Ft. Myers Yacht Basin Looper Party – 01-25-06

There was a get-together of "Loopers" at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin today. Forty to fifty people showed up. Jim wrote the following to describe the experience:

At the Fort Myers Yacht Basin, "Otherwise" known as the City Marina, there was a get-together of past, current and future Loopers for drinks and appetizers. There was about 50 Loopers in attendance and the drinks were "Running Free" as we had a "Grand Start" at 4pm with a full "Diamond Sun". As things got going we all could all see that it was an absolute "Dee Light", we'd say "Almost Perfect". With all the Loopers gathered together it felt like a "Kindred Spirit". We had hors d'oeuvres by "Tanuki", "Sonsie of Meaford", "Roy El" and flowers by "Loriel". We all wanted to sing a "Starsong" because many of the Loopers felt like a "Free Bird" sunning with a "Sea Lyon". So, we watched "Mamacita" rebuild a "Windless". "Rosetta" brought a "Dreamcatcher" to catch the rays from the "Sunrise" but someone rang the "Liberty Bell" for the party to end. All in all I'd say the event was a double "Kismet"

Unless you are a Looper and know a few of these boaters none of this would make any sense. But that's okay. It was a good time.

Friends from Home Visit Kismet-January, 2006

We had several visits from friends back home this month. Last week our friends Chet and Betty Swanson drove to Fort Myers to take us out to lunch and look at boats since Chet has recently sold theirs and he is boat shopping again. It was fun to see some different kinds of boats.

Mike Gardyko visited us for lunch one day while he was in Fort Myers on business. We were pretty excited to see him and spend a short time with him.

We also made a visit to Pine Island when we had rented a car and ran into our old friends Chuck and Nancy Koucky at the home/studio on the island. We also got together on the boat after that to catch up on our lives since it has been a while since we have seen them.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – Fort Myers, FL – 01-22-06

Today we visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It is a fantastic boardwalk through a natural swamp area where a lot of wildlife seeks sanctuary. We didn't see a lot but we did see some birds several alligators, as well as baby alligators, and a tortoise.

Bike Night – Fort Myers – 01-21-06

Every other month Fort Myers has an event called "Bike Night". Thousands (4-5 we estimate) of bikers congregate throughout the streets of downtown to celebrate what they love.Three to four live bands added to the festivities as well as food stands and biker paraphernalia. This seemed similar to Traverse City's Friday Night Live but with a definate theme and bigger. Lots of fun.

Having Fun in Fort Myers – 01-06

Road Trip – Circus Fun in Sarasota, FL - 1/14/06

Today we rented a car and drove up to Sarasota to visit the Ringling Art Museum and estate. The art museum has been open since 1930 with about 600 master's pieces from around the world. There is a beautiful estate home built in 1924 open for touring – great to see how the really wealthy lived – a rose garden that was started in 1909. The best part for us was a brand new building called the Tibbals Learning Center. This is a two story structure devoted exclusively to the history of the circus going back to Greek times. On the first floor a miniature circus display of what a circus was like 80 years ago when they came into town by train and marched thru town....does anyone remember this ??? It includes miniatures of everything a traveling circus would have from all the train cars it took to load up the animals, people, wagons, tents and supplies to all the tents used for the shows and all the backstage tents and equipment. $15 per person and worth every penny.

Marina Fire – Fort Myers, FL 1/10/06

Lots of excitement at the Ft Myers Yacht Basin Marina this morning. There was a massive explosion at the gas dock. A 36 foot power boat burned beyond recognition and only about 3 feet of the bow are visible in the water. The boat had just taken on 100 gallons of gasoline this A.M. Apparently there was a large leak within the bilge. Gas was also seen on the surface of the water around the boat. The boat exploded when they were starting it up. One person was blown off and another jumped off the boat. Many of the boats situated around the burning one made hasty exits while an 80 footer had trouble getting it's engines started and backing out of the marina. It was basically chased down the dock by a huge ball of fire as the burning boat moved with the current on the outside of the gas dock. Many minutes after the fire on the boat was contained with only smoke remaining a second flash fire started on the dock and the water.The only good news is that their were no major injuries or more boats damaged.

Bacaruda Sighting – Fort Myers, FL 1/09/06

We took a dingy ride today across the Caloosahatchee River around some of the canals along the north shore. On our way back to our marina we were checking out the boat slips to see if there was anyone we knew but hadn't seen yet. That is when we encountered "Bacaruda". This is the boat that Dale and Linda Miller, from Seattle, WA, owned. They were the people who inspired and encouraged us to do this trip. The last time we talked with them they were in Ft. Myers getting ready to have a project done on their boat then we lost touch. The boat sits here empty now but we did hear that it had just sold.

Fort Myers, FL 1/04/06

We arrived short of supplies, in need of a decent shower and laundry facilities. The boat was so dirty we could hardly stand it. We think one of us is shedding or maybe it is that new rug we bought for the salon. Hope so.

On our first walk along the waterfront we stopped at Centennial Marina to look up another boater, Marv Market on Dee Light, who we had corresponded with near the beginning of our trip. We found him and Betty on the boat and enjoyed a visit with them. They are very friendly and offered us a car for a day to go shopping and take care of a couple of appointments.

Later tonight we heard about a "Looper" get-together at Joe's Crab Shack for cocktails and dinner. When we arrived we were surprised to find about 25 "Loopers" congregated in the bar. We found a few familiar faces, "Pilgrim" and "We Be Blest" and met many more "Loopers" by the end of the night. We pulled together several tables to make one long one to accommodate all of us. It is just amazing how many people are doing this trip and how incredibly friendly everyone is.

On the Move to Fort Myers, FL 12/30/05 to 01/04/06

We left Tarpon Springs early Friday morning to meet up with Wade and Susie on "Miss Happ". We planned to cruise down the coast together, for 5 days, toward Fort Myers where we would part ways until spring when hopefully we will meet up again at some point. They are headed to the Keys and we are headed across Lake Ockeechobee hopefully toward the Abacos.

We anchored most nights except for one when a boating friend of Wades helped us secure a spot on a free dock in Venice. The dock was a nice stop so that we could get out and walk and go out for dinner. The anchorages were fun as well. The first night we anchored near Bradenton, the second at Cape Haze, the third was the free dock in Venice and our final stop was at Cape Coral. Wednesday it was a short hop into Fort Myers to stay right downtown at City of Ft. Myers Yacht Basin Marina.