We’ve been in St. Petersburg since last Friday, July 1 and it’s been great to experience a new place! St. Petersburg has been fun to explore and we are right next to the Salvador Dali Museum, which features the largest collection of Dali’s work outside of Spain. We visited the museum on the 4th. He was an amazing artist with work extending outside of his well-known surreal pieces.
Our arrival in St. Petersburg wasn’t as pleasant, however, due to a recent red tide. It was very sad, creepy, and stinky to be surrounded by dead fish as we were coming into the Harborage marina and we didn’t understand why all the casualties – the saddest and most abundent victims were the rays. We learned from the marina manager, and then regularly by the local news, that we were seeing the affects of one of the worst red tides in Tampa Bay history, where an algae bloom releases toxins that are deadly to sealife, All part of nature, but still quite sad (and did I mention stinky?).
One of the best parts of leaving Ruskin was leaving the no-see-ums behind. I was told by a local pharmacist that I must have sweet blood , which was causing them to be so attracted to me. At one point I had 184 bites. The red, swollen, very itchy welts were not the least bit comfortable and I made sure to share that discomfort with Rod and anyone else who cared, or didn’t care for that matter, to listen to me complain. And they were oh so attractive. Those large red bumps combined with the blue and green bruises that adorned my shins and thighs from finding all-things-sticking-out on the boat were almost enough to make me wear long pants. But that would have been just crazy in these temperatures and I’m not that crazy. Comfort won over vanity.
The wildlife here in Florida has been quite different from Idaho. Our first night here at the Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg we were visited by a six foot bull shark. (Sorry, Mom, that I didn’t tell you about this.) We had been warned that the dead fish were attracting sharks into the marina, and sure enough the one we saw swam right up to the back of our boat and circled around the immediate area for about an hour. Check out the pictures! The marina was on the local news for all of the reported shark sightings. And then just last night we saw “Walter” – an eight foot resident alligator that we’d heard about. We’re keeping Moon on a very short leash.
Speaking of Moon, she has requested to return home. She is just not adapting well to life on a boat. The heat is taking a toll on her, especially since she is not allowed to swim in the shark and alligator waters, and her aged hind legs are too weak to allow her to maneuver herself on/off and around the boat very well. Sadly, we have come the realization that this experience is not adding to her life, and is quite possibly taking away from it. Our good friends, Alan and Laura, have offered to be her foster parents while we continue on our journey. We are currently making arrangements to send her home via Delta airlines this weekend or early next week, depending on the heat since the airline will not allow her to fly if the temperatures are over 85 degrees during one of her flight transfers. This has been a very hard decision for us but we know that it’s the best one for her.
Rod and I, on the other hand, are adjusting quite well to living on the boat. We’ve had to do more minor maintenance on the boat than we expected upon arrival, and we (okay, not “we” – Rod is doing the work, but I am learning a few things – like the difference between vice grips and other clampy things that at first glance could be mistaken for vice grips) are getting more comfortable with the boat mechanics through the process. If there’s anything that I miss thus far it’s an ice maker. J
The last few items that we are repairing or having repaired are the outboard motor handle for the dinghy, the raw water pump for the diesel, and an oil changing pump out thing. See how much I’m learning! We met a great mechanic here in St. Pete that gave us a one-on-one overview on being kind to our diesel engine. If it weren’t for Dennis (latest hurricane brewing near Jamaica) we would be looking forward to heading out soon, but we’re going to sit tight until more favorable weather conditions prevail.
Tired of writing for now, and I’m sure you’re tired of reading. Until next time… Lisa
