Can You Believe It?

We were woken this morning just after 7am by the sucking sound that the toilets make when the tank has been sucked dry. It is the same sound you make with a straw in the bottom of a glass when you chase the last of the liquid around. Our mothers probably told us not to do it because it was bad manners, lol.
Yes! the pump-out guy came THAT early, today, his scheduled day! Woohoo!!! No warning lights were on this time, because he only came last Saturday!

Warren brought the propeller back and laid it on the cockpit floor. Doesn't she look lovely? All bright, shiny and new. We got a print out of the 'problem' associated with it, from the fix-it guys, but I'm not sure either of us can decipher what all the graphs mean. I have to mention that it didn't break the bank, as we rather anticipated...Phew!

 

 

In the afternoon, Mark, the Kiwi Diver turned up. Good thing we had just arrived home, coz he didn't bother calling first, and we needed to be here to get the new Zincs out for him and his worker to replace the old ones.

 

The hose provides oxygen to the divers, who are submerged so long, a snorkel wouldn't cut it! The zincs sitting on the swim platform waiting to be installed.

 

We should be 'ship shape' now!

 

The time is fast approaching when we will turn our baby around and head off, out into Charlotte Harbor, and back on the ICW. Getting all these things done now are a bonus. Less to think about until this time in 6 months time. We also purchased some more Wax, so that I can wax to my hearts content when I have nothing better to do. It is an ongoing 'thing', as she was last waxed 6 months ago, and is in need of another. Waxing a boat this size took two professionals almost a week, so you can imagine how long it will take me! Good exercise, I hear you say:)

 

Our days are full of little bits and pieces that I have decided not to bore you with.

We have been fortunate to enjoy lovely weather, and only last night did it get cool again, dropping a good 10 degrees in a very short time, after a day of drizzle, and later, rain.

 

 

Today, Friday, dawned lovely and clear, though cool. Waz had the heater on when I came topside, which got switched off promptly...it was stifling!:) We took our time getting up, with a cup of Community Coffee, and then deciding what to do with two over-ripe bananas. I didn't want to make more pancakes, or muffins, so I decided to cooks a little bacon, place the banana slices in the pan with the sizzling bacon, then whip up four eggs and cover the bacon and banana with it, to make an omelet. When almost done, I put some grated cheese over the top and let that melt before serving. Delicious! Try it! Make sure the bananas are VERY ripe, tho'. You don't need much bacon to give things a yummy taste!

 

 

I doubt I will be making muffins again, after this discovery:)

 

 

After this late breakfast, we decided to go into Punta Gorda for a walk, but first we needed to go and visit the National Art Exhibition at the Art Gallery there. We did the same thing last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

There was one Juror for this exhibition. He has excellent credentials, but I would love to have done a walk through with him, to find out why he awarded those that held the rosettes. Sometimes there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the Jurors choice, and this was one of those times. All the comments heard in the galleries were similar to our own....why on earth did THAT one get a prize, and not THIS one??

 

The quality of work chosen was generally excellent, with a few exceptions, of course. Some of the watercolors were outstanding, but they didn't receive any recognition:(

 

We parked in a side street in Punta Gorda's Historic District and walked towards the seaside from there. We discarded our jackets, hoping the breeze next to the water wouldn't make us regret our decision.

The water was flat, gorgeous winter blue and just stunning to gaze upon.

 

On the way there we passed the City Hall, a very impressive looking building with a mural on the side, depicting the founding of the area.

I would love to know what these two ducks were 'shoveling', in the sandy shoreline.

Some serious fisherfolk out there on the Pier!

 This couple enjoyed their lunch in the park, along the shore.

Looking towards the Fisherman's Village Marina, to our left.

 

Of course, no trip anywhere is complete without me taking photos of flowers of some kind. The Hibiscus around the City Hall, were stunning...just a couple, I promise:)

 

ok, maybe 5!!

We came home towards 1.45pm and I put together an al fresco lunch, which we ate upstairs in the cool. We have a lovely view down the canal into the harbor, so it is always nice to make the most of that.
Warren has gone off thing for 'parts'. He is dealing with the toilet challenge (no, it isn't a problem!!) and seems to be doing well, so far. I wanted to sit with my feet in the sun, on the boat, not fight the traffic up Hwy41~

I am making meatballs for dinner tonight. I think I will also steam some green beans and make zucchini pasta to go with it all. Mushroom gravy also sounds yummy! I shouldn't be thinking about dinner yet, but I just looked at the clock and it is 4.30, already! aieee....where do the days go?

I finished another book, two days ago...Ok, I have to admit, that is what I have been doing, instead of blog writing. This one is another book of just photos...Simply Beautiful Orchids. Another in the series of Simply Beautiful... If you are interested to see it, go to www.blurb.com and find my books by entering my name, Monica Moriyasu, in the search. You should find three books...Simply Beautiful Roses, Birth Bath and Simply Beautiful Orchids. If you enjoy any of them, you can purchase them through the Blurb site.
I will be making others as I go. I have such a huge collection of stunning photos, that it seems a shame not to let others see them and enjoy them.

