Mother Nature

David, Rugby and I explored the remote north end of LBK's coast and were awed by its natural beauty. Dogs are not allowed on the local beaches, but we wanted Rugby to have the experience. Turns out, he ingested some tasty sand and threw up all night! No beach frisbee for him! Still exploring the mangroves is interesting, especially by paddleboard! I was in very shallow water adjusting my paddle and when I put it down into the water, it nearly hit a pair of manatees (which were larger than my board!) I quickly switched sides, but I still fell, causing the manatees to splash away. I was able to track them and had a lovely experience. David had a similar experience with the pair for over 45 minutes. At one point, the juvenile started following his paddleboard! Wish we could have videoed the experiences, but they will just have to live on in our memories. On another note, Red Tide has been spreading from the ocean side and into the bay. The water is a rusty brown and smells like decaying fish, which means we are avoiding the beaches. Besides causing humans to cough and get irritated, it literally chokes out the fish and other marine life. Unfortunately, a few days after David's swim with the manatees, a juvenile was found peacefully floating belly up in the marina. It's hard to entirely blame Mother Nature for the Red Tide as there other contributers like run off of chemicals from the land.

Settling in LBK

Since we have our car here, we have been able to explore a broad area as well as get provisions and projects done. Our favorite restaurant in Sarasota is Owen's Fish Camp, which is not even on the water but fun casual vibes. We also have been to the Salty Dog a few times, since Rugby is welcomed and it sits right on the water. Nearby is Mote Aquarium which we joined since they do a great job of supporting marine life as well as bringing awareness to people about these amazing creatures. (Did see the manatees there, but they were upstaged by the ocean turtles!)

David has been playing pickleball and tennis daily when he is not working on the boat or exploring the waters on his paddleboard or Zodiac. We have been very fortunate to have friends from home here as well, especially the Orrs, who have shared this place with us andseveral of David's tennis friends. One highlight was a visit by our first boat buddies, Jib & Teresa (Make it So) They are completing their loop in a few weeks on the Atlantic side of Flordia. We are so grateful to have received such helpful information as well as hearing Jib's entertaining stories!

Family Time in February

Rugby and I went home for alomost two weeks to check on our home, gardens and my hair color. David is so comfortable on the boat and has made new friends at the marina and tennis courts. He really should get Florida residency since he is happy as a clam at high tide! Instead of David travelling to Dallas for Pierce's Father-Son weekend, Pierce met David at the boat. They took trips to the Gulf on Voyager and Zodiac.

Our daughters came from frigid NYC for the long weekend and even though MW had to work, she was happy to be on the boat!

Katie took long runs on the beach and was happy to explore the mangroves and open waters on the Zodiac. She can capture nature in photos like this one...

They enjoyed the calmness of bering on the boat and we grilled fish and stayed "in" for dinner each night. Cruising the bay area was a special time together!