Saturday, May 11
Saturday was spent entirely on the ICW, attempting to avoid crazy, weekend boaters.  We saw quite a few more dolphins. Hadn't seen many since leaving the Keys. Also, saw and avoided a few Manatees swimming alongside the channel.  We travelled through an area known for its waterfowl, alligators and bugs.  Didn't see any alligators, but did see a few pink flamingos on an island with a ton of white heron. Took a picture, but was too far away to see them.
A dilemma we have is adequate picture taking. Our smart phones are so handy and fit nicely into our pockets, the cupholders on the bridge, etc., but they have limited X-zoom capability. A decent camera doesn't fit into these spaces as well and is usually unavailable (ie, stored below so not to get damaged, etc).  So, we deal with rather low quality photos. Sorry.
As it was Saturday, there were lots of boaters. As mentioned before, we are one of a very few who actually following proper boating procedures and etiquette (at least, in our opinion).  So, it was a day of additional stress watching out for the other guy. We did listen to a medical emergency on the VHF radio involving a gentleman with chest pains and the Coast Guard following the 'checklist', asking the required questions and taking the required actions. Last we heard, the gentleman was improving and being escorted inland by a Coast Guard vessel.
We stopped for the night at South Daytona Beach.  The marina was 3 blocks from the beach, so we walked over there (in the 90+ weather) and dipped our toes in the ocean.  I was amazed at how compact/firm the beach was.  North of where we were there were motor vehicles on the beach.  On the way back, we stopped long enough for Joe to participate in the ObamaCare Program.  You will see the before and after pictures.
There is a restaurant located at the marina, named Boondocks.  It is a down-to-earth place, no frills. In fact it's picnic tables, long bars, lots of people and a fantastic wait staff.  On our way back from the beach we stopped in for iced tea and adult beverages because, remember, it was 90+!  There were a few people eating a late lunch.  After looking at the menu we decided to come back for dinner.  Well, at 7pm that night the place was hopping and we had a 45 minute wait.  So, off to the bar we went for more iced tea and adult beverages.  It took us awhile to get 3 stools together and once we did we decided to eat right at the bar instead of waiting for a table in the other room.  It was obvious to us that this was a favorite place to eat/hang out on Saturday night.  Lots of locals there.  After our good meal we ventured back to the boat and watched a little TV before calling it a night.

Daytona Beach

 

Boondocks

Before ObamaCare

After ObamaCare

Sunday, May 12
St Augustine is the home of Col(R) John and Sam Moors. You met them in Key West. Since there was nothing on our agenda for Sunday morning, we slept in and had a lazy morning.  John came to pick us up mid-afternoon and we headed to his house for a really nice afternoon/evening.  John and Sam live in a very nice home that John and his son Joe have made many, many enhancements to. Joe is a carpenter and does some very nice cabinetry, etc.  As is typical in FL, they live on the 2nd floor.  The bottom floor was used for storage until about 14 years ago, when they enclosed it and made it a basement apartment for Sam's mother and father, Fran and Joe.  They have lived with them ever since and they share everything, including meals.  This evening Joe, Sam and Fran cooked shrimp fettuccini with broccoli, corn, cucumber salad, orange pineapple jello and ice cream for dessert. It was delicious. They are very good hosts and it is amazing to see the 4 of them work together.  A well-oiled machine.  Wonderful!  It was a good day.

Our wonderful dinner.

From left to right, John, Tim, Joe, Sam, Fran, Joe and me

Monday, May 13
John insisted that he deliver one of his vehicles to us so we would have transportation for the day.  Originally he wanted to give it to us Sunday night, but the marina we're staying out is right down town and parking is limited.  Also his truck is a Dodge 3500 quad-cab dually.  We slept in, fixed pancakes and did a little laundry. Shortly after, along came Sam and John to drop off their truck for us.  We took a little ride and did a little shopping, stocking up on staples for the boat.  We were to meet Jesse and Kay Kinghorn and Aletha Massengale for lunch.  Tim has worked with Jesse and Aletha for many years.  We walked to a little restaurant, close to the marina, and had a very nice lunch.  We saw a little of downtown and then headed back to the boat.  John and Sam invited us over again for tacos, drinks and more good company.  Vickie Seaholm (remember the bride from Key West?) came over too, along with another retired Col, Paul and his wife, Linda.  Dinner was good. The company was good and once again they gave us a ride back to our boat. We leave early Tuesday morning for South Jacksonville. Wednesday we fly home for a few weeks. I forgot to mention John and Sam's animals. They have 3 dogs, 2 cats and an African Grey (parrot). To say these animals are like members of the family is not near adequate. One dog, Duke, will jump up on a stool, right at the table, like he belongs there. He also likes to sing.  


A local pirate tour boat.

Aletha, Kay, Tim and Jesse

Duke, right at home.

Alvin, the 17lb kitty.