Since we really enjoyed the Crockpot Lasagna, I made the Sausage Casserole in the crock pot. Another winner!
The day started out warm, still and humid. However, a nice breeze developed and humidity dropped, which made sitting in the cockpit great for reading.
It was too fine a morning not to take advantage. Zsa Zsa and I did about a 2-mile walk. Temperatures were great. The breezes were nice, but unfortunately, the humidity was slightly elevated. Once home, it took quite a while to cool down.
in Stuart. We used them for the parts and pieces we needed for the large, outboard engine we put on the back of PEKABU last spring. Pete spent Saturday cleaning the spark plugs and other “thing-a-ma-jigs” on the 10-horse that sits on the dinghy. Since it was bought 6 years ago, it hasn’t had the fuel pump or the fuel filter replaced. It was kinda overdue. Pete was able to order the parts, but they won’t be in until Friday. It was a good thing he lifted the dinghy up on the davits. We’re expecting rain on and off for the next couple of days.
Last Friday, ZsaZsa asked if anybody wanted to go out for pizza on Monday night. She wanted to head over to
located on the Hutchinson Island Causeway near the laundromat we use. Mike, Melissa, ZsaZsa, Ian, Pete and I had a great dinner. We each ordered our own pies and of course, guess who has wonderful leftovers?! It was a great night! Though we talked about many things, it was time once again to see about another Taco Tuesday. So guess I know what my next project will be.
Truly magnificent! Traffic moved nicely and I arrived at Ann’s in Delray Beach in about 2 1/2 hours, which was great. I got to see her new home, which is lovely. Then we decided to grab lunch at
Poppy’s. You can always count on their salads being outrageous. I love their tuna and egg salads, served over lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cucumbers. I always pass on the green peppers - yuck! Too bad they weren’t red! We had a great time catching up. After lunch, we didn’t want it to end, so we headed back to her house and sat out on the porch and enjoyed this great weather. Floridians and we, “Snow Birds,” have waited so long for the good weather to return this season! My ride home was not quite the same as heading south. There was very heavy traffic. Numerous periods of stop and go.
Once back in Ft Pierce, I stopped at my pharmacy for the three prescriptions, but they could not find one of them. They actually went through all of the bins and still couldn’t find it. After 25 minutes, I suggested having the morning crew go through everything again and I’ll pick it up late tomorrow. Then, it was home and a light dinner.
Late last week, Pete had made an appointment with the rigger for 1 o’clock today. He didn’t show until two. He evaluated the sail furling system for the jib and found that in one section of the lower drum, the plastic ball bearings had crushed. This is why we have such a hard time pulling it out. A new system will be around 4-grand (yup, that $4000!) Seventeen minutes! That was the total time he was aboard and the bill was $200. Yea, I know, I forgot: “it’s a boat!” Pete did an internet search and found a new barrel for the system with new bearings for $211! He went to purchase it and suddenly there was a $257 shipping charge since it would come from Canada! Needless to say, he did not purchase that. He did some more investigations and looked at the website for our current system, Schaeffer 1200, and contacted them. They said that because the system is in high demand, they do upgrades and redesign over time, BUT they try to keep as much standardized as possible. So yes, even though our system is 20 years old, they still have the lower drum that fits our unit! Their website has a video that is extremely comprehensive and easy to follow, step-by-step for replacing the unit. I guess I know which new project will go on Pete’s to-do-list now!
Thursday, 3/5/26 ~ |
End of the road meets the
dumped sand |
I was able to speak with Barbara and Chrissy today. We set up and date and now look forward to seeing each other next Wednesday for lunch at
The Sunrise Café. It’s been well over a year since the last time the three of us got together. I’m sure there will be no lull in the conversation.
First thing this morning, the pharmacy called. My prescription was found!
We took a ride over to the Jetty and the temporary replenishment of the beach has started.
