Monday, March 31, 2008

A Gold Flag!


On the special Easter egg, Dubhe III was flying the gold flag! The firefighter who created the egg had been following the blog regularly. We'd told him about the gold flag. That's the flag you receive when you "cross your wake" or complete the Great Loop. It's sold by the AGLCA American Great Loop Cruisers Association and you must apply for this upon completion or shortly before completion to allow for shipping time. It's quite a celebration to those of us on the Loop. We've been fortunate enough to be in a marina with two other boats who have "Crossed their Wake" at that port. Always there is celebration and joy for the couple achieving what we have all set out to complete. There are many people out here doing this trip. It continues to surprise us and yet we are ever so grateful for the wealth of knowledge ahead of us and those who are willing to share pertinent information with those behind. We too have become one of those people to share our leg of the journey with those behind us. It has certainly be an adventure.

A special gift!




We had Easter dinner at the firehouse with 15 firefighters. The retired Captain took the time and effort to make us a special Easter egg. We were so touched by the gesture, it was hard to crack this one open -- soooo, we took pictures and enjoyed the egg as well!

A live burn


Also got to experience a live burn while we were home. This is an evolution designed to teach the cadets proper operation of the fire hose -- and other things. The firefighter in the center of this photo is our daughter. She and her husband are in charge of the cadet program. It is a challenge we could see. They are very proficient in their leadership roles with these young men and women. We were very proud of them.

Easter morning fun.


Firefighters come to the mountain!




This is one swell group of people. Saturday night, after riding the ambulance through all of Friday night into Saturday morning, going out again was more than this tired Mom could take. So we had a "quiet" dinner at home. We'd been invited down to the firehouse for dinner. If Mohammed won't come to the mountain??? Well, in caravan formation, in they all rolled! We had two Easter bunnies and one Santa Clause. Why the Santa Clause? Because they are firefighters and they could! We love these guys more than I can say. This was just so much fun and to see our granddaughter receiving all that love and concern made our night! What fun to say nothing of treasured memories. It's quite a family.

A special part of the trip!




Dziadek (or Ja Gee) Americanized


Two of our three children have adopted the polish word for grandpa. Ron is known as Ja Gee and this little one at 17 months old can say all that quite clearly. We so enjoyed being home.

Before and After




We visited a park that day? What park? When did we leave? When did we get back?

Ambulance Duty


After securing the necessary paper work (release, liability, etc) I was invited to ride the ambulance Friday night beginning at 1800 - ending 0600 Saturday, with our daughter. It was a most interesting experience. I'm still amazed how one comes out of a sound sleep, places the feet into the waiting boots at the end of the bed, dresses on the way down the hall to the rest rooms, and leaves the ambulance bay in less than 4 minutes! Another amusing fact is that while Ron and I were FREEZING up north after spending most of the winter in Florida, on the call, even the overcoat you are looking at, became more than needed. We went out at 0330. Transported a patient to the hospital and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for "breakfast" somewhere around 0530. I'm told the temperatures were in the 30's. It felt "comfortable." Guess all the adrenalin kicks in when you most need it. It was great to be a part of our daughters life in this way.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Correction

Opps! Friends following the blog inform me I had woodpeckers confused. The woodpecker I showed you through the binoculars -- not a red-headed, they tell me, but a pileated woodpecker. I looked it up now that we are back from the Easter vacation -- right they are! PILEATED. Which means, of course, that all these years of watching "Woody the Woodpecker" in cartoon series, has warped my widdle mind and he's now up there with Santa and the Easter Bunny! Such trauma for my 60's! Who'd have thought ole Woody was not a red-headed woodpecker. Why don't they TELL us KIDS that in the series?????

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Red Headed Woodpecker


Just under the tree limb, you can see the red headed woodpecker. He was about 14" long and so pretty in the wild I can't even describe it. St. Johns River has been my favored spot on the Loop for sure.
We'll be leaving the boat here for a month and heading up north for Easter. We need to choose a few things for the building of our home to continue and then we're continuing to Connecticut for the holiday. Happy Easter to all. God bless.

A manatee says Hello.


Last night we were anchored just off the St. John's River. While sitting on the bridge enjoying the cool breeze, we suddenly noticed that the water lily's began to move and you could follow the progression of this manatee as he/she worked it's way through dinner. It came up to the boat after it had eaten and while I was tempted to give it some water, I didn't (we have a fresh water wash down but it encourages the animal to come near the boats and is not supposed to be healthy for them). He/she swam on by and headed out just in front of the boat.

You should have seen this move!


People all along the St. Johns River are very friendly. Here was a air boat and talk about moving! I was surprised how noisy they are.

