Below: Our first "warmer" weather on Amelia Islan east of Jacksonville, Florida and even warmer weather further south for our walk with the seagulls on Daytona Beach
Below: Beautiful St. Augustine. Lovely architecture and a great Spanish meal on a balcony overlooking the narrow streets.
Below: Making friends on the beautiful pier; berry picking bird (enlarge this one)
Below: Beautiful trees at the entrance to a Marina in Boca Raton.
Below: A rare sight....a juvenile manatee right beside the sales dock at the Miami Boat Show
Below: Art deco hotels and our cozy efficiency on South Beach
Below: South Beach, a two minute walk from our hotel; statue seen from the Boat Show shuttle bus. We never did see it close enough to determine what it is about however, those are people climbing up to the hand. A bit unsettling.
Below: Shopping for a new boat...this was our first choice because we could fit all our friends and family onboard for one heck of a party.....But then we thought of the environmental implications and moved on to something a bit smaller.......
Below: Hmmmm....slightly smaller but they would never fit in the Trent Severn locks.
Below: The "dark side" for power boaters...however they are environmentally superior and would save a lot on gas!
Below: Hey...now HERE is a beauty...and it is sold at our marina back home. Ahhhh we can dream can't we? Never mind, we love our 32 ft Carver in Keswick
The Florida Keys
Below: The miles and miles of causeway to Key West, the most southerly point of the U.S.
Below: Photo's of each other at the southern tip; Sunset Pier bar, Key West
Below: Practically deserted bar....Bob disappeared; Then he appeared; He actually believes I can't see him
Below: What's that in his hands? Yippeeeee! Happy Hour; a feathered street bird looking for a handout
Key West Butterfly and Bird House
Below: Butterfly without and with it's body and all the magnificent creatures
The Everglades
We figured that our trip had been pretty tame until now (other than sitting on Cocoa Beach, watching the space shuttle take off from Canaveral....and that was beyond anything ever imagined) and perhaps we should get a touch of excitement. We decided to take an airboat ride through the mangrove swamps. Who wouldn't get a thrill from screaming at 100 km/hr speeds through the mangrove swamps, perched on a crazy boat with no seatbelts, with an even crazier driver (Cap'n Dennis) who loves to terrorize his customers? After all, alligators (unlike their crocodile cousins) are not found in salt water....only fresh. Nothing to fear if we get thrown off the boat...right?? After a two hour wait, we boarded the boat along with 4 others and off we went at a rather sedate speed. As we entered the tunnel formed by the mangrove trees, "Cap'n" kicked it up more than a notch and we flew at warp speed, hurtling toward what we felt was certain death by impact. Any thoughts of alligators were well out of our minds. .
Below: Getting ready and observing others who "left" and "returned"; pelicans waiting for scraps from the fishing boats
Below: Our Captain....don't you think he looks just a tad too gleeful?; Ready for take-off
Below: Blasting through the mangroves as that hole at the end gets bigger and bigger and bigger.
...then out into the open and....what the heck is that???? What old Dennis neglected to tell us on the way into the mangrove was that yes, indeed, this is salt water however the mangrove trees suck the water into the trees, purify it and send it back down as fresh water. That is why there are alligators in the mangroves! Thanks for that little lesson Captain!!! It was whilst we were gazing at the alligator, not 3 feet from our boat, that Dennis also told us that they were experiencing higher than normal tides and that airboats are extremely difficult to handle on water. They handle perfectly on mud and very shallow water. We felt ever so comfortable for the second half of our ride!
Below: Pelicans land on the boats on the way back and give us a few of their best poses
Below: Watching the eclipse from the beautiful Port of Islands Hotel and Marina
Sanibel Island
What a gorgeous island this is, located adjacent to Fort Myers. Marc and Marny invited us to stay with them and we had a wonderful time. Their condo is gorgeous, the food (cooked by Marc the chef), conversation and weather were perfect!
Below: On the lanai overlooking the beach; Marc and Bob going for a dip
Below: Beach art
Below: By the pier
Can you tell we enjoyed every minute of our time with them???
Sarasota
Our friend Margaret (trips to Galapagos and China with her and her husband Eric) was having a golfing week at her friend Wendy's southern home (we know Wendy and Dwight from our marina) in Sarasota and we planned to get together for dinner as we passed through on our return home. We had cocktails at Wendy's and dinner at a local restaurant. It was a fun experience, especially because almost everyone standing 10 deep at the bar and eating dinner in the restaurant, was our age and older. We have never had this happen before and you can imagine how much fun it was to see what a majority seniors are in Florida. It gave us a taste of life in the home! Not so bad!!!!
Below: Creative sculpture downtown.
Below: Wendy playing for us at her beautiful home in Sarasota.A visitor just outside of the lanai
Below: Wendy, Margaret and me, about to go out for dinner (Bob was allowed to come as well of course! Someone had to pay.)
Savannah, Georgia....it is beautiful!
Below: Old brick streets and tram rails; me happily heading for a great lunch by the river; lovely old boat
Below: Jazz under the magnificent old trees in the centre of Savannah
Below: The statue, a tribute to the slaves who built the city and much of the south. The words are by Maya Angelou
Cape Hatteras
Below: Causeway connecting the islands of the cape; dunes and beach scenes
Below: March 3rd...Happy Birthday Bob!!!
