Saturday, February 28, 2026

Sunday, 2/1/26 ~

     We woke to sunny, 26 degrees, winds out of the WNW at 10, gusting to 22, and windchill of 16 degrees! Someone forgot to post the memo “Florida is sunny, warm and inviting during The Season” A polar vortex is over the middle of the country. The low that was in the Gulf, has moved to well off the mid-Atlantic states, creating a substantial Nor'easter, moving North East at a good clip. Cold and winds should begin to moderate somewhat, but we won’t see the higher 50’s and possibly 60’s here in Fort Pierce until Tuesday.



 The reality of this unusual cold ~



 The great memes on Facebook ~
 

 

     Pete did laundry while I did some chores. Once back, it took a team effort to get the outboard from the car to the dock. Zsa Zsa took Tillie, Mike helped Pete unload, mount & transport the engine to our finger pier and Diane held the stand while Pete spent another 20 minutes securing it with wire chain & lock and then stabilizing with line to the piling. Research has been done to remove the barnacles before Pete will list it for sale once it is “de-barnacled.”
     Once things were completed, we relaxed and read until we met up with Howie at Urban Tapas for dinner. The new restaurant was highly recommended by Submariner Dave. The ambiance was welcoming and intimate. Staff are charming and very customer oriented. . . And the food: beautiful presentation, portions large enough to share with 3-4 others. My fav was the Korean Sticky Ribs, Shrimp Scampi Flat Bread, Hanger Steak, the Cast Iron Cinnabon and Chimichangas. The Crab Dip was ok, but I am not a lover of Gorgonzola. We also had the special - Redfish on an unusual bed of spiced “something.” Pete loved it. It was a little too spicy for me, but paired nicely with the mild fish. This place is definitely worth revisiting!
     After dinner, Pete packed for the 4-day golfing outing with Howie at the Reunion Resort & Golf Club in  Kissimmee, FL.

Monday, 2/2/26 ~

     Pete and Howie headed out around little after 8 am. Their plan is to arrive early in Kissimmee, grab an early lunch, then practice on the putting green before their T-time at 1 pm. Well, . . . Do you remember me mentioning that frigid cold affecting a large part of the country over the weekend? It is still reaching far into the south. We woke to 29 degrees here and 26 in Orlando! Golfers weren’t permitted on the course until it warmed up. So, there was a huge back up of foursomes all day. Pete, Howie, and all the other golfers had a very hard time waiting in the cold, layered up so much that many looked like the Micheline Man! Pete and Howie finally teed off around 1:45. Essentially, it was a “slinky” kinda’ day. They would play a hole then wait for the foursome in front to complete their hole. They quit at 5 pm on the 14th hole as temps were falling and there was no way to finish before sunset at 6:15. Hopefully tomorrow is better.
     They are in a resort. Their suite is 2-bedroom, 3-bath, with a great room containing a full-sized kitchen, dining table and comfortable family room. There is also a balcony with a with a small table and chairs. Sounds wonderful!
     My day was a bit adventurous too. I took Tillie for a long walk. By Marina Park, she became intrigued by some smell and wouldn’t come, so I pulled. The timing wasn’t great. Just as I pulled as I took a step, she pulled against me. I had to fight to keep my balance, a move my injured ankle didn’t appreciate! With just a bit more tenderness we made it back home. I thought I was doing OK, but when I went to the bathhouse before heading to bed, as I stepped onto the dock with my injured ankle, it rotated outwardly. It hurt and swelled. I iced it for a good 30 minutes before heading to bed. You’ve got to be kidding me, CCK! (Crazy Current Karma)

Tuesday, 2/3/26 ~

Tillie giving me
TLC and lovin' after
my injury.
     I had to put a large pillow at my knees as well as the one under my foot to keep pressure from the bedding off the foot. Thankfully, it kinda’ worked, so I slept fairly well.
     This morning, I needed to wrap it with an Ace bandage  After walking Tillie, I cancelled our walking dates this week. I know I will need to baby it until the bruising and swelling abate.
     I spent most of the day lounging on the sofa, foot elevated, icing it periodically (frozen peas are miracle workers!)
     The guys played another round of golf today. It’s still pretty cold. Low 50’s with stiff north winds. Once again, there was a player backup. They were happy with the 12 holes they did play, even when the wind took control of the ball.
     Pete had to be back at the room to prep for a meeting at 5. The meeting went well, but it now means that the laid back/recuperation day tomorrow will be a workday.
     With the cold and wind still around, the guys bundled up for a quick bite to eat at the onsite open-to-the-elements bar downstairs. They quickly headed back to the suite.

