Last day

This is my last day in Naples. :-( I have had a great time visiting with Rich and Robin who have been such gracious hosts. Hate to leave but duty and adventure call.

Yard work

Helped Rich cut and trim some trees in the yard. Here "David" prepares his tree cutter to slay a "Goliath" branch.

My.....

dinner date!

Nancy, Robin, and Rich

One more

Mary Ellen is on the right

Bravo rest.

With Rich and Robin

Nice!

Annoying

It's hard to write anything these days without being annoying. Weather is terrific, pool is toasty, food is fabulous, family and friends are fun, and the rum is cheap and plentiful.  Dinner at Bravos tonight.

A look at the neighborhood

Losing at cards

Waiting to be called for dinner

Rich and Robin at Mercatos in Naples.

March 5th

Been doing some figuring regarding our shove-off date to head north.  We need to squeeze under the Palm City Bridge in Stuart, which is 54 ft. We need 54 & 1/2 so we have to go at low tide to get under. March 5th looks like our best date, as low tide will be in the morning. Hopefully the weatherman will cooperate so we can get off to a good start. 

Not much else to report from here as we are simply having fun and enjoying our time with family here in paradise.  The weather has been absolutely perfect!!!! Ordered some things by mail, including a new solar dcharge controller for my solar panels on the boat.  My cheap Chinese controller lasted about a year!!!Back to an American one!

Today we did some tree work in Rich's yard so it hasn't been all play.  Trying to ride bike 5 miles each day.  We have eaten out a few times and been to the movies to see Monuments Men. 

 I have been following the amazing Orangemen who play Boston College tonight. 

Finally, this is my destination later this evening:

Scottish Mince

At Rich's house so I whipped up a special dish for him. Yummy comfort food that brought back our childhood memories! Take note cousins!

Better!

Evie is better and got sent home yesterday.  That is a huge relief!  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!  We continue to be amazed by the awful weather up north which seems to be neverending!  What a drag!  

Happy Valentines Day to all!  We are heading out with Rich and Robin for dinner tonight at "Gino's".  Then tomorrow we head for Cape Coral to visit Mom and Diana and Gerhard as our driving vacation continues.  Soon enough we will head back to the boat and begin moving north on the final great leg of this adventure.  Spread some kindess today!

Prayers for Evie

We've had news today that grandaughter, Evie, is doing a little better after spending last night in the hospital with a case of pneumonia.  We are worried about her so keep her in your prayers.  

Here in Naples it was another pleasant day.  Took a nice long bike ride for the third straight day and continued with the Lone Ranger Marathon.  I am fairly sure that my Dad is not in any of the episodes, at least none we have seen. However, my brother and I have had a lot of fun watching all the shows.  We especially enjoy the later shows which were shot in color on outdoor sets and obviously had a more lavish budget than the earlier black and white episodes.

We have also been amazed at all the actors we recognize who had great success later on.  Today we saw Marion Ross (Happy Days), Jack Elam, Phyllis Coates, and the ever present John Doucette among others.

Dinner at "Bravos" here in Naples this afternoon and now home to listen to SU-Pitt on the radio. Life is good but we need little Evie to get better!!!!!

 

Hi Yo Silver!

We are in Naples at my brother's house as we drove over to visit. He has a beautiful home here nd we could stay forever if they would let us. We are enjoying our time here with family!

Now here is the fun part:  My brother says that years ago my father had a part as an extra in the Lone Ranger tv series that ran from 1949-1957. He just got the entire set of Lone Ranger DVD's, so we have been plowing through dozens of episodes looking for my dad's elusive appearance. 

Here is what I have learned so far:

1. My dad may be full of crap!  Did he make it up?  We are bleary eyed from watching episode after episode.  Time will tell!

2. This show is poorly written and poorly acted.  In fact, I can boldly say that Tonto has no acting ability whatsoever! However, he is a good sport as he is constantly being arrested, thrown in jail, beaten up and tied up.

3. It is amazing how many Hollywood bit part actors appeared on this show, some of whom later became famous: James Arness, Deforest Kelly, Denver Pyle, and Jesse White to name a few.

4. The show's best quality and saving grace is its star, Clayton Moore.  He has a great American message of truth and honesty and patriotism. His whole life was living this out. 

