Week 29 / Week 22 in Ft. Pierce

     Sunday, 3/19/20 ~ The weather has once again turned cool and raw. Temps in the 60’s with a north wind and a raw bite to the air. We stayed put and indoors like most of our neighbors. I worked on the blog for most of the afternoon. I know, I have been bad about posting. I have to blame “puppy brain.” She wants our attention when we are seated, eating, watching TV, working on the computer or sleeping. It gets better in some areas and worse in others. The bigger she gets, the louder the bark is. I know, I know, we chose to get a puppy. Like having kids, one tends to forget many of the demands they make. I also know that this too shall pass. Thankfully, dinner will be easy- soup and biscuits. YUM!

     Wednesday, 3/22/23 ~ When Pete walked Tillie this morning, she found something on the ground to play with. Pete had to get it out of her mouth. He was shocked to find it was a desiccated, flattened mouse. He dropped it into the water so no other dog would find it again.
     I contacted the groomers again on Thursday. Tillie is being spayed next Thursday, and I had tried to get her in for a full cut prior. Somehow, she did not get on the cancellation list. Gabby will try to get her in. We have our fingers crossed and photos ready of the cut we wish.
    Had Pilates twice this week. Carisa has 4 machines, hence 4 students for the group lessons. It is work, but I really love that flexion and extension are worked on with each exercise. I come home noticing my muscles, but not in a painful or cramping way.

Tonight's sunset was another winner!

      Saturday, 3/25/23 ~ It is time again for the Saturday Farmer’s Market. We headed over with the intention of having the Jamaican Breakfast bowl. I headed towards an empty bench while Pete went to get the drinks. Once settled with Tillie on the bench and the fresh OJ and fruit smoothy, he went to get the rest of breakfast. He was about 10th in line, when one of the crew developed medical problems. 9-1-1 was called and the food preps came to a halt. Thankfully, the worker was doing better prior to the ambulance’s arrival. Instead, we had to “settle” for goodies from the bakery.

 
     We opted to head out the inlet for a few hours and enjoy the day. Since it was afternoon, we were surprised to see about 6 sail boats, rigged for cruising, sailing with the main sails out of the inlet. They did have to motor sail as the incoming current was running at about 3.4 knots. We wondered if they were heading over to the Bahamas or heading further south for a simpler crossing to the Bahamas. There was also about a 70-foot yacht that headed out of the Inlet. Wonder what their destination might be?  We didn’t see any fishermen land a fish, but there were plenty of people, dogs and a really good roller skater to watch. Once we had our fill, we headed back.

 

 
They are dredging the inlet again.

     After dinner, while I was preparing for our little excursion tomorrow to Key West, I heard Diane next door scream. I quickly exited the boat, to find her and Matt (who is on the boat behind us) looking under the dock, behind our stern. Both had seen an alligator. “His head was “huge and was probably about 5-6 feet long.” Unfortunately, it dove before a photo could be taken. That is something we never thought we would see here in the marina!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  K & P

Week 28 / Week 21 in Ft. Pierce

     Sunday, 3/12/22 ~ We started Daylight Savings Time. With Tillie getting up before the sun, we were concerned that she might be up demanding attention around 4 or 5 AM. Thankfully, when she made noises and Pete got up to let her out around 2:30 AM. Tillie settled down to sleep as soon as Pete laid down on the sofa. We were able to sleep until 8 AM! WOO HOO!!!

 
     At the dog park, we had returned to the larger dogs’ enclosure, the big dogs crowded her and picked up on her trepidation. She cowered and then they surrounded her. She once again panicked and cried. So, we went to the smaller dog enclosure at the park to build Tillies confidence with all dogs. Sometimes she plays a little bit rough and tumbles with the younger, smaller puppies. We just monitor her more closely. Hopefully, she will forget about the Pittie incident.

 

 

    Rumors are true! There are grouper here in the marina. This one is about 3-foot long and maybe 80 -100 pounds. There is also a larger one they say, which is reported to be about 5-foot and 500 pounds! No, we haven't seen the goliath grouper yet, but we keep looking!

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    Once back from the dog park, I started chores onboard. I was able to remake our “high security doors” for the cockpit. I use the wooden doors as a pattern; two wooden planks for the top and 2 for the bottom. I then cut Styrofoam board insulation to form the top and bottom of the door. They are then covered with contact paper that looks like wood, and the edges are covered with white duct tape. They look good and insulate so well, besides being light and easy to use.

     Monday, 3/13/22 ~   About 2 years ago, local artist and muralist, Kenny Maguire, painted the seawall across from the Center. For the past week or so, he has been the sea wall by the Manatee Center.  