Wednesday, 2/4/26 ~

     Today was a relatively warm day. With sun and gentle breezes, we made it to 68. It was great to sit in the cockpit and read.
     Pete’s day was busy and productive. The suite was comfortable for work.
     They enjoyed a delicious dinner at a steakhouse.
     Our son is on an ice breaking tug, USCG Sturgeon Bay, which is currently freeing the channel on the Hudson River of heavy ice for commercial traffic. Apparently, there are a lot of photographers using not only their cameras with great telephoto lenses, but also drones to capture the action.  Here are some of the great posting from Facebook and from people on the commercial ships who took photos of the USCG Sturgeon Bay!

  
On the Hudson River, New York

 However, the Northeast is not alone with these cold temperatures. . . .

    
Belhaven, NC and  the Chesapeake near Annapolis

Thursday, 2/5/26 ~

     Rains came overnight and remained this morning. Temps are lower than yesterday and the winds picked up again.
     I ventured out to run a few errands that couldn’t wait. My ankle didn’t complain . . . too much.
     The guys had another round of golf around noon. The rains there had stopped, but the winds returned. The course once again, was stop and go. They opted out, short of finishing the 18 holes and headed back to Fort Pierce. Howie wanted to pick up his dog so he dropped off Pete and headed home. Even with the weather and crowds, they had a great time.

Friday, 2/6/26 ~

     Busy workday for Pete and a great day of reading for me. I’m just antsy to walk normal again.
     Tonight was opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Milan & Cortina, Italy. For the first time ever, the Parade of Olympians was held simultaneously in all 4 venues. The outdoor sports take place on 4 different mountains in Northern Italy, with substantial miles between them. It was fun watching the athletes more relaxed and spontaneous as they walked through the golden rings at the mountainous venues. We don’t ever recall the Olympics and the Superbowl competing for the same weekend. TV watching will be very interesting!

Saturday, 2/7/26 ~  

     Pete had some work to share with George with prep for work that is needed for Monday’s meeting.
     We took a ride along Indian River Trail South. It is such a pretty ride since we were heading in that direction, we stopped to pick up my new glasses. Since the reading depth was off, they will redo them. We checked, but Pete’s glasses aren’t in yet. Our last stop was Jetty Park here in Fort Pierce.  We were shocked to see a bull dozer at the start of the dunes. Apparently, storms recently removed the beach almost to the road. The city is dumping $500,000 worth of sand to hold the line until the county and federal emergency repairs can begin.
 

     Pete's brother and family live near Red Bank, NJ and told us about the Ice Boat Racing near them. Found the following on Google ~

     In early February 2026, arctic conditions enabled rare, high-stakes ice boat racing on the Navesink River, Red Bank, NJ. The North Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club hosted the historic Van Nostrand Cup against the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club, attracting large crowds and signaling the return of major "hard water" sailing after thick ice formed, say iceboat.org reports

Key 2026 Red Bank Ice Boat Events:

  • Van Nostrand Challenge Cup: The North Shrewsbury Ice Boat and Yacht Club competed against the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club in a rare, high-stakes battle for a trophy dating back to 1886, as discussed on Instagram.
  • Conditions: Intense arctic cold in February 2026 made the Navesink River safe for racing, drawing spectators and causing widespread local excitement, says The New York Times.
  • Context: These races are often considered the oldest and longest-deferred grudge matches in sports history, as shown in reports by iceboat.org

     Ice boat racing is entirely weather-dependent, relying on safe ice thickness. Events are typically scheduled quickly once conditions allow. 

 These magnificent photos were on Facebook. Credit goes to the organizations and photographers.