Osprey with prey




Click on the picture enlarge. The osprey has a fish in it's talons. You can't see it as well here but with the downloaded pictures on the computer you can see the entire fish. Very exciting picture.

Monday, March 10, 2008

What do you Mean??? Alligators????

Aaaa Aaaa Alligators? In dem dar waters? Gilligan votes we stay at a Marina -- where there's grass -- and ability to take walks -- and no ahh ahh alligators in the waters!
Doesn't he look big from this angle? He's actually trying to look like a pit bull to the "things" in the water! O well.

An Anhinga


We first thought this was a cormorant. But closer examination of the Audubon field guide to Florida revealed it was not a cormorant at all, but an Anhinga. There are long white patches of white on the wing span. It is an absolutely gorgeous bird and graceful doesn't even begin to describe it's flight. I think St. John's is fast becoming my favorite spot on the Great Loop.
This picture was taken through the lens of a pair of binoculars. I'll try to get a few alligators that way if we're not underway.

Osprey


My son tells me you can click on the picture to magnify it. If you do that, you will see that this was an osprey building it's nest and the shot shows it coming back with a twig in it's claws. Sort of a neat picture actually. These birds are scattered all over St. John's River and most of the day markers host a nest in this fashion.

Nuclear Power Plants


Lots of nuclear power plants along the St. John's River. We were surprised at that because we'd heard St. John's was a touch of the original Florida before "progress" squeezed the very life out of the state.
Besides that, we have not been disappointed. Much wild life. We have seen many alligators along the shore and so many diversified species of birds that I keep the Audubon book at the ready. Also included are turtles and snakes. I wish I could capture these on film. Frankly my camera is not that good and neither is the photographer which would be ... me :-) Truth is, they are very quick. Lot's quicker than I. Sorry!

Metropolitian Park, Jacksonville, Florida


Superbowl in 2005 played here.

Jacksonville, Florida


Mouth of St. John's River


Isn't this beautiful? Lots of tankers from Jacksonville to the northern part of the St. John's River. I always get excited when I see one of these ships up close. Guess Ron and I were a pretty good match in life.

Snapping Turtle




Having lived in Florida many years ago, I remember these guys well. We saw it when we walked to town between cloud bursts. I've seen these turtles snap a pencil in half with little or no trouble. I wish I could have gotten closer. The head is massive and his mouth is unique. Gilligan, oddly, did not want to play. We don't even think he realized this was not a rock. I don't think he's ever seen a turtle before. This one was almost his size!

Making an afghan


What does one DO with the rainy days? We were stuck in Palm Cove Marina for three days due to inclement weather. First thunder storms, then rain and heavy winds kept us not only in port, but on board! I've been making "granny squares" (600 of them) and this was a good time to begin assembly of the afghan.
Ron cleaned out filters, checked the generator, tracked down a replacement throttle control and plotted out six days of travel for the St. John's River. Rain is not always a bad thing!

Friday, March 7, 2008

To our fellow loopers :-)




Anyone who is attempting to do the Great Loop knows by now that water is often a problem! There isn't enough of it. We left New Smyrna Beach yesterday morning fully aware of certain shoal areas that would probably be problematic. We planned the passage on an incoming tide, close to full. We had two trawlers ahead of us. One grounded, the other did not. We, being the third, indeed kissed the bottom but recovered without the need for any drastic measures. We saw this dredge, owned and operated by the Palm Cove Marina, near Jacksonville. We are trying to find a way to partner with this vessel and send it on ahead. So far, they don't seem too enthusiastic about our suggestion.

Prettiest bridge


Palm Valley Bridge. Nearing Jacksonville Beach.

Yep we saw him on the ICW


There he was ... peddling a stand up boat that looked like a surf board ... in the middle of the channel ... on the ICW
Hummmm!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

New Smyrna Beach, Florida


We were able to connect once again with my brother and sister-in-law in New Smyrna. It was 110 miles for them to come across the state and we enjoyed a few more days together before leaving Florida (and may see one another once more on the St. John's River). I like this picture because the guys and their dogs were in the cockpit while if you look through the door, June and I were crocheting and knitting in the salon. Nice relaxed visit. Peace filled time! Treasured memories for all.

More Dear friends along the Great Loop Trip




This was a very special gathering. Kitty was my spiritual director in Connecticut and later moved to Florida. It was a great loss and the reunion was long anticipated and enjoyed by all. Two beautiful people. The following day, we left the area and had to pass by their place in the ICW. They waved with a large American flag from a balcony of their home! It was as emotional as the canon send off from our Auxiliary in Milford. Many treasured memories of this trip -- The Great Loop.