DUNEDIN, FL - STILL HERE

Monday, December 8th to Wednesday, December 10th, 2014

Day 126-128
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2481


  Monday we spent most of the morning and afternoon inside due to cool weather and drizzly rain.  Late afternoon the drizzle stopped and we drove Mark and Becky on "Mara Beel" to Tarpon Springs.  We both had fellow boating buddies staying at Turtle Cove Marina and went for a visit.  That evening we had Becky's fabulous crock pot chicken entree.  It was served on corn tortillas with Greek yogurt, cheese, salsa, rice and beans.  It was YUMMY!  Mark provided entertainment with lots of funny stories.  

  
  Tuesday was another cool day with the addition of wind but minus the rain.  Tom and Linda on "Raydiance" arrived and we visited with them for awhile.  In the afternoon, I drove Linda and Missy to downtown Dunedin for a little shopping.  We met the guys at Frenchy's for dinner.


  Wednesday we began preparing for our trip up north to visit friends and family for the holidays.  While Angie did some packing and cleaning up the boat, Dan went shopping at West Marine with Mark and Tom.  After our cruise to Apalachicola in the fog, we decided to upgrade our electronics.  For Christmas, Santa is bringing "Seahorse" a new radar and chart plotter.  For dinner Angie organized a gathering at Ozona Pig.  Seventeen Loopers joined in and we had lots of fun and enjoyed great BBQ. 

Dinner at Ozona Pig

Dinner at Ozona Pig

  Tomorrow we begin our journey north for Holiday festivities with family and friends while "Seahorse" enjoys Florida's sunshine.     

DUNEDIN, FL - DOWNTOWN

Sunday, December 7th, 2014

Day 125
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2481


  We explored downtown Dunedin, FL which has many little shops and restaurants.  Restaurants of all varieties can be found, from Mexican to BBQ and Seafood to Bistro Cafes.  What we found most enjoyable were the Christmas decorated lamp posts.  Local businesses and organizations each took a lamp post and decorated it with a different theme.  These were some of our favorites.  

  


  In the evening we were able to "pay it forward".  We helped to host a dinner for those Loopers who made the Gulf Crossing the nights prior.  This was done for us on our arrival, and we wanted to do the same for others.  After traveling all night, we found we weren't interested in going out for dinner and also didn't want to cook. So, having dinner made for us at the marina was really appreciated and we wanted to pass that gift along.  We had a great feast and enjoyed talking and getting to know the "newbies to Marker 1 Marina". 

DUNEDIN, FL - CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

Saturday, December 6th, 2014

Day 124
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2481



  We took a break from site-seeing and just relaxed on the boat.  Marker 1 Marina had an afternoon cookout for boaters in preparation for the upcoming Christmas boat parade that occurred in the evening.  Christmas music was playing and there was a lot more activity on the docks.

  The Christmas boat parade started at Marker 1 Marina and many of the boats had elaborate decorations.  There were 26 boats in all.    Here are some of the highlights.

 
  We finished our evening watching the Ohio State Buckeyes win the Big 10 Championship game against Wisconsin (thanks to free cable at Marker 1 Marina).  Christmas boat parade and O.S.U. win - great way to start the Holiday Season. 

DUNEDIN, FL - ST. PETE BOAT SHOW AND TARPON SPRINGS, FL

Thursday, December 4th to Friday, December 5th, 2014

Day 122-123
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2481



  Thursday we attended the St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show in St. Petersburg, FL.  We went with three other couples and had a great time.  Fortunately, we were able to keep most of our money in Dan's wallet.  We did purchase a few unique items. The most impressive was the Big Skinny wallet.  Dan's old wallet measured about 2 inches high, and, after changing to the Big Skinny wallet, it now measures 1 1/4 inches.  Amazing!  
See it to believe it at: http://www.bigskinny.net/


  Friday we decided to do "the tourist thing" and go to Tarpon Springs, FL sponge docks using our rental car.  Unique gift shops, tourist shops, bakeries and restaurants (mostly Greek) are almost unlimited in this area of Tarpon Springs.  This city has the largest percentage of Greek Americans in any city in the United States.  Greek immigrants came to the area to dive for sponges on the bottom of the sea.  In 1905, John Corcoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to the area, and recruited divers from Greece.  Unfortunately, a red tide algae bloom in 1947 destroyed a lot of the sponge fields.  Many sponge divers had to turn to shrimping and fishing for their livelihood.

Memorial to sponge divers

Maybe Angie will pick sponge diving as a second career

  Given the above history, it is no surprise that there is an abundance of Greek restaurants in Tarpon Springs.  One of the most popular is Hellas Restaurant and Bakery.  We couldn't leave Tarpon Springs without at least having lunch at Hellas.  We opted to split the combination plate and enjoyed each sample entree.  The highlight for Angie was the chocolate baklava - pure sweet goodness.  For more about Hellas history go to: http://hellasbakery.com/company-info/hellas-restaurant-and-bakery-tarpon-springs-florida  

Hellas Restaurant and Bakery

chocolate baklava - heaven on a plate

  After dinner Dan found a new friend from Hawaii at one of the tourist shops.  

Dan with his hula girlfriend

  Given the time of year, the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs were decorated for the Christmas season.  We continue to find it fascinating that the palm trees are decorated, given our mid-western upbringing. 

Christmas tree on the docks

decorated palm trees

  After leaving Tarpon Springs, we decided to go take a walk on the beach.  We found Sunset Beach, and, although the sun wasn't setting, the beach was beautiful.  We look forward to seeing many different beaches on this trip.  

Dan on Sunset beach

Sunset beach

  We made it back to the marina just in time to see a beautiful sunset from the Causeway Blvd beach.  This is a very small beach, but, it is only a short walk from the marina.   

sunset from Causeway Blvd beach

     

DUNEDIN, FL

Monday, December 1st to Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014

Day 119-121
Miles Traveled: 0
Total Miles Traveled: 2481


  Monday was spent recovering from the Gulf Crossing.  We were able to get some boat chores done before collapsing for the evening.  Angie did laundry and Dan washed "Seahorse" which was like a block of salt after crossing the Gulf (Margaritas anyone?).  We also made an itinerary change.   Instead of leaving the boat in Fort Myers, FL for the Christmas trip back north, we decided to leave "Seahorse" here at Marker 1 Marina.  We will be able to enjoy this area for a little longer and leisurely make our way to Fort Myers when we return.  


  
  Tuesday was a "Frenchy's kind of day".  We took a walk around the area and had lunch at Frenchy's Outpost Bar & Grill.  A Cajun grouper sandwich was enjoyed.  The afternoon was spent working on our Christmas list ideas, doing some of our Christmas shopping online, and putting up our Christmas tree and newly purchased lights and decorations.  For the evening meal we went back to Frenchy's with about 6 other Looper couples.  This time tacos were the choice - one fish and one pork.  The food was so good we suspect we'll go back again.

Angie decorating our Christmas tree

Christmas decorations

  Wednesday we went to Honeymoon Island beach with Mark & Becky on "Mara Beel".  The island used to be called Hog Island until 1939 when a New York developer built fifty palm-thatched bungalows for honeymooners.  The name was then changed to Honeymoon Island - probably a better choice. Who would want to spend their honeymoon on an island called Hog Island?  We relaxed and watch the waves roll in, and, for a little exercise, we took a nice stroll on the beach.

Honeymoon Island Beach

  Many couples joined together for a pot luck dinner.  There was good food, great company, and lots of laughs.  How many cooks does it take to grill all the meat?  Apparently quite a few.  What a fantastic evening. 

Men and one grill