  
 


Sunday, 2/8/26 ~

     I took care of the electronic paperwork for my Thursday’s pacemaker replacement procedure. I really don’t mind filling these out if it truly expedites things later on. Unfortunately, that has not proven the case in many instances. I’ll keep my fingers crossed with this.
     NBC not only is carrying the winter Olympics but they are also televising the Super Bowl tonight. We’re only half interested. Seattle Seahawks are playing the New England Patriots. It’s not the Eagles so our interest is not there. The defense controlled the game for both sides. It was a record setting game where the kicker scored most of the points for Seattle Seahawk! He kicked FIVE field goals, but his teammates did contribute with 2 touchdowns. New England quarterback was sacked six times. It was shortly before half-time, when they put a field goal on the board. They had to play an extremely defensive game because Seahawks were so powerful. We didn’t even really watch the halftime show. It was by an entertainer, called Bad Bunny. All, but one of the songs were in Spanish. I don’t think most of the fans in the stands, saw that much of his show because there were lots of people dressed up as tall  grass all around the stage, and the cameraman captured all the action that took place in the grasses with the singer and proformers. I guess you could say this was not one of our favorite Super Bowls.

Monday 2/9/26 ~

    With my ankle still very tender, I’m not walking this week. I did a couple of chores on board, knowing that I will not be able to do them after Thursday. Spent the afternoon sitting up in the cockpit reading, which was great. It’s still a bit on the cool side, but almost short weather! Further north Greg’s Coast Guard tug is still breaking ice on the Hudson, and the ice formed by that storm is taking its time slowly melting. They have not been above freezing since then.

 
Our son's photos from the Hudson
 
The USCG Sycamore was the first boat he served on, which was in 
Cordova, Alaska. She is now helping keep the Hudson open.
Great Photos! Thanks, Greg!

     There is a lot of damage to vegetation all over Florida from here north, due to the freezing temps at the beginning of the month. There has been a lot of postings suggesting only watering the plants, but not pruning the parts that appear dead.  The severe drought all of Florida has currently stressed most plants. The freeze made for the perfect storm.  However, all that brown doesn't mean the plant is dead.  The agriculture specialists recommend just watering, and waiting for the next growth period. The plants will go into hibernation until then for self-preservation. The most affected plants and trees, have broad leaves, many of which are dropping.  Time will see.  I do know that Deer and Pine Keys, were stripped of vegetation after a direct hit from Hurricane Ian a few years ago. Two years later, you could not tell there had ever been a hurricane. 
 
Some of the damage to plants around the marina

Tuesday, 2/10/26 ~

     Melissa had previously asked me for a recommendation for hair coloring, since she likes the work done on mine. I gave her Tracey's information at the new place. After I gave her the information, I called and set up my appointment. Surprise surprise! When we spoke later that day, we had it not only the same day, but the same time for our appointments; she, just has a different stylist. So, we carpool down and the new place, Woodward & Company, which is very nice. They only opened in January. Turns out that Michael Leonard‘s closed back in August. Six friends who had worked at his salon decided to go out and try and see if they could do it. Jennifer owns the salon and the others are bringing customers over. It was great to see Tracey again, but she looks like she’s had a very stressful fall. Hopefully, things will turn around. My hair turned out beautifully. Melissa is very pleased and the stylist who worked with her was listening to her concern and addressed them. We are going back again the end of March.
     Due to weather, we finally were able to hold Taco Tuesday. We had a great showing. We had a couple visiting on a new to them catamaran, Pat and Diane.  Jerome has had his boat here for about two months. He has sailed solo around the world and has had lots of adventures. He has written a book and does motivational speaking engagements, which requires a lot of travel. He is getting antsy to start sailing once again. He actually goes out in weather when everybody else is told to stay put, but he loves it. Ian (and Huckleberry) escaped Maine’s winter weather and arrived just before us on January. Rick and Gail dropped by, as well as officer Dave and his partner Alana, so we had a great time, and of course, fabulous food!
 
 

  

 
Delicious . . .and gone!

