Here we are at Council's...a local cheesburger place.
Her is a great walkway along the Manatee River...behind Deb is our marina
This is a shot of "F" dock...our home for a week
This is a shot of the marina Thanksgiving dinner...isn't this the way most folks spend their Thanksgiving, surrounded by palm trees.
The main table at the pot luck
Andy, Mary, Deb, and I at the pool
My second nap of the day...must have been the turkey
A shot from our boat...Christmas is alive and well in Bradenton
One more shot of Andy and Mary before they leave.
Log 73Day 191
Friday, November 28, 2008
6:45 AM EST
Location: Bradenton, FL...just south of Tampa, on the Manatee River
Weather: 49* with calm winds...forecasted to be 77; sunny; North winds 5-10 mph
Still a little cool overnight, but the days are sunny and warm. It’s forecasted to be 77 today, and 80 tomorrow. Sunday and Monday do not look so good, with rain and very windy. Right now it’s just starting to get light out, and the skies are bright and a beautiful blue.
As some of you have read these logs you learn that Deb and I have done several things that normal folks do. Walks; visiting museums; group get togethers; etc. Those who know me, know that this is not my normal “things to do” list, but it seemes like the right thing to do at the time. One of my best friends (and brother in law) Terry, seems to have an opinion on this matter. He was so direct in his opinion, I felt obliged to include his words in this log.
Terry writes...”It all started innocently enough, just a note in the blog to say that you had put off boat washing chores to go sightseeing in Memphis or Nashville. I remember thinking that was strange for you, but, whatever. Then, a side trip to the world’s biggest ball of twine. (which you seemed to enjoy) OK, so maybe he’s getting’ the hang of retirement. Then comes a note saying you were enjoying following Moe around (I always think of you as a leader, not a follower) And again, I didn’t say anything. Then comes a non-stop string of meals in restaurants when everyone knows you like eating at home, followed by riding your bike to the West Marine store. I held my tongue even through the posed picture of “Sponge Bob” at Tarpon Springs. But now, the final straw. A POTLUCK? Have you gone mad? This ain’t the Bob Koerner I know. This retirement/boating thing is changing you, man. I don’t feel like I know you anymore! A freakin’ POTLUCK? Really? OK, you go, you have fun. You and your white haired friends have your potluck on the dock. But when you’re done and you need to be reminded of who you are and who your friends are, you come see me. I’ll take you back to the day when you checked your voice mails and emails 13 times a day. Back when you got up at 5 am, not to analyze weather forecasts but productivity or cash-flow forecasts. Back in the day when getting a contract signed was more important than “what’s for dinner tonight, Debbie? Or would you rather go out to Pirate Pete’s Treasure Island Seafood and House Pet Smorgasbord?” Oh, yes, I miss my old friend Bob. Whatever happened to the guy who had it all together with a great job, a beautiful home and all the rewards that came with it? Now, floating around like Captain Ron in sunny Florida with not a care in the world. Well, it’s irresponsible, I say. Get it together, man! This is your wake up call. Come back to reality and stop this foolishness. Grown men just don’t behave like this. You’re acting like a child!
Congratulations!”
The last couple of days have been sunny and very nice. On Wednesday Andy and Mary arrived. Both Deb and I have really enjoyed our time with them, and were looking forward to seeing them again. After they got settled, and washed the salt off their boat, we went for a walk down town Bradenton, in search of a great cheeseburger we had been told about. We found the spot we were told about (you can see from the picture it looks like something out of the 50’s), and did indeed have a great homemade cheeseburger. The only little ripple was the cockroach Deb found next to her chair, but it turns out it was dead, so no harm, no foul. It was funny though, that before we left Deb decided she wanted to tell the waitress about the cockroach, and did not want to make a big deal about it, so she went around the counter. She put her arm around the waitress to quietly tell her, and the waitress thought she wanted to hug her, and to thank her for her service, so the waitress gave her a big hug. Then Deb told her what she really wanted. You had to be there...but it was funny. For dinner, Andy and Mary came to our boat, and brought something to throw on the grill. We had a nice evening catching up, and discussing future cruising plans.
Yesterday...was a very sunny and nice morning. Deb and Mary took a long walk along the water front, and I took a long dock walk. The buzz at the marina was about the Thanksgiving pot luck that was planned for 3 pm at the pool. Even though my brother in law thinks I have gone nuts, it was very nice. The folks from G dock deep fried 5 turkeys, and everyone brought a dish to pass. I filled up on turkey with homemade mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. It was awesome. Back at the boat I had my second nap of the day, before heading over to Good News for a evening cocktail. Not a normal Thanksgiving...but a great one none the less.
Today...Andy and Mary will be leaving this morning as they continue to head south. They are heading for Marathon, where they have a slip rented for part of the winter, and then on to Key West where they will spend Christmas with their two boys who will fly in. All of us are a little “bumbed” that we do not have any plans to hook up anywhere at this point. I’m sure our paths will cross, but we don’t know when, and we’ll look forward to spending time with them somewhere along the line. Deb and I have some boat chores to do, but today looks like the best all around weather day, so we plan to jump in the dinghy and head out on the water to find Woody’s...a water front bar and restaurant that the locals say is a lot of fun. I’m sure we’ll get to sample another cheeseburger and continue on our quest to find the best one. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
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