 

In progress

Completed

Opposite Wall across the creek

     Tuesday, 3/14/23 ~ I had a noon Pilates class. After class, I exited into the atrium to find peahens in the building, trying to get out via a locked gate. 

In the building

I shooed them out the main entrance. As I was herding them, a woman asked if they were my pets. As I was about to answer, the UPS driver commented, “only people in Ft. Pierce would be unphased with peacocks strolling where they please.” I then explained about the peacocks: 

In the 1970s, Jack Crain opened a travel agency in an ornate enamel tiled building on Orange Avenue. He had a love for peacocks and purchased a few to roam the walled yard behind his business. Over the decades, the flock has grown and cascades into an area called Fort Pierce’s Peacock Arts District. Peacock Crossing signs posted warning drivers to proceed with caution and artfully painted potters that line the streets. (from a number of articles on the web)

 

Here are the peacocks and peahens around their "home"

Other feathery friends in the neighborhood include various chickens and ibis

     Wednesday, 3/15/23 ~ We were up early and headed with Tillie to the tax office to register the new dinghy and get the title for the old one. Florida prefers to hold onto the titles and forward them when needed. Apparently, too many are lost and issuing a new one is more time consuming. We needed the title for our old dinghy as it has a new owner, and he is anxious to get it registered. The only way to retrieve the old title and register for a new title is in person. Apparently, residents of Florida must make an appointment at the county office in which they are registered. That meant that we had to make the 3 ½ hour drive to Green Cove Springs rather than use the one in St. Lucie County that is only 4 miles from the marina! Making the appointment via the web was easy. I received an immediate confirmation with a code. The morning of the appointment, I received a text saying that currently (9 AM) there were 16 people ahead of me. We had a chance to grab a quick lunch and be early for our 1 pm appointment. Pete went in at 12:55 and was back at the car by 1:10! It was painless and efficient. The clerk was once again super and able to handle all our needs. Wish all government offices were as efficient!

     Friday 3/17/23 ~ was rather busy. Since it is St. Patrick’s Day, I made a corned beef dinner in the crock pot. Then I prepped the clothes for the laundromat: Stripped bed, bath and kitchen of washables, sorted, checked for my laundry supplies and quarters, then put the bags in the car. I had Pilates at noon for an hour. Pete made me lunch and brought Tillie to the parking lot so I could take her to the groomers. I was able to complete the laundry not far from the groomers and get back in time to pick Tillie up after her “spa” day. She gets bathed, blown dry, trimmed around the face, paws, and butt. She loves her visits. Today, many of the dignified, older dogs were there and didn’t want to be bothered by an over exuberant pup named Tillie. I was asked if I could exercise her before her appointments so she would be a bit calmer. Last time, we took her to the dog park prior to the appointment. Unfortunately, she drank so much water, she piddled 3 times on them. 

 

  

     Dusk brough out the lights ~ Green for St. Patty's day and 

the firey tail of the Falcon Rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral.

    

     Saturday, 3/18/23 ~ We got brave and took Tillie with us to the Farmer’s Market. This is the first time she has been exposed to so much stimulation. There are lots of people, dogs, smells, stalls, and new sights. Tillie is a people magnet. Everyone wants to know what breed, how big she will get, and can they pet her. All things considered, she did remarkably well. Her walking with the leash was the best so far. I had her sit on the bench next to me and she was very content to watch everything from there. It didn’t take long for people to stop by. Barbara was the first. A number of families and couples stopped by. They were all dog lovers and she loved it. She, and we, were tired when we got back. 

     Once again Pete could not go for a bike ride. The winds were 25 out of the north with gusts of 30+. Melissa called me to let me know that Pete’s bike was ready to fall off the dock. The cover for the bike served as a sail and shifted the bike towards the water. Pete rescued the bike, but it only held for another half hour. He had to resort to removing the cover and secure the bike with an extra dock line.
     We met Howie for dinner at Cobbs. It was obvious that they had a lot of food left over from yesterday. There was “Green Beer” and various corned beef dishes on the specials’ menu. Pete enjoyed his burger; Howie wasn’t disappointed with his Gumbo, and I loved my Mediterranean Salmon.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  K & P

Week 27 / Week 20 in Ft. Pierce

     Sunday 3/5/23 ~ Pete has been wonderful allowing me to sleep in the mornings.  (i am prone to migraines if I don't get enough sleep.) He has been faithfully getting up with Tillie is she needs to go out in the middle of the night. When she wakes in the morning, any time after 5:30 he has been the one to take her for a walk and then sit in the car until I let him know that I am awake. Tillie and I let Pete sleep in and took off for a long walk,  

 
New dad giving the new mom a chance to sleep in and a heron at sunrise.