Wednesday, 2/11/26 ~

     I was able to finally complete and post February’s blog this morning as well as packed our overnight bags and stuff needed for Tilly. 
     We headed south around 2 PM. Our first stop was Barkingham Palace, where Tilly couldn’t wait to get inside and join all the barking. I think any concerns we had about her staying overnight just vanished. Then we picked up Jersey Mike’s for dinner and continued on down to Kendall. We have reservations at the Comfort Inn just around the corner from the hospital. Since I have to be there at eight, it really didn’t pay to try getting up super early to drive down knowing that I had at least a two hour wait before the procedure at 10 o’clock.
     The Northern tier states are still living in the deep freeze. Here are some of the recent postings ~
 
      

 
More Facebook and photos taken by the great crew of the USCG Sturgeon Bay
(Guess you could say we are proud parents!)

     Oh yea! The Chesapeake is also still in the freezer!
 
      
I follow Jay Fleming. He is a great photographer,
 most known for his watermen on the Chesapeake

Thursday, 2/12/26 ~

     We were up about 6:30 and Pete, the lucky duck, was able to go down and have a delicious breakfast. I was instructed: no foods after midnight. Now hungry, I  checked in at the hospital around 7:45.
     Remember, I talked about filling out the electronic forms to pre-register for a medical appointment well… It happened again. It just gets a little bit (or VERY) old and frustrating when all my information has to be redone.
     The removal of my old and the insertion of the new pacemaker was done in about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the prep work before took about 45 minutes, while the suturing was another 20 minutes. Removing all the leads and prep work that they had done was another 40 minutes. I made it back to the waiting area in the Cath Lab by about noon. Then there was more waiting, but I wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact there was no discomfort whatsoever!
     Around 2, we were finally discharged and immediately went to grab a quick lunch and then proceeded to head up to Barkingham Palace, which is in an hour and a half hour way. Due to traffic, we made it there shortly after four. Tillie was very happy to see us. Then we headed on home. Yay!
     Once back, we had a quick dinner, caught some of the Winter Olympics, but headed to bed early, hoping to get a good night sleep. 
     The biggest surprise today is that I’m really not uncomfortable!

Friday, 2/13/26 ~

     I had some mild discomfort overnight. I’m going to lay low and just rest and read. I'm still surprised that it isn’t as uncomfortable as I expected.
     The list was ready, so Pete headed out to do some grocery shopping.
     The weather itself has finally warmed up and we are wearing short shorts! Hopefully, it lasts more than one or two days.

Saturday, 2/14/26 ~

     Today is Valentines Day. Pete took me to The Sunrise Cafe. Being a Saturday and Valentine’s Day, we had over an hour’s wait. As usual, it was worth the wait. The food was delicious!
     Once back, we met up with Zsa Zsa and the two pups and headed to Vero’s Dog Park. They only stayed about an hour, but everybody had a great time.
     Surprisingly, I only had a slight ache in site; nothing really to complain about yesterday. Tylenol took care of it in 20 minutes.

Sunday, 2/15/26 ~

     It was another chill day. Pete read up above while I laid down below watching more of the Olympics.  
    Well, the discomfort finally showed at the surgical site, Not bad mind you, only about a four or five, but I was shocked it took this long for it to show. Pete did some investigating and there is a topical analgesic that numbs the area for 72 hours! What a wonderful discovery! Right now, ice and Tylenol on my friend.
     Cape Canaveral has been prepping for a busy few days. 3 rockets are sitting on their pads waiting for the all's clear!

 
We caught one of the evening shots, joining Mike and Melissa on the deck behind the bath house.
 I was shocked I was able to capture it with my phone!

Monday, 2/16/26 ~

     Tillie loves to be up above. She likes making rounds around the boat, checking out everything. Today, she must have watched a manatee swim under the boat because she came down below and was searching and sniffing the floor like crazy, but never found what she was searching for.
     Washing my hair was a challenge. Pete cleaned all the faucet filter with the calcium build-ups, but the flow is still restricted. Add to that my limited left arm movement, let’s just say it was “interesting” but did get done.
     

Mother Nature's temperature tantrum taking it's toll!

