We're back!

(Amazing view!)
(Caught in the rain at Busch Gardens)

(All the pics on this post were taken while we were in St. Pete. and all links are to pictures)

We're back!!! Bill and I had a fabulous time in St. Pete. What a great place!! It is truly a city that has just about everything; a beautiful waterfront, amazing museums, perfect beaches, marinas, great restaurants, a cute and very walkable downtown area, and most importantly - Bill's mom! We had a great time.

(View of Vinoy Park, the Pier, and beyond)

So, here is the quick synopsis of our 17 days in St. Pete...We went to Busch Gardens (where we saw amazing animals [see below] and rode 4 of the 5 roller coasters before it started to rain, hence the ponchos [see above]), we went to the beach, we went to the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts, we watched thousands of people participate in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Walk in St. Pete from Mary Alice's balcony, I went to the Dali Museum and the Henry Plant Museum at the University of Tampa, Bill played golf, we went to three movies (Eagle Eye, Burn After Reading, and Dark Knight).

(Some of the amazing animals that we saw at Busch Gardens)

We "attended" the Rays rally and went to two Rays playoff games (as incognito Boston fans, of course!), we went to Tampa, we finished watching all of the Lost episodes on DVD, we explored Clearwater and several other towns along the coastline, we watched two debates, we went to the "Pier", we went for walks, we ate at several great restaurants, we enjoyed the beautiful pool at Mary Alice's place. ....We laughed, we cried... kidding.

(Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete)
(Start of the Susan G Komen walk for the cure )

It really was a great two and a half weeks and it was SO nice to see Mary Alice. Of course we WISH we could have stayed a few more days to see the Red Sox play at Tampa on Friday!
(Crabby Bill's -- Clearwater)

(Bike / walking path, St. Pete)

So... we flew from Tampa into Baltimore yesterday and drove back to Rock Hall, MD. SV Mary Elizabeth had a lot of work done while we were gone -- including the hull. And she looks stunning. Both Bill and I almost didn't recognize her; she looks brand new again.
(The Rays play in an indoor stadium)
(Coaster at Busch Gardens)

Almost everything was fixed on our long punch list -- and Island Packet was again great. The only problem is the generator, which we have been having problems with for several months. No one can figure out what is wrong. There was hope it could be fixed on Thursday with some parts that were ordered.... So we made the decision to take care of the cars on Thursday (which involved driving from Rock Hall to Annapolis to drop off Bill's car and then BACK to Rock Hall in my car to drop off Bill who stayed with the boat. I then continued on to Alexandria to take care of some "house stuff" so the place is ready for our renter in a few days.... It was a long day [5 hours total] in the car to say the least! We did find gas for $2.89 which was a plus. And thankfully we didn't hit too much traffic.) Unfortunately the new parts didn't help and even the specialized mechanic is stumped. So, even though the generator still is not 100%, Bill is going to solo the boat from Rock Hall to Annapolis tomorrow so Mary Elizabeth will be back at Port Annapolis this weekend.

(Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa -- thanks Cynthia for the great tour and Sara for arranging!)

We are looking forward to having friends over on Saturday for a BBQ. And Sunday we are excited for a Redskins home game and then Amy and Allison fly in later that night. The "big move" happens on Monday.

Plans still stand to head south the last week of October. We wish all our friends safe travels as everyone starts the winter boating season. Dave and Molly have already gone (we miss you guys!) Andrea will be here for a last visit next week, which we are looking forward to!!!
(The Pier, St. Pete)

So, hope everyone is doing well. And thanks for continuing to keep in touch / read.



(sunrise, St. Pete)