Friday

December 30th Update...

After walking the docks at Pink Shell this morning we found one casualty.

This is a 18' Hurricane boat that was just fine at 2 am in the morning when Don and I were out walking the docks, checking the boats.

Turns out this is a rental boat brought over by the rental company the other day...

We talked with the folks that rented and drove it and they said that it wouldn't get up on plane and that they called the rental place up and wanted to exchange it for one that operated properly...  This is one of the 3 guys from the rental company trying to raise the boat...

Who knows what really happened here....

Friday

December 30th, 2016

A fifty footer....looks pretty new...

There goes Homeland Security

We've not seen this in the Wisconsin area...see next picture below...

Several boats with outboards have color matched engine covers...

A very new Sea Ray at Pink Shell (the L series)... 65 footer

This behemoth cruised by and parked over by the coast guard station...

I'm guessing this is it's name...

A nice Hatteras Yacht..

called Baby Grand...

This boat's name is Fish Tail....we think it's the owners boat from Fish Tail Marina

Glass bottom boat...

The beach in front of Pink Shell really got busy after Christmas...

Busy, busy, busy..

Pink Shell finally got the thatched roofs on...They had to wait for the turtle hatching.  Turtles are a major priority in Florida.

Bowditch State park is right next to Pink Shell.  It is at the north end of Estero Island.  We walked on the beach/in the water, from the gulf side to the ICW side.  

Beautiful red on this Formula...

Party Boat...

Looking out the boat door in the early morning hours

The tide is really out this morning after a windy night...

Total rise and fall will be 3'4" today...

Pink Shell Marina from off of the 6th floor...Yesterday we washed cloth for the last time before leaving pink shell.  Nice to not have to use rolls of quarters for the wash.  We will miss the free wash machines.

We will be leaving Pink Shell on Sunday, January 1, 2017.  Moving a short distance to a mooring field, for a few days.  Last night a major weather system came in.  The winds were blowing up to 20 miles an hour from the north.  Right at us.  Mike and our neighbor Ron were outside at 2:00AM adding lines to another neighbors boat.  They then walked the docks checking on all the others.  Two great guys 😀  When the weather lets up we will head south toward the Keys.

Saturday/Sunday

12/23 - 12/24

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Blessed Christmas with Family and Friends.  

We spent Christmas Eve at our friend Captain Jerry's home.  He and his brother, Ray, live on a canal that feeds into the gulf.  Jerry keeps his yard groomed beautifully.  All the shade gives one a feel of Wisconsin.  Jerry is a true Wisconsinite.  He misses the north and all his friends at SSYC.  Hopefully he will be able to visit again someday. 

We watched the fantastic Packer Game with Jerry, while eating snacks and Mike's famous crispy wings (sorry Scott).  After the game we had a wonderful dinner, prepared by Mike.  He made fall off the bone ribs, stuffing and corn on the cob.  

Jerry's brother, Ray, joined us for dinner, after a day at work.  He has worked for the past 18 years at an exclusive golf club in Bonita Springs.  If you would like to join, it is $650/month, but you do have open T-times 😁

Christmas Day we spent with our brother, David.  David brought huge tenderloins with him to Pink Shell marina.  He cooked them on the marina grill.  We also had baby potatoes, a fresh salad, and fresh caught shrimp.  It was a very relaxing day.  As an appetizer, we had wonderful baby swiss cheese and wine.  Mikes sister, Sue, sent the cheese to us from Wisconsin.  

David brought us these famous Norman Love Confections.  They are to die for.  I ate one that tasted just like  a lemon bar. We are going to treasure them over the next few weeks.

So you ask, "Where are all the pictures?"  Someone deleted them accidentally.  He didn't like the way the dolphin pictures turned out and deleted all pictures on the camera.  It happens.  Hopefully David will send us a few that he took, to add at a later date.

David is watching the grill on Christmas day and takes a picture of Mike relaxing on the boat.

Elwood is watching for the many dolphins that are coming in to feed.  You can see one in the distance.

Joell is preparing baby potatoes with rosemary.  Mike made them for Kristin and Tom.  They were great.  Joell can only hope.

Monday

December 26, 2016

So, today Joell and I are very happy to have a slip at Pink Shell Marina..  Just after Christmas there's an influx of thousands of people coming to Fort Myers Beach (FMB)....

We rode our bikes through Time Square where they have the trinket shops and bars and went just a little further to the Hot Dog Stand... We had a Chicago dog each and split a basket of fries..... very good... Then we road back to the boat... Mike wanted to stop for a Bloody Mary at the Mermaid Bar but Joell didn't think she would make it back after that, in the heat.  It was sunny and in the 80's

Below you'll find various boats that cruise past us...  this is a slow, no wake zone but we've seen boats on full plane and most just plowing through here throwing a wake on the entire marina with no regard for others...  Once in a while the Coast Guard, Police or Sheriff's boat will cruise through and pull over or just verbally warn the boats....but we've seen no tickets given out...

To my brother Ken which requested daily postings... well... "Bite Me"

Here's the pirate ship going out...

Coasty cruising through...

Shrimp boat heading out...

A nice Sea Ray...

This guy must get paid for advertising on his big sign...

Fast boats...

Pontoon  boats

Thousands of Center Console boats...

Tow Boat US...

Oh, a lot of Hurricane Boats here...this guy's on the wrong side of the green marker...and throwing a nice wake...

Lots of Parasail Boats

Mark E. - this Formula slash/ family boat is sweet....

more Center Consoles

and more Center Consoles

I have no idea what this is...

Looks nice though...

Power and more Power boats (we see a lot of these in many different bright colors)

The Pirate ship coming back...

Arrrrrg.....

Mike wants us to be armed on the front of our boat, next time and pretend we are fighting back.  He already has the eye patch.  We are going into Time square tomorrow for the wooden swords.😊

This should be against the law...boating and texting...

More Parasail...

and more

Sea Boots...going..,

and coming...

and party boats....