Tuesday, 2/17/26 ~

     It took a little bit more effort, but I styled my hair. Right now it would be great to have short, air-dried and styled hair.
      Met Melissa & Zsa Zsa around 11. With temps in the low 60’s and winds from the East, I needed to add another layer for our outing to Vero Beach and have lunch at Waldo‘s.
      Before leaving, I stopped by Zsa Zsa’s boat and found two manatees, mother and calf, hoping to capture drips of water from their hose. The baby actually was sucking its lips, making a strange wheezing sound, and mama floated by and periodically caught a drip. It made for some great photos. Melissa was able to get great video (but there is not more space on this blog for videos! BOO!).

They were happy just hanging, hoping for a drip of water.  
Look at that face! One only a mother cold love!
 
   Melissa found a parking spot in the Driftwood Inn’s parking lot. Now, we don’t need to worry about the three-hour time limit for parking on the street. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Waldo’s, surprised that it wasn’t more crowded. Afterwards, we shopped. Melissa found some really cute shoes and Zsa Zsa found a darling shirt.

 


Wednesday, 2/18/26 ~

     Tillie is wandering more and more up on deck. She is even climbing onto the salon deck. Every once and a while, she does a walk about on the dock and one of our neighbors will give us a heads-up.
 
  


Thursday, 2/19/26 ~

     Walked with Chrissy at 8:30 this morning. Once back, Pete, Tillie and I took a ‘ride in the car!’ We headed south with the scenic ride on Indian River Drive. It leads to Stuart, where I picked up my glasses. Then we headed over to checked out the Champion's Golf course for Monday. Heading back, we picked up a prescription, then headed to the jetty. It is so peaceful, interesting and pretty. The Inlet was at maximum ebb current. Incoming boats had to fight the 4-mile plus current. Well, all but the big fishing boats with 24,000 horsepower!

 
The World's Largest Bounce House visited Port St Lucie & the swift current through the Jetty

 
Beautiful end of day!

Friday 2/20/26 ~

     Not a busy day; some chores, some reading and poor Coco’s surgery. She came through much better than Diane!

Saturday 2/21/26 ~

     We headed over to the Farmer’s Market. Time for some breakfast pastries. My smoothy guy hasn’t been around this year. I miss them. Today was the Cracker Boys’ Parade. The route was modified due to the bridge construction here by the marina. That means that they no longer pass in front of the marina. Oh well, it’s still passes by the Farmer’s Market. We have been fortunate to see this parade for a couple of years. I am beginning to recognize some of the riders and a couple of their mounts!


 

  

 

 
The bees are having trouble finding nectar. Flowers have been destroyed  by the frost and fresh 
water is in short supply. The bees are searching for substitute for the nectar.

 

 
 
  
The Annual Cracker Parade

     We had to get back quickly after the parade as Pete needed to get things ready. A perspective buyer is come by this afternoon. Things went well until after they loaded the engine into his auto-lowering bed of the trailer that was hitched to his pimped-out Hummer. He started to complain that the engine had scratched and some barnacle residue. Pete reminded him that he bought a "used" engine, for a work barge. If he wanted new, he was welcome to order one from a store. Pete then offered to then call the second buyer and accept his offer. This gentleman decided then that it was too late to continue to negotiate an even lower price which was already lowered and agreed upon. We sold the outboard!

Sunday, 2/22/26 ~

     Pete had his IDPA meet this morning. The adjustments he made definitely paid off. He scored well and had a great time. The heavy band of rain came through that forced suspension of play. Thankfully, it only lasted about 30 minutes. After the match, Pete caught up with that rain band when driving back. As they say, “3’s the charm!” Once he was back at the marina, it rained very briefly, but also brought the winds.

Monday, 2/23/26 ~

     It was cold (40-54 degrees) & windy (15-20 mph out of the NNW). However, unlike the Northeast, we had no snow accumulation!
     As predicted, a “Bomb Cyclone”  (a quickly dropping barometric pressure that formed a Nor'easter) has formed off the Southeast coastline. Its pressure is comparable to a category 1 hurricane along shore. The total snow accumulations: Carolyn, near Doylestown, PA had 10 inches. Chris and Kel, near West Grove, PA, had 12 inches, while Heather, near Yardley, PA had 22.6 and Greg & Jenn had 20+ near Princeton. Providence reportedly had a record of 37 inches, with the Cape dealing with 30+, along with power outages that will be around until the weekend.

