Thursday, 5/2/24 ~ Pete used the scooter for the 3-mile ride to Enterprise for our rental. It took about 2.5 hours to drive down to Ft. Pierce to retrieve our car. Checked in with Ray, MV DESTINY on I-Dock, as a heads up that we were taking our car, then we're on our way north. Traffic was heavier and, for no apparent reason, traffic came to a brief stop, twice! I suspect one instance might have been a case of road rage. As traffic slowed, I saw 2 cars pull over into the left breakdown lane, but then they both quickly pulled back into traffic. Made it back by about 4:30.
Pete was sitting above when our neighbor, Aaron, introduced himself. He, his wife and 2 dogs will be leaving with their boat, no yacht, COMFORTABLY NUMB (the Princess 75-foot yacht next to us), for the Bahamas in the morning.
Friday, 5/3/24 ~ We had to return the rental. Pete and the manager stepped back out to examine our rental. The car handled great on the highway and had a comfortable ride, but interior was filthy, with stained seats and carpets, and the floor pad was worn through. Apparently, it was just brought into this facility from another. Inspection was apparently not done before giving us an upgrade. There was an apology and a reduction in our rental cost. The car is now out of service, awaiting a full detailing.
I dropped Pete back at the marina then went food shopping. On my way I checked out Ability Rehab. I have my initial appointment with them on Monday for some PT. It was also a great opportunity to scout out the area as I traveled. Found a great car wash, a laundry, 2 Veterinary clinics, one of which has 24 hour emergency services, plus a Walgreens next to Publix and a Walmart nearby. It was a very productive morning. When I returned, MY COMFORTABLY NUMB had already departed for her month long cruise.
Our view and our breezes are now wonderful. We might reverse our position in the slip once they return. It was wonderful sitting in the cockpit once the sun went down with the fairy lights lights on around the cockpit. I finished my book around 10:30.
 |
| Sharp little buggers! |
Since my Gram’s German potato recipe is lost, I experimented and came pretty close to her recipe. It still need some fine tuning. I also made a macaroni salad with hamburgers tonight. Pete was thrilled!
Week 2 ~
Sunday, 5/5/25 ~ We took a long drive, checking out points of interest: dog parks, laundromats, beaches, hospitals, etc., on the island from The Ponce de Leon Light up to Flagler Beach including Ormond, Holly Hills. Even found Bucky’s (super huge rest stop), the outlets and the humane society out by 95 only 7 miles from here. Now we have 3 dog parks to choose from.
Onshore breezes create clouds to the west and
Flagler Beach with repairs necessitated by Hurricane Matthew
Once back and dinner complete, Pete stayed down below, while I really enjoyed reading in the cockpit until well after dark. The white lights in the cockpit are wonderful.
Monday, 5/6/24 ~ The crew at Ability Rehabilitation are really nice. I worked with Jenn, the receptionist with all the preliminary paperwork and Liv is my therapist. The evaluation went well. There are balance issues, both vestibular as well as some muscle weakness. It seems kind of silly to be at a PT facility, stay perfectly still and only move my eyes! Of course then Liv added the more physical moves. I have a lot to do to strengthen my hips, core and ankles. Once I returned to the boat, Pete headed out to do the laundry. He found a clean, well-kept laundry just north of here in Holly Hill, Tropical Laundromat. It is very clean, various size and efficient washers and driers, friendly staff and nice bathroom.
It was great to spend the later afternoon in the cockpit reading. Tillie really loves checking out the Freedom Boats’ comings and goings as they pass our boat with lots of noisy and happy people on board.
Tuesday, 5/7/24 ~ Pete has new route for dog walks. The weed-treated lawns on South Palmetto Avenue, which is just 1 block west of Beach Street not only has some beautiful and historic homes, it also has large trees that supply wonderful shade.
Once I returned from my 1st full PT session, we prepped the boat for Pete to power wash.
The power washer does such a great job. He was bummed that his soft hand brush went overboard and sank. After lunch, I rounded up the items I needed to put away the enclosure panels. I spotted the brush against the dock- floating! Pete is happy. The new enclosure panels have more Isinglass that needs to be protected. Thank heavens for sheets and extra large towels. I had to modify the storage in the aft cabin to accommodate the enclosure, but it fit against the starboard wall.
