Things are happening fast!

We are back in Indiantown on the boat and new plans are being made. We have decided for several important reasons to leave the boat right here over the summer. We were scheduled to resupply (see photo below) and shove off to head north up the dtch, but after we discovered Indiantown Marina we began to think otherwise. No tidal surges, since it is inside a locking system. Secure tie downs for boats stored ashore during storm season. Friendly staff and central location. And, next winter we have the option of picking up right where we left off!!! (the good Lord willing!)

This means that the Creaky Cruisers will be heading north on Monday, in plenty of time to attend our Grandson, Crawford's, birthday. We also have a new granchild coming at the end of April. (that would be Bub). Creaky Cruisers have learned about the wonderfulness of Grandchildren and so we do not want to miss anything.

Unfortunately, there is no Corvette in my future!

 BJ helps to get all packed!

Our time in Cape Coral looks to be ending tomorrow.  We will miss our family but time marches on and we have a journey to complete.  Spent a day with my brother and got to drive his 63 Corvette. It's a sweet ride and I offered him 20K cash but for some reason he declined.  Today we are getting all packed up and will head for Indiantown tomorrow.

Jersey

I've never seen the traffic in Florida as bad as it has been here the past week.  It seems that a good portion of America has decided that this is the place to be right now.
What looked like a half hour drive on my way to lunch yesterday quickly turned into a full hour.  Part of this is because the Florida Dept. of Transportation is in the midst of highway reconstruction on Rte. 41, the main local artery in Ft. Myers.  I just can't imagine who dreamed up the idea of closing down a three lane highway to one lane at mid day during tourist season, but that is exactly what they did. Insane!!!!!!  I made it safely and coming home was not as bad as three lanes were only squeezed down to two.

Just about everyone I meet comes from somewhere up north, usually from New Jersey (I always ask where in Jersey because one of my sons lives there), although the two people ahead of me on line at the drug store just now were from Indiana.  Everything is choked up with tourists. Does this mean that the economy has turned around, or does it merely mean that people are tired of snow and cold?  Who knows? I guess the important thing is this is great for local business, so as an outsider I will continue to grin and bear it!!!  

Keep in Touch!

One nice thing about the internet is that it allows you to easily stay in touch. And through the miracle of Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with so many people from my past.  It has been a very rewarding experience to hear from former students and friends I grew up with.  The ability to connect with others has been grounding and very satisfying, at least for me. But not everyone is on a social network. And so much of our contact with others on the web is fleeting and incidental.  Even more important is something my friend Harv recently said:  "The more time I spend with technology, the less time I spend talking to people and looking them in the eye, which I enjoy far more." 

 And so I am looking forward to tomorrow when my brother and I will get together with an old friend from my Long Island bartender days. Bruce is 81 years old now and lives near here in Bonita Springs.  He is a great guy and lots of fun to be around, but I doubt if you will find him surfing the net or on Facebook.  Tomorrow we will be getting together for lunch at The British Open Pub, and I am sure we will have some laughs and share some memories of times long ago. 

        I share this with you with encouragement to remember those people in your            life not on the net who you may not be in regular touch with, but deserve to hear from you.  When was the least time you looked them in the eye?

Ironic PS: I couldn't find Bruce's number yesterday to call him, but since I am friends with his daughter on Facebook, it was an easy find!

Joey

This business of getting old can be quite a challenge. When last I went to visit the doc he said my knees were shot.  Great!  There are some things to be done to relieve this condition, but he recommended I first try to lose some weight.  OK, fair enough, but with bad knees exercise becomes more of a challenge doesn't it?(especially on a boat). Alas, I seem to have developed this little friend at my waist I call "Joey".  The problem is that as Joey prospers my knees suffer.

So here I am visiting with family in Florida.  I've done some walking and there is a pool which I have been dipping a toe into whenever I can.   Unfortunately I am also eating my brains out at every opportunity!!!!   Today I decided to take things up a notch so I went to the gym.  I have a little gym routine I do and I was shocked by how little of it I could manage to accomplish.  Older and weaker means I guess I need to fight harder. So for the rest of the week it will be gym every day! BUT OF COURSE THE REAL  CHALLENGE IS TO EAT LESS... and we are going out for pizza tonight.

On another note we just got back from a trip to Inverness and Tampa.  Spent a nice day with my nephew and family.  Then yesterday we spent some time visiting with Pete Lawless (Uncle Petey) in Tampa.  He is dong very well thanks!  Today is warming up after a brief cold spell which has brought some nighttime temps in the 30's.

Ok, I gotta go 'cause Joey is calling me to eat breakfast!

Got him!

Burrowing owl!

Brrrrr....

It's 63 degrees and cloudy here in "paradise" and that feels chilly to my rapidly thinning blood. Not much else to report today. Joanna is feeling better after her spill and we are taking her mom out to dinner tonight.  Tomorrow we are headed to the local Irish
Festival and Sunday we're on the road to visit more relatives.

I did take a walk today and saw a cute little burrowing owl sitting and watching me from 10 ft. away.  Alas, when I reached for my camera I realized I had neglected to bring it along.  This seems to be the story of my life as I am constantly missing photo opportunities. I'll get one yet!