Day 171 - 174 December 8 - 11, 2022

 Day 171 Thursday, December 8, 2022

Clearwater Beach 

Today was a true test of my biking abilities.  We took a 3 hour (!!), 15 mile ride to Dunedin and back.  It was quite the adventure, traveling over the Causeway bridge to cross the bay to the Pinellas bike trail.  We followed the bike trail all the way to Dunedin.  Our reward was an ice cream at Stranachan's.  The Pinellas trail is a 75 mile trail that travels from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg.  The trail links the towns along the way through parks and residential areas for biking, walking, running and skateboarding.  The trail consists of paved paths, bike paths on the roadways and sidewalks.  Hundreds of thousands use the trail monthly.  It really was a nice ride; I pedaled the entire way with no more than level 2 assist.  I think anything more than that would be scary fast for me.  I did manage almost 15 mph! 

No bike locks yet so we walked to church for the Holy day.   My knees were tired....

Day 172 Friday, December 9, 2022

Today's bike ride was 4 miles along the beach.  Different scenery but still along streets and connecting to the Pinellas trail. We chose a shorter ride to give my knees a break.  I'm glad that Clearwater is so bike friendly; there is a lot of traffic.  The beach has been busy but not overly crowded.  Spring break is a different story -- Clearwater has become the new destination to celebrate. 

  

 The tide can make it a bit interesting getting off the boat!  

Local wildlife makes itself at home on the boats.

Jerry enjoying jalapeno Cheetos.  A favorite of The Grand Wazoo.

Day 173 Saturday, December 10, 2022

Another beautiful day in Florida.  We spent the day fussing around the boat, anticipating a fun evening.  Jerry's bike is acting up -- the power assist won't turn/stay on.  Jerry has diagnosed the bike issue as the battery, switching it between each bike he recreated the problem. Time for more customer service help.  We went to dinner with Karen and Rick at the Island Way Grill.  Great company and good food. We raved so much about it we made plans to meet again for brunch next Sunday at Island Way!  We are becoming regulars!! 

Day 174 Sunday, December 11, 2022

We walked to St. Brendan's and then to Ryan's Island Grill.  Sunday breakfast has always been a favorite of ours and a tradition that we have missed.  Back at the boat it was Sunday football and just chilly enough to encourage me to use the oven.  Pork loin and apple crisp.  Customer service will be sending a new battery for the bike.  We ordered bike locks on line from Walmart at 4:30pm and one was delivered at 9:30pm!  The second one came the next day.

Boaters and the locals are decorating for the season........

 

  

             La Vida 

                                                    Eric's Inheritance

 

Call Me Curly

St. Brendan Catholic Church

Day 167 - 170 December 4 - 7, 2022

 Day 167 Sunday, December 4, 2022

Clearwater Beach Marina, Clearwater Florida

A fun day was planned for this sunny Sunday .  We walked to St. Brendan Catholic Church and then met Janet, Russ, Susan and Danny at the Island Way Grill for brunch.  What a great buffet!  Everything you can imagine was there to tempt you.  Oysters, peel and eat shrimp, crab cakes, sushi, salmon, roast beef, ham, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and made to order omelets, blintz's, French toast, home fries, bacon, sausage, salads, fresh fruit, pastries, charcuterie, and stir fry.  And then there was desert!! Chocolate and peanut butter mousses, tiramisu, brownies, cookies, key lime tart, and cheesecake tarts.   All that comes with a complimentary Mimosa.  You need to bring your appetite.  It was very yummy.  We sat outside and enjoyed the water view, the food, company and Christmas music. 

Our Advent wreath with sea shells instead of pine boughs. 

Day 168 Monday, December 5, 2022

We unpacked our new folding bikes yesterday.  Very exciting, anticipating the fun and adventure that they would provide.  Unfortunately, one of the bikes had a defective latch preventing it from being unfolded and locked in the open position.  Essentially, we couldn't ride it.  Jerry was on the phone with customer service first thing and they will be sending a new latch asap.  In the meantime Jerry and Russ took matters into their own hands and managed to get the defective part of the latch off the bike.  Jerry then rigged it somehow so the bike was locked open.  At least now we can use both of them.  Six hour initial battery charge and we are good to go.  

Laundry was a first -- the machines don't take money, you need an app!  You need to download the app "PayRange", load money to it and then can use that to start the washers and dryers.  It was also the most expensive laundry yet at $3/load.  I had 3 loads to do but spent $21.  I use Earth Breeze detergent sheets instead of liquid detergent.  They work well, take minimal storage space, no plastic to throw away and nothing to spill.  I added the detergent sheets and started the washer, hoping to dissolve them before adding the laundry.  When I attempted to pause the cycle to add clothes the door wouldn't open.  I  washed the washer....  I suppose this prevents someone from hijacking your laundry.  A dock hand shared why the machines no longer take money.  It seems that the homeless would stand there wearing only a towel while they dried their only outfit in the dryer!!