The weather forecast is for temps in the 90’s for a couple of days later this week - hence the enclosure removal. While in the aft cabin, I also made sure the awnings are easily accessible should we need it.
Monday, 5/6/24 ~ The crew at Ability Rehabilitation are really nice. I worked with Jenn, the receptionist with all the preliminary paperwork and Liv is my therapist. The evaluation went well. There are balance issues, both vestibular as well as some muscle weakness. It seems kind of silly to be at a PT facility, stay perfectly still and only move my eyes! Of course then Liv added the more physical moves. I have a lot to do to strengthen my hips, core and ankles. Once I returned to the boat, Pete headed out to do the laundry. He found a clean, well-kept laundry just north of here in Holly Hill, Tropical Laundromat. It is very clean, various size and efficient washers and driers, friendly staff and nice bathroom.
It was great to spend the later afternoon in the cockpit reading. Tillie really loves checking out the Freedom Boats’ comings and goings as they pass our boat with lots of noisy and happy people on board.
Tuesday, 5/7/24 ~ Pete has new route for dog walks. The weed-treated lawns on South Palmetto Avenue, which is just 1 block west of Beach Street not only has some beautiful and historic homes, it also has large trees that supply wonderful shade.
Once I returned from my 1st full PT session, we prepped the boat for Pete to power wash.
The power washer does such a great job. He was bummed that his soft hand brush went overboard and sank. After lunch, I rounded up the items I needed to put away the enclosure panels. I spotted the brush against the dock- floating! Pete is happy. The new enclosure panels have more Isinglass that needs to be protected. Thank heavens for sheets and extra large towels. I had to modify the storage in the aft cabin to accommodate the enclosure, but it fit against the starboard wall.
The weather forecast is for temps in the 90’s for a couple of days later this week - hence the enclosure removal. While in the aft cabin, I also made sure the awnings are easily accessible should we need it.
The Daytona Beach festival Welcome To Rockville 2024 took place from Thursday, May 9th through Sunday 12th at Daytona International Speedway and, as they say, bigger than ever. The rock-focused event will expand to five stages this year and include 150 bands on the lineup over four days.
This year’s lineup includes Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Jelly Roll, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, Judas Priest, Greta Van Fleet, Evanescence, Falling In Reverse, A Day To Remember, Breaking Benjamin, Bad Omens, The Offspring, Mudvayne, Koe Wetzel, Stone Temple Pilots, Primus, Cypress Hill, Sum 41, and Mr. Bungle. Slayer’s Kerry King is also on the lineup, and he’s been teasing a new post-Slayer project.
Saturday, 5/11/24 ~ People all around the world witnessed a spectacular aurora light show. Millions of photos were posted to social media and they were soooo awesome! A recent article in Forbes, written my Jamie Carter, gave the best overview https://forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/05/22/mays-auroras-may-have-been-strongest-for-500-years-says-nasa/?sh=5a9c7d907f7d :
The dazzling display of aurora on May 10/11 was possibly one of the strongest on record in the past 500 years, according to a statement from NASA. In another claim of record-breaking status, the British Geological Survey stated that the aurora display in the U.K. was the result of the most extreme and long-lasting geomagnetic storm recorded in the last 155 years. Daily geomagnetic activity has been recorded by BGS since 1869.
The solar superstorm on May 10/11 caused Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) to be visible as far south as Florina in the Northern Hemisphere, while the Auroras Australis (Southern Lights) showed up as far north as New Zealand. NASA first detected the beginnings of a solar storm on May 7, when two solar flares were found. A stunning seven went off in the following 4 days, all aiming coronal mass ejections-clouds of charged particles-in the direction of Earth. They traveled at different speeds and arrived simultaneously, creating the historic storm. The last large geomagnetic storm was on Halloween 2003.
Auroras are the result of the solar wind in space-charged particles from the sun-being accelerated down the field lines of the Earth’s magnetic Field. Earth’s geomagnetic field is compared using readings of its horizontal magnetic field intensity. It is typically measured around 30-50 nanoTesla (nT). On the evening of May 10, they peaked at 800 nT.
“We’ll be studying this event for years. It will help us test the limits of our models and understanding of solar storms.” stated Teresa Nieves- Chinchilla, acting director for NASA’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office. And there is a chance it could be about to happen again. A new article published by Nature states that more powerful geomagnetic storms are expected in the next year or two as the sun waxes towards “solar maximum,” a once every 11-years peak in its magnetic activity.
