</span><br /></div>Finally after walking back to the car up by Louie's at the southernmost part of the island (which is a hike although we would have had to walk to Miami and back to burn off all we had eaten and drunk the past week!!), we decided on an early night with some take-out Chinese!<br /><br />Unfortunately Mary and Jim had to leave Friday morning for the drive back up the Keys and a flight out of Miami - we were so sad to see them leave!! Too much fun was had by all - but we'll see you guys soon!! Love ya!! Their leaving also meant Doug and I could no longer put off boat chores - we are leaving KW this coming Tuesday so we have lots of stuff to get done before then! However all work and no fun (I know, not our problem!!) makes us dull, so we hit Hogfish for happy hour to see Freebo play again!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-UL1Z0WhvMM1ug_IbAc_azFDLQwEqd7SQJZqW_KB5VDMwkeRoouqKipNxg4hAn301_PODTZLKBck8diUDB2_xG60e-SPrb-XXRVg4sfDSM9wJuwAXnxXsG35hyxgpqVOM1GcEzVv_qE/s1600/050110+freebo+at+hogfish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-UL1Z0WhvMM1ug_IbAc_azFDLQwEqd7SQJZqW_KB5VDMwkeRoouqKipNxg4hAn301_PODTZLKBck8diUDB2_xG60e-SPrb-XXRVg4sfDSM9wJuwAXnxXsG35hyxgpqVOM1GcEzVv_qE/s400/050110+freebo+at+hogfish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466340048864517698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Freebo (in Yellow Tie Dye) and Gang Play at Hogfish</span><br /></div>He was joined by a bunch of other songwriters, one of whom had written a great song (especially for KW) called Hair of the Dog!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLdSjdxjvEY-oALdISjrp1WrMMQuKFvvALWbh1ehyphenhyphenPdX8KSB_w-ugrIF0yR6OJLHdMxcuEfEu0zvEQ9MiMrtL3GCWMALMTS0WSDaL7S5KcJyxomstAYW_1hlaXVqd6-F7F5daW9JgOFw/s1600/050110+hair+of+the+dog+songwriter.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLdSjdxjvEY-oALdISjrp1WrMMQuKFvvALWbh1ehyphenhyphenPdX8KSB_w-ugrIF0yR6OJLHdMxcuEfEu0zvEQ9MiMrtL3GCWMALMTS0WSDaL7S5KcJyxomstAYW_1hlaXVqd6-F7F5daW9JgOFw/s400/050110+hair+of+the+dog+songwriter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466340022635345250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Songwriter Who Wrote "Hair of the Dog"</span><br /></div>The songwriter's festival is really cool since you get to hear very talented musicians that you mostly don't know but whose songs you do because they were recorded by other more "famous" musicians. Yes some musicians write many of their own songs but it has been amazing to hear how many songs are in fact written by someone else and just recorded by the artist you associate with the song. More songwriters festival for us this afternoon and evening - we've decided to do boat chores all day and music all night - we have to take advantage of KW while we're still here after all!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Pa0Ap_0TkFoPJkg4_qZqLLwufux7zwz3-1JbCbK6FxCn6EoFAVSOg5uZDot9fLo1twkLW_9sPyvpeV0VpRzxzecPqBF15Qixe_VzdziHwjJW7maCw7FBmAJfUncbOwvRAbaakLBQVc/s1600/050110+hogfish+stock+island+humor.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Pa0Ap_0TkFoPJkg4_qZqLLwufux7zwz3-1JbCbK6FxCn6EoFAVSOg5uZDot9fLo1twkLW_9sPyvpeV0VpRzxzecPqBF15Qixe_VzdziHwjJW7maCw7FBmAJfUncbOwvRAbaakLBQVc/s400/050110+hogfish+stock+island+humor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466338002124612722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Weather Humor at Hogfish</span><br /></div>M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-5720905673062057502010-04-19T10:08:00.010-04:002010-04-19T11:02:19.704-04:00Bye September Song....For NowWell our friends on September Song (Bob and Stephanie) and Sea Pearl (Joe and Salty) left this morning to cross over to the Bahamas for a couple months - we wish them a safe crossing and lots of fun!!! We sure wish we were going with them, but a new chapter of our life awaits us and we are starting to get pretty excited about it!! More on this later!!<br /><br />We couldn't let them leave without one last hurrah though so on Friday we drove up to Marathon for one last party - we were greeted by all their dock friends who had been forewarned that the "gypsies were coming, the gypsies were coming!!" Needless to say we received a wonderfully warm reception, especially from Cassie and Godiva who we haven't seen in a little while!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2ErS_dedmgJ_yfOPDd4AOypN8A_F-S6H_wm7t6aZ2oS3pDJSH3wY9ARCP3higKcSCS1jZ9Ua4uHnBRzahO_EW8jYehfuhFuCGrjbVyWf9d7VGmHIpZKNaqltReiVDsSpbNOWNg57efE/s1600/041910+cassie+and+godiva.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2ErS_dedmgJ_yfOPDd4AOypN8A_F-S6H_wm7t6aZ2oS3pDJSH3wY9ARCP3higKcSCS1jZ9Ua4uHnBRzahO_EW8jYehfuhFuCGrjbVyWf9d7VGmHIpZKNaqltReiVDsSpbNOWNg57efE/s400/041910+cassie+and+godiva.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461855099481630354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cassie and Godiva Welcome Us onto September Song</span><br /></div>After several cocktails on the boat, we spied Salty sporting his new Hawaiian attire - I swear he knew he looked good as he pranced around the dock showing off his gift from Auntie Stephanie!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug0Yp24YFUs5SSz8nb63hg9h0rfX7_iluM8DYSYYFfx2IFBiY2chUhbuHMbd8n2LKIzaHI4E91m-vRE-DZcmkHxOBLLIngrH9DHV0TLcNhPbQP2WUax0RwTm4M1amfnwbENy-SI-ND7E/s1600/041910+salty.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug0Yp24YFUs5SSz8nb63hg9h0rfX7_iluM8DYSYYFfx2IFBiY2chUhbuHMbd8n2LKIzaHI4E91m-vRE-DZcmkHxOBLLIngrH9DHV0TLcNhPbQP2WUax0RwTm4M1amfnwbENy-SI-ND7E/s400/041910+salty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461852399412374354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Salty Shows Off His New Hawaiian Shirt</span><br /></div>Then it was time to head over to Sombrero Resort for some poolside antics and the music of Tommy Santelli - about 20 of the Dockside gang showed up and despite the local hospital usurping the gang's usual tables, we made due and had a great time!!<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-jZ6ubPwYwqEQ9clJ3kFKxn4mX1gu_X25mVHT9aqOi6OWQ9EAEgCfJ0Z7hWyJxeACeIIJ7aYuG9Yd9zeSWGzhaZn8zwT5zLXvnthR-Sx7L38yruwWNDUVNdSyB9XI-GKnoilnFPV4e4/s1600/041910+at+sombrero.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-jZ6ubPwYwqEQ9clJ3kFKxn4mX1gu_X25mVHT9aqOi6OWQ9EAEgCfJ0Z7hWyJxeACeIIJ7aYuG9Yd9zeSWGzhaZn8zwT5zLXvnthR-Sx7L38yruwWNDUVNdSyB9XI-GKnoilnFPV4e4/s400/041910+at+sombrero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461855108505889634" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBM3ZxhLlD35suaZG1F1o1zKJdw4VMDDqAbOMU1zPfi6yIclYOvZys74g9kLXrnmrF50c3wUyGVdMnmGu_Nj47NN1rZRqGbV6b20OzitzQ-z_1qq0k3BMA-JLFKjjn2PIaGKP7m05fPE/s1600/041910+don%27t+ever+question+a+parrot.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBM3ZxhLlD35suaZG1F1o1zKJdw4VMDDqAbOMU1zPfi6yIclYOvZys74g9kLXrnmrF50c3wUyGVdMnmGu_Nj47NN1rZRqGbV6b20OzitzQ-z_1qq0k3BMA-JLFKjjn2PIaGKP7m05fPE/s400/041910+don%27t+ever+question+a+parrot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461854347638610610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvp9qp5hyphenhyphen9-wcWDbjWjgi6wnhfafws-D52tAqlIBSPlWNbk16dhAzUXGq_FCrXFyEHTMwP6HFneIam730Xoe6tGbF43_V9mJDx2JMbp9IeGtspEBbmoBFjr4ZvUU8v-rjMJAAy_BezXs/s1600/041910+gang+last+night+together.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvp9qp5hyphenhyphen9-wcWDbjWjgi6wnhfafws-D52tAqlIBSPlWNbk16dhAzUXGq_FCrXFyEHTMwP6HFneIam730Xoe6tGbF43_V9mJDx2JMbp9IeGtspEBbmoBFjr4ZvUU8v-rjMJAAy_BezXs/s400/041910+gang+last+night+together.