Friday, 3/6/26 ~ Zsa Zsa and I walked almost 3 miles this morning. Temps were in the mid 70’s (good!), clear skies (pretty), breezes out of the east at 12 (perfect), and high humidity (yucky!) Cooling down took forever.
Pete was hoping that the parts that were ordered for the outboard engine would be in. Unfortunately, when he called around noon, their delivery hadn’t yet arrived. We were told that they would call us if the part came in, otherwise it’ll probably be in on Monday. It’s a very good thing Pete decided to do this in advance of our departure, which unfortunately is like three weeks away. Boo who! Didn’t we just arrive here in Ft Pierce?!
Since he didn’t have to pick up the engine parts, I was the “go-fer” while Pete traced down bathroom leak to faucet’s coupling for the shower wand. He found and repaired it pretty quick.
Saturday, 3/7/26 ~
It was another beautiful day. Temperatures are in the mid-70s, with humidity still a little bit elevated and breezes were out of the southeast at 12 to 15. Very comfortable weather. Once back from our walk, I tried to work on processing photos, but again, I got that funky parade of circles on the computer, so I closed her down and let her sleep for a while.
Instead, we headed up to the dog park in Vero Beach. Zsa Zsa backed off, feeling it was a little too hot and humid, so Pete and I went with Tillie. Initially, the parking lot was just about full. There must’ve been 40 or 50 dogs in the large enclosure. There were two huge Bernie doodles, one was 100 pounds. The other was 90. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by two more that were in the 60-to-70-pound weight class. It was funny seeing five different sizes for the same breed prancing around. It was remarkable, once noon arrived, the dogs, the people, and the cars all disappeared! There were three of us still in that huge enclosure. Tilly was content to just look around and periodically venture and explore when she felt like it, only to return if another dog was receiving our attention. She actually jumped onto Pete’s lap when a large Ridgeback returned for more attention. Tillie laid claim to her person by taking the highest ground. Sorry, I mean “lap!”
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| Lots of BernieDoodles |
We left around 2 and grabbed a quick bite to eat. This morning, the car wash was backed up a good 15 cars. Apparently, their system is down and they manually entering stuff. This time there was no wait. After the car was cleaned, we picked up a couple of items at Publix and came home ready for dinner. ZsaZsa made and shared some of her Bahamian rice and peas with us. She says it’s one of her favs, and we agree.
Unfortunately, today was not a good day to work on the BLOG. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll have better luck. We will see….
Sunday, 3/8/26 ~
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| Tillie's new viewing spot |
We slept late this morning. Last night, we sprung forward for Daylight Savings Time. Pete’s watch and the wall clock are the only ones that need to be manually changed. The cell phones, computers, and the WiFi TV all change automatically, which is really cool. . .and convenient! Plus, it was a gorgeous day to sit up above with temp in the 70s, breezes out of the south at 12, with gusts a little bit higher. After Pete gave the dog her bath, we spent some time reading. She kept wandering to view under the docks and bark at the large fish, who chased other fish for their lunch. We had a yellow tail chasing the mullets around our boat. They make a hell of a racket and a splash!
 |
Cobia traveling the
"Shade Highway"
under the docks |
All the work Pete did to decalcify our water system helped, but only for about a week. The faucets have “snuckered up” again. Thankfully, I had taken one of Jenn’s extra mason jars that her brand of tomato sauce comes in. It has a mouth wide enough and jar deep enough to submerge the faucet head into. Needless to say, Pete’s going back for some more vinegar in hopes of getting this resolved permanently. I keep my fingers crossed.
While sitting in the cockpit, I happened to be looking West towards the Freedom Boats docks. I saw a truck pulling an open console fishing boat, that was about 20 foot long. He was heading north and apparently ignored the signs that the road was closed. He had to do a U-turn using Freedom’s parking lot and part of the construction site, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. He had to back up, go forward, then back up again. In the process, there was a tremendous grinding sound. The outboard engines must’ve done some damage to one of Freedom’s customer’s vehicles in the parking lot, Shortly thereafter, the Freedom crew was inspecting the vehicles and making phone calls. The police arrived as well as a fire department. I guess that poor judgment has probably killed the great feelings everyone was enjoying on such a beautiful day.