Information on the types and colors
Samples posted on various Facebook photography, aurora and night photography sites
These photos appeared on numerous sites without credit to the photographer.
I wish I could give them credit and tell where they are from.
The following is from NASA’s Aurorasaurus Project website https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov :
The G5-level geomagnetic storms in Mid-May including a long-duration strong flare and associated coronal mass ejection prompting a Geomagnetic Storm Watch through this weekend. The G5-level Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the highest on NOAA's space weather scale, issued by the SWPC in May was the first since 2005. It is too early to tell if we'll be seeing another G5 solar storm soon, but with the solar maximum of our star's 11-year cycle approaching, space weather will be very active into next year.
In May, the CME arrived and stayed connected to Earth's magnetic field for more than 24 hours. The geomagnetic storm interrupted crop planting in the U.S. and Canada because their tractors require precision GPS. "They're supposed to be accurate within a centimeter. They were off by ten feet. Plus, it was taking them in circles, doing weird things," Dahl said. "They had to suspend operations."
In May, the CME arrived and stayed connected to Earth's magnetic field for more than 24 hours. The geomagnetic storm interrupted crop planting in the U.S. and Canada because their tractors require precision GPS. "They're supposed to be accurate within a centimeter. They were off by ten feet. Plus, it was taking them in circles, doing weird things," Dahl said. "They had to suspend operations."
It was a weekend to chill as Pete had very little energy, but we did head over to Lula M McElroy Park’s dog park. The entire area is shaded and both dogs and their people are nice. I also searched for farmers’ Markets in the area. It doesn’t look as if there is anything to compare with Fort Pierce, but we will investigate the couple we found.
Week 3 ~
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| He's OK, just sunbathing |
We have also had a number of aquatic visitors here in the marina. Green Turtles, dolphins and tarpon hang out while Mama manatees birth their babies here in the marina. One of the dock hands believes there are at least 4 Mamas and their calves here this year.
These are egg sacs left behind by an unknown insect. They were laid down in a Fibonacci spiral and with an angled anchor. Fascinating and it disappeared without a trace 2 days later!
One night as I was getting off the boat to walk Tillie, there was a canoe with 2 people heading into the next alley. They were silent and had no running lights. Since there were dinghy engine robberies over in Fort Pierce, I asked Pete to call security. They were checking the docks with in minutes. He even texted Pete back that he didn’t find anything. That follow-up was really appreciated.
Friday, 5/17/24 ~ I was able to complete and post the blog for April.
Pete is developing a number of acquaintances on Tillie’s walk. Some are fellow boaters while others live on South Palmetto Avenue. Speaking of meeting people, it has been rather hard to here on E-dock. Most of the other residents are working, so they are not around much.
Around 8:30 there was another Starlink launch. With the sun over the horizon, the sky was darkening, but the contrail and vapor trail from the boosters were lit, making for a very memorable launch.
Friday, 5/17/24 ~ I was able to complete and post the blog for April.
Pete is developing a number of acquaintances on Tillie’s walk. Some are fellow boaters while others live on South Palmetto Avenue. Speaking of meeting people, it has been rather hard to here on E-dock. Most of the other residents are working, so they are not around much.
Around 8:30 there was another Starlink launch. With the sun over the horizon, the sky was darkening, but the contrail and vapor trail from the boosters were lit, making for a very memorable launch.
The launch, booster separation, the vapor trail and boosters returning to earth,
Made more dynamic by the illumination from the sun well below the visible horizon
Sunday, 5/19/24 ~ We headed over to the beach. It doesn’t pay for us to get a day permit to drive onto the beach. We wouldn’t be there long enough to justify the $20 daily fee. Instead, we decided to explore the Pier. We were very fortunate to find a close spot right on the street. That way we paid by the hour ($1) rather than for an entire day ($30) for a parking lot. With Tillie in tow, we headed to check out the beaches by the pier. Once again we were very fortunate. Joe’s Crab Shack is on the Pier, but so is the fishing pier, which is further out. To get to the fishing, one walks through the covered area north and adjacent to the restaurant. There are high-top tables and chairs for overflow AND they are in the covered, shady area. It allows for a great view of the beach and boardwalk to the north. We sat there for the better part of an hour, Tillie was thrilled not only with the cool shade, but with the many people who walked by, and of course, said hello!
