Caspersen Beach

It's been a sultry summer and when our Floridian friends Marilyn & John wanted to go to the beach, we jumped at the chance to experience one of their favorite spots - Caspersen Beach in south Venice.  They eagerly prepared for our maiden trip by purchasing a "wheelie" beach cart and a special beach tent to shade us from those August Florida rays.  The cart has balloon-type tires perfect for negotiating the sand loaded with tons of necessary "stuff" like coolers, chairs, kites, water frizbees, etc .  The tent was perfect with its 70-proof sunscreen fabric and screens to let the cooling breezes flow through! 

We frolicked in the water like kids and seached for ancient sharks' teeth to add to Marilyn's collection.  After a few hours, we packed up and headed over to Sharkey's for a great lunch.  Wow, retirement never looked so good and we agreed to do it again soon!

Click for more photos.

Caspersen Beach 
Sharky's
Venice Beaches

Peace River Cruise

Sunday, August 15 - Chuck & Trudy invited Joanne & I along with Sue and Rob to accompany them for a powerboat trip up the scenic Peace river to the Nav-A-Gator.  Jim Morris played; we had a great time. See the photos at Nav-A-Gator Cruise Photos.  Link to PG Islander's cruise report and photos coming someday.

Our Boat Name - Eagle's Wings

Windward Passage, Wind Dancer, Morning Light and Dream Catcher evoke feelings of romance, beauty and adventure. That's the kind of name we wanted for our boat - a meaningful name that transmits succinctly and clearly over the VHF. What Don't You Understand, What Don't You Understand, What Don't You Understand, this is Dazed & Confused – I don't think so. Fish N Chicks, Fish N Chicks, Fish N Chicks, this is Full Blown Insanity – not for us. One can find thousands of clever and not so clever boat names on the Internet. We didn't. We borrowed our boat's name from one of our favorite songs, On Eagle's Wings:

                          And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
                          Bear you on the breath of dawn,
                          Make you to shine like the sun,
                          And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
 

On Eagle's Wings Lyrics,  On Eagle's Wings History , Name That Boat
 
Listen to On Eagle's Wings on YouTube:  francislimsj's ,  AmayaLinura

August Update

Last weekend we cruised to Palm Island Marina on the ICW.  We waited out a thunderstorm that passed south of Punta Gorda but we couldn't wait out the heat.  Check out the cruise report and pictures on the PG Islanders website by clicking their link on the left.  

While we were on the water, grass was added to our backyard along with the sprinkler system.  Also, the ground anchors were screwed in.  

This week saw installation of the pool liner, all the plumbing (I think), and some of the lights and switches and painting of the foyer.   Tentative completion date is August 20!!!

House is almost done - just one more month!

Here's the latest picture of our house - approximately one more month until "CO" day!  CO means "Certificate of Occupancy" that is issued by the town stating the house meets local codes - complete to move in!  On Monday, they installed the front door and pavers on the lanai.  There is still a "Punch List" (builder term) of things to be done, but the builders are working to complete it.  We expect the counter tops in the kitchen to be installed this week and some of the sprinker system and sod in back.  Very exciting - we can't wait!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Southwest Florida's summer is hot, hot, hot.  We sailed down Charlotte Harbor with wind 15 kt SE yesterday all the way to Burnt Store - Nice on the water but drenched in sweat at the dock.  While we were on the water, the roofers placed tiles and the solar panel on the roof.  Back on the ground, graders moved dirt around. Concrete will be poured this week to support the paver driveway. Inside, work continued on the molding, interior door and kitchen cabinets.  See pictures.  Maybe will add more each day as construction progresses.

Notice, I have added link to The Blog That Ate Manhattan.  Somebody at Google picks a few blogs every day or so as Blogs of Note. So I have been checking them out. That's how I found the Manhattan blog. Another well done blog is the Crow Hill Almanac. Want to snoop on the inner and outer workings of a twenty something South Beach girl?  If you answer Yes, Google search for Red Means Go Blog.  Interested in sailing stuff? Click the Punta Gorda Sailing Club link on the left and scroll through the long, long webpage. New stuff shows up frequently.

So Well, So Well, So Well

 The time honored response, So Well, So Well, So Well  belted out by the crowd shook the IYC dining room walls.  The usually sadate club members were wired alive as Jim Morris performed solo for three hours without a break last Saturday night.  

They surprised me, these IYC folks. I never would have guessed so many not only knew the classic Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother lyrics, but also knew how to participate.  We did because Jerry Jeff Walker always includes this song in his annual performance at the Galveston Grand Opera House.  Joanne & I were fortunate enough to attend twice. What's the Redneck Mother doing down here? Don't know?  Review the  Redneck Mother Lyrics  so you can join right in next time you get a chance.  If you are interested in a little history, click UAW/MF.

Back to Jim Morris.  Some of his songs are about drinking; some are a little risque; and some - well just beautiful! Jim really knows the local Charlotte Harbor waters.  (Joanne rated the event an A+.)  We are looking to acquire some of his CDs and maybe head out to the Nav-A-Gator where Jim plays on a regular basis.