What a GREAT Day!!

Absolutely beautiful in sunny Clearwater, Florida!  I had forgotten what a great place this is.  Renne', Kent, and I walked around part of the island yesterday.  The beaches are so white, it hurts your eyes to look.  actually the ladies on the beach were really nice to look at, but, then Renne' hit me in the eye for looking to hard and now my eye hurts - was it the sun or the fist???  LOL!  Not really, but it helped the story line!  I lived here on Clearwater Beach on my boat in a marina provided by a local condominium.  It was really nice.  I have forgotten what it was like to walk around here.  I spoke with my daughter, Cami, yesterday, and she she wanted to get married at one of the local beach hotels here - had to ask if there were any likely guys yet.  Doggone, that was two of my ladies I didn't please yesterday.  I have to watch what I say!!  Haha, I am having so much fun!

We took the dinghy out for a run this morning.  For those who are not aware, Renne' and I purchased a Walker Bay Genesis Rigid Inflatable Dinghy of Craigs List last year.  We followed that up with a 15hp 2-cycle Yamaha Outboard Engine.  We are having to learn to do so much.  As we have planned all of this, but never done it in reality, we are getting a real dose of reality as it crashes into ideas each time we do something.

We are traveling with the dinghy deflated on top of the deck under the staysail boom.  so this morning, as we are sitting in the slip, I thought it would be a good idea to launch the dinghy.  It's HEAVY!  Kent and I wrestled it out of it's happy home, inflated it on deck, then launched it.  It will take a little more practice for Renne' and I to do it by ourselves.  Then we wanted to drop the outboard down to the dinghy.  Now neither of us have never owned an outboard before.  so it was another evolution getting the engine clamped down, fuel tank installed, seat installed, life cushions onboard, ice chest put together with beer and soda, arch davits let down to board the dinghy, stabilize the dinghy on the arch davits, then we looked at each other and figured we had had enough work, it was time to enjoy.  so once again, we realized we are retired, not on vacation, there is NO HURRY for anything!

We will head out for Key West on Monday morning.  It is 2-1/2 days south.  We should be in the marina at Boca Chica by Wednesday afternoon!

as for right now, we are enjoying the good life.  We invite any of you to come sail with us or visit us.  Just let us know when you are coming.  We hate to overlap guests - it does get crowded.  But you will enjoy every moment, we guarantee it!!

 In the meantime, we will visit again in our next port!!