Views from the Pier
Views of the Honkytonk near the Pier
Thursday, 5/23/24 ~ I had hoped to catch the Starlink launch around sunset, my favorite time to watch, but it had been delayed. Being preoccupied, I only remembered the launch at T-2 minutes and quickly headed out to the dock. Since it was spontaneous, I had my phone. Little did I realize that the delay allowed the full moon to rise. . . to the perfect spot! The rocket began its assent, then began to arc over the Atlantic . . . and then crossed in front of the full moon! There were a group of people on the dock by Mama Foo Foo’s Restaurant. They cheered on the launch and expressed their energetic hoots of approval when the rocket crossed with the moon. My hand-held phone on a floating dock couldn’t do it the justice such a photo deserved, but I am so pleased I captured the essence of the moment! It was spectacular to see.
Starlink's trajectory crosses the full moon, but unfortunately the moon was too bright!
Friday, 5/24/24 ~ I worked on my photos from last night. It took a while to process the 30 or so photos. There are 4 that tell the best of the story. Pete was even more excited than me with the results.
Pete spent most of the day, setting the TV up with Wi-Fi for the Netflix, Disney and Stars programming. We can no longer hook the box up to our phones to watch. It can only be done through the TV. This should increase things we can watch in the evening.
I took Tillie for a walk in the late afternoon along South Palmetto. It was a great opportunity to photograph some of the great architecture of homes built in the 20's through the 50's. There were other photo ops as well.
Week 4 ~
Memorial Day Weekend ~ We had little planned. The temps were forecasted to be in the mid to high 90’s inland with only slightly cooler temps here along the shore. Thankfully, the humidity remained low and the breezes increased in the afternoon. We spent time at the dog park. 9:30 am seems to be the prime time for a core group of about 10 dogs. The dogs, and people too, get along well. If Tillie didn’t come home needing a bath each time, we would probably go more often. So yes, Tillie also had her bath this weekend.
Some of Tillie's new friends
Speaking of Tillie, she has become a pro at cooperating with us as we de-burr her hair. She is still bringing home 4-8 of the ¼ inch prickly burrs and heaven only knows how many of the green, “velcro” seed pods. Even after checking, we are still finding some on the area rugs.
Driving past the beach front hotels/condos, we noticed the lots were much fuller than other summer weekends. The parking by the beach access was also noticeably fuller. Part is definitely the holiday weekend, but also, schools had their final day on Friday. I’m sure the beaches will see a significant increase in activity.
Before heading home, we drove to the other side of 95 to find the location of the the Daytona Flea and Farmer’s Market. It has good reviews, and as we passed, Pete and I returned to our childhoods. Not far from our homes in north Jersey, was Franky’s Market. A bunch of small buildings interconnected with stalls offering all sorts of things, from fresh breads, produce & meats, snow cones and rides for kids, to tools, clothing and toys, and everything in between. We will be back without Tillie to explore on a cooler weekend.
We did make a stop at Walmart for a few items. I was shocked when I looked for men’s underwear. It is now under lock and key. An attendant needed to get me my items, AND escort me to the checkout!
We read, or I should say, watch and sometimes read while in the cockpit. Lots of folks on the Freedom Boats came back rather pink. We have acquired a mesh tarp from the owner selling his boat. It works perfectly, reducing the heat and direct sunlight into the cockpit, but still allowing the breeze.
A number of folks we have spoken to have recommended McK’s Tavern and Brewery, not far from the marina. On Wednesdays and Sundays, they offer the $5 hamburger with $1.50 per fixin’s. We checked it out. The hamburger was delicious, but even better were the Irish Eggrolls. Hot, crunchy eggrolls stuffed with delicious, corned beef, Swiss cheese, and slaw are served with 1000 Island dipping sauce. YUM, YUM and YUM!!! As great as the burgers were, I might just have the Irish Eggrolls for dinner next time!
PT is going very well. There has been a great improvement in just 3 weeks. I was concerned with scheduling future appointments with me leaving for NJ in 2 weeks, but Liv is not concerned. She feels that I will probably graduate from therapy by then as I have improved so much.
We have had some very interesting cruisers that have stayed near us.
Both water and land cruisers
Of course, there has been a few pretty sunsets. Most have been cloudless and rather unremarkable.
I can't believe we are already entering June. Stay cool and safe!
~ ~ ~ / ) ~ ~ K & P
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