Boat Cruise to Venice Boat Parade..*follow on tracks

First day out we anchored in a small bay at Cape Haze, Fl.  Great weather and beautiful surroundings.

Docked on the inside at Crow's Nest Marina to watch the Lighted Boat Parade.

Taking a walk along the beach the day before the parade. Venice Inlet jetty in background.

Christine and a little bird looking for shark's teeth along Venice Beach.

Some of the many boats anchored across the channel waiting for the parade to start.

Just one of the 38 boats decorated for the Christmas Boat Parade.

These folks must be optometrists or just think everybody should take the eye exam.

Pictures are terrible but the boats were beautiful. Most all were heavily decorated with thousands of lights and animations. Some had singing Santa's and live music.

Some very creative boat owners. This was a small center console fishing boat.

Annual "Toys for Kids" River Party

Beautiful sunset over the Caloosahatchie as we get ready for the Annual "Toys for Kids" Party. Everyone brings a toy and several bring homemade desserts. The toys are given to the Hendry Country Sheriff's department for distribution to needy children for Christmas. This 16th Annual party ended with a spectacular fireworks show over the river.

Must be time to get in line for the desserts. Beer on tap, chilled wines, coffee, soda, and water were furnished by the hosts Mike and Patty. Monica and Dale have been hosting this event for years but due to health issues had to cut back so they teamed up with our friends "The Harders".

Dessert table was packed with homemade treats. Another table behind the ladies. Beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the parlor and about 100 people attended the event.

70 foot Hatteras River Cruise

                      Fred's Hatteras MotorYacht at RiverBend Dockside

            Don getting a walk through before departing RiverBend..note the BiG screen TV

                     View of the Aft Deck..in Kentucky we call it a back porch

            I was very honored when Fred said....Hey Jerry, take the helm for a while

      Matt, our deck hand and Fred as we lock through Franklin Locks on the way to Ft. Myers

And I continue motoring down the river, grinning like a "possum eatin' persimmons"

Ft. Myers Marina Party

             Just gazing out over the Caloosahatchie River at the marina party

                                           Must be time to eat

                         Chef "Leif" our dock master cooking up the burgers and dogs

                      Christine cleaning up the leftovers in the galley


BIKE NIGHT IN FORT MYERS

Bike Night In downtown Ft. Myers ....The place looked like a little Daytona by nightfall.  So many bikes you could hardly walk the streets.
    

Soup-In Party at the Chafton's

Soup and Salad party for some of our neighbors. Great weather, really good soups by Christine and friends a plenty.

Christine and Dave discussing world problems before dinner

And the party continues up into the night.......

Southbound Oct. 2012...click on this trip in *Tracks

First stop..Jacksonville, Florida at a neat little campground called Flamingo. Sites are a little tight but very clean and border a pristine 17 acre spring fed lake.

Christine on the beach at Flamingo Campground. The lake is the only certified lake in North Florida for swimming. Nice waterside restaurant in background.

Next stop...Fort Wilderness Campground at Disney World. These new big rig sites are really nice, this is truly the finest campground in America.

Getting ready for an evening at Epcot Center, just the two of us.

Returning to Fort Wilderness by ferry boat after a great day at Epcot.

Next day we're on Safari at Animal Kingdom. Those are Hippos in the water.

Just some of the many Critters seen on the Safari. Too many pics to show all...really cool Safari.

Took in a show "Beauty and the Beast" at Hollywood Studios.

And ran a couple of service calls while I was there...

A day at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, Hurricane Sandy had just moved out the day before....

Ever seen a 3.4 Million Dollar Engine? It weights 27,800 lbs, has 20 cylinders, rated at 5766 Horsepower and tops out at 5 million dollars by the time it's installed.

Cave Country H.O.G. chapter ride to Fat Daddy's.. Aug.2012......click on this tour @ *Journey Tracks

 About half of the bikes on this ride to Kentucky Lake...Great weather and good backroad ride......

Great place to party on the lake. Live music and cold beer, but there are better places to eat.....

April/May 2012 Cruise to St. Petersburg, Fl

             First day out we anchor in a private cove off Punta Blanca Island, beautiful day...

                     Another awesome Florida sunset at our private little anchorage

          Day 2 we run in the Gulf up to Venice and this shot is entering Venice Inlet from the Gulf

             Cruising up the ICW near Venice, some of the prettiest waters on the West Coast

       After anchoring overnight in Sarasota, day 3 finds us entering Tampa Bay from the ICW

             My navigator says she can take us under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge into the Bay...

   
                          The Sunshine Skyway is a spectacular sight whether by boat or car

   Good job Admiral, she put us right on course...I wonder if she would have done it with a cruise ship
    or tanker in the shipping channel?

                Pulling into St. Pete on day 3, looks interesting, wonder what we will find here?

   Well, we didn't expect to see a float plane in our mooring field. He taxied around us and took off
     out the Vinoy Basin entrance. That's what you call speeding in a no wake zone.

               Here he goes again the next day. Greg, you need one of these. It's a cool two seater..

                 A beautiful evening in Vinoy Basin, downtown St. Pete has a lot to offer

    We picked a great weekend to visit St. Pete. Here we are at a Farmers Market Street Fair.
    Great music by a local band, girl is demonstrating hula-hoop tricks. Food everywhere. Lots
     of fun and walking distance from the boat.

       Forgot to mention, this was the weekend of the St. Anthony's Triathlon. Shot is from the site
       of the bicycle course (after the street was re-opened) with "Happy Ours" in the Basin. Three            
      thousand participated in the event.

     As we return in the dingy the little float plane is at it again. He was taking off right next to our boat.
      Great weekend, lots to do here. Many museums, parks, food, shops, etc. Ranks #1 on our list
        of places we visit by boat.

      Took the Trolley over to Pass-A-Grille Beach just south of St. Pete Beach.....great surf, clear water,
       and  live music at this beach side bar.  It was actually hot this day but Christine never leaves home
         without her long sleeves. The Trolley ride was freezing....

St. Pete has several museums within walking distance of the Marina....This was in the History Museum,
along with exhibits from the creation of St. Petersburg. The current theme at this time was how St. Pete
contributed to World War II. This replica is of the first scheduled air flight in the USA. It was from St. Pete to Tampa in 1914.

             Later in the day Christine caught me hanging out with the locals in downtown St. Pete.

.                       Back to the Marina for a drink on "Happy Ours" and watch the sunset, just another
                        day in Paradise......

         Now we head off to the Annual Children's Hospital Charity Event called " The Taste of Pinellas"
Tonight it's "Joe Nichols" and "Big and Rich" in concert. Christine is cruising thru all the food vendors.
Tomorrow night is more food and Sheryl Crow in concert..This town has it going on.....

    Today we moved back to the Mooring Field for a better view of the Spectacular Fireworks Show
      every night of the Taste of Pinellas. This is a sunrise over Tampa Bay....

          Christine having her morning coffee and watch the sunrise....She loves her boat.....

  A shot from the boat........ watching the moon rise over the Vinoy Marina
Sorry, no pictures of the Spectacular Fireworks. I forgot my camera and all pictures from this trip
were taken with a cell phone or an I-Pad....Terrible night shots, oh well.....

    "Happy Ours" as she sits in front of the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel, if you're ever in St. Pete you
         have to take a tour of this Hotel....and read the History....

   Christine snapped this sunrise over Tampa Bay as we were pulling out of the Harbor to head back
         to Ft. Myers. A fabulous trip, great weather, and a very memorable Birthday for my wife.......