Best Life

  Tonight we are back on Quiet Time.  A long and frustrating day that ended nicely.  As we were getting in the car in Inverness, our host in Stuart called with bad news.  Apparently our boat was leaking what appeared to be diesel.  What?  He went aboard,turned off what he could and attempted to find the leak with no success.  We were at least three hours away and Jack,our mechanic, was unavailable. The leak was actually minor but had accumulated in the bilge just enough to spill over.  Paul utilized a second fuel shut off and we cleaned out the bilge successfully.  Jack should arrive tomorrow (?).   I meanwhile baked my first sourdough coffeecake.  Back in Daytona I decided to make a sourdough starter.  It has been mostly successful.  Bread was yummy, pancakes not yummy.                                    ...

After briefly stopping at the Three Sisters Wildlife Refuge (well done but small building), we headed to the water.  We returned to Fort Island Beach.  Sunny, warm south breeze, 76 degrees and a weekday = perfect for sitting on a beach.  And we did sit for quite awhile since walking the waterline took all of 20 minutes end to end.                                                    Even Fred came to visit us way over on the Gulf coast! We have enjoyed our stay here on the west coast and our airBNB.  In the middle of nowhere, the birds have entertained us every morning.  The resident alligator never did show his face to us but I cannot be too sad about it!  Ted, our host, says he is 5 feet long and timid.  Hah Tomorrow we head back to the boat, meet the mechanic and hopefully complete the final bits of...

 With the temperature at 44 this morning it was perfect for swimming with the manatees.  The colder the better since they hang out near the springs in King's Bay where the water temp remains at 72 degrees constantly.  Thankfully wet suits are provided and though chilly, the ride on the lake was okay.  Getting into the water however - a different story.  72 doesn't feel warm.  Moving around to warm up was not an option since loud noises and splashing are not tolerated by the manatees.  Doing the doggie paddle over to where the mammals were resting was a bit challenging especially with a pool noodle to help our lower half stay near the surface of the water and away from the animals.  Once we arrived in their little corner of the bay - I was no longer cold.  Watching these giant, slow moving, gentle creatures is amazing.  They have no aggressive traits and just float through life. Interesting facts - they only have 5-7% body fat which is wh...

The morning was cold (which is good for manatees being close to land) but windy.   After waiting for the boat captain to determine whether a boat ride was feasible in the high winds (gusts up to 35 mph), Paul and I decided to rebook for tomorrow morning.  Why wait until everyone is trying to rebook when we know they should not try to drive a boat never mind anchoring in these conditions. Plan B - Weeki Wachee State Park and the mermaids!                                                     So cold and windy.  Thankfully we had coats in the car!                                             Charlie and his mate have 2 babies.  This nest is only 2 years        ...

 Today we visited the area aquarium.  Mertailor's Mermaid Aquarium in nearby Lecanto.  When we decided to visit this area we were told by a few people to check out the mermaids.  So I googled and this aquarium popped up.  Cute, small, cheap entrance fee, a mermaid "show" and a lot of young children.  The starfish tank was a favorite.  The woman was very informative and pointed out things I never would have noticed. This starfish is using its suction cups to pry open the clam and its stomach comes out to absorb the inside.  They have no mouth, brain, or lungs.                                                       Look who showed up! This is the first time I have witnessed a moray eel moving around the tank.  Pretty cool! The mermaid "show" was a bit silly.  Piped music was grainy, ...