Longboat Key Continues.... Jan 13-24, then on the move again!

Longboat Key Moorings is a very nice location.  Great restaurant on site, great pool and hot tub, Publix a short walk, public access to the beach across the street, free shuttle to resort pool/restaurant/beach (or to Saint Armand's Circle for all the activity there), on site repair staff (and sub contactors of any type you may need) and best of all a great staff to deal with.  We are planning to come back here for a couple months next year!  It is a great spot to have visitors too as we documented in our last post....hint, hint for planning next year family and friends.....

Note how close we are to the pool, ship store and restaurant!

On one of our morning walks along the bay.

 

 

 Our beach access across the street.

 

We did routine maintenance....both the boat and Julie and I with dental work.. and generally made ourselves at home during this time.  Julie's wisdom tooth extraction went well....except for the popcorn withdrawals for the past week! It was nice not travelling or entertaining guests for a spell as we prepared the boat and supplies for cruising to the Bahamas...we are now ready to start moving toward the Bahamas this week.
Thursday Jordan called us.  He said he had something to share.  Can anyone guess it?  Yes, he and Eliza are engaged to be married!!  We are so happy about this!!...and we await more details as the date is set.
On Thursday night we had reservations at the Portofino Italian restaurant about 50 yards from our boat.  As Julie exited our boat John Travolta was exiting the boat right next to us! His party had dinner in the corner at the restaurant and kept a very low profile.  Talking to folks on the dock, it appears he comes here occasionally.  Anyway, it was an interesting event.  I guess you never know who you will run into!  Here is his boat slipped right next to ours.

Leaving the next morning...

Friday and Saturday brought organizing, varnishing and waxing as we ready for the Bahamas.
Debbie and Kevin came over one Sunday for a nice day.  We took a 17 mile dinghy excursion out the Longboat Key Pass and out into the Gulf, coming back in At Big Sarasota Pass around Lido Key.  It was almost dead calm out on the Gulf. We also took a ride through Bird Key on the ride....nice places!  A great ride.

We have seen quite a few Loopers passing through the marina, some only for a few days, some planning to stay a month.  It was fun exchanging Loop experiences with all of them.  It was great to hear from many of them that Michigan was a highlight for all of them.  Numerous couples remarked about the beauty of the  sand dunes, beaches, water clarity, cute towns, etc.  It was fun talking to all of them about their experiences, good and bad.
On Sunday the 23rd we were expecting some strong thunderstorms.  And at around 7:30 PM both our phone alarms went off stating "Tornado Warning, seek shelter immediately".  So we did!  We went to the rest room facility as did a number of others.  Long story short, all was well but a water spout was sighted coming ashore near St Armand's Circle, just 3 miles or so south of us.  This was another instance where our proximity to the pool and other facilities was greatly appreciated!  It would have been tough to seek any fixed shelter from the other end of this large marina.
On Tuesday Jan 24 we got underway for the first time in 46 days! 

Unfortunately we had a delay as the port engine overheated a couple miles out from the marina.  Long story short, the technician had improperly installed the impeller (we had him do that routine maintenance while we were at Longboat).  We went to the fuel dock on one engine (nice to have two!!) and the technician reinstalled the impeller and we were on our way......  We are posting this from our anchorage at Sanibel Island...tomorrow we start across the Okeechobee waterway and then....
Bahamas, here we come!!!!

Back in Longboat Key...On Vacation it Seems! Dec 31- January 12

Wow, 2017 is here.  It is sort of hard to fathom we have been living aboard/cruising for almost a year and a half now.  Time flies.  And we are not ready to settle anywhere land based in the foreseeable future. We love this lifestyle and are so thankful we are able to continue.
And on our last post, I forgot to thank Lou for a great lunch and laughs in Jensen Beach.  He was in Stuart and was able to meet me for a quick lunch.  This will be a retirement destination for them and we will be passing their condo as we move south to stage for our Bahamas crossing.  But unfortunately, they will be back in snowy Michigan....
On Monday Jan 2 we welcomed our friends Paula and Rich aboard for a few days.  And friends Lisa and Dave stopped by for a few hours with us all as well.  We all had breakfast aboard and had a great visit.  Lisa and Dave needed to get on the road so we joined them at the Longboat Key Resort for lunch.  Hope to see you again soon Dave and Lisa!  Sorry, no pictures, I guess we were all too busy visiting and catching up on things!
The weather was really nice for the beach so we took a long walk along the shoreline just visiting and enjoying the nice weather with Paula and Rich in the afternoon.
One of the days proved to be foggy.

So we visited the Ringling Museum as it was clear in Sarasota away from the Gulf.  Quite a place, especially the art work.  And the mansion Ca' Dzan is really something too.

Rubens (Peter Paul Rubens) paintings in this exhibit are awesome.  It is really a fantastic collection of art.  Ruben completed these paintings in the 1600's.

Thursday I had a dental appointment so Paula and Rich took the dinghy out exploring before departing late afternoon for the cold and snowy northland. 

We really enjoyed everyone's visit, thanks for being here!
On my birthday (yes my 61st) we took the dinghy to The Old Salty Dog Restaurant for lunch.  It was a beautiful day on the water. 
Downtown Sarasota.

 Lot's of birthday wishes were received.  Thanks to all!!!

 Nice day on the water.

A derelict looking boat in the mooring field.  Note the birds....you cannot see it in the picture but just imagine droppings an inch thick....

My dental appointment concluded that I need a root canal...so that was scheduled for Thurs Jan 12.  Thankfully no other immediate issues.
The cold front came through on Saturday and it was only 39* on Sunday morning! Time to go further south! At least it does not look like this!

 

Julie's brother Kevin and sister in law Debbie had us over for dinner on Sunday.  It was so nice to see family again.  It was great to see all the improvements they are making to Mom's former home. Thanks for having us Deb and Kevin!
Monday brought a routine dental appointment for cleaning for Julie.  Long story short, she is now scheduled for oral surgery, a wisdom tooth extraction, on Wed Jan 18.  We are hoping all goes well and we are only delayed a week from our original plan for a crossing with friends (3 other boats) to the Bahamas.
Monday afternoon our friends Carol and Bill from Spring Lake arrived to spend a couple nights as they were also nearby in Florida.  A chilly evening by the marina pool.

We went to the Burger Bonanza at one of the resorts restaurants in the evening.  They had a great burger, toppings, and salads.  Oh, and ice cream and coffee for after dinner! 
Tuesday we visited Bradenton Beach and had a great lunch at the Starfish Co. 

Bradenton Beach was a great spot to visit for the afternoon.
Later in the afternoon we walked the beach at Longboat Key Club.

We waited on four lounge chairs for 55 minutes for the sunset at the Longboat Key Beach later in the day.  Then just as it was setting this gentleman decided that right in front of us was the best sunset view!  The picture above was just a few minutes earlier...

Tuesday night Bill got his wish and Julie was his euchre partner....and yes they won so I must have been the one "holding Bill back" last year!!  
Wednesday Bill and Carol departed and Julie and I started our dental repairs.  We had x-rays traded with our MI dentist so we should be able to continue our care plan with work in MI in summer when we visit and FL in winter. 

Just before we left for our dentist appointments on Thursday.  From the bow of Sum Escape at Longboat Key Moorings.

More soon....thanks for following our blog.

December statistics:
Miles travelled:  Month: 283 / Trip to Date: 6619
Travel days:   6 / 132
Engine hours: 32 / 753
Locks:   5/ 43
Bridges opened:   7 /50
Days on hook or free wall:   0 /50
Gallons of diesel:  189  / 5147