There are crews working hard, 24/7, with the heavy machinery, that have opened up a new, temporary and shallow channel, which required Greg’s crew to place the navigation aids to assist with the marine traffic movement. This is not deep enough to support the large, heavy ships, but enables the movement of some of the backlogged ships in and out of the harbor, which is a plus. Once the bridge structure is removed, the Dali then can be removed, widening the main channel for safer passage of the largest ships.
After last week’s unplanned “doggie overboard” drill due to going for a swim while attempting to play with Maggie, Tilly has developed an ear infection The vet diagnosed a yeast infection and treated the ear with medication. We should be good to go from here on out.
Once back from the vet, I headed out for my walk when I noticed a woman sitting crossed legged on one of the finger piers in the creek. She was using her phone to follow something in the water. As I was watching, a surface disturbance typical of a manatee occurred below her. I headed over to get a better look. There were actually two adults and two babes, but they never emerged at the same time. It was fun to watch. It’s been a while since we’ve seen manatees in creek. I imagine each year, less and less manatees come to the creek. The old power station that closed almost a decade ago, no longer supplies warm water that the manatees seek in the colder weather.
Manatees do not arch or jump like dolphins. They tend to glide just below the surface.
You will see the nostrils emerge and usually part of the back before diving deeper underwater.
As we departed ways I noticed an iridescence cirrus cloud to our South West.
Friday, 4/5/24 ~ We were surprised to learn this morning that there was an earthquake in NJ. The following is from Reuters News Service:
The quake's epicenter was in Tewksbury in central New Jersey, about 40 miles west of New York City. It occurred just after 10:20 a.m. ET at a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles), the USGS said. No major damage was reported, but engineering teams were inspecting roads and bridges. This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century.
People from Baltimore to Boston reported feeling rumbling and shaking, with some running outside to try to detect the source. A resident in the Bronx borough of New York, said the quake felt "like a violent rumble that lasted about 30 seconds or so." "It was kind of like being in a drum circle, that vibration." At the United Nations in midtown Manhattan, the Save the Children CEO abruptly stopped addressing the Security Council on the Israel-Gaza conflict as cameras began shuddering. "You're making the ground shake," Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour quipped.
Earthquakes in the eastern U.S. are felt across a far broader area because the bedrock is much older and harder, transferring seismic energy more easily, according to the USGS. The rocks in the western U.S. are younger and contain more faults that absorb earthquake energy.
Our family in the tri-state area felt the ground shake. The intensity was dependent on their location from the epicenter. It was only a couple miles from my sister, Deneen. Her office was near the epicenter, where everyone said everything shook for what seemed an eternity, but she missed it all. She’s in Tampa on a work assignment.
It was thrilling to see the launch of Delta IV from Cocoa Beach. It was the 2nd attempt, and we were concerned that we might make the trip the 2nd time and have the mission scrubbed due to weather. The wind was blowing and the sky was overcast, but thankfully things cleared and settled down enough to get the lunch up of the last Delta IV rocket. This is the first time I felt the vibrations from the thrust of the engines, and heard the loud rumbles even though we were 8 miles from the launch pad! Pete was quick to remind me that it is nothing like the Saturn rockets used on the shuttle flights.
The watchers
The Main Event and the remaining contrail
At some point in the future, may be next year, we hope to see the Artemis launch, which will be a substantial, thunderous, loud and vibrating sonic thriller. It is much larger than the Saturn rocket. SpaceX (Elon Musk) has a space port in Texas that is testing and launching of Starship. The Starship-Super Heavy system is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built. It will have 28 raptor engines with 16.7 million pounds of thrust to Saturn V 5-F1s which has 7.6 million pounds of thrust! No! We won’t be traveling to Texas just for that.
Tuesday, 4/9/24 ~ We had a good excuse to gather for docktails last night. Today, we said good-bye to Diane, Dave and Coco before they head home. It is always a sad time, but we are so fortunate to have such a great core-group of friends here on I-Dock. We have also been lucky with the new friends who have joined us for shorter periods of time.
