We have found a new marina again this year. It is located in Gulfport just west of St. Petersburg. It is very close to several inlets allowing access to the Gulf of Mexico. It is also just several hundred yards from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and has close access to Tampa Bay. We hope to explore this wonderful boating area this year. There are many memories of great family trips to this area years ago when we lived in Florida.
We've returned to home in North Carolina, just in time to see forsythia, Bradford pear trees, redbuds and dafodils in bloom. We had a fine first week and then winter struck here again in the form of freezing temperatures and sleet. Oh, well, spring will make a serious appearance here soon.
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| Cool Change has settled into her berth in Gulfport. There's a good-sized tide here on our fixed dock - take note of the handy knotted rope Wayne has devised to help Colleen haul herself from dock to boat when we have a giant step from shore to ship. |
Our first weekend in Gulfport found us at breakfast streetside, watching vendors and participants set up the tenth annual Get Rescued Street Fair. Every organization you can imagine brought rescue animals (mostly dogs) who were in need of a home. There were also lots of vendors selling pet supplies, clothes for pets and food - for pets and people. We have never before seen so many odd assortments of Heinz 57 dogs.
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| Our first Gulfport breakfast spot |
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| Beagle rescue booth |
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| Gulfport's Main Street |
No, we did not acquire a new dog, much as we were tempted by these cute mutts.
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| This guy seemed to be happy to be dressed up for the event - shoes, hat and pants. |
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| It's a good idea to treat Colleen to lunch and a serious drink on laundry days. |
It Wouldn't be a Proper Blog Entry Without a Repair or Two, Right?
Shower Sump Repair
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| This is the shower sump under the floor in the master stateroom. The float switch failed imtermittently and refused to pump shower water overboard. Old switch was removed and a new one purchased at West Marine - $50 |
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| Wiring up the new float switch. |
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| Job finished. We can take showers now. |
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| Starting a new window cover. |
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| Sewing the pieces together |
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| The new window cover to block the hot sun this spring and summer |
Oh, No! No More Sewing Projects for Colleen
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| Quilter's Haven and More offered a warm welcome |
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| Quilter's Haven is located in Palmetto, near Bradenton, and was full of beautiful fabrics and lots of luscious projects. |
This has never happened before. Colleen's been very busy this winter, making quilts, purses, beach bags, headbands for the grandgirls, and little gifts for people we've met along the way. But she ran out of projects around the middle of February and had to use scraps to keep herself busy. Thus, you see this purse. The body and the pocket are left over from some other projects but, as always happens with quilting, she had to buy just a little bit more fabric at Quilter's Haven to make the handles. That green fabric was so pretty that she bought more than she needed. Oh, well, inspiration for another project.
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| Please try not to notice that the turtle is upside down. |
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| I've never done a landscape like this. They always looked so intimidating but, with help from a pattern from Quilter's Haven, I found fabric scraps among my stash to cut into strips for the water and followed directions to make the cattails and the bear. I need to work on making the bear look a little less like a camel but I'm pretty happy with the rest. |
Our daughter-in-law's sister, Joanna, lives in Tampa with her husband and daughter. We'd never met Ellie so Colleen and Joanna met at Tampa's International Mall (a serious mall that deserves future investigation) for a play date and lunch. What a cute little girl!
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| Joanna and Ellie |
In Orlando Sandra and Frank were our across-the-street neighbors. Our youngest kids were near the same age and, for many years, Sandra and I were walking buddies, walking and talking nonstop until we'd covered a mile or two before realizing we'd gone so far. We were so happy to learn they have a condo near Gulfport and planned to visit us. Even after sixteen years we found we still have a lot in common.
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| Sandra and Frank |
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| What an interesting sculpture, dedicated to local fishermen who have been lost at sea . |
In the 1970s and 80s our family vacationed in some old cottages on Longboat Key near Bradenton. The beach was beautiful; the Gulf was calm and blue and we spent some memorable, relaxing weeks with our boys. We took a car trip down to Longboat just to see how the cottages looked, never expecting to find them just as welcoming as they were thirty plus years ago and beautifully maintained. We need to make this the destination for another family vacation.
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| Still lots of shade |
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| The drive down to the beach |
