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Please Yourself  docked in downtown Tobermory.

Walter gathered benches to shore up the dock.

Gravel dump trucks were transported on a barge to a nearby island. This one floated by with no tow boat attached which was an unnerving sight because the wind was blowing the barge close to a rocky shoal.

Walter, Marlys, Mike, Bob, Irene at the Drummond Island cottage of Mike and Marlys. Mike and Marlys graciously took us on a tour of Drummond Island.

Bayside Resort on Drummond Island has an outdoor chapel.

Bob at the American Fur Company Store. This is the 1820's store where voyageur fur traders transacted business. A fascinating event of medical history took place on this spot on June 6, 1822. A French-Canadian voyageur, Alexis St. Martin, was accidentally shot by a musket rifle. Physician William Beaumont treated the injury which was a hole in the abdomen about the size of a man's palm. The blast had blown away a piece of muscle tissue and stomach lining. The doctor treated the wound which took months to heal but the hole into the stomach never healed completely.  The doctor was able to push aside a flap of skin and insert his forefinger into the stomach. Alexis was not able to return to fur trapping so the doctor hired him as a servant but in return Alexis  had to agree to being experimented on. Dr. Beaumont would tie a string around pieces of food such as boiled beef or boiled chicken and place them in the stomach with the end of the string hanging out. The doctor would remove them after 1 hr, 2hrs, 3 hrs and so on until it was digested. This was the discovery of the action of gastric juices in the stomach. The chicken took longer to digest than the beef. The doctor experimented with pieces of bread, cabbage, salted pork, salted beef, etc. Dr. Beaumont published his findings which to this day are referenced for rate of digestion of food. Alexis eventually returned to Quebec where he married and had children.

Bob on the porch and Irene on the porch. At 6:00 pm only patrons in evening dress are allowed on the porch. The ceiling of the porch is painted sky blue to discourage birds from nesting near the ceiling.

The hotel's dining hall is impressively long..

The weather was hot so we strolled on the beach at Charlevoix. The water was warm.

Charlevoix beach is long and sandy with a variety of pebbles at the shoreline enticing to rock collecting.

We found a couple of unique Petoskey stones that are fossilized coral, Hexagonaria Percarinata, from 350 million years ago. The Petoskey stones are only in this 40 mile area.

An enterprising boater anchored a fast food take-out boat out in the harbor. The shark eating a man holding on to a burger is an unusual decoration.

The freshly smoked whitefish and salmon at Carlson's Fishery  was done perfectly. We went back for seconds and thirds.

The beach has 80ft high sand dunes.

Frankfort house displays huge pumpkins for fall. These pumpkins had to be strapped to wooden skids to move them with a tractor.

Frankfort Harbor has a 100ft yacht with an Amphicar dinghy on the top deck.

The harbor is well protected and scenic but low water level on Lake Michigan leaves high docks. We had to walk up to the bow to get off the boat.

Rocky, Ed, Linda, Harry, Tim, Lucy and Irene enjoy a nice fresh salmon barbecue. Rocky persuaded a local fisherman to give him a large salmon by telling him "he would make eight people very happy with that fish", and he was right. The salmon was smoked on a cedar plank and was delicious. The salmon were coming into the harbor by the hundreds to spawn.

Manitowoc Wisconsin lighthouse. We almost ran into this lighthouse at the end of our crossing of Lake Michigan, from Frankfort Michigan to Manitowoc. It was an 80 mile cruise that started off in 4-5 ft waves, but the last 20 miles were in dense fog and high waves. The fog was so bad that the bowsprit was buried in the fog and only the windlass was visible. We were traveling on the same route as the ferry that crosses the lake. The fog horn from the lighthouse is how we homed in on the harbor entrance.

A nearby boater in the marina greeted us and kindly asked us if we needed anything. The only thing we needed to re-supply was beer so he called his girlfriend to bring some beer for us when she came to visit him. They brought over a case of Leinin Kugels Wheat Beer and refused to accept payment. It was a very nice welcome to Milwaukee and the beer was good.

John and Cyndi Esch helped us tie up and settle in at our slip. John and Cindy are also members of America's Great Loop Cruisers Association and hail from Texas. Cindy was very kind to drive us miles away to a Wal-Mart so we could re-provision. They also informed us that we were within walking distance of a commuter train to Chicago. On weekends the train fare is $5.00 for unlimited travel all weekend. The marina offered a deal that if you stay a week you only pay for 6 days at $1.00/ft/day. We stayed for a week and commuted to downtown Chicago every day.

Chicago Navy Pier tourist recreation area off the bow. At the left side is the Chicago Lock entrance to the Chicago River and downtown Chicago.

Irene is considering a hard-shell dinghy at Belmont Harbor, Chicago.

Please Yourself  at Belmont Harbor, Chicago. Notice all the boats at dock and on mooring balls in the background. The boat had to move from this dock to the Chicago Yacht Club for engine repairs, through this "minefield" of boats with only one engine working and windy conditions. If you look closely at the previous photo, behind Irene is Please Yourself docked behind a 50 ft Sea Ray . The bowsprit of Please Yourself is overhanging the Sea-Doo on the back of the Sea Ray and the wind is pushing Please Yourself forward. The move was stressful.

