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.
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