Monday, 3/9/26 ~
After walking with Chrissy this morning, Pete was ready to start grooming Tillie. Between the hair, the doggy smell and the sweat from the walk and holding Tillie, I couldn’t wait to take a shower.
After lunch we read in the cockpit for a couple of hours until I needed to prep my contributions for Taco Night.
Once the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, and Spanish rice was ready, we headed up to the pavilion for Taco Night. Though small in attendees (about 10) there was plenty of great food. Zsa Zsa brought 3 containers of ice cream for dessert, while George brought the sprinkles and whipped cream. Boy-O-Boy, did eat well and the Ice Cream Sundaes . . . were the perfect dessert! Thanks Zsa Zsa!
Tuesday, 3/10/26 ~
Overnight, one of my migraines made an ugly appearance. The morning brought on the “loggie-in-the poggies,” as my Mom was fond of saying.
I completely forgot lunch with Barb and Chrissy until Pete mentioned it around 9 AM. I was planning to head back to bed. Instead, I made myself presentable. I had a great time at Sunrise Cafe with Christie and Barb. We had a lot of catching up. We did our best to cover most of it, but we all agreed we should do this again before Barb and I head north. It was great to see both of them doing so well.
Wednesday, 3/11/26 ~
It was another gorgeous Florida day, but I spent it down below, working on the blog all day. I have everything written and now I just need to start processing my photos. It really is a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth it to capture the memories.
Pete and Tillie were able to pick up the ordered parts for servicing the outboard engine. I know what he will be doing tomorrow.
Thursday, 3/12/26 ~
As much as I wanted to work on the BLOG, it was another one of those great Florida days. I refuse to spend it down below. It was a great day to sit up above and read.
Pete waited until the dinghy was in the shade so that he could finish the tune up on the outboard engine.
While he was busy, I ran to Walmart to pick up a couple of things we needed.
I am trying to collect as many sunsets as possible. The 4-storied, multipurpose developement known as "King's Landing" has finally begun constructions and soon these views will be gone! Friday, 3/13/26 ~ The day started out overcast, with temperatures in the low 70s. It was a great day to just hang out in the cockpit and read. Pete took advantage of that. I remained down below and processed photos for most of the day. By 5 PM, I did get my photos posted into the blog. Now I just need to let it sit overnight review it the last time and finally post.
Saturday, 3/14/26 ~ Another picture-perfect day to head over to the Farmers Market. Temps are in the low 70s, breezes out of the east at 10, big fluffy clouds and lots of friendly people at the market. Once again, we enjoyed the apple cider donuts for breakfast. Yum! A quick stop at the office for our mail and we headed on home. Once back I reviewed the blog and before noon, I finally got her posted. Yay!
St. Paddy’s Day was celebrated on 2nd Street. The attendance was low, probably due to the pop-up storms, which wound up splitting around Ft Pierce.
Sunday, 3/15/26 ~ We headed out to the inlet mid-afternoon, even though it was cloudy. It is still one of our favorite places to sit and watch, people, boats, dogs, and everything else around. As predicted, heavy rains later arrived around 4:30. We made it home before the downpours arrived. The weather forecasters predicted the possibility of some pretty narly storms, which primarily traveled north of us, but there was a tornado warning about 10 miles southeast of Ft Pierce.
Pete has a bad sinus headache. It is probably due to the bad head cold he has had for the past 10 days along with the barometric pressure from the storms around us. He took Advil and Sudafed in the hopes of breaking it.
Since I was bored, I inventoried food stuff in our “pantry” locker (Pete’s seat on the starboard side of the salon) as well as the galley cabinets. This will enable me to come up with a provisioning list for our departure – which is less than 2 weeks away! We plan on leaving on April 6, weather permitting. This year we will be the first time we will be leaving the dock before any of the others! Mike and Melissa will leave around the 8th, Zsa Zsa and Robert on the 9th and Dave and Diane, on Monday, the 13th.