5. The "William Tell Overture" gets stuck in your head!

6. Clayton Moore must have spent a great deal of time in front of a mirror twirling his six guns.  He is good!

7. Feedback question:  What is the Lone Ranger's mask made out of. The material looks creepy.  My brother thinks it's Tonto"s underwear.

 

Ahhhhh!

It's been a great week here in Stuart and we have enjoyed visiting friends and seeing some sites.  Overall I really like the Stuart area and would not hesitate to spend time here in the future. Plenty to do and things are close by. Where we are staying now is very convenient to everything!  Quiet for the most part and scenic.  The boat traffic does pick up quite a bit on weekends. Hoping to get to se the Mets before I leave.

Lunch at Harry and the Natives!

I recommend the blackened mahi mahi.

Tortoise at the Stuart park

Wild parrots

Can you see them?

Surf's up!

The Atlantic Ocean

Joanna and Mary Ann

Tramonti's with the gang!

Spent a wonderful day with some dear friends here in Florida today.  We had lunch and laughs and life is good! Tom made a surprise appearance from the frozen north!

Sunset in Stuart

Jorts

I just explained to Tom what "jorts" are.
Jean shorts!

Home sweet home!

It's a Bird...it's a plane...it's...

Tomorrow will be a fun day!  First I drive to the "Y" for exercise and a shower.  Then on to West Palm Beach to pick up buddy, Tom Zieno, who is on a surprise visit from the frozen north. After lunch and some hanging out, we will head for the airport to pick up Joanna who is arriving at West Palm tomorrow.  Woo hoo! From there we drive back to Stuart to have dinner and spend the evening with Kathy Kull Bossinger and her husband Skip. Finally on to our floating home for a well-earned rest!  Whew!

The Boat Whisperer

     Most of the time when I wake up at night, it's to go to the bathroom. I seem to have to do that more often these days.  Has something to do with getting older.  But sometimes when I wake up in the night, it is because I have just had a brilliant idea. Last night was an example.

     My boat talks to me all the time.  The problem is I am too often not listening to what Crossroads is trying to tell me. Can't tell you how many times I have ignored a simple sign sent to me by my boat.  I could give you a few paragraphs on this topic right now, but why bother?  You already know I'm a fool!

      Anyway, I am learning to listen more and more. Question:  Why has the bilge pump occasionally been kicking on of late?  It doesn't normally do this.  No big deal, just a few times a day. But yesterday I decided to check around and search for leaks.  Especially since the big leak at the rudder post 2 weeks ago.  I poked around checking the usual suspects.  Found none!  Hmmm....

     We have had lots of rain but it hasn't rained now for 2 days.  What could it be?
At around 3 AM I woke up and the answer came to me clear as a bell.  The thru-hull that controls cooling water to the engine is open.  Hmmm...let's close that and see what happens.  So I did.  I know there is at least one person out there right now saying: "You mean you didn't do that already?"  (Didn't say I was the sharpest knife in the drawer). (I think I also went to the bathroom).  I turned the valve off and drifted back off to sleep with no pump interruption for the rest of the night.

     This morning I woke up, and within 5 minutes I'd located the culprit. A leaky hose on the engine was dripping in a way that wasn't easy to notice. Problem now discovered and I am relieved to know the hull doesn't have a secret leak somewhere. I put Napa on my errand list for a new hose and slapped some bacon on the griddle! This day was off to a good start!

PS: How about those Syracuse Orangemen squeaking by Duke in a thriller. Guess who's #1 in the nation?  I like Manning and Denver to prevail tonight.


   

Here I am with Kathy showing off my neck muscles.

Breffis!

So, if you worked at Sandy Creek, and your ears are ringing this morning, here's why: Just spent a wonderful few hours with friend and former colleague Kathy Kull Bossinger. We ate a great breakfast and had some laughs at Mulligans in downtown Stuart. It is very satisfying to reconnect with friends from the past and it seems Kathy and her husband, Skip, have done very well.  We made plans to get together again when Tom Zieno arrives, and perhaps a super bowl evening tomorrow if they will have me. The downtown area of Stuart is very nice, a little like Delray Beach with shop lined streets.