Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day #169: Up at 6:00 a.m. to start three loads of laundry. At 6:30 A.M. time for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. At 9:00 A.M. all three loads completed. At 10:00 A.M. Mike took me to "All About You" Salon to get a pedicure, manicure and haircut. I had awesome appointments as a treat for the holidays. Mike picked me up at 1:20 P.M. heading back to the marina. Mike and I dropped the rental car keys off to Bev and Bruce as Bev was heading to All About You Salon for a few appointments. Mike worked on a few boats jobs. The weather is the buzz here at the marina everyone is talking about how bad the weather is suppose to be Thursday and Friday. The two of us had happy hour while playing two games of cribbage (Patty won the first game and Mike won the second game which was a skunk). Bev and Bruce dropped off the rental car keys at 5:00 P.M. Mike asked me to go out on a date to dinner. The two of them went to The New Faull Inn where both had pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and a roll. The meal was delicious with both bringing half of their pot roast home for a second meal. The two of us headed back to the marina as neither could think of any place that they needed to stop. Mike took down the side curtains on the boat due to the predicted winds increasing through the night. At 6:30 P.M. I watched the live stream of St. Peter Lutheran Church service for the Preschool through 4th graders. My mom is a preschool aide so her little children preformed during the service. Mike read his book. At 8:00 P.M. it was time for college football bowl game.

Mike took this picture of a brown pelican that was in the basin this morning. 

White Ibis in the grass by the parking lot at the marina.

"Bacus" is shown here near the intercoastal waterway but it traveled out getting hung up on a sandbar. TowBoat came to assist to get them off so that they could get into the marina for the night.

My dad Don in the gray shirt and black pants ushering at tonight's church service.

Patty's mom in the pink is an aide for the four year old preschoolers. She is know by all as "Grandma Rosie".

The three and four year old preschool children at St. Peter Lutheran Church. They are so cute at this age some where waving at their families while others were dancing. 

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day 168: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. Showers taken. At 9:20 A.M. Bruce, Bev, Mike and Patty got in the rental car Bruce and Bev were dropped off at the post office as they had packages to mail. Mike and Patty headed off to Port Charlotte to the Best Buy to have Mike's laptop serviced as it is not working and of course they had to leave the laptop at Best Buy picking it up at a later date once it is fixed. Mike and Patty stopped at Michael's for a few items as it is right next to Best Buy. They then headed to the Office Depot for a few office supplies. Mike and Patty then headed to the Publix for food for dinner this evening as Patty's plan was to make nachos onboard the "Parrot Bay". They then headed back to the boat putting items away. After lunch aboard the boat the dinghy was launched. Mike and Patty headed out to Don Pedro State Park. There were openings on the dock so Mike and Patty were able to pull right up and park the dinghy. They spent multiple hours combing the beach for shark teeth and shells. There have been numerous blue crabs dead on the beach the news it reporting that it is due to the red tide. The last reports are that the red tide has diminished significantly in Florida which is big as it has affected the wildlife and tourism negatively. Mike and Patty headed back to the boat. The dinghy was stowed and items put away until the next time that the dinghy is launched. Showers re-taken as Mike and Patty have been putting on bug spray in hopes of deterring the no-see-ums that continue to be a nuisance. At 5:00 P.M. Patty made nachos which are a big favorite of both Mike and Patty's. After dinner clean up it was time for blogging and a college football bowl game. The big news is that there is a significant weather front that is going to impact Florida starting Wednesday afternoon into Friday. There is suppose to be flooding rains but the big news is the winds are suppose to be gusting to 40-50 miles per hour on Friday. Wave heights on the open ocean are suppose to be 7-11 feet. "Parrot Bay" will be fine as she is protected in the marina but it is going to be very breezy here in southwest Florida.

Merganser 

Patty's taco salad.

Mike's nachos.