Monday, 3/16/26 ~ Since the cabinets are done as of this morning, I decided to defrost the fridge & freezer, which also helps in my inventory. They really needed it! The “baby steps” leading up to our departure.
Tuesday, 3/17/26 ~ |
| Ms Patio O'Furniture |
Pete is under the weather with that bad head cold that has worked its way around I-dock.
Being St Paddy’s Day, of course I had to make our favorite Crockpot Corn Beef and Veggies. This is the first time that the meat didn’t shrink to ½ its initial size. It was also leaner than previous ones, enabling it to maintain its shape rather than fall apart and still be tender and tasty.
While Pete napped waiting for the Advil to kick in, I cleaned salon. More steps of my pre cruise departure routine.
My dear friend, Carolyn, dressed up for her alter ego, "Patty O'Furniture," to make the rounds with her friends. Yes! She is a real character, with a passion for making people smile, but also a great, caring, and loving long-time friend.
I met with Chrissy at the
George La Strange Preserve to walk about in the nature preserve. Lots of photo ops even though the rain was always threatening.
Fungi, Norway Spruce pine cones, seed pods, Periwinkle, and Indicum flowers
Wednesday, 3/18/26 ~ Chrissy and I had good intentions of walking here in Fort Pierce this morning. Unfortunately, she accidentally locked her keys in car. After waiting about 25 minutes for the locksmith, we were only able to walk around parking lot before the rains came.
 |
ZsaZsa captured her pups,
Becky and Lana,
perfectly! |
It was a great morning to take the dogs, Abby, Lana and Tillie, to the dog park. Temps were in the low 70’s & winds out of the north at 20 with higher gusts. Tillie and Lana both had lots of puppy power!
Once back, we met Brian, Amy, & Captain (SV RENA) for lunch at
Cobb’s. Another enjoyable and delicious lunch with great friends. They hope to leave in the next day or two, heading over to West End in the Bahamas. After lunch, the guys headed back to their boats. While Amy, Captain & I headed to Publix for their last-minute provisioning. Then, to the vet for Captains medical/health certification and clearance for the Bahamas. We then headed out to Jetty Park. Brian came via dinghy to retrieve Amy, Captain and all the groceries. It was a real challenge to return to SV RENA with the winds out of the north at 24 with gusts to 36! They hope to leave for The Bahamas on Monday.
Friday, 3/20/26 ~
Pete drove Brian to Enterprise first thing this morning. Brian needed the car to drive to Fort Lauderdale for parts that were ordered for the water maker. The last things they need before their departure should arrive tomorrow under our name at the marina office.
Pete tried to read up above, but this cold is really taking its toll. I hibernated due to migraine. A totally “do nothing but try to relax” day.
Saturday, 3/21/26 ~
We headed over to the Farmer’s Market. This morning’s breakfast was Reggie Bowls: ham, onion & cheese omelet with home fries.
Breakfast prep and some of the fresh veggies around the market
We met Amy, Brian & Captain while there. They are still waiting for Amazon packages to arrive at the marina office. One of the large packages is a freezer. Once received, Amy has a final grocery list that I might be able to help with the transport. We’ll see.
They very generously, gave us their anti-bark collar. Unfortunately, it is automatic. We need to control it, so we need an E-collar that comes with a remote. Tillie is still a bit of a “Wild Child!”
Sunday, 3/22/26 ~
Pete’s head cold is so bad, he opted to skip the IDPA match this morning.
I had hoped to catch the Space-X Launch from here at the marina. Its trajectory will take it off to the north. Between the clouds and the angle, I could not see anything.
