Captain's log: 3-29-12

        I've almost mastered it!!!!  Doing nothing CAN take all day to get done.
So, I have not blogged because I am too busy doing nothing. It is extremely time consuming.
       So it seems we are getting to the end of another season, and a great one it was! 6 months of winter has never gone so fast. So just a few pics of some of the things in the last month that have taken up my "nuthin time"

Clive has finally earned his grillen/chef hat!  hopefully not the last potluck of the season but, could be.

Drs Meints proving for the first time that 4 people will not sink my homemade dingy. Shall we try for five? Also notice the new bimini. Works great and only cost approx. 30 dollars including the cost of my new 10 dollar sewing machine!
     Since we're talking dingy rides, except for the guy in the foreground isn't this just beautiful?

   
      Clear blue water. Ahh gonna miss that on the OLe MIss.  
      One of the things that is still soooo cool is that almost everyday there is some new wildlife that shows itself. Here are some:  

    This girl showed up one day for a spa treatment. She's been thru the mill. Prop scars all down her back. Some old some newer. Only half a tail. But still apparently happy to have a drink of fresh water. Now those in the know don't get all bent out of shape about giving her water blah blah blah. We called the fishery people to report and as we started to desccribe her they said , "Oh, that's Manx. She lost her tail in 1985 and travels from the Tampa area to our marina every year" Her bad habits are already well ingrained.

Makes you want to ban "STUPID power boaters" NOT power boating.

  I Think I found a new job down here.... Manatee spas. I stuck the brush in the water, not wanting to scare her, but she came right up and knew what the brush was for and demonstrated exactly what spots needed scratching. She was about 12 ft. long and guessing 2000 plus pounds. Unbelievable humbling experience. To me better than any dolphin encounter. Either the most stupid animal on the planet (trusting humans) or the most gentle, forgiving animal on the planet.  I'm sure the latter.
      

Seahorse on a dock line. Approx. 8 inches long. I thought they were mythical creatures......maybe there's more to this mermaid story too.!?

Starfish.

     Well, it's time for the first of friends to head north. I don't say home because I think to a lot of us this is at least a 2nd home.....
    Clive and Jack....till next year pardner..

       What do you suppose they are talking about?     Time to go?.... Should we go?... Isn't that a song? Should I stay or should I go?   Stay tuned to see which way they go...