A bit of this, and a bit of that

When last I wrote, we had changed our anchorage to shelter from some strong winds, and the forecast was correct.  We stayed a few more days in Pelican Bay, during which time we decided that we would head north a little bit.  That's right - north.  When we came to this part of Florida last year, it was so cold that we wanted to get as far south as we reasonably could, so we skipped over this part of the coast fairly quickly, missing some of the sights that are worth seeing.  So, we plan to go as far as Sarasota, all within the intracoastal waterway, hang out in some pretty places, and take advantage of the great beaches.

But first, there was provisioning to be done, and a stop in Cape Haze allowed for a dinghy trip up the canal, then a short walk to Publix for groceries & wine, and the liquor store beside it for rum & vodka.  We spent the night there, and headed out the next morning with a planned stop at a small marina for water and a bit of diesel to top up what the generator had consumed.  We also wanted to get to a Best Buy, as my computer had refused to start that morning, and it needed service.  We arrived in Cape Haze Marina late morning, and wound our way through the narrow channel to the fuel dock, set right inside a lovely condo development, complete with pool and hot tub.  We arranged to stay the night, organized a rental car (because ours is back in Punta Gorda), got ourselves organized for a shore trip.  And just like magic, my computer came back to life, and seems to be running just fine.  Scrap the Best Buy trip then.  But with a car at our disposal, there was lots that we could do...a little more shopping (Lowes, Walmart, bulk food store), and of course, touristy things.  Why not stay two nights in the marina?

We wanted to visit Boca Grande, playground of the rich and famous (the Bush & Vanderbilt families have places here).  There is a causeway across, with a swing bridge, and a toll of $6.00, which we thought was a little steep, but designed, no doubt, to keep the riff-raff out, we got in anyway!  It is a lovely little town, with all kinds of artsy shops and very expensive restaurants, huge gated homes, and a very long, very clean beach.  This is the one that has been regenerated by the factory barges we could see from Cayo Costa.

This is the aptly named Banyan Street, a shaded tunnel framed by huge and obviously very old banyan trees.

Back on the mainland, it was time for dinner - seafood, of course.  This restaurant is attached to another marina/resort complex, with a great view and pretty good food.

We timed our departure from Cape Haze with the high tide, at around 2 pm the following day, and traveled just a few miles to Englewood Beach, on Manasota Key.  With homes on one side and mangroves on the other, we are pretty well protected from all but a strong north wind.  This will be our home for the next few days, until the weather dictates a move.

As always, we are happy watching life go on around us.  Herons, egrets, osprey and pelicans are everywhere, and there is a dolphin who seems to live somewhere around us, and gives us a show every evening at sunset.

It is almost Christmas, and Michael and I want to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and Happy New Year!