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461853265582891810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfi-Vo49dNRg0Qsrn4LMHXz7lmNkAlDuvTN-nWxBFlqnisHpatPZ5I7OZSoaiVh0-n4F6HQq0YSuveUm2RXcG9b8oShEYv9BOtVDOl9hx8BgFLV2fQG-zhARIA83rfWOC8cLWd30RvBok/s1600/041910+sombrero+character.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfi-Vo49dNRg0Qsrn4LMHXz7lmNkAlDuvTN-nWxBFlqnisHpatPZ5I7OZSoaiVh0-n4F6HQq0YSuveUm2RXcG9b8oShEYv9BOtVDOl9hx8BgFLV2fQG-zhARIA83rfWOC8cLWd30RvBok/s400/041910+sombrero+character.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461852394739189842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Not Sure Who This Guy Was But He Had an Uncanny Resemblance<br />to a </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Coconut Skull Hanging in the Bar</span><br /></div>Where oh where did all those funny hats come from and why were we wearing them????<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZi5FtSw4bVsqHFU6aZ47d7PK9GVs6gH1FgNM_0og472ajq4XGorYVTAwGa5p4riVcSX4WsM7kHea_86MOe_-m8fB5pjdpYcuX5Z7sVwjkuB-tJwPqdL-PzLBPr_SSSnifaCCxmV5N6E/s1600/041910+hats+at+sombrero.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZi5FtSw4bVsqHFU6aZ47d7PK9GVs6gH1FgNM_0og472ajq4XGorYVTAwGa5p4riVcSX4WsM7kHea_86MOe_-m8fB5pjdpYcuX5Z7sVwjkuB-tJwPqdL-PzLBPr_SSSnifaCCxmV5N6E/s400/041910+hats+at+sombrero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461853260189041154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ULPRVRtsbSKBxtmva3OWD5-NRuh_bIFJwhYwp-Qd49e5CuWzmvV7rCNM023HVoKSdZnkYOmk1NMs50vNnENjsxVNMy8xMTQiHYNqrMD8K57supQvd-jyPMCRbmt8CJ598c6vdbgoUdA/s1600/041910+the+girls.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ULPRVRtsbSKBxtmva3OWD5-NRuh_bIFJwhYwp-Qd49e5CuWzmvV7rCNM023HVoKSdZnkYOmk1NMs50vNnENjsxVNMy8xMTQiHYNqrMD8K57supQvd-jyPMCRbmt8CJ598c6vdbgoUdA/s400/041910+the+girls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461852383549402290" border="0" /></a>After much merriment, some liquid and solid sustenance and a little dancing,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxlnBOCSJ_Cz6Q25ihiJyJzdQwKTRsUu0P0h0r_Ms41pH-YnsomzAIS0UqnZ2OlY-XydhxOqKvBAiopmx77jjU3VAFQLnw_96gIwf0tnUckfUDthzTbBrAYGjMnt7EDD1tCzzJu3sR24/s1600/041910+dancing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxlnBOCSJ_Cz6Q25ihiJyJzdQwKTRsUu0P0h0r_Ms41pH-YnsomzAIS0UqnZ2OlY-XydhxOqKvBAiopmx77jjU3VAFQLnw_96gIwf0tnUckfUDthzTbBrAYGjMnt7EDD1tCzzJu3sR24/s400/041910+dancing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461854355164416754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Two Love Birds from September Song...Watch that Hand, Bob!</span><br /></div>we had to take our leave to drive back to KW - while it was sad to say good-bye (again), we know we will see our friends soon!!!! We will keep track of all their antics via their blog and live vicariously through them until we see them again when they return from the Bahamas!!! Safe travels our friends!!!<br /><br />Meanwhile, Doug and I spent Thursday driving up to Miami to - god forbid - shop for suits and real dress shoes (no we can't wear flip-flops to interviews!!!!) Yes we have decided to go back to work for awhile - real work, like what we used to do so we can restock the cruising kitty as quickly as we can!! Doug actually has an interview this Thursday and since there isn't a suit (other than a bathing suit) to be found in all of Key West, we had to head north. While Doug had fits over the thought of wearing a tie again (he's not sure he remembers how to tie one), for me the hardest part was trying to squeeze my feet which have been barefoot or in flip-flops for the past two years into heels (now what masochistic guy ever decided that women should wear high heels??? - I'm telling you, it's just not natural!!! UGH!!) Anyways, mission accomplished as we each came back to the boat with a couple suits, shirts, ties, shoes, etc.......we'll raid our storage pod for more later but for now the issue is where do we put all these trappings of reality?? Know the other truly traumatic part of looking for jobs - Doug has to get his hair cut!!! He hasn't done that in over two and a half years and had grown really fond of his ponytail which is longer than mine - I guess we're done sharing scrunchies and earrings for awhile!!! Here's a couple "before" pictures of Doug - I'll post the "after" pictures when the dirty deed is done!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-zyuvbUayGik6r_p-CFtWXCV68VAS0cACRMUUKoW6A7_ctnKARKz8elCWk92iTkZ7BMpp7CrK_0Ecs2Ttfk8HPeVU1wi-3hmH_2zc1_YrLG2_7pxY0GebHhUqu1IWlWKzuyOWMPhpvI/s1600/041910+doug+before.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-zyuvbUayGik6r_p-CFtWXCV68VAS0cACRMUUKoW6A7_ctnKARKz8elCWk92iTkZ7BMpp7CrK_0Ecs2Ttfk8HPeVU1wi-3hmH_2zc1_YrLG2_7pxY0GebHhUqu1IWlWKzuyOWMPhpvI/s400/041910+doug+before.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461854329879520402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSwB0vEOdBs_3Xm5FVAG81wA_ZLDFjTMQUYNxOT2C4VnQPP-p_8Uw2T6a-XdoJBCs1jKjCYksbS9iknAyx7TZSm9zp6VtiHLBRGREzy9lQHQ0vsC77tyKhoBALVwasJy5Ad0n4Kicnbk/s1600/041910+doug+before+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSwB0vEOdBs_3Xm5FVAG81wA_ZLDFjTMQUYNxOT2C4VnQPP-p_8Uw2T6a-XdoJBCs1jKjCYksbS9iknAyx7TZSm9zp6VtiHLBRGREzy9lQHQ0vsC77tyKhoBALVwasJy5Ad0n4Kicnbk/s400/041910+doug+before+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461854341516444146" border="0" /></a><br />Another part of this change of lifestyle/job search is where do we go from here literally - well we think we've figured that out at least in the short term - Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, right outside of Miami on Biscayne Bay!! We both want to look in the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area at least to start and being closer to that area will probably be a good thing - right now we are a 4 hour car ride from Miami and while we have had an absolute blast spending the winter down here in KW, there may be just a few too many distractions and temptations down here (read on and you'll see what I mean)!! Coconut Grove is a funky, artsy, diverse ethnic section of Miami with a great marina right in the middle of it where we hope to spend some time while we look for work and then maybe even afterwards if things work out - we spent several days there on one of our trips south and loved the area (that's actually where we watched Obama's inauguration!!!) We're going to drive up again on Wednesday to do some more advance scoping and we'll keep you all posted, but at least for now our game plan involves heading Gypsies north sometime the first two weeks of May!!<br /><br />Until then there is a lot happening in KW to keep us busy and having fun - this week is the Independence Celebration recognizing the 28th anniversary of when KW seceded from the Union and founded the Conch Republic!! This is taken quite seriously down here and is cause for lots of insane craziness - more so than even usual. Saturday Doug and I journeyed into town for the "drag races" which in KW have a whole other meaning - no racing cars are to be found on the KW back streets - instead all of the drag queens from Aqua, 801 Bourbon Street and other alternative bars in town compete in full drag and high heels in races down a closed Duval Street pushing grocery carts after maneuvering through the tire obstacle course!! You think I jest - I'll let the pictures back me up and tell the story!