  

     Our former neighbors, Rita and Craig, are visiting in the area. We made plans for the day. The guys headed Champions Golf Course in Stuart, while we gals headed to Vero Beach with lunch at the Seaside Grill, which sits on the dunes in North Vero Beach. Then, we checked out the shops.
     Other neighbors of ours, Janet & Kevin, we also here in Ft. Pierce for the week. The six of us tried to eat at Chuck’s Seafood, but they are closed on Monday. Instead, we ate at the 12A Buoy. It was a wonderful evening! One we decided we should repeat once we are back north.

Tuesday 2/24/26 ~
 
New Growth!
    I needed to defrosted the fridge before any more is added. I did that before Pete and I did the food shopping after lunch. By the time things were put away, we actually had about an hour to read before dinner needed to be started. As predicted, it was too cold and windy for Taco Tuesday, so it will instead be Taco Thursday!

Wednesday, 2/25/26 ~


     Today we chilled, read, relaxed, and enjoyed the 70-degree weather with some light winds, in shorts!

Thursday, 2/26/26 ~

     It was a beautiful day to take the puppies to Vero’s dog park. Mid-70s, light breezes from the east, and the dogs (and we) had a really good time. Took the scenic route back. The new bridge is really making progress. Only a small portion of the western part of the bridge still needs the surface to be completed. I am sure that there is much more that needs to be done before it can be put in use.
     Pete researched and then physically checked all he could regarding the head sail. She won’t unravel. He asked the Facebook crowd for a recommendation for a rigging company in the area. 
   It is once again, Taco night. Not quite our usual number, but the food was really good. Zsa Zsa brought a Chicken Fajita dish with rice, while Ian added a spicy Creole fish as well as Mexican Corn. Mike continues to wow us with his guacamole (with bacon and strip steak!) while Melissa baked a lemon cake and cinnamon sticks (from pizza dough), Diane made sure we had taco meat, cheese and sour cream. I did all the veggies. It was a beautiful day, but as the sun was setting the winds grew chilly. We didn’t stay outdoors very long.
    There have been a lot of rumblings regarding Iran. They they keep squireling around the peace talks, insuring it doesn't progress, though they say otherwise. Before heading to bed, Pete checked Facebook and found this aviation post. Scary!  

Friday, 2/27/26 ~

     Pete found a recommendation for a rigger through Facebook. Even though he is very busy right now, he made an appointment with us for Wednesday afternoon.  We were to meet Marilyn, John, Ed and Connie for lunch that day so we are trying to reschedule it for Thursday.
     The entire state of Florida is under a drought severe warning. Conditions are made worse by the freeze a couple of weeks ago. Much of the vegetation has turned brown and dropped leaves. Perfect kindling! There are fires burning all around the state. The first real rain arrived this evening. According to the forecasts, there are chances for rain for the next 8 days! I doubt anyone will complain.

Saturday 2/28/26 ~

     While taking Tillie for her walk, Pete noticed many of the vendors skipped the Farmers Market again today. 
     In between showers, Pete worked on the dinghy engine. Though it has seen limited use, plugs needed replacement, but it still ran rough. It needs new impeller, fuel pump and fuel filter. Pete doesn’t trust Amazon for them, so he plans on heading to the marine store down in Port St Lucie on Monday. The dinghy is currently tied to the starboard until then.
     Now we know that the military buildup in the Middle East was not a bluff. The bombing of Iran began this morning.
     The forecasted rain visited briefly this morning, but this afternoon we saw "Wrath of God" - winds, thunder, lightning, pea-sized hail and heavy rains, filling the dinghy with about 3 inches of water!

  

The skies grew ominous very quickly,
 and then the heaven's dumped on us!

     It was too wet in the cockpit to use the grill, so the hamburgers were cooked with the electric grill in the galley. They always taste so good when done on the grill!

 
And the sun returned. . . magnificently!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~    K & P

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