Wednesday, 4/8/9 ~ Day of The Solar Eclipse ~ The area of total darkness crossed Texas, beginning at 12:23, then onto Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, before ending at 4:40 pm. From start to finish in a specific locale, it took about 2½ hours, but totality begins and ends in 4 minutes. NASA had a live stream from the major cities.
Tuesday, 4/9/24 ~ We had a good excuse to gather for docktails last night. Today, we said good-bye to Diane, Dave and Coco before they head home. It is always a sad time, but we are so fortunate to have such a great core-group of friends here on I-Dock. We have also been lucky with the new friends who have joined us for shorter periods of time.
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| Path of the total eclipse |
Different shots taken during the live broadcasts from NASA.
The coronal ejections are noticeable during the full eclipse.
The cool photo to the right was taken by our daughter, Heather, in SE Pennsylvania,
We spotted this car southbound on 95 returning from the eclipse encounter,
and a NASA photo of the eclipse with enhanced sun activity
I so enjoy my walks with Barbara. We talk about anything and everything while walking 2-3 miles each time. Of course, there are also the photo ops followed by a great lunch. We are both going to miss these over the summer.
Heron with a Needle Fish, some Jersey Lilies and Bayhops
The feathers on the fence post are now worse for ware, but the view of Indian River never gets old
Rose, Geiger Tree and Baybean flowers
Driftwood and close-up of Rose
Juvenile Horseshoe Crab washed onto the beach and tracks left behind by some living unknown
Historical photo plaques on the bank located on Indian River Drive
Sunday, 4/14/24 ~ Michael, SV ELAN, helped a friend bring boat to Annapolis. Both George and Mike are well seasoned and SV SEABIRD is very well equipped. They headed north on the ICW around noon. After dinner, they went through the Cape Canaveral lock. The weather window was perfect for an ocean jump. They made great time using the Gulf Stream, sometimes cruising at 14 knots, but the winds were only sporadically helpful. We were able to tract them up to the Savannah area via their AIS on the Marine Traffic App. After that, they were too far offshore for it to be picked up. Unfortunately, they didn’t set up the Sat phone they rented prior to departure. As a result, both Barb and George’s son were very concerned for 3 days without any contact. Thankfully, they were able to speak with them as they approached the Norfolk area. They were amazed to count 34 boats waiting in the Port Charles anchorage. Further up the Bay, they encountered very dense fog, which is unusual for this time of the year. Both men enjoyed the 6-day ocean cruise and 2 days up the bay to Annapolis.
Thursday, 4/11/24 ~ It was another Taco Dive lunch with Marilyn and Jon. We enjoy each other’s company and there is always something to talk about. The food isn’t bad either! We might have to wait until November for our next Taco Dive visit, but with Daytona just 2 hours away, I am sure we will arrange time together.
Friday, 4/12/24 ~ We enjoyed dinner at Skipper’s Cove with Robin & John, who had a windy but good time in the Bahamas. Afterwards, we were invited aboard SV STORYTELLER for drinks. They head north to the Chesapeake in a few days.
We have visited the dog park in Vero Beach a number of times. Tillie gets so excited. Everything is thoroughly sniffed, and friends greeted. She apparently needs to rest quite frequently. She loves to herd them as they get nearer. Once home, it is bath time followed by a long nap.
Some of Tillie's new friends
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| The real No-See-Um! |
With my cardiologist in Miami, we have been dropping Tillie at a doggie day care at Barkingham Palace in Delray Beach on our way down. She is excited when we arrive, then a bit timid when she enters into the room with the other large dogs, but she quickly settles in. She is totally exhausted once she gets back into the car to return home.
After much discussion, we made the decision to stay in Florida. It is a chance to experience the summer here in Fl. Halifax Harbor is considered a hurricane marina, as it has a narrow entrance to the basin, condos surround the southern and western sides. Though we are about a ½ mile from the ocean, there is a barrier island, a narrow section of the Indian River before you get to the land barrier area east of the marina. The staff is nice and the area has much to offer. We are looking forward to exploring. When viewing the historical info on the summer weather for this area, the temps and humidity are the same as on the Chesapeake. Sun intensity is stronger, the occurrence of storms and showers are more and the winds here are much more prevalent. We shall see. . . .
