December 10 - 11, 2014 visiting Mike and Sharon and Yvonne flying home

this is our next rental, to do last minute errands and getting me to the airport, Modaki all secure for a few days until Joe and his son return

we took a bit of a road trip to see our friends Sharon and Mike, they live on the canal system , that is from Stuart (east) to Fort Meyer (west coast) … one of Mikes homes

getting ready to head out to visit another marina, for info of hauling out and storage for the summer, a great pontoon ride in the canal

it was hard to believe that this canal is 15 - 20 ft deep and the ICW is 6 ft plus

a nice sunny, calm day

it turned out to be quite a windy day after all, I think someone needs a hair cut …

we got to explore many of the canals in the immediate area

oak knees (the roots)

flora

lots of turtles, and one alligator, (not in picture)

fire cracker bush

this is what we will get to shade and protect Modaki's deck during the summer months

if all works out this will be the summer residence for Modaki, she will be hauled out first to have the bottom cleaned, and anti fouled and any bottom work taken care of … the canal is all fresh water NOT salt ….

back at Mike's place, picking ripe oranges right off the tree

another view of Modaki's new summer home, April or May 2015 to November 

Bird of Paradise

ripe and sweet star fruit, so good

lucky for us Mike knows the owners of this orange tree, so it was not really stealing …

Joe, Sharon and Mike, love these homes, they are all on stilts and you park your car under, to save the paint job from fading 

once we left Turkey Creek, we headed for a 3 hour drive to Orlando and our hotel room … I'm flying at 7am … back to Canada  … fast forward, up at 4am, shuttle bus, thru customs 6am, and the flight is delayed until 7:45 .. finally on the plane and they tell us that there is a snow storm in Toronto, and we might have to circle for a bit, because only a few landing strips are open … oh my

the flight was only about 2 3/4 hours long, and they no longer serve food … I had a coffee and water … thank goodness I packed some snack bars

leaving sunny Florida, and …

landing during a snow storm

once landed we only had to wait for a short time on the plane, but it took about one hour to have them release our checked luggage … some of the passengers had connecting flights to other parts of Canada, and they all missed the flights … the ones I talked to where to catch another flight about 4 hours later … I made arrangements to get back to Owen Sound by our Airbus service , $75 one way .. Lily, my daughter picked me up at about 4:30 .. oh my a long day

December 7 - 9, 2014

besides the manatees, we have this huge heron visiting us every day, and he sure squawks when some one disturbs his stillness … also we are about 400 feet from a train track … and it runs mostly at night .. the midnight, 3am and 5 am ones are the worst … BUT after 2 weeks I'm getting use to it … now both of us sleep thru most trains

our next door sailboat neighbours, Bruce and Carol, have this wonderful cat aboard .. he for sure is a boat cat … the boat is at dock and Kitty could leave, BUT no he sits all day long watching the heron, manatees and Joe and I …

  

we finally got our solar panels and Joe and I have spent about 4 days installing them and hooking them up …. it took a few trips back to the surplus marine store for bolts, nuts etc, by walking or hitching a ride with a fellow sailor  … what a relief to finally getting everything up and running

Jerry from Cloud Chaser invited us over … for some music by Barefoot Dave, Matt and Moe … and his friend on the right .. sorry forgot his name

I sure do love those banjo tunes … we hope to see and hear them soon in the Bahamas

Jerry's friend, Jerry and Joe

Joe and I rented another car, to do more touring and to get me to the airport and to pick up his son Scott, flying in from Edmonton, Alberta

 we visited a centre all about the endangered Manatees …

their closest relative is the elephant … yes that is right

off to mail Christmas cards and have some fried plantain chips

Ft. Pierce all decked out for Christmas

we decked out Modaki with lights for Scott's visit … with a citron candle for mosquitos … lol

palm trees all decked out with lights that came on and off with Christmas music … it sure was a fantastic show … nothing like our Northern Lights back home in Owen Sound … BUT it was warm ….

December 4 - 6, 2014 Ft. Pierce, Florida

Modaki got moved to a smaller dock, which came with great neighbours, here is Kitty walking his owner … note Joe standing on the grass that is full of Fire Ants

we installed our Single Side Band Radio and Cam from Ta 'Amor came over to check out the channels for Chris Parker … looks like Clark James left it on the channel we wanted … lol

we saw this car cruising the marina, all decked out with everything imaginable

the alligator seat covers too … we understand that this is an automobile in the remaking, all the interior is to be replaced and everything will be white in colour

our friends Janis and Cam, and friend Mike getting prepared for the Bahamas and Cuba

Ta 'Amor, leaving the dock 

this is what 7am in Florida looks like

…. see you in the Bahamas, our Nova Scotia friends

December 1-3, 2014 …. saying see you in the Bahamas to Snowbird and Ta Moir

our good friends on Snowbird, got hauled out at Riverside Marina to clean the bottom, check anodes and other maintenance … 

they got blocked for a few days making sure everything was good to head across the Gulf Stream, we got a chance to take the rented car to check out another marina, further inland … we are always looking for the best and safest place to leave our homes/boats for the summer 

… the next morning Snowbird was being launched and we said your good byes .. it was hard, we met at Annapolis, and have been travelling together for 6 weeks … it is so nice to bouncy off ideas and info with another boater .. see you guys in the Abacos, Bahamas

Joe still doing maintenance to the motor, changing the oil was one of them

we are having an issue with the smell of the head, we found a leak with the macerator hose, fixed that … and next step was to see if the air hose was blocked .. the vent on the bow of the boat was so corroded with salt, and the small vents blocked, know wonder we had an issue … vinegar comes to the rescue … my favourite cleaning product …

our friend Janice Albright, and Mike stocking up for the Bahamas and Cuba … Janice gets the grocery store to hard freeze her meat, and she picks it up the next day, this way of freezing lasts longer… food and supplies are expensive on the islands, you need all paper products, including toilet paper, canned meats, fruit and veggies … Ta Moir is now in the Bahamas enjoying the sun and warmth