Cape Haze Pioneer Trail

The eight mile  Cape Haze Pioneer Trail  lies along the bed of the former Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad.  On a chilly Saturday morning we biked the trail and rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Fishery Restaurant.  Egrets congregated in the water along the trail. Eagles fed their two babies in a nest high above us.
See a full report on the PGI Islander's website.


Cape Haze Pioneer Trail - Visit Florida    Photos

Hawaii

After an arduous 10-hour plane flight from Ft Myers, we arrived at our daughter, Michele, and her boyfriend, Bryan's home in Kona, HI in time for a dinner snack and bed.  We awoke to a beautiful day in paradise.   Kahaluu Beach Park Snorkeling  was on the agenda.  The park is located just minutes away!  This turtle greeted us as we viewed the other colorful fish through our masks. Click to see Fish video posted Picasca Hawaii web album.

 Ho'o makaukau! Hoe hapai! Imua!  Our paddles dig into blue water as we help drive a double hull canoe with ten members of the Keauhou Canoe Club early one morning.  "Hut", calls the #3 paddler on the 14th stroke! "Hu", we answer on the 15th stroke and altogether switch sides, driving the big 45 foot canoe further out of Keauhou Bay and onto the ocean.  What a great group of folks. What a great way to start the day. Click to see Canoe video posted on Picasca Hawaii web album.

Later on we traveled to Captain Cook's monument On Board Hula Kai., a lovely boat that took us 17 miles down the coast.  We saw a whale breaching and whales chasing one another.  It's awe inspiring viewing these creatures who travel every year from Alaska to Hawaii to mate and bear their young.

Michele surprised us by taking off from work to drive us up the coastline by Kealakekua Bay , our final destination being
Volcano National Park.  She booked a night at the gorgeous
Volcano Village Lodge.   It was a very special place hidden in the rainforest - too pretty to describe!  She wanted us to experience the volcano at night and to see it's glow. The pictures just don't do it justice!  We then went for a wonderful dinner at another lodge in the area.  We were surprised how the volcano area had changed.  Almost 20 years ago, we visited and there were active lava flows not far from the road.  Now, most of the lava is underneath a crust and not very visible except at night near the volcano.  The ranger explained how the landscape is changing and growing on this young dynamic island.

One day we borrowed Bryan's jeep and traveled to Pololū Valley   Pololu Valley - Let's Go.  More beautiful scenery and landscapes with trecks along the coastline. 

In between all the fun, we caught up on missed epidoses of Downton Abbey.  Their wonderful neighbors also invited us for a lovely dinner.  Check out our Photos ! 

Mardi Gras at IYC

We're ready for Mardi Gras!

On Fat Tuesday at the Isles Yacht Club, The Fool prevailed vanquishing Death!  We were there to witness the duel.  This is a centuries old tradition that was re-enacted for everyone who attended Mardi Gras.

Floats and costumed characters followed a New Orleans Jazz Band into the club where MC, Joanne, announced their coming.  We even had a parade of floats! Dinner and dancing followed the Grand Parade. Check out the costumes.  We are decked out in the traditional colors of gold, purple and green.  All in all, a fun time!














Link to Photos

January Fun

Celebration Cruise  



Our Peace River Neighbor

Yesterday, we traveled up the Peace River aboard the Kingfisher, Punta Gorda's sightseeing boat, because we were a winner in the Civic Association's Holiday Light Contest.  Check out the gator sunning himself on the banks!     

The new year has been full of activities here - In the first 3 weeks we've attended a fun "Change of Watch" Party in our boating club, The PGIslanders.  One hundred seventy members strong attended the event  - and Richard was installed as Vice Commodore.  Also, 18 PGIslander boats of every description anchored off Gilchrist Park, right here, on our 3rd Annual Cruise to Punta Gorda.  It was a treat to enjoy our own home town from a tourist's perspective.  We enjoyed walking the bridge with the gang and the brunch at Dean's.

We are also members of the Isles Yacht Club and we enjoyed Trivia Night, biking along the New Bike Path and   Kayaking at Manatee Park. 

Check out our Photos - (just double click).  

Never a dull moment here!