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| PEKABU on M-Dock |
Returning from my appointment in Miami we had this beautiful sunset over 95
Sunsets from M-Dock
Wednesday, 4/13/24 ~ We had a couple of windy days, with winds of 28 and gusts near 40 mph. This afternoon, here in the marina on C-Dock, a large catamaran attempted to dock near the pedestrian bridge. Unfortunately, the wind and the current took control. The catamaran was forced into piling area, bridge and ramp numerous times, breaking 2 large windows on the cabin. He had to tie up by the fuel area until the winds subsided.
A few days later on Facebook, Wavy Boats YouTube posted video of an 80+foot Azimuth trying to pass under Haulover canal in North Miami area. Unfortunately too late, the captain realized he had insufficient bridge clearance. In an attempt to avoid the bridge, he tried backing up with no luck. Then he attempted to turn around. The wind and current pushed him sideways. They hit the bridge fenders, poking holes into the forward port side and causing a major hull compromise well above the waterline.
A few days later on Facebook, Wavy Boats YouTube posted video of an 80+foot Azimuth trying to pass under Haulover canal in North Miami area. Unfortunately too late, the captain realized he had insufficient bridge clearance. In an attempt to avoid the bridge, he tried backing up with no luck. Then he attempted to turn around. The wind and current pushed him sideways. They hit the bridge fenders, poking holes into the forward port side and causing a major hull compromise well above the waterline.
Sunday, 4/21/24 ~ Oysterfest, which was Mike and Melissa’s final show for the Florida season, was held over in Riverside Park was held this weekend. The weather cooperated with warm temps and cooling breezes. Tillie and I walked over on Sunday. Saturday was busy, but Sunday was extremely quiet. Apparently, there were numerous fairs/markets, including Stuart and Vero Beach.
"Dad, you're clear!" Dessert Rose Mexican Morning Glories
Red Hibiscus and yellow Plumeria
Monday, 4/22/24 ~ I cleaned the aft cabin thoroughly hoping to find the radar detector, but unfortunately, no detector. I will be working my way through the boat, continuing the thorough cleaning …and reorganizing. I usually rush to get it done before cruising north, but as our cruise will only be 3 days, I will be doing it at a more leisurely pace.
Tuesday, 4/23/24 ~ We had great news from the cardiologist. Somehow, my stress test showed improvement with the conductivity in the damaged ventricle since the last in 2021!
Wednesday, 4/24/24 ~ In the past week, we made time to have pizza at 2nd Street Bistro with Melissa and Mike. It was a great evening, even with the temperature dropping into the high 60’s accompanied by a strong north wind. Their pizzas are about 14 inches and great to bring extras home for a second meal. Then we opted for a final good-bye dinner at Cobb’s. Melissa, Mike and Maggie left this morning. Barb and Mike head out tomorrow and we leave on Monday. Rick will leave at the end of May. I know all of us will be counting down until we return in November.
Gary & Patty, SV RAPSODY, are our neighbors here on M-Dock and Tillies’ new best friends. Today they began their leisurely trek to St. Augustine to meet up with granddaughter. She will sail north to Deltaville with them. Tillie will miss them. Patty always had a pocket full of treats while Gary made sure he said "hi" to Tillie anytime he was off the boat.
Friday, 4/26/24 ~ After breakfast, I went for a walk around town. The Crayola 100-Year Anniversary has been celebrated in town by having people decorate wooden crayons and the best are posted by the Riverwalk and as I found out this morning, also by the marina office. Exhibited were some very talented and very creative designs. They were great photo opportunities as well. The following was written about Edwin Binney, founder of Crayola among other notable accomplishments. Gregory Enns wrote it for the local publication, Indian River Magazine:
Besides inventing Crayola Crayons for generations of school children throughout the world, businessman and philanthropist Edwin Binney also left a huge imprint on the Treasure Coast by opening the Fort Pierce Inlet and creating the Port of Fort Pierce.
Born in Westchester County, N.Y., in 1866, Binney began working as a young man for Peekskill Chemical Works, a company his father Joseph founded in upstate New York in 1864. The company produced charcoal and lampblack, ground and packaged coal that could be used as a coloring pigment in inks and paints. Joseph moved the company headquarters to New York City in 1880 and was joined by Edwin and nephew C. Harold Smith.
