December Doings

Mara Beel has been sitting in salt water for a month now, for the first time in her life. Time to have her bottom cleaned. Salt water promotes the growth of various forms of marine life on the hulls of boats. This stuff needs to cleaned off regularly so it won't slow down the boat or damage the bottom paint. Some intrepid boaters have the gear to do this themselves. We don't have the expertise or the equipment, so we had divers tackle the job yesterday.

The divers said our hull and zincs are in great condition, and thought our props were brand new- that's a minor miracle considering all those logs in the Mississippi!

We took a long walk through Hammock Park and found more trails to explore.

We were part of the gang of 17 that gathered for BBQ at Ozona Pig Wednesday night, a "see you on the water" to several boats that left the next morning.

Photo by Patsy Conrad

Last night we hosted dinner on our boat- Jim and Mimi and Patsy and Tom joined us for Mimi's jumbo gulf shrimp, Patsy's fresh green salad and my pasta.

Sunrise was spectacular today.

Looper Lifestyle

Day 96-99

Miles today: 0 Total miles: 2,481

Hours today:   0

Locks today: 0.    Total locks: 34

There's no big, exciting news to report for the last few days- just the typical Looper Lifestyle.

Sunday evening we co-hosted a cookout for several Loopers who crossed the Gulf over the weekend, including True North, Roundabout, and Dream Fever. It was so wonderful when other Loopers did that for us the previous week that we wanted to pass it on. After all, who wants to cook after spending 27 hours bouncing around in the Gulf of Mexico??

Another fantastic sunset in paradise

Monday was a gray, misty day, so we drove up to Tarpon Springs with Dan and Angie. We chatted with Lollygagger and Raydiance, who landed there after the crossing. I made Ranchero Chicken tacos in my crockpot, so Angie and Dan joined us for dinner. Our challenge at the moment is to use up our perishable food before heading home for the holidays!

Tuesday was a special day- my childhood friends Nancy and Janet, and Nancy's husband Tom picked us up and we shared lunch at Ozona Blue and memories of the good old days in Fort Madison. I had not seen these girls since I was 8, and caught up with them back in February, which is a whole 'nother story.  Nancy babysat my brother and me way back when until her family moved to Florida!

Nancy, Janet and Becky onboard

Last night we ate at Frenchy's Outpost, just across the street, with Sea Horse and Raydiance. It is not surprising that many Loopers feel the need to join AA and Weight Watchers at the end of their journeys!

This morning we begged a ride to the Pinellas County Tax Office and purchased a Florida registration for Mara Beel. This registration might or might not be required- no one seems to have a definitive grasp of the law. We are a Coast Guard documented boat with a Wisconsin registration, but Florida wants some $$ for any boat staying in the state more than 90 days. We have heard that the fine for not have this non-required sticker is not appealable, and is more expensive than the registration sticker. So, better safe than sorry.

Our shiny new sticker

This afternoon the men made yet another of their almost daily trips to West Marine. (West Marine is to Mark what the Container Store is to me.) Meanwhile  I went for a long walk on the excellent bike/walking path that runs from Tarpon Springs to Clearwater and discovered a great little park, a historic chapel, and a butterfly garden. Tomorrow I will go back to those places with my "real" camera.

Hammock Park

Andrews Memorial Chapel

'Tis the Season...

Day 95

Miles today: 0 Total miles: 2,481

Hours today:   0

Locks today: 0.    Total locks: 34

...for Christmas boat parades.  This one took place in Dunedin, Florida, this evening. 27 boats lined up with a lot of music and celebration to travel from between 2 marinas. It does seem rather strange to us to hear Christmas music and see all of the holiday decorations when the weather feels like summer.

Boaters go all out with decorations here!

The Coast Guard led the parade from Marker 1 Marina to the Dunedin Municipal Marina.

Earlier this afternoon the marina hosted a cookout for parade participants and non-participant marina folks. We enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, beans, etc.