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQBCvy0cMcX30mgadd_9tT5nSPCWkmCuubxCoqU8H6gR920Ga8Io_NuXD5HPiDI5ZcysGXUHQLJTjAiqwleqZtt3KBu62WflxRNa-H3_0Kiz58t6145YUm1pWVvqGfqO4xtDsTeNdlCw/s1600/041910+check+out+hte+heels.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQBCvy0cMcX30mgadd_9tT5nSPCWkmCuubxCoqU8H6gR920Ga8Io_NuXD5HPiDI5ZcysGXUHQLJTjAiqwleqZtt3KBu62WflxRNa-H3_0Kiz58t6145YUm1pWVvqGfqO4xtDsTeNdlCw/s400/041910+check+out+hte+heels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461855091487061634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XD7IzDtmbtLo2zf-25PCD3fskSsdo5eU0wFKCU38APrOjMsK413ZzpL1pj4i1uJrAvk2zTT8cHAmf167B142QZuO9UOTiTTJaLVKHIJiqoex2NojxWi6HNaeX1pjvoFhql-VLMWNUAE/s1600/041910+creepy+drag+queen.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XD7IzDtmbtLo2zf-25PCD3fskSsdo5eU0wFKCU38APrOjMsK413ZzpL1pj4i1uJrAvk2zTT8cHAmf167B142QZuO9UOTiTTJaLVKHIJiqoex2NojxWi6HNaeX1pjvoFhql-VLMWNUAE/s400/041910+creepy+drag+queen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461854367338754466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRkk2qk9Fex4H8A10YHIjR8dLB-YhDFvoQk5TGRx6Q6SjuzYg6tWcEE1i-q3v9-FsHHf3u53mMN9e9aIvG1_1X6CJz5iPCVFOBhr7pXh-2D9gV014qEXyn-EwWk8qPtwKwAW7Prsi3fg/s1600/041910+drag+races.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRkk2qk9Fex4H8A10YHIjR8dLB-YhDFvoQk5TGRx6Q6SjuzYg6tWcEE1i-q3v9-FsHHf3u53mMN9e9aIvG1_1X6CJz5iPCVFOBhr7pXh-2D9gV014qEXyn-EwWk8qPtwKwAW7Prsi3fg/s400/041910+drag+races.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461853272596361026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xD0VP4JzoCmMJyBaICIiqQ3YUUC2JkC6OhJ_-S8N5q8iQeCT1iJuhvw-im6j-sJP65i3lINLAv63yD7p4lP13moL1IPX4xreAf-w4AhlE780jSskKxb018ieYy_t1jtb8kpNC8iEDGg/s1600/041910+inga.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xD0VP4JzoCmMJyBaICIiqQ3YUUC2JkC6OhJ_-S8N5q8iQeCT1iJuhvw-im6j-sJP65i3lINLAv63yD7p4lP13moL1IPX4xreAf-w4AhlE780jSskKxb018ieYy_t1jtb8kpNC8iEDGg/s400/041910+inga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461853251342685346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNP2VmEqwqtQvd23B2__zREk9dAtOkAbWQbjTPvR7JFiuELx_-oOo_zhUxI4ivksnvFZhbDhCstB8RHJnwy43_KgukZ1msPzV9TCBCWUitU21qW1nqCT-EaqmDqhohpd2-PT17yroMZw/s1600/041910+more+drag+queens.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNP2VmEqwqtQvd23B2__zREk9dAtOkAbWQbjTPvR7JFiuELx_-oOo_zhUxI4ivksnvFZhbDhCstB8RHJnwy43_KgukZ1msPzV9TCBCWUitU21qW1nqCT-EaqmDqhohpd2-PT17yroMZw/s400/041910+more+drag+queens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461852407108873298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mwbXZb6XH8YmEBcJpp8wiwRehI2mzgmIQaS7cbOmD6cCoLr5ynddtFe4jKpcOPDAGO-5S5BJpvonBwPMi90SciScEK8hjNsPmUsB-Co9sLYjNIHkJC9ElfLdK8UHjaWhluR6U3eyUis/s1600/041910+the+mc+of+the+races.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mwbXZb6XH8YmEBcJpp8wiwRehI2mzgmIQaS7cbOmD6cCoLr5ynddtFe4jKpcOPDAGO-5S5BJpvonBwPMi90SciScEK8hjNsPmUsB-Co9sLYjNIHkJC9ElfLdK8UHjaWhluR6U3eyUis/s400/041910+the+mc+of+the+races.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851485748910146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA0dg5DceaC8oKbOoTCCZWJ5buiwZoV6jmJ8prKYZ-9shwUp_BvuxmTpwIVFnqIb5Ncgz3V_8H07ONpactZrWT3Od9EYq3G812pKZyXZcvfUWguv_Nk9LduSgTvQkBXVAsiV4M6jaL9s/s1600/041910+the+races.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA0dg5DceaC8oKbOoTCCZWJ5buiwZoV6jmJ8prKYZ-9shwUp_BvuxmTpwIVFnqIb5Ncgz3V_8H07ONpactZrWT3Od9EYq3G812pKZyXZcvfUWguv_Nk9LduSgTvQkBXVAsiV4M6jaL9s/s400/041910+the+races.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851479263166066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkI5-9pohS1YzavHYzIXl8QxVtr9ugK2GXiGZHy2O8qYlI_6Of0u_2fGlehPH9-uE161YVpT_inSEYTdhSytL0TDf0TkRVjXAoGULGUqV7x9cX-YvkNPPejoaCzlQ0f3BHQt5v2Iy7H8/s1600/041910+the+tire+course.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkI5-9pohS1YzavHYzIXl8QxVtr9ugK2GXiGZHy2O8qYlI_6Of0u_2fGlehPH9-uE161YVpT_inSEYTdhSytL0TDf0TkRVjXAoGULGUqV7x9cX-YvkNPPejoaCzlQ0f3BHQt5v2Iy7H8/s400/041910+the+tire+course.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851472895268290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKP1_7HF2JA5Q3oWQ8uchq07JbGGxdIYKiuqzY4k7_HymCNt-4xaYwL-AosSoLzjMTeGruUDtQDEUR60fWU30QlV6Soc6lPbvGy79ix6QeF-8L7OW8t4yUqVIbgfgvXcFMR6DwhBN2UU/s1600/041910+two+of+the+better.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKP1_7HF2JA5Q3oWQ8uchq07JbGGxdIYKiuqzY4k7_HymCNt-4xaYwL-AosSoLzjMTeGruUDtQDEUR60fWU30QlV6Soc6lPbvGy79ix6QeF-8L7OW8t4yUqVIbgfgvXcFMR6DwhBN2UU/s400/041910+two+of+the+better.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851466452825682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_5C3p5W0JUzxOFYoixVnt3Qf5AHlfjXRcgET6Hac41jJihsksv4F8h_DgLL9NaP7vtUCng8Gus0tcBVPyNoTrRxnQsBXcRBbgaRydOxsnm5yvZnOtmi2NN4EujO8lxsQTWAZoksQ-IA/s1600/041910+yikes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_5C3p5W0JUzxOFYoixVnt3Qf5AHlfjXRcgET6Hac41jJihsksv4F8h_DgLL9NaP7vtUCng8Gus0tcBVPyNoTrRxnQsBXcRBbgaRydOxsnm5yvZnOtmi2NN4EujO8lxsQTWAZoksQ-IA/s400/041910+yikes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851455668492322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Some Things You Just Can't Describe!</span><br /></div>No sooner did we get to the races than we met up with the whole Dockside gang from Marathon that we had partied with the night before!!!! Too funny!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjGorTu4CCxwwiDR_3AxOGPOXnVqIbmvne3zHEqsAKgglF-8EsX6AgGXiGu2XpauFxmlyngrKfDl9VaVUKhVv4YwD3GZAqUa8Z5sdtjGRiuZn2nHhAf6_psHwsc2_Ew52CurIvxfRg6E/s1600/041910+the+marathon+gang.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjGorTu4CCxwwiDR_3AxOGPOXnVqIbmvne3zHEqsAKgglF-8EsX6AgGXiGu2XpauFxmlyngrKfDl9VaVUKhVv4YwD3GZAqUa8Z5sdtjGRiuZn2nHhAf6_psHwsc2_Ew52CurIvxfRg6E/s400/041910+the+marathon+gang.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461852376862435666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang from Marathon Invades KW for the Drag Races</span><br /></div>Many of us wound up first at El Alamo for $1 beer and pork sliders and then went on to the Green Parrot for soundcheck where <a href="http://www.liledandthebluesimperials.com/">Li'l Ed and the Blues Imperials</a> were playing - great blues!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbQsxaFNYxEnhaAgc31tT__SANhz7C6J4NriX1OgxjSse3nwXPOuwXXiPdQdQcAN0ojJyFI4JKsiKa1UW9JBdF3AxidH_xHNKLb1YCE4PYivqDn-VWnELBvmhaWbNofw89FgyEiSKKNI/s1600/041910+lil+ed.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbQsxaFNYxEnhaAgc31tT__SANhz7C6J4NriX1OgxjSse3nwXPOuwXXiPdQdQcAN0ojJyFI4JKsiKa1UW9JBdF3AxidH_xHNKLb1YCE4PYivqDn-VWnELBvmhaWbNofw89FgyEiSKKNI/s400/041910+lil+ed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461853244816026002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Li'l Ed and the Blues Imperials</span><br /></div><br />Yesterday was a day spent largely with Bootsie who was feeling a little left out of things as we've been gone a lot lately - she was not amused!!! Later today though, we trek into town for the great haircut and then will need to indulge in a little independence frivolity. It is also Michelle Kirby's bday today so we have plans to do something - not sure yet what - it's up to the bday girl!! Our friend Mary Ouellette arrives on Saturday for a week of fun and her stay coincides with the KW singer/songwriters festival so I see lots and lots of great music in our future!! We need to leave KW on a high note after all - who needs a liver to work right???M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-84936649844915840832010-04-11T10:50:00.010-04:002010-04-11T11:43:50.550-04:00Comings and Goings in Key WeirdWe had one more day with Todd and Brenda on Life's2Short in Key West although Todd was somewhat under the weather (he claims to have picked up a bug down here although most of us suspect it was about 6 or so margaritas too many the night before....but we'll go with his story....yeah OK - why not?). Todd's sister Jennifer and her husband Mark came into town for the day so we all met up (along with Greg and Sandy of Latitude Dancer who are in town for a month!!!) at Irish Kevin's for one last Bil Krauss show. