turtles and dolphins :)

but sadly, no pics!  I forgot to charge my camera before we left this morning.  Trust me, though, the two turtles were huge, and the dolphin surfaced right in front of the bow of Danny's boat!  The pics I do have from today were taken on my phone.

Donnie was up and at 'em early this morning with a trip to West Marine to get the needed radiator hose.  Willis supervised while he cut it to size.  A few hose clamps and a turn of the screw later, and the heat regulator was reinstalled.  Now all we need is that fuel pump and Bessie should be good as new :)

It feels so good to get off the dock! 

Dan and Biddi were kind enough to invite us to join them and some friends of theirs on a boat ride to Burdine's for lunch.  It's a less than five minute drive from here, but two hours by boat.  I'd rather go by boat :)

The Gulf looked beautiful.  That's a working crab boat zipping by us.

As we entered into Sisters Creek, Cattitudes was having an awful time docking.  The wind was really giving the Cap'n troubles.  He made two passes and still got his dinghy stuck up under the dock!  It was really windy.  It would have been a double reefed main kind of day if we were out on Marquesa.  Small craft advisories were out today.

Bob and his parents joined us at lunch.  The dog cracks me up; he's a chick magnet!

He usually gets to order his own meal...but his poop bags are Walmart bags, lol  He has his own sofa on his master's boat that is his doggie bed.  Bob has it made in the shade.

Much could be said about a shirt like that....let's just let that one go, ok?!

Your meal at Burdine's isn't complete until you've had the deep fried key lime pie. I took a bite for you, Steph!

After lunch we took a cruise through Boot Key Harbor. It is literally world-famous amongst cruisers who are circumnavigating. This is a popular resting place through the winter months.  It actually is a good place to get your boat serviced, if needed.

Who's that cute boy up on Danny's bow?!

Though it was windy, it was a beautiful day to be on the water :)  Crossing back to the Gulf side here.

Look who was looking out the window patiently waiting for Mom and Dad to return home.  I love him.

Marquesa's looking good as we came in on Danny's boat.

As soon as we got back, Donnie had to jump in and get wet.  He was dying to try out his new lobster snare.  He said there were at least 50 in and around our boat, but they were all a little too short.  We've got time.  We'll just wait for them to grow some more!  It was a good thing he went in though and checked under our boats.  Danny's port side engine prop was all tangled up in line from a crab pot.  He must have picked it up just as we were entering back into Banana Bay.  It's like a mine field on both the Gulf and Atlantic sides right now, for all of the crab pots.

Just before sunset, Cap'n got the dinghy bailed, installed the new fuel line, and she ran like a top!  The boy and his toys :)

All in all, it was a great day in paradise....good food, good friends, and a good day out on the water.  Add to that the heat exchanger was reinstalled, the dinghy is up and running, and I got the salon of the boat all cleaned up and everything stowed away in its place.  That makes for one happy Momma K!  G'nite, y.'all