In the mid morning of Don’s birthday last Tuesday, we took a walk around the island and out to the old homestead ruins from the original settlers of the island. The walk was through very pretty, lush, palm forest.

Afterwards we went down to the beach to hang out and relax. There were dolphins swimming around just off shore that were fun to watch.

With how shallow it was coming in, Wednesday we wanted to wait until high tide to leave, so in the morning we went and took a walk on the beach at low tide. Found a whole bunch of cool shells and saw a live sea urchin and a star fish.

Around 1:00 it was high tide and we set off for Clearwater. We came to the Marriott Hotel Marina and after getting set up, went to dinner with Jack and Vickie to The Clear Sky Cafe.

Being guests at the hotels marina also gave us access to the regular hotel amenities, including the rooftop pool and bar which had beautiful views.

Thursday we got some danish from a local bakery, came back and did laundry in the hotel. Then it was down to the beach. In Buffalo there are bison statues all about decorated differently. Here in Florida there are the equivalent dolphin statue.

There are 5 different Frenchy’s restaurants within a 1 mile stretch on the barrier island. We ended up at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill right on the beach for lunch. Had amazing sesame tuna! 🐟

Friday we found another Another Broken Egg Cafe. The first one we came across was in Chicago. This one though had crab cakes eggs Benedict which were just delicious! Don got croissant french toast that was also quite fantastic.

From there we hopped on the Jolley Trolley to Tarpon Springs. They are famous for deep sea sponge diving. The town was formed around the sponge harvesting industry by Greek Immigrants. Until the world expanded the only place sponges came from was the Mediterranean. When they were discovered in the Gulf of Mexico a group of sponge divers came over from Greece and set up shop. There is still a large Greek population today with many traditions carrying on. We went and checked out St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, very ornate stained glass work.

We stopped in Dunedin on the way back and walked through the outdoor market happening and found Strachan’s Ice Cream. I got Oreo Heath Caramel Crunch, which was as scrumptious as it sounds!

We came back to the boat to grab the backpacks and then walked to Publix to reprovision. We needed to make our way to a boat yard in Bradenton to have the stern thruster looked at again. Where it wouldn’t work before, now it goes on its own even with the power off 🤔.

So Saturday we got up early and headed to St. Petersburg. The winds started to pick up and it made the water coming in a little rough. We got set up and took a little walk around town.

Sunday the wind really kicked it into high gear ALL day. A quick run to the Publix there for a few forgotten items and then that evening we met up with Bob and Margo from Rambler to watch the Super Bowl. We went to The Avenue, a local sports bar that had an entire wall covered in large tv’s linked to form one giant tv. They also had very delicious burgers 🍔!

It was only a short distance from here to Bradenton and though the wind had died down by the evening, we took our time leaving Monday morning to hopefully give the Bay extra time to lie down and be calm. We got to Snead Island Boat Works and they had us pull up next to the haul out ramp. We tied up and took Skia for a walk. When we got back the technician was at the boat already checking things out. He pulled a bunch of stuff out, found some poorly designed elements that left wiring exposed to water and therefore corrosion. He replaced a few things and sealed them up better. The whole process took maybe an hour. We were quite relieved it did not end up being a more involved and we didn’t need to be hauled out of the water again. They let us spend the night right there instead of moving spots and we were still able to hook up to shore power.

While there we watched a very large boat arrive and get lifted out of the water.

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💘

With the thruster once again in working order, today we came to Sarasota. Very nice coastal town. After getting set up in our slip we took the scooters to the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. It is a research based facility with a lot of neat exhibits.

Came back to the marina to drop off the scooters and then walked with Jack and Vickie to Patellini’s Pizza for an early dinner. I had a craving for white pizza that did not disappoint….which is good because I have at least two more meals of it 😄.

We came back to the boat to put away our leftover pizza and pick up the fluff for a walk to the park. It is a pretty park with a cool dolphin fountain on the point of the peninsula. There were also very unique palm trees.

On the way back along the road side of the marina was a giant statue of the famous WWII Time Square Square kiss photo.

It doesn’t just look taller than the trees, it was just that huge!

Tomorrow brings more adventures!