I am not going to go upstairs and read my book in the late afternoon sun. Come join me!

Ciao for now.

 

 

A Get-together of a bunch of 'Loopy' folk

Well, what else could you call us all?

A very generous couple who have just crossed their wake, put the word out on the Loopers Forum that they were having a Get-Together at their home in Cape Coral, just 45 mins south of us here, on the coast. We signed up to go and visit with the other 50 people who are either past loopers or are in the process, like us.

It was fun meeting all these folks who had so many stories to tell, information and tips to pass on, and much humor about groundings and even $4k propeller jobs after hitting granite in Canada. That one in particular sticks in my mind as cringe-worthy. OUCH! Especially as it could have been so easily avoided!
Apparently the marina could have...make that SHOULD have had a flag over the top of the rock that was in the middle of the channel. I think I would have sent them the bill for the damaged props.

This is a Canal-side home with their Looper boat parked on the dock. Small breezes came up the canal on this very hot day, and most of us gravitated to the shady areas outside.

Waz and I sat under the palm tree on the left on the two seater wicker, for most of the time. It was a very pleasant place to sit and catch up with what everyone is doing now.

Looking down the canal

meet and greet

The food was up inside the pool enclosure, so we were a little devoid of company for a while as the hungry gravitated there:)

 

We came away with notes on who to contact, where to call ahead, where to go, where not to go, what to avoid at all cost, what to see, who to talk to when you get there and so much more. Our fellow guests were not only generous with their knowledge and their memories, they were also offering their services if they were ever needed and their hospitality. Fantastic to know boaters take care of each other:) Heart warming indeed! Pay- it -forward is alive and well in this community too.

 

We left there about 5pm, and made our way home.

The day started well enough.
Our pump- out guy turned up around 8am to do the job. Why it took an hour to pump us out this time, we will never know. He had every excuse under the sun as to why he hadn't been to see us during the week...one of them being that the truck was out of commission ..again...all week, and the rest of the trucks were diverted to the Daytona 500 motor races on the east coast, this weekend. We don't care, frankly. We are clients, and they take our money in advance, to pay for the pump out! Deliver!

We saw a waste pumper truck on the way to Cape Coral...on the back it said " My wife doesn't stick her nose into my business!!"...lol..I wonder why!



We left the boat at just after 9am and took 41 south as planned. We had been down part of this highway before, we realized, but not all the way. It felt really good to be out and about again...going places:) yay!

We didn't turn the 'girlfriend' (with the male voice!) on (GPS) because we thought we had plenty of time, before the 2pm get-together, to wing it. We did!
We arrived at the Cape Coral Marina quite by accident, and enjoyed some down time there, walking the Marina and sitting in a waterfront restaurant for excellent Fish and Chips. What else do you eat by the water? We finished off with a small sugar-free raspberry Gelato at a shop down the row. yummy !

Strolling down the rows of shops (not sure what style you would call these...pseudo European??) we happened upon a Collective run Gallery.  6 people own the lease on the shop, and their work dominated the space, of course. One of the potters work is well known to us, and something we might buy. It is funky and fun, but we have nowhere to put it, so we just enjoy it when we see it. Not good for the artist! The oils/acrylics were lacking light and looked unfinished. Nothing wrong with the subject matter, but it bugs us when we see that. With a slightly more critical eye or some good tuition, the artist will produce something that people are more likely to buy. They look amateurish as a result, which is most unfortunate. We want all artists to be able to sell their work...but make sure you get tuition to begin with, and make sure you have LIGHT in your paintings...they are not good without it. Really LOOK at what mother nature provides, if you are a realist painter! seriously...there are lots of yellows out there in the greens, so lets include them, shall we?

The photographer whose work was on display, was in attendance at the gallery yesterday, and we had a beef with the labelling of one of her photos. She had a lovely pic of two Dolphin surfing a wave. She had named it "Porpoises Wave Riding' or some such. When I asked if there wasn't a difference between Porpoise and Dolphin, she had a pathetic excuse that Porpoise is what the locals (Floridians) call Dolphin. Huh? Apparently they get it confused with the Dolphin Fish commonly known as MahiMahi which looks nothing like Dolphin!!!Grrrrrrrrr!

I did ask her to change the title! ha! what a cheek I have:) She looked a little put out, but too bad.

Dolphin and Porpoise come from two distinctly different families. They have different teeth, dorsal fins (Porpoise have more triangular fins, like sharks) and their 'chatter' in echolocation is at a frequency that Dolphin and whales cannot hear. Just a few of the differences worth mentioning.
Misinformation is what people take home and teach others. Get it right.  It is so easy to do the research, these days!

Moving right along....

The Marina Shops and restaurants. Why do these places all look the same? "Welcome to America", one of the Loopers said, when I made this observation, to the gathering.

 Tiki Bar, front and center.

Tall condos behind the shops and to the side of the Marina, all with Sea or Marina views.

