More sites from the Sunshine State

Hi to all of our followers.  We have been enjoying all the sites and scenery if Florida.  We both thought that Michigan had a lot of lakes and water, but after you have really traveled in Florida in a boat can you appreciate the many waterways, canals, inland waterways, and the beautiful ocean.

This is one of the islands that formed when the tide changed.  We were at anchor just a few boats lengths away.  We were aware that this was shallow but it is always interesting to look out where there was open water when sunset the night before.












We were at anchor on the Manatee River at anchor and we heard this loud noise overhead.  There was this huge flock of birds and the air was black and thick with birds.  Here is a picture of the sky.  Erwin waved his hat and they did not land on our boat but the second picture is the dock on shore near our boat.  Of course, you know if it is up to me I see the unusual and share it.

This is one of the beautiful sunrises we enjoyed while at anchor.

This is one of the swing bridges that connects the main land to one of the barrier islands.  It is only 9 feet tall so we always have to call the bridge tender to open the bridge.  It is a pretty slick operation.

Oh by the way, did I mention that we have purchased a Florida fishing license?  So Erwin has been learning all about fishing in salt water and catching fish.  It takes quite a bit of practice and patience.  I must say though, he sure can make those crab traps work well.  Here is a picture of one of the blue crabs that he caught.

And then-------- we had a feast.  This is our seafood dinner that we took a picture of as we were starting to prepare it in the gally.

We sure did love that seafood.  It was delicious!

Here are some pictures of the great dolphins that swim with us.  They love the wake of the boat and try to swim along with us part of the time.  It is tricky to get the pictures of them.

Pretty cool, huh?













So on that note, I am sad to say that we will not be posting again for a while.  We will begin again in mid January when we return to Florida.  We are very happy to say that we are going home to Michigan to spend the holidays with our great family, extended family, and friends.  Thanks for following us and see you in January.

The Sunshine State

Sorry to all of our followers.  We have been enjoying fishing, the sun, and sightseeing in Florida so we have not spent much time at the computer or even sorting our pictures.

We had a very successful crossing of the Gulf of Mexico from Carabelle, Florida to the Clearwater area.  It took two very long days and the first day we left at 4:00 a.m.  It was scary in the dark looking for the lighted markers, but it was necessary for us to get to a safe place the first day prior to sundown. 

Here is the sunrise on the morning of the first day out on the Gulf.

So here are some of the pictures as we got into the more populated areas of Florida.  They are from the area around the town of Gulfport.  We spent several days in the area resting and relaxing after the Gulf crossing.



We then decided to go across Tampa Bay and go into the St. Petersburg area.  We anchored right in the North Yacht Basin in the heart of St. Petersburg.

Here is one of the LARGE yachts leaving as we entered the anchorage.  This boat was not at anchor but leaving the marina in the background.



















Nice place to sit and no charge when you anchor (except for a $5 fee to tie up the dinghy)

Here is a view from the pier at St. Petersburg.  We walked the pier and visited the aquarium which is at the end of the pier, it was small but a nice change of pace.  The view from the pier was outstanding!

This is the view looking back at St. Pete from the end of the pier.  There is a observation deck at the top which is where we took this shot.

Of course you know Marilyn has to have some pictures of the birds.  This pelican could have cared less that we were so close.  I think he was waiting to see if a fisherman would loose his catch.

Another beautiful bird!

This bird (even though very pretty) was an unwelcome guest in our dinghy.  Lucky for us he did not leave any traces of his being here.



This is the famous Sunshine Skyway that we passed on our way to the Manatee River.


Here is an Osprey perched on one of the green channel markers.

As I said, we were fishing, but this is a stingray that found its' way to our fishing line, not very tasty.

 







Palm Trees, pelicans, white sand beaches - now this is the cruise!

So we are saying goodbye to the river systems and hello to the intercostal waterways.  The next body of water after that will be the area known as the big bend.  That will require some weather windows to cross the Gulf of Mexico.

Here is one of the shrimp boats at Mobile Bay returning from his day of work.  He was at Dog River where we were staying.

We left Mobile Bay which by the way is a very large and very shallow body of water.  We followed all of the markers until we entered the Gulf Inland Water Way or the GIWW.  That is were we knew we were getting much closer to Florida.  Here is one of the first white sand beaches we saw.

Some of the trees looked like sticks, one of the locals explained that those were the trees damaged in the hurricanes.

We were enjoying the change in the waterway and the change in the scenery.  We were starting to see more houses, cottages, condos, and resort places along the way.  Then we entered into an area on the waterway called  the "Grand Canyon of Florida".  It was interesting seeing all of the rock formations this far south which was quite unexpected.

Looking back at the wake from our boat.

We traveled to a town called Fort Walton Beach.  The City maintains a free dock for boaters like us.  You have water and electric and can walk into town.  Very nice and handy.  One of the local folks even gave Erwin a lesson in casting a bait net.  This was exciting for us as he has a fishing license for Florida and we would be very happy to learn more about this salt water fishing.  Here is the sunrise at Fort Walton Beach.  It looks like those post cards that you used to get from your grandparents in far away places.

We traveled to the town of Apalachicola which is at the mouth of the Apalachicola River.  This is primarily a fishing town.  One of the main industries is the oyster and shrimping.  Here is a picture of an oyster man.  Check out the pile (yes the brown heap next to him) of oysters.  They have huge rakes that they rake the oysters or harvest them with.  This particular area had a least 30 plus oyster boats in one area.

I don't think I would want to be in very rough water with a full load of oysters.

Here are some of the oyster man working close to each other.

Here is a picture of a tow and barge going up the Apalachicola River at sunrise.

Then we traveled on to Carabelle which is a charming Old Florida area.  Not all the condos and high rises that you see in a lot of areas.  This town is known for the shrimping and of course fishing.

This is one of the many birds nests that you see along the waterway.  This is one of the day markers in the water.  This could be for an osprey or other large birds.  These are not twigs, but branches of trees.

When you live in the north and you start to see these beautiful palm trees you actually feel warmer just looking at them.














And now for the wildlife portion of the trip.  I was walking along the marina and saw this group of birds sitting on this cement pier.  What do you think?

It looks to me like the little guy is tricking the pelicans into thinking there might be something down in the water to eat.  He knows he is much quicker and faster, but those pelicans are pretty big to tangle with.

This large, long legged, long beak, is an Ibis.  He is a very good fisherman.

Hey, do you see anything up there?  Huh, huh, I think there might be something over there, look, look.  I would sit up there, but it is tough with these long legs.  I don't have those webbed feet like you.

Hey, I remember you, do you remember me? 

Don't even think about it, this is my piling and don't you forget it!