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk8P3o3E_b5Un_6nW26UDbkFLlny1FilyFGdX0m6eJu7RNEbRKFOHQsy5Sy6Ip5__L2PWmJ2nNWkl996Xdv44jTObFE0B14i9AZZeY0Sb2Ej0mSHIuJIgQWHhlfwco7-wQUChtgZNKzs/s1600/041110+irish+kevins.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk8P3o3E_b5Un_6nW26UDbkFLlny1FilyFGdX0m6eJu7RNEbRKFOHQsy5Sy6Ip5__L2PWmJ2nNWkl996Xdv44jTObFE0B14i9AZZeY0Sb2Ej0mSHIuJIgQWHhlfwco7-wQUChtgZNKzs/s400/041110+irish+kevins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458896706698165106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mark, Brenda, Jennifer and Todd at Irish Kevin's</span><br /></div>He had us laughing and groovin as usual - we'll miss you in KW Bil - thanks for the entertainment this winter!!! Bil left on Friday to head up to our old stomping grounds to run the Boston marathon and do a couple shows. Anyone up in or around Boston should check out his website and try to get to his show in Watertown on Friday, April 16th at 7:00 pm at the Orchard Park Grill!!!<br /><br />From Irish Kevin's the gang headed over to hear more Michael McCloud at Schooner Wharf where Todd, thinking food would help his "bug," left the ordering to Brenda - not his best idea as she thought the junkyard fries would do the trick!!! When they arrived complete with tons of jalapenos, chili, spicy tomatoes, gobs of cheese and anything else that had been left over in the kitchen, we all just looked on in awe as Todd ate the whole thing - needless to say, they didn't help!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEz0tXFlexRuBD0-2-w7xaCep3SHqOiuwx0RSLZEClZlke0rA_6KEjVs29EpUBprj9-iMExjOKZt3ClMpTWSg-RH21qEfA38gYkV2TQcVgGqx4puubTYQdWDLEYi0X08ut_iDp87ZhRTY/s1600/041110+the+gang+at+the+wharf.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEz0tXFlexRuBD0-2-w7xaCep3SHqOiuwx0RSLZEClZlke0rA_6KEjVs29EpUBprj9-iMExjOKZt3ClMpTWSg-RH21qEfA38gYkV2TQcVgGqx4puubTYQdWDLEYi0X08ut_iDp87ZhRTY/s400/041110+the+gang+at+the+wharf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458895799071096002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sitting at Schooner Wharf Listening to Michael McCloud</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSmXkOhQ859kip4e2Ypc2IxfRh8kdwHF4qXfnTlxy5WXD9GpGFe19tgezBeT9-1dtDfX8jyL06iCPjzgMkuX9CQSGgzZ8W0fJ0w5FC3TdEWKuWFOxH4vNMDYmFpSUvCN2VswbgBeV_3g/s1600/041110+todd+and+his+sister.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSmXkOhQ859kip4e2Ypc2IxfRh8kdwHF4qXfnTlxy5WXD9GpGFe19tgezBeT9-1dtDfX8jyL06iCPjzgMkuX9CQSGgzZ8W0fJ0w5FC3TdEWKuWFOxH4vNMDYmFpSUvCN2VswbgBeV_3g/s400/041110+todd+and+his+sister.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458895791865704370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Todd, Brenda, Jennifer and Mark on the Wharf Outside Schooner Wharf Bar</span><br /></div><br />So we suggested what he really needed was $1 beers and pulled pork sliders at our newest favorite bar in town, El Alamo - despite grimacing at the thought, he was a real trouper and followed us over where we indulged while watching the Masters! Finally uttering uncle, Todd convinced Brenda it was time to head back to their boat and being the wonderful wife she is, she reluctantly agreed (after giving some thought to our suggestion that she stay in town with us and Todd could pick her up on Gypsies on his way out of town tomorrow....we are bad!!!) Not wanting our evening to end, we picked up great Chinese food and munched while watching the rest of the Masters back on Gypsies!!! Bye guys - we had a ball and hope to see you soon!!! Our Marathon spies (which is where Life's2Short headed next) tell us Todd is still claiming to have picked up some suspicious bug while in KW.....amateur!!!!<br /><br />As many of you know, our boat is over on Stock Island in the direct flight path of the Boca Chica Naval Air Station - while this has often been a pain in the butt due to the F-18s which regularly switch on their afterburners directly over our heads, on Thursday we had prime viewing as all the various airplanes started coming in to practice for the weekend air show!! We watched not only the Blue Angels but lots of red baron type trick prop planes come overhead and do tricks - way cool!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8FPQY605f7ptXnHAnTnpyvB9KU0kXmQvdwKibHxe2IAviw2cdrdzNnBYb7QcD6OalNSiVQaYkE1_68nbR-PNg0xeaMQUGtmdT0GJ90o0EHH0WueRtpe1PiuFgKJVuhzVE9_itU7g6lY/s1600/041110+practice+squadron.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8FPQY605f7ptXnHAnTnpyvB9KU0kXmQvdwKibHxe2IAviw2cdrdzNnBYb7QcD6OalNSiVQaYkE1_68nbR-PNg0xeaMQUGtmdT0GJ90o0EHH0WueRtpe1PiuFgKJVuhzVE9_itU7g6lY/s400/041110+practice+squadron.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458895810025492930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKz-UOuVAv-pzUHl9iFgvsL8PQMFW8XX9sAX0mk8KYEMLc7QdTVbsYO9H4X_JMRG4aG88NiSqakuUkFxngfkhb67M9cLQxpu1FCO90bIzgxpskJ77Vi0lA9WVqzDGU2_nkXl21R7st2s/s1600/041110+red+baron+planes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKz-UOuVAv-pzUHl9iFgvsL8PQMFW8XX9sAX0mk8KYEMLc7QdTVbsYO9H4X_JMRG4aG88NiSqakuUkFxngfkhb67M9cLQxpu1FCO90bIzgxpskJ77Vi0lA9WVqzDGU2_nkXl21R7st2s/s400/041110+red+baron+planes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458895805518806626" border="0" /></a><br />While we thought Bootsie would be out of her mind with the noise, she slept through the whole thing - it's great to be a cat!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8tNpnNryufff6VlcuWjLKxoJ4RLV7krtR7plDGvNRn-GqB5rFn00dqAVBJMzHnb430CTTq_6xg0ju77iXu8P5XThTAufKS3xtZG5y9f02_DNeWvTELGWI2TpGGtECNI81PCtWLOSRbQ/s1600/041110+bootsie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8tNpnNryufff6VlcuWjLKxoJ4RLV7krtR7plDGvNRn-GqB5rFn00dqAVBJMzHnb430CTTq_6xg0ju77iXu8P5XThTAufKS3xtZG5y9f02_DNeWvTELGWI2TpGGtECNI81PCtWLOSRbQ/s400/041110+bootsie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897303304461058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bootsie Sleeps Through the Blue Angels</span><br /></div><br />The air show on Saturday was truly awesome - the little trick planes entertained us from our boat all morning and early afternoon but the main event was the Blue Angels. We all headed over to Coconuts, which has the highest deck of any boat in the marina and an awesome open air upper deck, for the viewing and a great party complete with our KW/ME friends Marni and Roger Heinen (who are also friends of Loie and Terry of Coconuts due to their shared island experience in Islesboro, ME - way small world!!!) <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7TmHrFObWyAah37IKY0Asr357AYCFKXJTMCeyZzZ1xvTOKnN0QYW6TyNQA1zFMAjDHaDzfNjdCj-rs6kIgEKBNbWuyY45bcElo3nFqXnXH0eCXtE-PD64ZEj9aQE7Zg9uTSKfYUiYaA/s1600/041110+party+on+coconuts.