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.
No comments:
Post a Comment