When Joseph Binney retired in 1885, Edwin and Smith formed a partnership and called their company Binney & Smith. Early products included red oxide pigment used in barn paint and carbon black used for car tires. While Smith handled much of the sales, Binney oversaw product development, focusing on products from carbon black, which was produced from natural gas.
When natural gas deposits were found in Pennsylvania, the company opened a mill in Easton, Pa., in 1900 and began producing slate school pencils for use by school children on small two-sided slate boards, common in education at the time because paper was too expensive.
One complaint many teachers had about the slate boards was the dusty mess that was created. They also asked for inexpensive wax crayons that could be used for art work.
Binney’s staff experimented with slate waste, adding cement and talc. By 1902, Binney and Smith introduced An-Du Septic, a dustless white chalk that would win a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
A year later, the company produced the first box of eight crayons containing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black sticks. The box sold for a nickel. The sticks were called "Crayolas," a named coined by Edwin Binney’s wife Alice, a former teacher. The name is a combination of the French "craie" for chalk and "ola," a shortened form of the French word "oléagineux," which means oily.
A father of four with a large home in Old Greenwich, Conn., Binney in 1911 began spending time in St Lucie County, purchasing some 1,000 acres of citrus groves at Fort Pierce Farms and building a home called "Florindia at Indrio," terms his wife also coined.
An avid fisherman and yachtsman, Binney had a vision to make Fort Pierce the finest port between Jacksonville and Miami. But the only inlet was a natural opening north of the current Fort Pierce Inlet that often closed with storms.
With Binney leading the effort, initial dredging of the Fort Pierce Inlet began in 1920 and the cut was completed in 1921. Binney also created the Port of Fort Pierce, complete with a refrigerated terminal for holding fruit.
Binney played a key role in shoring up the community as the Depression approached. When the St. Lucie County Bank was close to collapsing in 1929, Binney put up enough of his own money to keep it open. He also donated land along the inlet that is now the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station and the Pelican Yacht Club, which includes the Sea Scout building.
Binney died in 1934 while traveling from Old Greenwich back to his home in Florida.
As for the Binney & Smith Co. he founded? It became a publicly held company in 1961 and in 1984 became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark. While over the years the company purchased the company that produces Liquitiex acrylic colors and rights to produce Silly Putty and Magic Marker brand markers, Crayolas remained its leading product. With 99 percent name recognition among U.S. households, Binney & Smith changed the company name in 2007 to Crayola LLC.
Born in Westchester County, N.Y., in 1866, Binney began working as a young man for Peekskill Chemical Works, a company his father Joseph founded in upstate New York in 1864. The company produced charcoal and lampblack, ground and packaged coal that could be used as a coloring pigment in inks and paints. Joseph moved the company headquarters to New York City in 1880 and was joined by Edwin and nephew C. Harold Smith.
When Joseph Binney retired in 1885, Edwin and Smith formed a partnership and called their company Binney & Smith. Early products included red oxide pigment used in barn paint and carbon black used for car tires. While Smith handled much of the sales, Binney oversaw product development, focusing on products from carbon black, which was produced from natural gas.
When natural gas deposits were found in Pennsylvania, the company opened a mill in Easton, Pa., in 1900 and began producing slate school pencils for use by school children on small two-sided slate boards, common in education at the time because paper was too expensive.
One complaint many teachers had about the slate boards was the dusty mess that was created. They also asked for inexpensive wax crayons that could be used for art work.
Binney’s staff experimented with slate waste, adding cement and talc. By 1902, Binney and Smith introduced An-Du Septic, a dustless white chalk that would win a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
A year later, the company produced the first box of eight crayons containing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black sticks. The box sold for a nickel. The sticks were called "Crayolas," a named coined by Edwin Binney’s wife Alice, a former teacher. The name is a combination of the French "craie" for chalk and "ola," a shortened form of the French word "oléagineux," which means oily.
A father of four with a large home in Old Greenwich, Conn., Binney in 1911 began spending time in St Lucie County, purchasing some 1,000 acres of citrus groves at Fort Pierce Farms and building a home called "Florindia at Indrio," terms his wife also coined.