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day #167: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. At 9:30 A.M. Bruce, Bev, Mike and I headed out in the rental car bound for Port Charlotte. Mike and I went to Best Buy as Mike's computer died. Little did the two of us know that we needed to have an appointment before the Geek Squad will talk to you about issues with your computer. The first appointment that the Geek Squad had was today at 3:20 P.M. which wasn't going to work. So Mike made an appointment for Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. The two of us also looked at a 12 inch I-Pad for navigation. Bruce and Bev picked up Mike and I as they had headed to do some Christmas shopping. The four of us than headed to Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda. Mike, myself, Bruce and Bev browsed the shops while enjoying the Christmas atmosphere as Fisherman's Village was all decorated for Christmas. The four then went to Harpoon Harry's Lounge & Raw Bar for lunch which is on Charlotte Harbor so they enjoyed looking out onto the water during lunch. After lunch the four headed back to the marina. Mike worked on redoing the lines for "Parrot Bay's" davit system for the dinghy. At 4:00 P.M. a dolphin was in the marina chasing fish. At 4:10 P.M. Ken and Karen from "Island Girl" came to drop off Karen's famous pecan bars. Bruce and Bev joined us for happy hour. Following happy hour the six of us went to dinner at Waterside Grill at Gasparilla Marina which is down the road from Aquamarina Palm Harbour. All had a great time and great dinner. After dinner Ken and Karen headed back to Sarasota while Bruce, Bev, Mike and I headed back to the marina. On the "Parrot Bay" it was time for blogging and reading.

Mike and Patty saw this in the parking lot of Aquamarina. Amphibious vehicle. 

Santa Claus was giving rides at Fisherman Village to those who where shopping, Bev is getting a map of the stores from Santa.

Heading into Fisherman Village it was beautifully decorated for Christmas with lights everywhere.
  

One of the cool stores at Fisherman Village.

Lunch was had at Harpoon Harry's Lounge & Raw Bar which is on the water at Charlotte Harbor.

Mike working on the dinghy davits. 

Dolphin in the marina chasing fish. 

At Waterside Grill there was a cat running around the restaurant. 

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day #166: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. Clear morning, light winds with temps in the mid-50's At 8:30 A.M. Mike and I met Bruce and Bev at the car to head to Stump Pass State Park. The four of us spent time looking for shells and shark teeth on the beach.  Beautiful sunshine with temperatures in the mid-70's. At 1:30 P.M. Bruce, Bev, Mike and I headed back to the marina. Bruce went to watch the Minnesota Vikings versus Miami Dolphins. Mike and I went to the pool where they were joined by Bev. We spent time with Scott and Linda from "Ramble On". Later in the afternoon Scott and Linda headed back to their boat but Kyle and Ed from "It's OK 2" joined us at the pool. At 4:00 P.M. "Patty Parrot's Party Palooza" asked the group what plans were for dinner in which there were no plans so I suggested dinner at The White Elephant which everyone was onboard with so we all headed back to our boats to get ready for dinner. At 5:00 P.M. Bruce, Bev, Ed, Kyle, Mike and I headed to The White Elephant on Manasota Key, Dinner was awesome with friends. As the group was finishing with dinner it was karaoke night at The White Elephant so we stayed for a bit watching people going to up to the stage to sing. At 7:00 P.M. the group headed back to the marina. On the "Parrot Bay" it was time for blogging and phone calls with family.

Bruce and Bev at Stump Pass State Park.

Bruce enjoying the ocean. Small craft advisories today so the waves were large.
 

Osprey enjoying fish for lunch.

Mike enjoying the waves of the ocean.

This is Loretta she was the first person to get up at The White Elephant to do karaoke.
 

                                                                                 

                                                    Dinner tonight at The White Elephant.

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day #165: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. At 8:30 A.M. Mike and I met up with Bruce and Bev heading to Blind Pass Park. We sat in the car for a bit letting the rain pass but eventually there was a rainbow and all enjoyed the great beach weather. Bruce, Bev, Mike and I got back to the boat at 12:30 P.M. The two of us had lunch aboard the boat followed by time at the pool reading books. Mike and I then headed to Bealls and Publix for a few items. Happy hour was had on the back deck of "Parrot Bay". Scott from "Ramble On" stopped by for a bit. At 5:00 P.M. Mike and I headed to the liveaboard Christmas party at the marina. The theme for the Christmas party was Italian potluck which was delicious. We brought pizzelles and biscotti. After dinner it was time for Chinese gift exchange. After the party the two of us headed  back to the boat for blogging and quiet time.

