Fun February

On Monday, February 8th, we received an e-mail from Doug & Tammy, “Gypsies in the Palace,” who were in Tampa for a few days. We hadn’t seen them since May of last year in the Exumas and were excited to hear that they were in the area. Since they had a rental car, they offered to come to St. Pete and we made plans to get together for dinner at Crabby Bill’s that evening.

Great to see you again, Doug & Tammy!

Todd & I worked on the boat Monday and Tuesday pulling caulk from between strips of teak on the bow and painstakingly scraping and sanding all remaining traces of caulk from the troughs. The weather turned cold and windy again Wednesday so we turned to inside boat projects.

A very tedious, time-consuming job!

We were invited to Art & Trish’s home in Treasure Island for dinner on Wednesday. We originally met Art & Trish last year through Bob & Phillis (Crystal River), and Art joined Bob to cross the Gulf with Todd in December. Art played chauffeur while Trish prepared a wonderful meal. After dinner we looked at charts and talked Exumas where Art & Trish are headed this spring. Naturally, the Captain got all fired up to go again but I think we’re going to remain stateside.

Thanks, Art & Trish, for a fun evening and a great meal!

Since the weather was not conducive to working outside on Thursday, the Captain tackled installation of the port, starboard, and generator exhaust lifters. When he started the engines on Friday to see if he had any leaks, everything worked perfectly. Nice job, Captain!

The Captain examines one of his new exhaust lifters.

Thursday was Patty’s birthday and she stopped by Cathy’s after work for a cocktail. Don came by a little later and they both ended up staying for dinner. Todd had ridden Cathy’s bicycle to Publix a few hours earlier and stopped to pick up a piece of birthday cake for Patty from Portofino’s, an Italian restaurant in the same shopping center that just happens to have killer chocolate layer cake.

Happy Birthday, Patty!

We were supposed to meet up with “Tide Hiker, “September Song” and another boat named “Sea Pearl” in downtown St. Petersburg Saturday evening for dinner but the weather was so bad on Friday, “September Song” and “Sea Pearl” decided not to attempt the trip across Tampa Bay. (“Tide Hiker” was docked in Apollo Beach and was coming by car.)

Because it has been so consistently cold this winter, “September Song” decided to skip St. Petersburg altogether and leave Sarasota for points south as soon as possible. We were disappointed they weren’t able to make it to St. Pete since, as with “Gypsies in the Palace,” we last saw “Tide Hiker” and “September Song” in the Exumas last May.

Sunday (Valentine’s Day) and Monday were spent taping off the teak and re-caulking the bow. The temperatures were still well below normal for Florida but at least it was sunny.

A work in progress.

Jack is enjoying the sun for a change!

The temps Tuesday through Thursday were in the low 50’s with strong north winds – chilly! So we caught up on laundry, mail and paperwork and continued working on the bow, sanding off caulking, repairing cracks and replacing bungs. Todd also primed the piece of wood on the transom for the application of Ultra Tuff and I started touching up some areas on the cap rails. Thursday evening we went to the Columbia restaurant at the St. Petersburg Pier with Cathy and had a wonderful meal.

A very pleasant outing with a special friend.

On Friday Cathy treated me to a massage at Massage Envy while Todd got an eye exam – thanks, Cathy! That afternoon, Pete stopped by with his friend Doug who lives in the neighborhood to say hello. Pete and Geneva had driven in from Tennessee Thursday and Pete was still a bit tired, so we visited for a little while and then Pete went to take a nap.

Todd sanded the rest of the bow Saturday to remove the extra caulk while I taped off the stainless steel around the cap rails. Todd then lightly sanded the rails and I applied my first coat of gloss. The temperature was mild (low- to mid-60’s) but it was still mostly cloudy.

Another work in progress.

Pete stopped by about 3:30 to invite us to Doug & Rhonda’s that evening for pizza. Other neighborhood friends Lynn & Preston also joined the party, as did their daughter. Lynn & Preston were full-time live aboards for many years and actually raised their daughter from birth to adulthood on a boat – hard to imagine!

Left to right: Brenda, Preston, Lynn, Pete, Geneva, Doug and Rhonda.

Todd applied the first coat of Ultra Tuff to the wood on the transom Sunday morning. We then went to Gulfport with Pete & Geneva and had lunch at O’Maddy’s where Todd ordered the House Specialty, Roast Beef on Kummelweck (or RBK), and decided it was probably the best sandwich he’s ever had! It was a nice day, in the low 70’s, with a fair amount of sun and we enjoyed walking around Gulfport.

Thanks for bringing us a little sunshine, Pete & Geneva!

After a quick stop at Wal-Mart, it was back to the boat for another coat of gloss on the cap rails while the Captain applied a second layer of Ultra Tuff to the transom. Pete & Geneva then headed south to Sarasota to see some other friends for a few days before returning home to Dayton.

Monday, February 22nd, was spent getting ready for our trip to Las Vegas. The Captain applied a final layer of Ultra Tuff to the transom and did some more work on the bow while I did laundry and packed.

Cathy threatens to shoot Taz with the big squirt gun if she doesn’t stop barking!

Cathy dropped us off at the Tampa airport Tuesday on her way to work and we were in Vegas by 3:00 p.m. We spent the first few days on the strip and put on a number of miles casino-hopping and checking out the new sights since our last trip in 2005.

Ah, New York, New York. Gotta love the Statue of Liberty!

Excalibur always makes for a colorful photo.

On the left, Planet Hollywood (sadly) replaced the Aladdin. On the right is the Paris Eiffel Tower.

The Palazzo, one of the newer properties in Vegas.

I was extremely excited to find a new “I Dream of Jeannie” machine in The Palazzo and she was very good to me!

The Bellagio gardens are always amazing. The current theme celebrates the Chinese Year of the Tiger.

The Bellagio fountains are one of my favorite Las Vegas attractions. Spectacular!

Thursday we moved downtown where we met up with Steve & Lisa who arrived that afternoon. I should note that the purpose of this trip was to celebrate Lisa’s 40th birthday, even though she doesn’t officially turn 40 until the end of March. Steve & Lisa wanted to stay downtown so Todd & I went out a few days early to spend some time on the strip.

The Fremont Street Experience, one of downtown’s most famous attractions.

It just wouldn’t be Vegas without Elvis…

…and cabaret girls!

The “World’s Largest Golden Nugget” appropriately on display at The Golden Nugget – all 875 troy ounces of it!

A free street show by the Jay Bolin Band. They were quite good!

Are we having fun yet?

Lisa’s big win on Happy Days – over $1,200 on a penny machine!!!

When Foghat took the stage, the crowds became impenetrable!

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

We said our good-byes to Steve & Lisa Sunday morning and arrived back in St. Pete that evening, worn out from a fun-filled, eventful trip with good friends. Thanks for allowing us to join you, Steve & Lisa. We had a blast!

Today is Tuesday, March 2nd, and we have company arriving this evening from Springfield, Missouri. Nila & Everett Hayes will be visiting until Sunday, and this weekend we will all be celebrating Cathy’s 50th birthday on Longboat Key. Then Bob & Linda Eckels, also from Springfield, will be joining us in Fort Myers Beach the following weekend and staying through March 18th. So we will have more adventures coming your way soon!