For the past couple of days, a large manatee has been sleeping/drifting in the marina. Today, we saw a mom and baby, as well as 3 others from the “herd” hangin' in the south basin by Cobb’s. Diane, Melissa and I were walking over to catch to Water Tiki Taxi. We were heading over to SH Harbortown Marina’s Skipper’s Cove Restaurent for lunch. Thought it would be novel to take the water route instead of the roads. It was a beautiful day for a ride on the water. Unfortunately, Diane needed to head back to our marina before we were seated. Melissa and I enjoyed the ride, the meal, the conversation and of course, the friendship. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
Signage ~ can be a work of art . . . or just plain fun!Speaking of fun, Ian was having fun catching the wind in his sails, until the winds died.
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Mike took the photo of Melissa, me and Diane before heading to the Tiki Taxi.
Melissa and AI worked their magic to make this great caractature.
She added Maggie, Tillie and Coco to make it perfect! |
Once back, the talk of the marina was of the large (7-8 foot), alligator that swam through the marina by the
Freedom Boats. Wally Harris videotaped it and put it up on Facebook. This is a screen shot from the video.
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| Night decends on a busy and fun day! |
Monday, 3/23/26 ~ We still have no takers for the Potluck Dinner on Thursday here in the north side of marina other than we I-Dockers. If there are no additional takers, the sign-up sheet will be taken down tomorrow. We will do a modified taco night instead with our usual “suspects.”
Tuesday, 3/24/26 ~ We were up & out early for appointment with cardiologist in Miami, 3 hours away without traffic. Unfortunately, I set my alarm 45 minutes later than planned, so it was a bit crazy to get about 20 minutes later than planned. The good news was that we were 45 minutes early for the appointment. The doctor has always taken as much time as needed with patients. I can appreciate it even if it means another 40 minutes AFTER my appointment for me to be seen. Labs & new pacemaker doing great, but a stress test will be schedule as a precaution before we leave.
Made it to Howie’s by 4. During a great dinner at
Jack’s, we discussed plans for tomorrow. We head for Key West around 7:30 tomorrow morning. Howie was able to reserve a lunch table outdoor for
Stantiago’s Bodega, then we will check out the sites. On on the road back to Delray, we plan to stop at
Gilbert’s near the top of The Keys for dinner. We’ll spend the night at Howie’s then head back to Ft Pierce on Thursday.
I forgot to mention that Pete still has substantial sinus pressure from his cold, and I awoke this morning to a scratchy throat. That sore throat blossomed by afternoon into a good head cold. I am sure a few drugs along with sunshine mild temps, beautiful breezes, and, well, Key West should be the perfect elixir, right?!
Wednesday, 3/25/26 ~ Well, once again, the best made plans. . . . I didn’t get much sleep between sneezing and coughing. The 4-hour trip each way won’t make things better! It was hard telling Howie we needed to head back to Ft Pierce rather than Key West. We were all looking forward to it.
Once back at the marina, I was able to nap. With all the coughing, Pete pulled the intercostal muscles on the right side. He also couldn’t get warm and the doozie of a sinus headache wouldn’t lessen. Around 9 pm we checked. He was running a fever. It’s probably a sinus infection.
Thursday, 3/26/26 ~ I feel a bit better this morning, though sleeping was still a problem. Pete headed to an Urgent Care, where his self-diagnosis was confirmed. He’s now on antibiotics and a Z-Pack.
Both of us took naps before meeting with the rest of our dock mates for Taco Night at the pavilion. Dinner was delicious and enjoyable, but no one stayed very long after dinner. It is hard to believe that this was our last dinner of the season. We, “Snowbirds” will begin heading north in 10 days, with all 6 of us gone in less than 2-weeks!
Friday, 3/27/26 ~ We are both really “under the weather’ with these colds. It was a day to lay low. My big accomplishment for the day was to make prep list for pre departure, then read a little. Pete is very uncomfortable and subdued. We saved our energy so that we could meet Marilyn & Jon at VBYC for a delicious dinner of crab cakes and great company!
