See you in November

We are going to take a break from the blog for awhile since we are in Annapolis on land and aren't on board Mary Elizabeth. So... see you in November.

UPDATE Oct 16, 2009 -- We have extended our lease here in Annapolis until November 15th. Our original plan was to head to Key West the last week in October for Fantasy Week. Instead, we have decided to stick around Annapolis so Bill can get his Captain's License. What a great time we have been having here in MD. Last weekend my sister Andrea was here for a visit. We have seen friends, been to a concert (Los Lonely Boys) and show (Sweeny Todd) and the boat shows.

So.... we are taking a little bit longer break from the blog than we originally thought....

Well we made it to Annapolis. Bill and I left on Tuesday around 1:00 after my dentist appointment. We defrosted the freezer and refrigerator, turned everything off on ME, packed the car and left. ME will stay in her slip in Sarasota (above) until we return to FL in October.

The trip was uneventful. We drove on Tuesday until around 9:00, stayed in a hotel and got up on Wednesday (09/09/09) and drove the remainder of the trip to MD. Bill ate his birthday lunch at Taco Bell! We will celebrate tonight with Joe and Nancy here in Annapolis.

We got to the place we are renting around 6:00 (we made good time) and were not disappointed. It is a cute little place, very clean, great view from the porch (see below) right near downtown. We can walk across the bridge from Eastport to downtown in about 10 minutes. There is a pool and we overlook a marina. The weather is spectacular (OK, it is raining right now, but it is cool and feels like fall!)

Our first meal in Annapolis was nothing other than corn and tomatoes. I went to the farm stand yesterday morning and they said we have about a week left for good corn.

Bill went and saw Juan yesterday and we stayed in and watched the first football game of the year cozy on the couch. It is strange to be in a house! We bought some essentials (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) but are still adjusting. For example, we bought bagged ice.... even though we have a full sized refrigerator and freezer (with an ice maker). Old habits.... Oh, and we have a dishwasher!!! And we can have candles (I bought two!). And everything can stay plugged in. And we can take long showers and not worry about running out of water.

The house is pretty much fully stocked (although I cannot make the coffee pot work; guess I'll be making a trip to Target since that is an essential!)

Bill and I are looking forward to a few weeks here.... although we do miss the boat. Falling asleep without the rocking is strange.

Trip from St. Pete to Sarasota

We had a nice time in St. Pete, but it was time to get back to Sarasota before leaving for Annapolis. Mary Alice came and saw us off (picture above) and Pamela watched from the balcony (picture below). We motored past the Pier and could see Tropicana field. We also went under the massive Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It was an uneventful 5 hour trip, except for the fact that we saw less than six feet in several places. I love the picture of the guy fishing *standing* in the water only a few feet from us.....

We are off to Annapolis today.

Smarty pants

Monika and Fred have been nice enough to loan us their Smart car while we have been in St. Pete. It really is fun to drive. And just as small as it looks. Oh, and to boot -- they have a big Tampa Bay RAYS logo painted on the back.... Bill has made it a point to wear his Red Sox hat while driving the Smart car.

St. Pete continued

We decided to stay in St. Pete until Monday morning, when we will sail back to Sarasota. St. Pete is really a great place to cruise. As I wrote, we have been staying at the Vinoy Marina, which is right downtown and close to everything. Very convenient -- and pretty. Here are some pictures of Mary Elizabeth at the dock.

The picture above is another taken from Mary Alice's balcony. You can see we have had a few more neighbors at the dock as the weekend progressed.

Last night the three of us tried out a new restaurant that opened this weekend in downtown St. Pete called 400 Beach. Today we went to a movie; tonight we are just hanging low. There have been some severe afternoon storms lately, so we want to leave early enough tomorrow so we can avoid them.

SURPRISE!

It was a very happy SURPRISE birthday party for Mary Alice on Friday night here in St. Pete. Everyone had a great time, and she really was completely surprised. It was a great turnout and a nice celebration.

For more pictures, click here.

Going to the chapel...

We have been docked next to everything from cruise ships to fishing boats to motor yachts that you read about in magazines.... But never a CHAPEL. Yes, this floating chapel docked next to us for a short while last night here at the Vinoy Marina in St. Pete to pick up guests.

We had a nice night with Mary Alice, Fred, Monika, and their grandchildren. We had tacos on board and then went to the final Red Sox Rays game here in St. Pete.

We're in St. Pete

We have not been too great about keeping current with the blog. I recently spent the past week in Boston while the repairs were finished on the boat. Bill and Mike took Mary Elizabeth from Sarasota to St. Pete on Monday. There were a few issues (the windex was knocked off while going under a bridge and the engine was running too hot) but things are looking good as far as the repairs go. We are very happy and thankful that all of the damage from the lightning strike is fixed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So we are here in St. Pete for a week. It is really great because we are right across the street from Mary Alice. Last night we went to the first of three Red Sox - Rays games this week. We hope to have everyone over to see the boat in its new (temporary) home.

We are right downtown. The building above is the Vinoy Hotel (which happens to be where the Red Sox are staying!)

The flat, beige building on the waterfront is the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg where I have been volunteering on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

And Mary Alice can look down on us from her balcony. Yes, we really are that close!

We'll be here for about a week before taking the boat back to Sarasota and then we are off to Annapolis.