  

 

     

Cool patterning on the stone made out of Coral     &    Surise south of the marina 

     For the past few weeks, Elisha and Charlie of SV RED SKY, here on I-Dock, have been preparing their boat for departure. This afternoon, they finally made the jump to Bimini. They had a wonderful sail over and are enjoying the start of a new adventure.

     Tuesday, 3/7/23 ~ Visited the Winterlakes Dog Park again this morning. Tillie had a lot of fun with her buddies. Unfortunately, they left earlier than usual. While talking to another dog mom, 2 more dogs entered the park. One was a big, male Pittie. His heavy pronged collar was not removed. He was mellow until he was denied unlimited access to the water fountain by his Mom. Shortly after, he pinned Tillie against the fence causing her to panic and cry. Will be back and try again with the big dogs, but not with this dog.
     In the afternoon, we met with Brandon Goldstein, of Outland K-9 Dog Training. Pete and I both needed a lot of fine tuning with our puppy training. Tillie is very smart and learns quickly. We just have to work with her and make sure we include all of Brandon’s lessons.

     Saturday, 3/11/23 ~  Tillie and I let Pete sleep in again this morning.  We headed out and took a long walk. WE did the loop by the River Walk.  Heading past the Baccus Art Museum, the lighting on the plants was really cool!

 

 

     We had to put some heavy things into the car, which meant giving up our parking spot to meet Pete at the bath house. Since we were already in the car with no available parking spots, we opted to go out for breakfast. A few years ago, Ann introduced me to The Original Pancake House in Boca Raton. I have looked forward to returning, since breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. We found one in Jensen Beach and were not disappointed. We had an outrageous breakfast: HUGE omelets (it looked like 6 eggs per omelet!) with sausage, toast, home fries and of course OJ and coffee. We arrived apparently before the crowds. As we left, all the tables were in use, and there were about 5 groups waiting to be seated. We took the remainder of our omelets home for breakfast tomorrow. We used the cooler that plugs into the car to keep the omelets cool as we ran errands for a few more hours. All in all, a delicious and productive day!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  K & P

March ~ Week 26 / Week 19 in Ft. Pierce

     Tuesday, 2/28/23 ~ Instead of Taco Tuesday, we opted for a pizza party due to the heat. We had a string of high 80’s and low 90’s days. So instead of heating up the air-conditioned boats, we ordered 4 large pies from Lorenzo’s on Orange Street. Visitors to our dock as well as the dock hand joined us. Everyone had a great time, and the pizza was really good.

  

Collecting as many sunsets as I can.  We won't be able to see them

 from this dock once the highrise is completed.

     Wednesday, 03/1/23 ~ We woke this morning to some pretty dense fog.  With the rising sun,it quickly began to dissapate.  I took Tillie on an early morning walk as it was rising.  The view from the River  Walk was memorable.

     We didn’t miss out on tacos all together. We joined Marilyn and Jon at Taco Dive on a beautiful 80-degree day with a wonderful breeze after my Pilates. None of us wanted to leave - who would?. . . good food, great friends, and wonderful weather!

      Thursday, 3/2/23 ~ We had to empty the car, pick up ratchet straps, and make the 3-hour trip to Miami to pick up our dinghy. We needed to put the back seat down so that the dinghy might fit. We needed to strap down the back hatch. Tillie was thrilled to make the return ride back in my lap. It was a more noisy and warmer return trip, but we now have the new dinghy!

    This evening, Pete was cruising on his phone and and happened to view Stock Isand on Google Earth. There is PEKABU in the slip.  The photo was probably taken in 2017, if we remember our placement correctly. 

     Friday, 3/1/23 ~ February’s First Friday had to be cancelled due to the high winds and possible storms. Tonight was a perfect night, with gentle breezes, mild temps and clear skies. Lots of people, dogs, activities, and stalls of “stuff.” I really looked forward to my Gyro, while Pete had some great BBQ chicken. We sat and visited with a woman who just moved to Jensen Beach and was learning the area. Of course, we shared some of our favorite spots.

 

 

 
Perfect night for First Friday!

     Saturday 3/4/23 ~ We had a lazy morning and skipped the Farmer’s Market this morning. Pete opted to ride the bike over to Hutchinson Island. He did 14 miles, which is a great start.

   This week we made sure that we visited the Dog Park every other day. Tillie needs the exercise and socialization.

 

 

Running and playing is tiring & thirsty work. . . 

 
. . . AND dirty work that requires a bath once back.

Without all that fluffy hair she is a pretty skinny pup!

 

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P