Boyle-n-Water: January & February in Florida

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything, so decided to recap the last few months and see if I remember how to do it.

We are planning to get moving again Thursday, April 8th. While it has been fun to have the boat in Bradenton, Florida for the last 8 months, we are so ready to get moving again. We will both be vaccinated and things appear to be opening again.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's in Cincinnati with family and friends. We left early January and went back to the boat which is still at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, Florida. After arriving we did some chores on the boat and settled back into living on the boat again. I did manage to repair the recliner sofa that got injured one night after a few drinks ( I am blaming our niece Alyssa) :). We also went to the St. Petersburg boat show and the Bradenton boat show. Although not the usual amount of boats, it was still fun to walk around. We also visited with friends Lisa and Steve who are building a house in the area, and Barry and Sherry who recently purchased a house.

Lisa and Steve waiting for rain to fill the pool.

Cocktails on the boat with Lisa and Steve

When we went to put the dinghy in, we discovered that it has somehow developed a leak. After finding the leak I was able to repair it with a patch. We also found out that the battery was dead and would not take a charge. A quick trip to auto zone fixed that. Then it was off to Woody's. We also decided to test the range of our dinghy. We went down the river and into Tampa Bay and then the Intracostal for lunch and a swim on the beach. Over 20 miles and only used about 2.5 gallons of gas. Nice change from filling up the big boat.

View from Woody's

$5 Margarita's at Floriday's

We decided to take a few days and drive down to Key West, picking up Dave and Leeanne along the way who were in Venice. We had a lot of fun in Key West, even visiting with Rick and Rhonda (R&R) who were on their boat at the hotel marina. We also ran into another looper who we had met along the rivers and when we were in the Bahamas.

Ice Cream shop in KW

Still got it. Had to wear mask in the shops

Taking a break at Captain Tony's

Chicken wings?

No need to repaint

Little breeze did not stop everyone from going out.

Us with Dave and Leeanne

After Key West we did visit with siblings Marianna, RJ and Don while they were in Englewood. We drove down there 1 day and then they drove up to visit with us.

Marianna at Pier 22

Marianna and Marcia

Even Mark Kalb drove up to enjoy drinks, appetizers and sunshine on the Rooftop. Yes, I do believe it was blue shirt day.

With a few days of downtime we prepared ourselves for Tony (our son) who was flying in to visit for about 4 days. The days were packed with a fishing trip, a day at Siesta Key, and a day at Bradenton Beach.

Fresh catch of the day - Mangrove Snapper, Permit and Sheephead

First - Bloody and drinks at Pier 22

Oysters at Siesta Key Oyster Bar

Just a little windy at the beach, but still beats snow.

No visit is complete without a trip to Tom's Bad Ass Bar.

After Tony left, Dave and Nell Witherby, from our marina, flew down to visit for a few days. It was great having them and enjoyed hanging out. We did get in another beach day, and then also managed to get the big boat out and spend a day anchored out at Egmont Key.

Beautiful day on the Rooftop with Dave and Nell.

Dinner with Dave and Nell

Lucky guy???

It feels like we had a lot going on over January and February, but it was 2 months. Mixed in were the daily and new boat chores that needed to be done. Air Conditioner units were acting up and needed to be flushed, auto pilot was not working and need to be fixed, Direct TV went out and needed to be replaced, etc.... you know it is a boat after all.

After Dave and Nell left, we packed up and drove home shortly after. Tony bought his first house, so there was no rest when we got home. U-Haul rented and he is completely moved into his new house. We have been spending a lot of time over there helping him get settled in. Looking forward to getting back on the boat and moving.

Our plan is to make a quick trip back across the state of Florida to the East side and then hang a left and start up the coast. I will try to post more frequently once we get moving as things should be more interesting than us just hanging out in Bradenton.

PS - For those of you wondering, Yes Lucy is still on the boat and seems to be adjusting well.

Lucy waiting to take a shower?