From NY (with car) to St Petersburg

Back from New York!  Tethered under the roof of a covered slip at St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.  It is indeed a fine place to be. 

We are not at the same dock we visited in 2009 when we stopped at this marina on our last leg of the Great Loop.  This time, we are in an area mostly occupied by permanent live-aboards.  Some of the people have lived here for as long as 20 years!  We’re separated by one boat from our friends and traveling companions Joe and Punk on CAROLYN ANN, and across the dock from Hugh and Sharissa, who live here year round on their Great Harbour BLUE SKIES.  Jim and Kathy, aboard LONE WOLF, another Great Harbour  N 37 are on the next dock to the south of us.  Instant community.

I must say that Fred and I have had more enjoyable visits to our vacation condo in NY.  The good news?  His problematic root-canaled tooth is ok.  Not infected, not a danger, and not yet done. The temporary cap, evaluated and tightened in NY, popped off again as soon as we returned to FL.   He will bring it along in his pocket when we go to NY in April to do taxes, and a more permanent, we hope, fix will be done.  No pain, no problems, just an inconvenience.  It could be way, way worse.

The not so good news?  The day after we arrived in NY we ate out and seemed to suffer some very adverse effects.  We don’t know for sure that it was the food, but we’d ordered the same dish.  Very suspicious.  I went back to report it, and was assured that no one else had complained…. For four long, uncomfortable days we both felt totally wasted.  So it was a less than stellar week, but most of the time we are so bloomin' healthy that we can’t even begin to complain.

By the weekend, we were fit, and then the blizzard hit.  That was one of those that dropped about a foot of snow in NY—and totally shut down Connecticut.  Wow.   Grandson Paul's Arlington High School concert was postponed from Friday until Saturday.  He and his baritone sax performed beautifully in 4 different places during an hour and a half of music called Prism.  Without breaks groups were spotlighted all around the auditorium, one after another.  It was excellent.

I got caught up in activities at the UU until late Sunday afternoon, and Fred enjoyed a 'happy birthday to Alan' dinner in LaGrangeville.  Sadly, we have not yet mastered either the art of being in two places at once, or of transmogrification, to get somewhere immediately.  Calvin and Hobbes had that one down.

We'd actually like to transmogrify back and forth from the boat, but find ourselves using mundane auto travel instead.  Heading for St. Pete on Monday, Fred and I got our usual 'early' start--- we left Newburgh at 3:30 in the afternoon.   Drove through snow and fog, and spent the night in southern New Jersey, then puddled through a rainy day which was brightened by a quick stop just off the Washington beltway for coffee with Jen.  We spent the night in North Carolina, and on Wednesday afternoon we arrived back at the boat. 

YOUNG AMERICA and Chucky (the new dinghy) were waiting patiently for us. 

The weather has been very Florida since our return.  Mostly sunny, 70’s and 80’s, a breeze now and then and some beautiful cloudy skies.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

On Tuesday last, about 40 members of the Great Harbour Trawler Association gathered in St. Petersburg for a lunch meeting.  New officers were elected, reports given, and door prizes  awarded.  Many friends returned to the marina to hang out, visit and nosh through the evening.  Yet another good time!

Since then, we’ve turned our attention to the Apex dinghy that used to live atop YOUNG AMERICA.   Chucky is now resting on the chocks, while the Apex Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) is preparing to find a new home.  Soon, we hope!

The UU at St. Pete turns out to be a very social place. They sponsor a group for Snow Birds as a way for folks who are here for the winter to connect. We don’t think of ourselves as Snow Birds, but the fact is that we go where it is warm in winter, and warm in summer, so I guess that we fit the definition---except that we bring our home with us!   At the UU there are also classes in Qi Gong and Spanish, a women’s walking group and a writing group.  Additionally, they sell discounted shopping cards so I can support the church when buying groceries at Publix.   The church is less than a mile from the Marina.   We like it, we like it. 

A baby egret has adopted our swim platform. He makes us laugh when he dips into the water to grab a morsel.  He frequently loses his balance and has to grab the swim ladder to keep from going head first into the drink. 

Tomorrow we are driving to George Steinbrenner field in Tampa to see the Yankees play Baltimore.  EXCITEMENT!  We’ve not yet gone to the new Yankee Stadium, and are looking forward to seeing them play here.  Also have tix for the Red Sox game next month. 

Speaking of next month, next WEEK we will begin year SIX of our great adventure on YOUNG AMERICA.  March 6, 2008 we moved aboard.  Our two year commitment to continue cruising will come up for a vote on for the third time one year from next Wednesday.  Who'd a thunk it? 

And that, folks, pretty much wraps up the news of the day.  We expect to remain in St. Pete through March and probably April, with the tax trip to NY before 4/15.  And then?  Haven't decided yet...Padre Island?  Buffalo??

It's that old 'which way do we turn' question.  So we'll be pondering, and until we meet again in the next month or so, be well and remember to breathe!