Day 169 Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Lunch with Karen at Columbia Restaurant.  We are having a great time catching up on life since college.  Columbia is known for their Cuban sandwich and table side salad.  They are a local chain that has been in business since 1905.  Karen indulged us, driving us around in search of bike helmets and locks.  No luck at Walmart, we hit a bike store and Target.  We scored helmets at Target and Greek pastries at Mano's. 

    

No sooner had Karen headed home when we were invited by Susan and Danny to join them for the Frenchy's Cocktail Challenge.   Purchase a signature drink at 4 different Frenchy's restaurants and you get a "free" T-shirt.  Sounds fun; our goal -- all 4 and the shirt in 1 day!  Mission accomplished.  Each Frenchy's feature a different drink (you can have any drink that meets the $ amount), a slightly different menu and a much different atmosphere.  My favorite was Frenchy's Rockaway Grill on the beach.  With drinks and appetizers our "free" t-shirts cost us about $60 each; the adventure was priceless.  We finished the evening playing our new favorite card game, 7's, with Susan and Danny.

 

Day 170 Wednesday, December 7, 2022

We did a 2 mile inaugural bike ride.  The bikes can be ridden with and without electric assist.  It's been a while since I've been on a bike so it will take me a bit to get comfortable.  They balance a little differently too so I need to concentrate on what I'm doing.  LOL.  The power assist feature is straight forward and easy to use.  It has 5 assist levels, 6 gear options and a throttle.  Lots for me to wrap my brain around.    

We capped off our day with Covid boosters at CVS.  Jerry was finally eligible, 3 months after his Covid bout in Charlevoix.

  Cruise boat near us decorated for the holidays.

Day 164 - 166 December 1 - 3, 2022

Day 164 Thursday, December 1, 2022

Clearwater Beach Marina

So hard to believe that it's December and it has been a week since we crossed the Gulf!  Today we took a walk and explored a bit of town.  Clearwater is definitely a tourist town with lots of souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants.  A visit to the Chamber Tourist Bureau was filled with lots of sights to visit.  We are going to kick off the holiday season with a visit to the Clearwater Christmas tree lighting tonight.  

The Clearwater Historical Society was the location of the tree lighting, about 4 miles away.  We took "Way to Go" taxi service -- a real deal, a flat rate of $10 for 6 people.  There are lots of options for public transportation with Uber, the trolley, taxi, bike rental and of course you can just walk.  We have felt a bit isolated at some stops along the Loop when we had to Uber everywhere when nothing was close enough to walk to.  

   

The museum had a nice collection showcasing the history of Clearwater.  It was only the 3rd year for the tree lighting and  let's say there is lots of opportunity for growth.  We were looking forward to the food trucks but there were only 2 when we arrived: ice cream popsicles and Violet Pizza.  Violet pizza featured gourmet pizza cooked in a wood fired oven.

Day 165 Friday December 2, 2022

Today's adventure proved to be more exciting than the tree lighting.  We hopped on the Trolley with Janet, Russ, Susan and Danny and headed north to Dunedin.  Dunedin is a quaint town filled with breweries.  A visit to a few local breweries was the objective.  The trolley is a great deal.  For $2.50 you can ride all day getting on and off as many times as you like. 

Just in case the boys need representation!

 

The breweries we visited.

 

Next stop Tarpon Springs!  It's First Friday with all kinds of vendors, outdoor music and the Holiday Boat Parade!!  It was LOTS of fun. 

Tubing on snow!

  

 

Day 166 Saturday, December 3, 2022

Big day today! Dinner with Karen and Rick and delivery of our new bikes.  We considered buying bikes before we left on our loop but decided that we could take a lot of Ubers for the price.  We have since discovered that we could do a lot of exploring and get some much needed exercise with bikes.  The bikes were delivered to Karen's -- we weren't sure how long it would take to get them and didn't want to risk delivery when we traveled home. 

 

Dinner at Frenchy's was their famous grouper sandwich -- delicious.  There are 5 Frenchy's locations.  Frenchy, the owner is originally from Quebec Canada.  Michael Preston, nicknamed Frenchy as a kid because of his accent, opened his first restaurant in 1989 after working his way up from dishwasher in the restaurant business.  

Eric's Inheritance decked out for Christmas!

 

The Grand Wazoo has crossed their wake.

Congratulations Laura and Joe!!!