The home in the foreground of the photo is supposedly one of the Funky Fish houses.

... Not pretty from the street side.

We sat in the shade behind the railing, at the restaurant, overlooking the Marina.

 

More stores!!! Several of them selling the T-shirt to say you have been there done that (BTDT), lol.

 

 

The Marina

 

Again, it was good to get out and about and learn new things and meet new people.

 

We stopped in across the road at the neighbors, on our return, and had a chat with them until we decided to either go inside and chat or eat. They were invited to join us for a light dinner on the fly deck, which was nice, considering we haven't done that since being here. Opportunity is a great thing:) We ate the quiche I made yesterday, which I didn't take with us to Cape Coral. (12 quiche would have looked a little small, so we bought a vege platter at the supermarket on our way out.)

 

They are in the process of selling their home (an offer is on the table and house inspection is done) and they are getting rid of their 'stuff'. Their ideal is to live as stuff-free as possible, while travelling and kind of doing what we are doing, but land based. We chatted about lots of possibilities and which countries they might visit in their travels. We hope they get to fulfill their dreams.

 

A very social day ended well, and was most enjoyable. All this feeds the soul, doesn't it?

 

 

I have had a throw out this morning. Clothes! It is satisfying to take a bag full of too-big clothes to goodwill, tomorrow, and have room in the closet. I did buy two pairs of capri pants and a pair of shorts in a smaller size, this morning. I threw out two pairs of jeans, two shorts and a few shirts...oh joy!

 

As I have sat here most of the day and done very little, it might just be time for me to go and read a book..:) 

Waz is down in the nether regions again doing his bliss...sanding something, then he will patch it..fiberglass!

 

It is also time we talked to our senior family members in NZ, so we are waiting for the 7 hr time difference to make it the right time to Skype with them, Monday morning NZ time.

 

Ciao for now. Enjoy your Sunday, northern readers, and Monday for you kiwis and southerners.

 

 

Just a couple of old Petrol Heads

Yes, we are!! and proud of it. Both Waz and I have been 'bikers' in our past lives, and have enjoyed driving sports cars and 'other'. Waz always had a 'project' car going in the garage... and sometimes
'one on the side', as it were...car, not woman!:). There is good reason we are telling you this...because it might help you appreciate why I am now putting the following photos up here!!

First up...

What a pleasure to see a bright yellow Ferrari, for a change. Red gets a bit boring after a while. We noticed that many of the other sports cars...in particular the Corvettes are now in bright yellow also. There are a large number of them in Port Charlotte!!

Come to think of it, there are so many sports cars in FLorida...lots of 'old fullahs' living the dream, as it were. That some of them need a fork lift to get in and out of them is beside the point. I'm afraid I will need the same if we ever purchase one. No, I'm not leaving the wimmin out here...lots of older wimmin driving them too, though the wenches tend towards the sporty saloon cars...lots of edgy looking European vehicles with sassy looking women at the wheel.:)

An 'old fullah' got into the vehicle and drove away...sedately, I might add!

We haven't seen too many 'young fullahs' driving sports cars in this locale, if at all, come to think of it, but then you don't see too many young'uns at all!

 

 

So, that was our first buzz, in the vehicle department:) The second came this morning as we exited John Ski's Breakfast Restaurant where we went for out Benedict fix.

 

We have admired these Can Am (Canadian designed and built) trikes before. There are a number in NZ, though they are very pricey there.

 

A point of interest here....We see so many HUGE 'armchair' motor cycles here...you know the ones...where the women on the back are wearing the helmets, and the fullahs on the front are exposing their bald pates (some still have hair!) to the elements. I wonder if the women insist on the helmet or their menfolk do?  I will remember to ask that question when the opportunity arises next time!

Love the drink holder!:)

It even looks comfy for Waz in the back seat:)

Very stylish!

 

 

 

In our next life!!! sheesh...there isn't room on the boat for the Smart Car, the Jet Ski, the Trike AND the Ferrari!!!! NOTE TO SELF!!!.....bigger boat needed for toys!!...maybe not!

 

Speaking of the toys, we noticed a lot of the boats in the Cape Coral Marina had Jet Skis on the back in place of a dinghy. Good idea, except where do the groceries go???

 

Not sure where the Davit was for this jet ski to get off the swim platform, but perhaps it was behind the locker there on the back?

We really like this hydraulic swim platform with Jet ski on it. My idea of efficiency!

 

and...speaking of toys...again...

 

One of our 'ideal' boats would be the Flemming...

Lovely big cockpit (at back) and complete walk-around. Very safe!

I do like the Portuguese Bridge on these trawlers.

In our dreams! or if we win Lotto! Which reminds me...we took a ticket (with multiplier) in the Florida State Lottery this past week...$400 million was first prize, with a cash payout of something like $267 million. That'll do!:) Still have to check the tickets, so don't hold your breath!

We did win a bonus tix last week and the week before that we won small cash, Like I told you.

 

I will cover the reason for our Cape Coral visit in the next post.