<-- Canopied street leading to the Vero Beach Yacht Club
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| Another beautiful sunset for the memory book! |
Saturday, 3/28/26 ~ Due to our colds, we passed on
The Farmer's Market today. A cold front is approaching from the North, bringing rain and strong winds. It arrived around 9 pm. Though increasing all day, the winds were 25 with gusts predicted to be up to 40! The deluge arrived around 9:30. We didn’t know that Mike & Melissa were out for the evening. We would have closed their boat if we did. Windows and hatches were all opened. Everything was saturated by the time they returned.
Sunday, 3/29/26 ~ Pete ran a few errands after checking the inventory of the items in the sugar spoon. On Tuesday, he will do an oil change and check the transmission for changing gears and rpms, which is currently very stiff.
I decided to clean all the windows, window wells and screens and lubricate the gaskets around the windows. I was shocked just how much dirt and dust collected on the inside of the windows as well as have collected on the shades. Of course, after scrubbing the screens in the shower, the entire head needed a good cleaning too!
The predicted winds have arrived. The boat be a rockin'!
We headed to bed around 9 due to the alarm set for 5:15 tomorrow morning.
Monday, 3/30/26 ~ I had set the alarm for 5:45 last night. I realized before bed that we needed to be up by 5:15 and on our way by 6:15 am. Thank heavens, clothing was laid out, food prepared for Pete and Tillie and stuff needed already in bag. I forgot to hit the check mark once I entered the earlier time. Hence, we woke was a start at 6. We were in the car 40 minutes later, but 25 minutes late!
Traffic was typically stop & go in various areas due to commuter traffic. We arrived 10 minutes later for my appointment at 9:45. The stress test when as planned. Thankfully, this time there was no running involved. Medication was used to challenge the heart; brief, but slightly uncomfortable. I was given regular coffee to counter the medication & headache that followed. I was out by 12:15. Pete and Tillie waited in the car and a number of heavy showers came through while they waited, and also as we traveled north.
We picked up Chinese from
Hunan Gardens for our “linner.” They have great food and we also have delicious leftovers! We made it home by 5ish and not very hungry.
There was a beautiful rainbow to welcome us back to Ft Pierce. The hibiscus survived and are in bloom!
Pete is very wiped out by this cold/sinus infection/and possible flu. Walking causes chest tightness, coughing and dizziness. Melissa, ZsaZsa and I just had run of the mill head colds. Mike and Pete have had their kiesters kicked and it is staying around much longer than we ladies experienced.
Tuesday, 3/31/26 ~ I had my final hair color and cut appointment this morning. Then I went to the
Post Office in Stuart to return the home monitoring system for my old pacemaker. My fancy new pacemaker can do it all through my phone! Then it was on to
WAWA. I was getting a message on the car dashboard that air was needed in the tires. They are currently reading between 27-30 pounds on all 4 tires. They need to be at 32! Done! “Bio” break and to the to the deli counter to order my shorty sandwich, soda and chips for the $6.99 Deal!
Once home, I returned a bunch of phone calls. Carolyn checking to seeing how we both were are doing, Chrissy regarding walking, Hillary from the Cardiologist’s office to tell me that “everything looks good from yesterday’s stress test.”
Pete still having shortness of breath while walking & coughing. He thinks it could be a side effect from the Z-Pack and antibiotic or possible pneumonia? Z-pack done tomorrow.
While I was out, he checked the engine oil, transmission fluid and went to start engine only to hear a HORRIFIC grinding sounds. Mike, ZsaZsa and Dave all came out to check out the noise. Might it be the starter? He immediately shut down and called Pedro. His son was here by noon. Metal flakes in engine, main engine bearing appears misaligned! The engine rebuilder immediately returned Pete’s call. They will make things right & work with Pedro’s crew. Looks like we will be here for a while! Needless to say, we are not happy campers. WE CAN’T MAKE THIS $#IT UP!!! The only bright spot is that it happened in a safe, secure area with a great mechanic we completely trust.