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7TmHrFObWyAah37IKY0Asr357AYCFKXJTMCeyZzZ1xvTOKnN0QYW6TyNQA1zFMAjDHaDzfNjdCj-rs6kIgEKBNbWuyY45bcElo3nFqXnXH0eCXtE-PD64ZEj9aQE7Zg9uTSKfYUiYaA/s400/041110+party+on+coconuts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458895822685675234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang Gathers on Coconuts in Anticipation of the Air Show</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What a great gathering we had in near perfect sunny, warm weather and the Angels did not disappoint. After lots of laughs, great food, cold drinks and general merriment, the Blue Angels had us mesmerized - it felt like the Fourth of July with all the ooohing and ahhhing!!! <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr18gizVwpNoGz8GpZxC10lNyhGvEF6iwDKGmNW89hStdBqiT9SLJ-NcJSTtWLnAsrpn7RBb0nHmeomE3rAVLf-6fhHRBPXm_Zu9W2DsGll_WTCz-ezFmnlD9rDy1hsM5HKH-smC1AgnY/s1600/041110+coconuts.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr18gizVwpNoGz8GpZxC10lNyhGvEF6iwDKGmNW89hStdBqiT9SLJ-NcJSTtWLnAsrpn7RBb0nHmeomE3rAVLf-6fhHRBPXm_Zu9W2DsGll_WTCz-ezFmnlD9rDy1hsM5HKH-smC1AgnY/s400/041110+coconuts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458896734075456946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Crew on Coconuts Watches the Show</span><br /></div>I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but they were simply awesome!! Thanks Coconuts for the great viewing platform and the fun!!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5gYuA3oMOQQ112OVZVRikOm4GcgdL63JK5iiZUq8NfQwd6YEAmQFloBC6Bf625ed4dnzJGszYOpMz-RXLFrgRDNX0ESXkWi5WDTTvSgcVgPFHCuv5Id2YDvCvgavsxANmYfddS0i2ps/s1600/041110+fat+albert.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5gYuA3oMOQQ112OVZVRikOm4GcgdL63JK5iiZUq8NfQwd6YEAmQFloBC6Bf625ed4dnzJGszYOpMz-RXLFrgRDNX0ESXkWi5WDTTvSgcVgPFHCuv5Id2YDvCvgavsxANmYfddS0i2ps/s400/041110+fat+albert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458896712255775922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Blue Angels Traveling Cargo Plane Fat Albert Airlines</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XQUnyAz_yfMJ1bIZ5KvQYTzL6wbrUjaHoKz4nM3rdXowQgyFPO1pZ3yI8a9ze_fQuL6m5G-yDi6ptVNTIR4vb2R_y0Xgw2fahKUk4bwxuW5bL2gKh4kRw7jEpcq5EJcPkokdB4YKmao/s1600/041110+blue+angels+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XQUnyAz_yfMJ1bIZ5KvQYTzL6wbrUjaHoKz4nM3rdXowQgyFPO1pZ3yI8a9ze_fQuL6m5G-yDi6ptVNTIR4vb2R_y0Xgw2fahKUk4bwxuW5bL2gKh4kRw7jEpcq5EJcPkokdB4YKmao/s400/041110+blue+angels+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458898296677038210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhy_buQxgus8J6jW3niEXBDgIPhaAAGgMeFJTI-eZ6nU6sD03dTHKcquHjeRkV9yDX0G8EOuV13yrbRqnndGdI9AGGfNR1TzmXhdua_7vhE9QSimEBXmwqcveMo7HkNjjR_zUFXlD3qM/s1600/041110+blue+angels+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhy_buQxgus8J6jW3niEXBDgIPhaAAGgMeFJTI-eZ6nU6sD03dTHKcquHjeRkV9yDX0G8EOuV13yrbRqnndGdI9AGGfNR1TzmXhdua_7vhE9QSimEBXmwqcveMo7HkNjjR_zUFXlD3qM/s400/041110+blue+angels+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458898293950595906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8e3dVYwugVA1rMSCDPkNhCY7YVYxZDH9b8AaxMkNeK9uL3_6hL8E0Enim1aqnICx7va55Rw5ugL1rNmpiaVpTwIBB_o67UmNWNsqBqy0dAeGqHvCRO2yPmVxAHm4LAHr_L4jkYb79cik/s1600/041110+blue+angels+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUVDP2G9k4knwLHVINmgLw0T_lD8-q6ogwLN01_t9PDr-bQnWvHuAtd9wmTNsKrFebOy966hX8a8-WhLonftWAqSH9CwQ6UyAgXZjA79EvyTiU0973nytz5jjkIaeitmcDJH93pYGjk4/s400/041110+blue+angels+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897942682589906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQrxnyG7NhEZcuetPs-5Pr7xdUzkPdF7L_IMM8bAB64CB1xMFjcpRwYK_A2Or3MXgFk5hnIt_pqMS-899nT3zkV3v2syX_b8iNIwyNCpBM0PDwn6gf7aF1A36ZUcdePJBSp6T-jVRzJU/s1600/041110+blue+angels+6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 379px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQrxnyG7NhEZcuetPs-5Pr7xdUzkPdF7L_IMM8bAB64CB1xMFjcpRwYK_A2Or3MXgFk5hnIt_pqMS-899nT3zkV3v2syX_b8iNIwyNCpBM0PDwn6gf7aF1A36ZUcdePJBSp6T-jVRzJU/s400/041110+blue+angels+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897937226244370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIn_B2Mg46_W_QyFaCEozYykEnR_CgXx9VcbtW9oAOR0Bs1ZL18q9Tn6gyihiyP7bvpqO7X40fIGer24TSvIa78xCELKxIABolUdAaJhiXM8SEohf2U_ghrrZznspoUQOURYbPuT9q-E/s1600/041110+blue+angels+7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIn_B2Mg46_W_QyFaCEozYykEnR_CgXx9VcbtW9oAOR0Bs1ZL18q9Tn6gyihiyP7bvpqO7X40fIGer24TSvIa78xCELKxIABolUdAaJhiXM8SEohf2U_ghrrZznspoUQOURYbPuT9q-E/s400/041110+blue+angels+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897928139472818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGwWJjTBMoIcuNm2efiCWi7KIcyhOUyoGHS1nDqaZ1KySGarejUZpqOYS7RxEBhA50THRClyB3QGDZ8GSrfpL_zmQh816fchSFOINXiS_l0MM4sx1G-10YaCwBhrrz07q6GpP4zHYe88/s1600/041110+blue+angels+8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGwWJjTBMoIcuNm2efiCWi7KIcyhOUyoGHS1nDqaZ1KySGarejUZpqOYS7RxEBhA50THRClyB3QGDZ8GSrfpL_zmQh816fchSFOINXiS_l0MM4sx1G-10YaCwBhrrz07q6GpP4zHYe88/s400/041110+blue+angels+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897920796712706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmt9JMzAt1IwqtJC6iQPSXePbYOLA2Mo6gRQ4vUZuqEpcCIHa1CFgx4ANZuU2db8qFs19VCQKbqrxPUXjQlmQBfpS2YaX-3YM22KL08vDY4lN2Wu-5VddjFFeHK90_KJ7esXvqH92wnU/s1600/041110+blue+angels+9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmt9JMzAt1IwqtJC6iQPSXePbYOLA2Mo6gRQ4vUZuqEpcCIHa1CFgx4ANZuU2db8qFs19VCQKbqrxPUXjQlmQBfpS2YaX-3YM22KL08vDY4lN2Wu-5VddjFFeHK90_KJ7esXvqH92wnU/s400/041110+blue+angels+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897326723581842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EQ_iGXKCDPdK3nmLQAhVjmTnl3GFOdhX8vD7C523TRhnM96XKcWXq9WKDv5Uur2JiP-WHCWJ7L8sc4FY6i7p1Yn41ywwtOIIM376awTQ5nODWgN6e0Y5zVqQsVNvZW7q3xRZ8d1Ky7U/s1600/041110+blue+angels+10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EQ_iGXKCDPdK3nmLQAhVjmTnl3GFOdhX8vD7C523TRhnM96XKcWXq9WKDv5Uur2JiP-WHCWJ7L8sc4FY6i7p1Yn41ywwtOIIM376awTQ5nODWgN6e0Y5zVqQsVNvZW7q3xRZ8d1Ky7U/s400/041110+blue+angels+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897324740146098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KLx8eKjIuuVACm7x-xhjS3IneWz_6gynJyxO6C3_zEAjHh07NB8xxHate71nsenVkm9sObBbCH5fdhL4EVIA8jA3ZsTJ_LjAMfbfQKVlTdomMGVIgL7Lak2toSQUEzVAUh0WlcuRtcI/s1600/041110+blue+angels+11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KLx8eKjIuuVACm7x-xhjS3IneWz_6gynJyxO6C3_zEAjHh07NB8xxHate71nsenVkm9sObBbCH5fdhL4EVIA8jA3ZsTJ_LjAMfbfQKVlTdomMGVIgL7Lak2toSQUEzVAUh0WlcuRtcI/s400/041110+blue+angels+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897314374632642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3I9GY4lBAhYWjJLgZCldb81A4atzzsRf2TYLXxqvlebqaTTVV50bN6BQlczV3mUxjBvBlgKC-RJ54sOtb5Jb4za_yMFMdbbQrBuQHJRRJuXbHEZ2JTotNtlU-6CtxMfLL-OtPIICsKk/s1600/041110+blue+angels+12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3I9GY4lBAhYWjJLgZCldb81A4atzzsRf2TYLXxqvlebqaTTVV50bN6BQlczV3mUxjBvBlgKC-RJ54sOtb5Jb4za_yMFMdbbQrBuQHJRRJuXbHEZ2JTotNtlU-6CtxMfLL-OtPIICsKk/s400/041110+blue+angels+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458897306074824274" border="0" /></a><br />As if the day couldn't get any better, the September Song (Bob and Stephanie), Sea Pearl (Joe) and Adventures (Jim and Robin) crews came over to the boat after hitting the air show from Marathon. Drinks up on Gypsies' flybridge<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4rV6VhvZ6jBdqrGUXVn13hDkhJZ8AAT3fvk5c5EJm7rm5GeyVejUi7UVXlUX0ivF8mnBQfPD3lLHWKgIahS0ItsNGjyFhchXVSAcBNfqc2oR5FBhHzb9fvvvr-_gmIh7XybVilRLlc4/s1600/041110+drinks+on+gypsies.