Visitors

Bill and I have had the pleasure of having my father and sister here in Ft. Lauderdale for a few days. We had a great time golfing (Bill and my father) going to the beach (Andrea and me), visiting the casino (both my father and Andrea hit jackpots on the slots!) and going to Oviedo, FL (near Orlando) to visit my uncle and his family. Here are some pictures of the visit.

Andrea relaxing with my uncle's dog.

Andrea, Juan, Bill, my father, Ken, and me at dinner out on the town.

My father and uncle with their two dogs.

Andrea, my father, uncle, aunt, cousin, Bill and I had a delicious dinner in Oviedo.

Dad cooking a sauce on the boat!!!!

My father flew home on Monday, Andrea on Tuesday. Bill left Tuesday for Lake Wales with Dave so I have the boat to myself for a few days.

To see the rest of the pictures from the visit, click here.

Red Sox!

On Saturday Bill and I went to the Red Sox game in Ft. Lauderdale. They were playing Baltimore, who use Lauderdale as their Spring Training facility. We went plenty early so we were able to see batting practice. Unfortunately none of the Red Sox starters were in the game. It was h-o-t in the sun in the bleacher seats. We ended up staying for seven innings. On Saturday night we went out to the beach and had happy hour etc. with our boat neighbor Ken.

Sunday was an errand day; Laundromat, grocery shopping, etc. Bill did a few boat projects and then cooked a delicious dinner!

We had a great weekend!

Traffic

The traffic in Ft. Lauderdale is horrendous -- especially these past few weeks with spring breakers. We have learned (after this past Sunday when it took me 45 minutes to go about 2 miles!) that we should just never get in the car on Sundays - period. Sundays are especially crowded on the beach. And since the weather has been so perfect (80s, sunny, a little wind) it is even more packed. It's funny that we have been here so long that we have experienced a change in the city - more vacationers and "snow birders" on the beach and walking around, more people at restaurants, the supermarket, Starbucks. And traffic, traffic, traffic!

Bill up the mast

On Friday afternoon Bill went up the mast to hang a new halyard for the birgees, reattach the thing that acts as a grounder in case we get struck by lightning (which was knocked off when we went under a bridge in the ICW), and inspect the spreaders. Our boat neighbor Ken helped, and I now feel confident hauling Bill up myself.

Visit to DC

I had a great, great time in DC. Katie was due with baby number two on Friday the 6th and I flew in on Saturday morning. We had a really nice five days hanging out and waiting for Jackson Hurley Vaca to arrive. But he didn't.... not until 6 days after his due date! He was born Thursday night a little after 9:00 pm. Mother and baby are both doing great. And Alex is now a big brother! Unfortunately, I was already back in Ft. Lauderdale (I flew out of DC Thursday morning) but I will be going back up in a few weeks to help out and meet the new Vaca.

It was nice to be back in DC. The weather was perfect and Katie and I enjoyed long walks and lots of shopping and coffee drinking. Here are a few pictures of the visit.

Bill and I have been doing boat chores today. The weather in Ft. Lauderdale continues to be warm - low 80s! We are getting ready for my father and my sister Andrea's visit next week.

Annapolis Landing Marina

Annapolis Landing Marina is also doing some major renovations this winter. Nancy passed along this link so we can keep up with the progress.

http://www.marinawindow.blogspot.com/

The video in the post entitled "Game" is of them ripping out the finger pier between the slips where we and Joe and Nancy kept our boats for several seasons. Wow. Thanks Nance!

Marina activities

We have had a week full of marina activities. Last night the marina sponsored a happy hour and appetizers gathering at a nearby restaurant. It was nice to meet and chat with some of the people who have been here all winter and hear their stories. We are the newest addition to Hall of Fame. Most people bring (or leave) their boats here each year and have for a long time.

Monday night we had our boat neighbor over for dinner. Again it was nice to get to know the people who live right next door to us. And in a marina we all spend a lot of time in close proximity.

Tuesday night we went to a local restaurant with another boat neighbor. We had a great meal and conversation. Today Bill and I are going to do a few errands. I have to pack and get ready for DC. I leave tomorrow to visit Katie and help out with the new baby who is expected today!

We have been playing a lot with our new Kindle, which came in the mail when we were in St. Pete. I also think that I have my taxes figured out with the help of Fran at the State Department. I never received my W2s but she put me in touch with the right people so a duplicate can be sent to our FL address. With Cindy's help we figured out that it makes the most sense to become Florida residents. Our car is registered here, we will be here for the next year at least (off an on anyway), we are exempt from the boat tax since we bought the boat in MD over two years ago, etc. And FL has no state income tax.

On another note, Bill and I hope that Beeb feels better very soon.

These pictures are all of our visit to St. Pete last weekend.

St. Pete

We had a fabulous weekend in St. Pete. On Friday Bill and I started our search for where we will stay this summer. We visited two marinas - St. Pete Municipal Marina and the Harborage Marina. Both had advantages and disadvantages. On Saturday we visited seven more marinas in Tierra Verde, Gulfport, Snell Island, Treasure Island -- all places within 1/2 an hour from Mary Alice. Most of the places either didn't have room for us or weren't exactly what we are looking for. We want a marina that has a pumpout at the slip, a secure gate, laundry, parking, close to 'things', etc. It looks like we will end up at St. Pete Municipal -- which is right downtown and within walking distance of everything - including Mary Alice! It is fairly cheap and has everything that we are looking for. The only 'minuses' are that we would have to pay for a 65 foot slip since there is a 50 (yes 5-0!!) month wait for slips for our size boat and we have heard that when there is any sort of a NE wind the boats rock and roll in the slip. We might look at other marinas in Tampa when we go back although St. Pete is really where we want to be. St. Pete is great because there is always something going on. It is a city but not too big. There are amazing cafes and restaurants. Lots of beautiful parks. Museums. Culture. We both really look forward to living there!

(Our potential "new home" at the Muncipal Marina in St. Pete)

Friday the three of us went to the movies and saw Milk, which was great. We got takeout and played Skip-Bo.

In the morning Mary Alice and I went to the Saturday Market. If we live at the Municipal marina I will definitely be doing some grocery shopping there! There were fresh farm grown vegetables of every kind, local bakeries selling breads and pastries, artisans, etc. Mary Alice and I bought fresh strawberries and flavored pasta. There was a stand that sold at least 50 different types of pasta and orzo. We bought lemon garlic, tomato herb, and garlic and herb flavors. Each comes with a recipe. We stayed on the conservative side to try things out but they did sell some outrageous flavors such as lime, chocolate, and berry.

Saturday night we were invited to Fred and Monika's beach house in St. Pete beach. What a beautiful place! After the five of us went to dinner.

Bill and I drove home on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't a bad ride; it took about 4 1/2 hours.

Today, Monday, we are going to try to go to another Red Sox game here in Ft. Lauderdale. Baltimore has Spring Training here in the city and they are playing Boston today! A cold front moved through last night so it is chilly.