An avid fisherman and yachtsman, Binney had a vision to make Fort Pierce the finest port between Jacksonville and Miami. But the only inlet was a natural opening north of the current Fort Pierce Inlet that often closed with storms.
With Binney leading the effort, initial dredging of the Fort Pierce Inlet began in 1920 and the cut was completed in 1921. Binney also created the Port of Fort Pierce, complete with a refrigerated terminal for holding fruit.
Binney played a key role in shoring up the community as the Depression approached. When the St. Lucie County Bank was close to collapsing in 1929, Binney put up enough of his own money to keep it open. He also donated land along the inlet that is now the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station and the Pelican Yacht Club, which includes the Sea Scout building.
Binney died in 1934 while traveling from Old Greenwich back to his home in Florida.
As for the Binney & Smith Co. he founded? It became a publicly held company in 1961 and in 1984 became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark. While over the years the company purchased the company that produces Liquitiex acrylic colors and rights to produce Silly Putty and Magic Marker brand markers, Crayolas remained its leading product. With 99 percent name recognition among U.S. households, Binney & Smith changed the company name in 2007 to Crayola LLC.
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| Fruits & veggies soaked with vinegar then rinse before storing |
We noticed a lot of pink decorations by the fuel dock. Apparently, they’re having some sort of Poker Run today. The theme is pink or at least this particular stop is pink. We’ve seen small boats decorated and themed outfits on the crews. They dock at the fuel dock, check in, pick up their card, then chatted a while before leaving. It’s been entertaining.
Fort Pierce Yacht Club Water Poker Run
The young couple arrived on M-dock last weekend are selling their catamaran after two years cruising the Bahamas. They have been working nonstop for the past week. I mean, they’ve been scrubbing, cleaning and emptying from dawn until well past sundown. They have had so many runs to the car and the trailer. They load up the dock, transfer it into the dock carts, move the carts, load the car/trailer, return. Then repeat the practice at least another 15-20 times. They were hoping to start heading back to Kansas City yesterday, but they’re still doing some last-minute painting. It is a little bit concerning because they didn’t really treat the fiberglass. They are just applying paint to the clean, but untreated fiberglass, which means in six months it’s all going to peel. We feel sorry for the future owners, but right now it looks good from 20 feet away.
Sunday, 4/28/24. Tillie enjoyed her last trip of the season to Vero Beach dog park. She had fun. For her, it’s a quick chase, then lie in wait for another chase, all the while keeping tabs of her pals in the area. I am amazed at the variety of dogs. Today there was a Great Pyrenees, 3 Great Danes (a 2 year old, an 11 month old and an 11-week old, all from one home!), a Sheltie, Aussie, Golden Doodle with a mohawk, and an Irish Setter, just to mention a few.
Once back, Pete gave her a bath. It was also a good time to wash the enclosure in preparation for tomorrow’s departure.
We met up with Sue Ann and Ray for a final docktails on I Dock. We said our good-byes to them and Dave.
Sunday, 4/28/24. Tillie enjoyed her last trip of the season to Vero Beach dog park. She had fun. For her, it’s a quick chase, then lie in wait for another chase, all the while keeping tabs of her pals in the area. I am amazed at the variety of dogs. Today there was a Great Pyrenees, 3 Great Danes (a 2 year old, an 11 month old and an 11-week old, all from one home!), a Sheltie, Aussie, Golden Doodle with a mohawk, and an Irish Setter, just to mention a few.
Once back, Pete gave her a bath. It was also a good time to wash the enclosure in preparation for tomorrow’s departure.
We met up with Sue Ann and Ray for a final docktails on I Dock. We said our good-byes to them and Dave.
Well, this is it. It was an interesting winter, with lots of cooler temps and windy conditions, a couple of medical appointments between Pete's knee surgery and my minor medical issues. Then there were the positives. . . Tillie becoming a good furry friend, rocket launches, exploring new areas, reconnecting and spending lots of time with friends, both old and new, delicious breakfasts between The Farmer's Market and The Sunrise Café, lunch with the ladies/ guys, fun Taco Tuesday Dock parties, dinner with friends, spectacular sunsets and photo ops, . . . Already looking forward to returning in November!
~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P