Holidays

The Year of the Snowman - Joanne decided this year we would participate in the PGI Boat Parade. A snowman in lights would rise above our sailboat. It has risen!  Friends, Chuck and Trudy helped attach hundreds of LED lights to a mesh netting that we could raise with the main halyard. Neighbors stopped by as we worked on the driveway to offer advice. Our neighbor Brian provided line and other stuff.  Richard wired a traffic light sequencer to add movement: the snowman tips his hat changing from blue to red to green. Icecycle lights adorne the life lines.  All the lights including the rope lights that line the canal and the yard lights reflect in the canal. 

Thursday, the snowman moves to the Yacht Club to participate in the Lighting of the Fleet.  Joanne has invited about fifty people to stop by for food and drink.  Fifty people on a thirty-five foot boat may be just a little tight! 

Last night fifty people did show up, coming and going and coming back again. Everyone enjoyed the snowman, good food and good fellowship.   Our neighbor, Brian,  photographed the fleet lighting for us. Great job Brian!

Holiday Photos

 

CharleyShoe Lighting of the Fleet Photos

PGI Boat Parade December 22 - Eagle's Wings appears at 16:20 and at 19:40 minutes into this Utube Video - PGI Boat Parade

Joanne's sister Claire visited us for Christmas week from Oregon.  We all attended Christmas mass with Joanne's mom;  the music was sensational!  We found time to take Claire kayaking through the mangroves at Placida.

The New Year came a little earlier than the traditional Punta Gorda Midnight. The party on Pelican Bay broke up at 8:40 PM with everyone raising champaign glasses and singing Auld Lang Syne at the late hour of 8:40 PM. Islanders, scattered about Pelican Bay on twenty-five boats, tucked themselves in for a relatively warm and tranquil night. All asleep, quite possibly, before the magical midnight hour, 9 PM.

We hosted the Merritts, Jim & Connie, on Eagle's Wings.  Bleu went to Camp Angela while we were out on the boat.

After a very good breakfast pot luck on the first day of the New Year, we shared lots of laughs watching and participating in the merry blind dinghy race.

We were able to sail down to Marker Five and sail all the way back to Punta Gorda to start the New Year in style!

Harbor Happening

A is for Awesome. We formed up and called out our letters: “p”, “G”, “C”, “i”, try again “I” and “A.” Islanders formed the “A” and we were awesome. Chuck and Trudy danced to the music at the top of our “A” while we waited for the plane and helicopter to take our picture, a human “PGCIA” sculpture to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. Islanders went wild to YMCA.

Our Friday remained overcast, chilly and damp upon our return from Solomon's Castle. Our neighbors from Chicago thought we were crazy as we loaded Eagle's Wings for an overnight adventure anchoring in the Peace River with a predicted 15 kt NE wind and dozens of other sailboats for company. I thought so too but Joanne insisted that we join the Harbor Happening! 

We anchored off Fisherman's Village where the US 41 bridges knocked down the waves to provide us a very pleasant if chilly evening. Chuck & Trudy, bundled in sweaters and jeans, gave us ride in their dinghy to the Friday night dock party at Lashley's community room filled with folks from all the boat clubs. Saturday morning warmed up with sunbeams when we dinghied in to join the letter “A.” A photo of our letter “A” made the Sunday paper but the aerial photo didn't. . Hopefully, I can get a copies of the aerial shots someday as most of my photos turned out awful.  See UTube Video.

About six Islander boats anchored out. Most of the power boats canceled as the mooring field east of the bridges was rougher than the sailboat anchorage. What a dumb move installing that mooring field was! But both Dave and eighty year old Harold took moorings Friday night! Harold actually got a ride in and spent the night at home while Dave and Carolyn rode it out all night!

The Saturday's newspaper reported about one hundred and fifty boats anchored out on Friday but I counted only about fifty or sixty. More boats joined us Saturday morning for a memorable Harbor Happening.

 

Photos

Solomon's Castle

Friday awakened chilly and damp, our day for a trip with the Power Squadron to Solomon's Castle located Northeast of Arcadia in a Manatee County Swamp. The castle as is all the treasure it holds is constructed from recycled material, mostly recovered from junk yards. A tour for tourists filled with puns shows what one man, Harold Solomon, can craft combining imagination and junk with a welder. I dare say the transformed junk that fill the first floor gallery rival anything that New York or San Francisco's beatnik art scene has to offer. I found his work interesting. A friend called it hideous.

Photos