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4rV6VhvZ6jBdqrGUXVn13hDkhJZ8AAT3fvk5c5EJm7rm5GeyVejUi7UVXlUX0ivF8mnBQfPD3lLHWKgIahS0ItsNGjyFhchXVSAcBNfqc2oR5FBhHzb9fvvvr-_gmIh7XybVilRLlc4/s400/041110+drinks+on+gypsies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458896719405119474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cocktails on Gypsies in the Palace</span><br /></div>was followed by a wonderful dinner over at Hogfish outside by the water and shrimp docks!! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAHJmS4qJSiFcmW54tBAkNIq9gAM-f5uWzqOPwndZ3ssEb0gOnU0khGt-5kHdq6mVXy17E24EfafO3RNF4vN1q-kZvd9ltqu14gDJzeRTdRIHKz4nEmhDZLxOuDUU6eKhB1oJMEINwAo/s1600/041110+dinner+at+hogfish.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAHJmS4qJSiFcmW54tBAkNIq9gAM-f5uWzqOPwndZ3ssEb0gOnU0khGt-5kHdq6mVXy17E24EfafO3RNF4vN1q-kZvd9ltqu14gDJzeRTdRIHKz4nEmhDZLxOuDUU6eKhB1oJMEINwAo/s400/041110+dinner+at+hogfish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458896728351991394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner at Hogfish</span><br /></div>We introduced them to our SIG (our Stock Island Ghetto). They even got to see a few songs by the fabulous Raven - we had tried to see her when the gang was in KW on prior trips but it just never worked out!!! Once again the good-byes were sad but we are beginning to realize that with such good friends, we'll always find a way to see each other again as soon as possible. In fact, we are planning on renting a car this coming week for a reconnaisance trip to Miami and we may have to stop on our way back in Marathon, especially since the weather looks like it won't let those guys cross to the Bahamas until the end of next week - sometimes Mother Nature smiles on us even if it is in weird ways. See you guys next week - hopefully!!!<br /><br />Today is a day of rest - time to chill out, dry out, starve out and just watch the final day of the Masters!!! Say what you want about Tiger but man can that guy play golf and the TV ratings are up by 47% - we'll sure be watching!!! One of the things about being at a dock is that we actually have cable and can watch sports (we hadn't watched any TV in about a year and a half while we were out on anchor most of the time!!) Well maybe the diet can start tomorrow!!!M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938791251536262499.post-64160112744031095082010-04-06T11:13:00.010-04:002010-04-06T12:10:11.835-04:00It's a Massacoustics Thing...I know I talk about the great music here in Key West but if you are a true music fan, Key West is a virtual nirvana!!! If you're not in the mood for whatever music is playing wherever you are, you just need to walk to the next bar and find something you like better - it's that easy!!! How does such a small island attract such amazing talent? One of our favorite bands, the Massacoustics, rolled into town this past week and we have been loving life!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK77TBgBIh1QR8NVtYwtP8L7VjctCwaIIK-pdKEUNntooJh-LVg1xl3K5x_eWYoVrjG2tR0VLzu-bhDXmsMbQyjlMZhdZfhn9ulrSq2I1BRM5dNQLXU39nyGkADRsntyrYmDCzbRGl_BE/s1600/040610+massacoustics+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK77TBgBIh1QR8NVtYwtP8L7VjctCwaIIK-pdKEUNntooJh-LVg1xl3K5x_eWYoVrjG2tR0VLzu-bhDXmsMbQyjlMZhdZfhn9ulrSq2I1BRM5dNQLXU39nyGkADRsntyrYmDCzbRGl_BE/s400/040610+massacoustics+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457045231524782050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Massacoustics at Hogs Breath</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">But before we get into that, last week was bittersweet for us since we had to say goodbye to Shawna and Jon on Beausoleil - some of our new ragbagger buddies who we weathered the winter with down here in the SIG (short for Stock Island Ghetto). They are a great couple who we had lots of fun with over the winter - while we were sorry to see them go (especially since they are heading over to the Bahamas so we're totally jealous!), we know we will see them out on the waters again sometime, somewhere because that's just what cruisers do. Even though we are planning to head back to work for awhile, we'll be someplace warm, sunny and on the water so we'll hopefully get to see all our friends as they pass through either on their way north or south!! Stay safe guys and have a great time - see you soon!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv71G-yzNRxXg1iPtdsdSkbcra5Xbum1pTfwMQporIw9wFRTQCbzRKSZcEzS9Rapor85t0ghOJwiFple5NfJ4Ct0y4l3yx6dAQ1cFylEHNOly_wm6DgJIvOY1VzfsF5XCEMv8tw9yOxfE/s1600/040610+jon+and+shawna.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv71G-yzNRxXg1iPtdsdSkbcra5Xbum1pTfwMQporIw9wFRTQCbzRKSZcEzS9Rapor85t0ghOJwiFple5NfJ4Ct0y4l3yx6dAQ1cFylEHNOly_wm6DgJIvOY1VzfsF5XCEMv8tw9yOxfE/s400/040610+jon+and+shawna.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457046270900810834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Crew of Beausoleil Prepares for Sea</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYOvm6LynXdeuIPxM0PEgS7bFTaLOvzWvJJl84iNl9S8l2FcF7VpeMVDfq4piS7W6-lzPQXsX4fgcprmlfPbbxxKfhT6s1Rk0d6YA5-pMDfrYC8xrwA2n_9bHf_JtynteVuoF6czOOMI/s1600/040610+beausoleil.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYOvm6LynXdeuIPxM0PEgS7bFTaLOvzWvJJl84iNl9S8l2FcF7VpeMVDfq4piS7W6-lzPQXsX4fgcprmlfPbbxxKfhT6s1Rk0d6YA5-pMDfrYC8xrwA2n_9bHf_JtynteVuoF6czOOMI/s400/040610+beausoleil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047092845287154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beausoleil Motors Out of the Harbor</span> </div><br />We passed up a trip out to the Dry Tortugas with SunLuver, Muircu and Beausoleil since our friends Todd and Brenda on Life's2Short were headed to town - yippee!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcGFWwO1PRTJISSdjtnDjNrmJqvFEMC1-iUJ-ksgSAl4aa2WH6eiK0JfWC1l4pGbdR0rbANhELMi-xdFYZYoSLaryf2PTcI4XhI7p3-_9a7ZkjnBUxgLEQBIlPdrFa5ePpkG5nARpaXU/s1600/040610+muircu+headed+to+tortugas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcGFWwO1PRTJISSdjtnDjNrmJqvFEMC1-iUJ-ksgSAl4aa2WH6eiK0JfWC1l4pGbdR0rbANhELMi-xdFYZYoSLaryf2PTcI4XhI7p3-_9a7ZkjnBUxgLEQBIlPdrFa5ePpkG5nARpaXU/s400/040610+muircu+headed+to+tortugas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457045208932688210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Muircu Pulls Out of the Marina Headed for the Dry Tortugas</span> </div>We plan on hitting the Tortugas and Marquesas before we leave here probably in May sometime - one last cruising fling!! But back to happenings on the island - prior to hitting Hog's Breath to see the Massacoustics play, we made our usual stop at Guy Harveys and ran into our Georgia girls Lindsay and Caroline (eat your heart out Bob and Ron!! we told them you both said hi!) Also at GH we ran into some guys from Massachusetts and turned them on to the Massacoustics - eventually we all wound up at the Hog for some seriously great music. Well to make a long story short, we did a repeat the next several nights and by Thursday night, Jeff, Vic and Vic's wife Sharon were fast friends!