Time Out In Our favorite Place

Waz and I sat on the back of the Fly deck together, over a cup of coffee, and just enjoyed the peace of the moment and being in our favorite anchorage at Cape Haze. Yes, that is my vacant seat on the left:) Our view extends out to the ICW, just beyond that vacant piece of land, which we swear we will buy, should be win the Lottery any time soon:)

 

 A residential canal comes out into the keyhole that is our anchorage, and it is a popular place to come through from the other end, where it meets the ICW. A couple of Kayak/stand-up paddle board tours came through there as we watched.

 and off they go back to the ICW, just west of our position.

We are here because we didn't want to spend a whole week or more sitting in a berth at a marina, which is the alternative to our 'normal' dock, in Port Charlotte. That is presently taken up by a boat that needs some work doing to it, and we gladly vacated in order to spend some time out at anchor. It has worked out well for us, in the week after Christmas and before the New Year celebrations which promise to be very noisy, at the Marina. We are taking over the berth of the boat that is in our normal spot. What a great exchange!

It is now 5th January. How time flies when you are busy and having fun:)

We left Cape Haze on Monday  in time for the 11.30am opening of the Boca Grande bridge (which is the last bridge on the ICW before Charlotte Harbor) arriving at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda just after 3pm. Waz backed into the slot allotted us and which had been vacated by our 'exchange' boat. We are all tied up and not particularly enjoying all the rocking and rolling that results from the particularly busy marina and retail village adjacent. The weekends are like Main Street with all the fuel dock traffic which has to go past all the docked boats, right to the land end of the marina. Most of those boats don't know what a SLOW sign looks like, let alone observes the rules of the waterways. Hmmmm....Cant wait to get back to our residential canal hideaway!

Christmas was delightful with a similar crowd to last year. Some of the regulars were ill with this flu bug that has now reached epidemic proportions in these parts, and some of the regulars who were there came down with it post Christmas.
Waz is coming out the other end of the flu bug today (Monday 5th), thank goodness, but I have missed him...no contact for the week because I don't want his bugs!!!

New year....Well, Friday of Christmas week, we up stix on the boat and went to Cape Haze...but you know that already. Last Monday we came back to Punta Gorda and have been here ever since.

The New Year was seen in with little fanfare. We watched the fireworks across the bay on the Port Charlotte side and a few on this side, but nothing to get too happy about. Rather disappointing really, especially for the pyromaniac on board:)

We have been out and about a bit, had a couple of meals out...mostly lunches....and done some shopping for some bits and pieces we will need when we are abroad in March.

Small jobs get done, and best of all, on a bright and hot and sunny day with a stiff wind blowing, the boat got a thorough wash. Yay! I do love being out there with long handled brush and a bucket of soapy water...yes! really...not being silly.:)
I was yelled at by the neighbor who happened to be sitting in the cockpit of his yacht, smoking, when he managed to be in the line of fire for some overspray. It wasn't deliberate, but heck!!

SO...I forewarned the neighbors on the other side of the boat, re the overspray, and they were disappointed that they didn't get any...wind going in the other direction, and all that:)

So, here we are! Ready and waiting to leave.
Oh...You want some photos??
ell, I may just have some. Stay there.....

Fog!! how original!:) Didn't burn off until almost noon:(

This has to be a Heron...no egret feathers! and it has green legs and beak..Nice!

I love these Yellow Crested Night Herons. They are patient hunters!

 We returned to Cape Haze by car, last week, to take a closer look at our favorite place, by land. We discovered this Osprey with a fish, sharing a perch variously with egrets and gulls, all looking to take some of that fish, he is clinging to. They were unsuccessful!

...and wouldn't you know it!!! They have Mermaids in these parts:)

 

 

Another day we ventured to Walmart for something, and came away with these Fruit of the Loom V-neck T-shirts. YAY! new shirts for me:) and a couple round necks too. We have been wearing (out) the black and white cheapies, so it was time for some less cheap shirts with some color...woohoo! I am all set to travel now! T-shirt and shorts is all we need!

 

 

We went to the Farmer's Market in Punta Gorda, on Saturday. Bought some tomatoes, a couple of croissants and a couple of sticky buns, which we ate then and there, having had fruit salad for breakfast and now feeling a bit...ummm Peckish:) They were disappointing! No cinnamon, just round cooked dough with some sticky frosting on top:( not even any raisins!!! for shame!

 

This gorgeous hibiscus is a new plant at the Marina...had to take a photo of course. The bloom is the size of a salad plate.

Back to the Farmer's Market.....We visited the woodworkers booth yet again...and here was this glorious rocking ..um....bike?  It really is a work of art...and one that adults can play on! Sounds good to me:)

So..somewhere along the way we went to a Butchery. We bought some 100% grass fed bison hamburger meat and I made meatballs. They were delicious and we had about 5 left over, which I put in the fridge. 5 isn't much of a meal for two, so what to do with them?


I had two sweet potato growing sprouts, in the cupboard, and a whole cauliflower in the fridge that needed cooking....hmmm...inspiration was needed to concoct a meal out of these three!

Fast forward a couple of hours..

2 x steamed sweet potatoes cut into rings (see last photo)

1 x cauliflower cut into large florets (you could make them smaller if you like)...steamed al dente.

Into a bowl place:

2 tablespoons Best Foods/Hellmans Mayonaisse
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese (yellow kind...I like strong)
Finely chopped Green onions  (spring onions) or chives, and handful of chopped parsley
Mix together


Butter a pan well..bottom and sides.
Place sw. potato slices on the bottoms and up the sides too.

Crumble the meatballs (or crispy cooked bacon, chicken or other left over meat) on top of the sw. potato...

Put the cauliflower into the bowl with the mayo/sour cream mix, and liberally cover them. Place the  cauliflower on top of the meat, and cover with any remaining sauce. Top with enough grated cheese to make it crunchy and brown when  cooked.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 375F for at least 30 mins, or until the top is well browned and the dish heated through.

This was absolutely delicious! It looks a bit of a hash up here, but the flavors were fantastic, and we licked our plates clean...yes, literally! don't tell the children!!!!!:(

 

There was sufficient left over (yes, left overs again! deja vu?) for another meal, which by chance was the day I cleaned the boat and felt like a broken woman (this old body aint what she used to be!...sigh), and was ever so grateful to have left overs ready to put in the oven...again.

Ciao for now...I am trying to get enthused by Jane the Virgin...a new series, which is a bit bonkers, but.... night night!