While hunting for shells and shark teeth we saw a beautiful rainbow.

Mike and I heard that Blind Pass Park was very good for shark teeth hunting.

                                                                                                                             

                   Beautiful Christmas tree at the marina along with the dessert potluck table.

Everyone having a great time at the Christmas party. 

Mike, Ed and Scott having at great time at the party.

Mike and my winnings tonight at the Chinese gift exchange. 

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day 164: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. I have been communicating with Kelly from "INNTW" (If Not Now Than When) via NEBO but we had never met. "INNTW" for the past two nights has been at anchor at Don Pedro State Park. This morning Kelly sent me a message letting me know that they would be coming to the marina to stop by to meet them. Mike and I went for a 4.04 mile walk upon our return Mike and I finally got to meet Mike and Kelly and their three children. While walking I received a text from Kyle from "It's OK 2" asking about happy hour at 4:00 P.M. which we gladly accepted. It was also decided that after happy hour aboard "It's OK 2" that dinner would be at Ricaltini. At noon Bruce, Bev, Mike and I were picked up by Enterprise to get our rental car. After picking up the rental car all four went to lunch at Burger King. After lunch it was time for shopping: West Marine, Babe's Hardware, Circle K, Office Depot, Swim Mart and Publix. Mike and I tried to apply for a temporary registration for "Parrot Bay" here in Florida since we will be transient boaters in Florida. Some loopers pay to get this permit which is around $100.00 and some do not. So we decided to fill out the paperwork taking it to a Secretary of State/Tax Office here in Florida. When Mike and I arrived at the office they only had a few minute wait until they were called up to the window where they were to be helped with the paperwork. The lady at the window hadn't done this type of registration in 15 years is what she told Mike and I. The lady at the window while trying to fill out the forms on her computer had to ask her boss 5 different questions while we waited. After about 30 minutes of waiting the lady told us that if she submitted the paperwork today that we would need to pay the fee twice as Mike's birthday is January 17th or she gave them the option of coming back after January 1st then they would only need to pay the fee once. Mike and I told the lady at the window that we would return after January 1st. As the two of left the office Mike told me that they would not be coming back to pay the registration fee. At 4:00 P.M. Bruce, Bev, Mike and I joined Ed and Kyle ofn"It's OK 2" for happy hour where fun was had by all. At 5:30 P.M. all six headed to Ricaltini's for a very enjoyable dinner. At 8:00 P.M. all where back safely on their boats. Mike and I enjoyed reading and blogging. Cool lightening to the west as rain/thunderstorms moving ashore.

Dinner tonight with friends was at Ricalitini's an Italian restaurant that is down the road from the marina. 

Aquamarina Palm Harbour Marina in Cape Haze, Florida

Day 163: Up at 6:30 A.M. for coffee, grapefruit and sweet treats. Mike and I prepared the dinghy for departure at 8:15 A.M. we were headed to Don Pedro State Park. Both of us spent 4 hours walking the beach collecting shark teeth and shells. On the way back to the boat there were three manatee in the intercoastal waterway followed by a single manatee just ahead of Mike and I. We returned to the boat at 12:15 P.M. The two of us headed to the pool enjoying time reading books. Scott from "Ramble On" joined Mike and I at the pool. At 3:30 P.M. Bruce and Bev joined the party. Bev had been sick yesterday but she was feeling much better today. Bev and Bruce were very kind bringing Mike and I a Christmas present and there was an exchange of Christmas cards as well.  After dinner it was time for blogging, reading and relaxation.

                                                                                   

              Heading out of the marina this morning was this osprey. Don't boat where the birds walk.

Little Blue Heron

The dingy tied up to the dock at Don Pedro State Park. 

One of three manatee swimming together in the intercostal waterway.

Another picture of the three manatee swimming together. 

One last picture of the manatee.

Thanks to Bruce and Bev for the great Christmas gifts.