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMidhRzKU79v0fQi8YFfqHffJrj_4Pv55lUx4VyuuZjpijs_66hFKYouC4Jsus5GmD-EFVntYyYDz8lAc3w15mmAFszM1rE_tdku2YH33OjRKm59LPCFM0AENcSjQMOgwxS-4IVuWusnE/s1600/040610+all+the+girls+love+Andy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMidhRzKU79v0fQi8YFfqHffJrj_4Pv55lUx4VyuuZjpijs_66hFKYouC4Jsus5GmD-EFVntYyYDz8lAc3w15mmAFszM1rE_tdku2YH33OjRKm59LPCFM0AENcSjQMOgwxS-4IVuWusnE/s400/040610+all+the+girls+love+Andy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047391432577810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Even the Kids Get into the Act at Hogs Breath</span> </div>We even took them over to the Sunset Pier after the Massacoustics to see Scott and Dave play - and of course ran into Brook (aka one of the Wicked Sisters) and her parents. I'll just leave it at ugly.....<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrufEClQyauL-pIrs2_OWH-9911PENpsv4t5pVfgC5KiCY4-SgmZ694Ijcx60mvCMjLvo-3w4S2Bn-PMCYf4bW8Diz_l-WXpLZ8t-qYm6Z0kbTigCElVpXvQYaOM8wPV5PqUzZN8uFcWc/s1600/040610+the+gang+at+sunset+pier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrufEClQyauL-pIrs2_OWH-9911PENpsv4t5pVfgC5KiCY4-SgmZ694Ijcx60mvCMjLvo-3w4S2Bn-PMCYf4bW8Diz_l-WXpLZ8t-qYm6Z0kbTigCElVpXvQYaOM8wPV5PqUzZN8uFcWc/s400/040610+the+gang+at+sunset+pier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457044369853114994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Gang at the Sunset Pier</span> </div><br />On one night's rest which was taken up watching the Final Four, Todd and Brenda blew into town - and off we went - what better way to spend Easter than on a binge in KW! We met up with them at the dinghy dock since they are out on a mooring ball and brought them to Irish Kevin's to see Bil Krauss who was his usual hysterical self - he is also a seriously good musician!! We've had a lot of laughs and fun watching him all winter - thanks Bil!!<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzXVLfU3S9q82zAEpqmpwzKgqbpCdS8XuA0RrrIbRu2pOgPgKbgUoCPzLYmitvJ0p0Igj9ZBrzFZQfy6j1AAIsCIaddQsGViYcDraerLocFzaDQv2OV7nIYd4BRlEjKmDJRnG1bv-tp0/s1600/040610+irish+kevins.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzXVLfU3S9q82zAEpqmpwzKgqbpCdS8XuA0RrrIbRu2pOgPgKbgUoCPzLYmitvJ0p0Igj9ZBrzFZQfy6j1AAIsCIaddQsGViYcDraerLocFzaDQv2OV7nIYd4BRlEjKmDJRnG1bv-tp0/s400/040610+irish+kevins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457046273271048066" border="0" /></a>Doug, Todd and Brenda at Irish Kevin's<br /></div>Todd was great at luring unsuspecting tourists into the bar with yes a rubber chicken!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWTEL86UgZDczi2UtUKTzkZnc-93ufD-X4YmdMIs1-qu_bRE6zFyEZXdy2GBh5I26rhV4SWRQ948b8s8M2zsD6d6n-ttUcdrZoknjWXztPuVLs1usdYpk0HJi6SfgIZEjV5kwIGRQ9qY/s1600/040610+todd+and+his+chicken.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWTEL86UgZDczi2UtUKTzkZnc-93ufD-X4YmdMIs1-qu_bRE6zFyEZXdy2GBh5I26rhV4SWRQ948b8s8M2zsD6d6n-ttUcdrZoknjWXztPuVLs1usdYpk0HJi6SfgIZEjV5kwIGRQ9qY/s400/040610+todd+and+his+chicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457044360278087986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Todd with His Rubber Chicken at Irish Kevin's</span> </div>Then it was on to an Easter BBQ at Frank and Di's house with Country Dave<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IhCgc022AZXUworRF1h-IkyQl4MTgT4E-qzjZtzTA8tzsXql7rWPXxlzXCd0tnxcN6crvWZNwO0RZeBfurvvX8ZHw7ZKrE_Pcb_c3q0-llOtGZfe__yM4bXMFUHP7cG_feqfU9i5yGc/s1600/040610+dave+and+doug.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IhCgc022AZXUworRF1h-IkyQl4MTgT4E-qzjZtzTA8tzsXql7rWPXxlzXCd0tnxcN6crvWZNwO0RZeBfurvvX8ZHw7ZKrE_Pcb_c3q0-llOtGZfe__yM4bXMFUHP7cG_feqfU9i5yGc/s400/040610+dave+and+doug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047076132274866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doug and Country Dave Chat over a Couple of Beers</span> </div>- what an awesome afternoon we had playing with the dogs and Patty, their very temperamental cockatoo<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGWhyMjA3naeJ9qHtkQCPsNaAbtW2dcgLNBty7fjoFN8jXUSsGomWycMjJwrbFYzpVE2TbSYQVGLnKGEscGdS4Z484leAV5D5cotsSh67Cyuo_c7bNRDNkyC8Z25p-IPn5Ygv9bb0GPE/s1600/040610+patty+eating+ice+cubes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGWhyMjA3naeJ9qHtkQCPsNaAbtW2dcgLNBty7fjoFN8jXUSsGomWycMjJwrbFYzpVE2TbSYQVGLnKGEscGdS4Z484leAV5D5cotsSh67Cyuo_c7bNRDNkyC8Z25p-IPn5Ygv9bb0GPE/s400/040610+patty+eating+ice+cubes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457045201029412274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Patty the Cockatoo</span><br /></div>(who by the way loves ice cubes and Todd's fingers!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_psyhUV6yvxGzftjfxl5zaWQjidv3hL-QMVmeLOMx3Qve1p22cpEySY9vKBx-oORqGUAzKzoHtyc45FR8T1wMCFv_B4Pv3GOZf1cJ9060j9iX8FSnRNDERHB9vIo9dwu5ABsDRhsx8c/s1600/040610+todd+being+brave+or+stupid%3F.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_psyhUV6yvxGzftjfxl5zaWQjidv3hL-QMVmeLOMx3Qve1p22cpEySY9vKBx-oORqGUAzKzoHtyc45FR8T1wMCFv_B4Pv3GOZf1cJ9060j9iX8FSnRNDERHB9vIo9dwu5ABsDRhsx8c/s400/040610+todd+being+brave+or+stupid%3F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457044348477067826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Patty Nibbles on Todd</span><br /></div>although she sure does love Frank!!),<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_0lyH_LgXEIhSMvxH_xO2vphHrqos9bA2kp2UvkObkYl7HuxmG8VyygIoWjblQVuVfGDTZ0q8BwPq7eeIlkZ2rJP5yast8o-YT5q5y-5s_ybBNehGqhg7TAfwjNIyUXRr2kM_M77T1M/s1600/040610+frank+getting+a+kiss.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_0lyH_LgXEIhSMvxH_xO2vphHrqos9bA2kp2UvkObkYl7HuxmG8VyygIoWjblQVuVfGDTZ0q8BwPq7eeIlkZ2rJP5yast8o-YT5q5y-5s_ybBNehGqhg7TAfwjNIyUXRr2kM_M77T1M/s400/040610+frank+getting+a+kiss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047064294468610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Frank and Patty</span> </div>eating amazing ribs and bbq pork, hanging out at hillbilly beach<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6whfVSKg3EvTZfd15vqYElxIFozLeRhEzqpLI8BNQRrOEYyHqhH0PW9262enE19e7_oSpR6Ra_5X9axEsflaVpc3xdNeFa0VjwMuyFRmwBU9qsU5OFHixnm4oyR9hn9rILqh9P3brKI/s1600/040610+hillbilly+beach.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6whfVSKg3EvTZfd15vqYElxIFozLeRhEzqpLI8BNQRrOEYyHqhH0PW9262enE19e7_oSpR6Ra_5X9axEsflaVpc3xdNeFa0VjwMuyFRmwBU9qsU5OFHixnm4oyR9hn9rILqh9P3brKI/s400/040610+hillbilly+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457046283461050178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dave on Hillbilly Beach</span> </div>and just enjoying some great company. Thanks so much guys for a wonderful Easter - doesn't Dave look cute in his bunny ears!!!<br /><br />Then it was on to Hogs Breath so Todd and Brenda could see the Massacoustics<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj789snIi1KL0VUh-RHYiHTZxsSnYaay5ItcbipdbMzpzHRCbzw1mVzVjh34nJF3hLj6r3_ZoVbCMEVpDcIhKs8XgNeZKNZue_uV5xJdWIqNRd7FSq8VB7PtmG3VxBMLGC8F9tnCdqpUJs/s1600/040610+gang+at+massacoustics.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj789snIi1KL0VUh-RHYiHTZxsSnYaay5ItcbipdbMzpzHRCbzw1mVzVjh34nJF3hLj6r3_ZoVbCMEVpDcIhKs8XgNeZKNZue_uV5xJdWIqNRd7FSq8VB7PtmG3VxBMLGC8F9tnCdqpUJs/s400/040610+gang+at+massacoustics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457046292002191826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Todd, Brenda and Doug Watching the Massacoustics</span> </div>- seems like everyone wanted to hear good music that night as we were joined by Bil Krauss,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutEzWnQ4RfVNSvrqykvS7NNKD_rdEbK4et3oMtLFkp7pXMiOxQOc-hRYKOdJ1zgQM8SIMzcm5aZKWOyi_DH53FyuupDjfRP5zL-3nrDDlMaPFhofuQqd55J169CDN_Cp1T7R-dL-NkW8/s1600/040610+bil+krauss+tailgating.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutEzWnQ4RfVNSvrqykvS7NNKD_rdEbK4et3oMtLFkp7pXMiOxQOc-hRYKOdJ1zgQM8SIMzcm5aZKWOyi_DH53FyuupDjfRP5zL-3nrDDlMaPFhofuQqd55J169CDN_Cp1T7R-dL-NkW8/s400/040610+bil+krauss+tailgating.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047091214526994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Bil Krauss at Hogs Breath to See the Massacoustics</span> </div>Scott Kirby and a ton of screaming girls (OK yes in Brenda's words they are yummy - but that's just a bonus since they are amazingly talented musicians!!!)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz6aH-xTJFD8gVHhDazJpXdgBEfnMNtlUfED8HQuKKCh6xQCvPgUD28iEasDoMGW3FuTsv5LO7KuovEQaexZOiz32t2bOj8aZS0XAJSYA8fbPpInQXGmYqECTwi0ESnLLe5EJJqbzKvY/s1600/040610+massacoustics+round+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz6aH-xTJFD8gVHhDazJpXdgBEfnMNtlUfED8HQuKKCh6xQCvPgUD28iEasDoMGW3FuTsv5LO7KuovEQaexZOiz32t2bOj8aZS0XAJSYA8fbPpInQXGmYqECTwi0ESnLLe5EJJqbzKvY/s400/040610+massacoustics+round+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457045227531351522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The "Yummy" Massacoustics at Hogs Breath</span> </div>From there we were off to the Lazy Gecko to meet up with some dockmates and fellow Red Sox fans, Terry and Loie on Coconuts - for those of you who don't know, the Gecko is THE Red Sox bar in KW and even has tee-shirts boasting they are the Southernmost Red Sox Nation!!! Despite the game not really starting out too well for us (much to the glee of the few Yankees fans who dared step foot through the Gecko's doors (OK - like most bars in KW there are no doors at the Gecko but across the threshold shall we say). However, we Sox fans had the last laugh as the Good Guys defeated the Evil Empire in resounding fashion - well at least by a couple of runs in the 8th inning!!! What an Easter!!! We were glad to get an email from Life's2Short that they safely maneuvered their dinghy back to the boat in the dark!!!<br /><br />Yesterday we met up again around 1:00 because it was just too beautiful a day to waste<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68HXcs5Ts_ScNRzW2WEQG7_V0pdYMymkH2-qUOCXpsJ_gV9mDUOsAZjgzIXe-fc_xleha0UoOGtN-i4lKftXi0IzoX3yFMIuAZ-Tcs4-f7G_W5FVua4AojMdUB6O8sq7il6hyphenhypheng_YkODU/s1600/040610+at+schooner+wahrf.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68HXcs5Ts_ScNRzW2WEQG7_V0pdYMymkH2-qUOCXpsJ_gV9mDUOsAZjgzIXe-fc_xleha0UoOGtN-i4lKftXi0IzoX3yFMIuAZ-Tcs4-f7G_W5FVua4AojMdUB6O8sq7il6hyphenhypheng_YkODU/s400/040610+at+schooner+wahrf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457047104524752434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy and Doug Enjoy Wings with Todd and Brenda at Schooner Wharf </span></div>- an afternoon of wings listening to Michael McCloud at Schooner Wharf was just what the doctor ordered!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrbKR27gpYxySE1qOjdXikF7peYPu8qeGr1QjNc8RFv2BZH2WqIERST269cskxCGBuQo7i941bhGnjQwE09q5PKeupKJciWOGEyx7Bm6mm5fRbwtFi7x1ZewGEaG_R6mTeu9en8L16vU/s1600/040610+michael+mccloud.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrbKR27gpYxySE1qOjdXikF7peYPu8qeGr1QjNc8RFv2BZH2WqIERST269cskxCGBuQo7i941bhGnjQwE09q5PKeupKJciWOGEyx7Bm6mm5fRbwtFi7x1ZewGEaG_R6mTeu9en8L16vU/s400/040610+michael+mccloud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457045215754332034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Michael McCloud at Schooner Wharf</span> </div>Of course no trip to KW is complete without a happy hour trip to the Raw Bar for oysters, shrimp and pitchers of ShockTop so of course we had to indulge - making sure we left in time to go see the yummy boys again (Brenda wanted to make sure we were able to see their whole set this time!!) Unfortunately we got to Hogs Breath and someone decidedly "unyummy" was on the stage playing what we think was music .... no seriously we were just bummed since we thought the Massacoustics were playing one more night - the Hog's website lied!!! We could have called it a day.....but no....on to Irish Kevins to see who was playing and then by luck we found a new bar (actually Doug and Todd saw the clown outside the bar holding up a sign that read "16 ounce beers for $1" - you can't make this stuff up you know!!!) Well of course we had to see what that was all about - El Alamo here we come!! Turns out it is quite a joint - centered around an outside courtyard, the beers are cold and in fact $1 all day and for happy hour they have $1 pulled pork sliders - unfortunately they were out of buns but brought us out a couple bowls of pulled pork and gave us some crackers - worked for us!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxDRUdXJY-dozg272K-L999rTQgSOxQq2H_FlyAjNJXhAXZfwba29veV_sp7SUd3e9zPeWkjv_P4StpMu8LgRug_mw2y-ERfO6ECI5K7yG1tO0DXjmwEIvsnwhr_vn5_F_zLgNZaQSOM/s1600/040610+tye+at+el+alamo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxDRUdXJY-dozg272K-L999rTQgSOxQq2H_FlyAjNJXhAXZfwba29veV_sp7SUd3e9zPeWkjv_P4StpMu8LgRug_mw2y-ERfO6ECI5K7yG1tO0DXjmwEIvsnwhr_vn5_F_zLgNZaQSOM/s400/040610+tye+at+el+alamo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457044339992998530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beers and Pulled Pork at El Alamo with Tye the Bartender</span> </div>It was also the home of some interesting characters ranging from Tye the bartender who showed us pictures of his hot Russian wife (who Todd thought was named Olga ...not) and the ever present KW pirate!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy54YvgRd66_wz2STEf12evJ0lYRp03TG66h0Q1HY4V5H2517qdmTkXrHunDdVh-Or_NC7iOqNQmABE6wpjrIzF7EiiRwt5Zmj0Eiaf0CoqXg9m3lnd9VkqnXnjGPYmO60fdhLW7Lwp1Q/s1600/040610+local+pirate.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy54YvgRd66_wz2STEf12evJ0lYRp03TG66h0Q1HY4V5H2517qdmTkXrHunDdVh-Or_NC7iOqNQmABE6wpjrIzF7EiiRwt5Zmj0Eiaf0CoqXg9m3lnd9VkqnXnjGPYmO60fdhLW7Lwp1Q/s400/040610+local+pirate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457046256223994914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tammy and Brenda with the Key West Pirate</span> </div>Quite a cool place - we didn't stick around for the evening's dirty joke contest - seriously, you can't make this up!!! but I'm sure we'll be back!!<br /><br />Today is yet another gorgeous sunny warm day so our plan is to meet up at Guy Harveys, happy hour at Kelly's for some wings, hit a party at Brook's parents house, sunset at Mallory Square and then invade the Sunset Pier to hear Scott and Dave play! Whew, I haven't even left the boat and I'm having fun already ...... meanwhile Bootsie is ensconced on her throne - she now owns not just the love seat but also one of our two chairs in the salon - she's just so cute, we don't have the heart to kick her off!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCmF8yVnNR841XbLgDDy51BH7WIWbo0hEcg7gL8_bvCo4X0bddNzMAtvv4ToHdWfl23D17J3E3WymIl3KTIKFGMFaAv6igQDj5p9epgvr0i0OP8J8_ZeBKJbRWRkSgRxUpb6467cTyFo/s1600/040610+queen+bootsie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCmF8yVnNR841XbLgDDy51BH7WIWbo0hEcg7gL8_bvCo4X0bddNzMAtvv4ToHdWfl23D17J3E3WymIl3KTIKFGMFaAv6igQDj5p9epgvr0i0OP8J8_ZeBKJbRWRkSgRxUpb6467cTyFo/s400/040610+queen+bootsie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457055443294045410" border="0" /></a>M/V Gypsies in the Palacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599327360331584253noreply@blogger.com1