Please Yourself at the Chicago Yacht Club. Skipper Bob managed to dock the boat on one engine, single-handed with no help docking. Irene was inadvertently left standing barefoot at Belmont Harbor. The dockmaster gave her a ride to the Chicago Yacht Club.

Chicago Lincoln Park raccoons. We had been out for an evening stroll in Lincoln Park and noticed a lot of raccoons scurrying about checking out the day's collection of garbage in the waste bins. When we returned to the boat we noticed that the items on the back deck had been scattered about and assumed someone had been on board. As we checked to see if anything was missing a raccoon scurried from behind a chair and crawled into the rope locker. Knowing that raccoons become quite vicious when cornered , we decided not to poke it out of hiding. We left it alone for the night and by morning it was gone.

Chicago skyline at Burnham Harbor.

Chicago skyline Monroe Harbor.

Chicago skyline at night from Montrose Harbor. The string of lights to the left of the buildings is Navy Pier.

Cruising downtown Chicago by boat is amazing.

The art-deco building in the middle is the chewing gum Wrigley Building.

Wabash Ave. bridge.

Just passed the Wabash Ave. bridge.

Tour boat going under LaSalle St. bridge.

Clark St. bridge. At every bridge there is a different design bridge tender office. The bridges stay closed all year except the second weekend in September when all the bridges are raised so that sailboats can get off Lake Michigan. The lowest bridge clearance is 17' 1" closed. A boat with a fixed radar arch, or a mast, that can't make it through that weekend has to go about 19 miles south of Chicago and go along the Cal-Sag River. The Cal-Sag River goes through an industrial area to the Illinois River. A boat has to clear under a 19' fixed bridge. If the boat is too high then Lake Michigan is the end of the journey.

The Marshall Field Building clock.

Looking up at the night sky amongst the skyscrapers.

Chicago Civic Opera Building.

Chicago International Museum of Surgical Science. This mansion was built in 1917 for Eleanor Robinson Countiss. The building was a copy of Le Petit Trianon  a French chateau in Versailles built for Marie Antoinette in 1770. The building was acquired by the International College of Surgeons and became a museum of surgical science. Exhibited are medical milestones such as evolution of amputation techniques in orthopedic surgery. Displayed are ancient bone-cutting tools, Civil War amputation kits and 19th century splints and artificial limbs. Also, recent advances in arthroscopy and myoelectric limbs. Fascinating displays. An unusual must-see museum.

Chicago Field Museum has the world's largest T-Rex skeleton.

Chicago Field Museum ancient Egyptian display of an unusually obese mummy sarcophagus.

Chicago Museum of Industry and Science display of an 1896 firefighter's helmet. On the front of the helmet is a whistle with a squeeze pouch to communicate signals with other firefighters.

Chicago River City condos with their own marina on the Chicago River.

The Chicago Smurfit-Stone Building is locally called the "vagina tower" because of the diamond-shaped, slanted split roof.

Chicago's  Picasso sculpture. The people standing at the bottom right corner are dwarfed by the statue.

The Picasso sculpture is 50 feet high, weighs 162 tons and is made of  "Cor-Ten" steel, as used in the Daley Center Building behind it.

A tow boat pushing 3 barges of gravel. Each barge is 205 feet long and 35 feet wide and carries about 60 semi-trailer loads of  goods such as sand, gravel, oil, coal, grain, or equipment

The tow boat pilot house is raised by a hydraulic cylinder so that the tow captain can see past the barges.

The tow boat pilot house is down so that the boat can get under a fixed bridge.

Stay between the red and green buoys. Sometimes a barge will drag a marker out of position.

A few miles farther down the river was an abandoned water treatment plant dock. Since it was late in the afternoon and we would not be able to get to Jolliet Illinois before dark, and the tow-barges also run all night making navigation treacherous, we decided to tie onto this old dock for the night. We were not able to go fast because the boat's wake was a problem for other boats and tugs, so we couldn't cover as much distance as in open water. This is a quiet, secluded dock surrounded by thick brush and trees. The next day a strong hot wind kept us at the dock until the afternoon.

The Rialto Theater in Jolliet, opened in 1926, was used in the Blues Brothers movie.

Irene in the Jolliet bascule bridge tender's office. Every moveable bridge on the Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee Rivers has an operator on duty 24 hours a day.

Water levels on the Illinois River were so low that Please Yourself was not able to pull up to the next marina's fuel dock. We didn't want to chance running out of fuel down river, so a fellow "looper" John Mobley kindly arranged to have a diesel truck make a delivery to the dock.

Peoria has a metered docking system. $2 per foot per hour for boats over 28 feet.

The Spirit of Peoria stern paddle wheel boat looks like a floating wedding cake.

We tied a stern line onto the dock and the bow was tied tight onto the dock but a short piece of pipe sticking out of the barge gouged the forward portal frame. Better this than anchoring out in the river. Cabaret and I Love Lucy rafted up beside Please Yourself. The docking was free but we couldn't run the generator because the cooling water intake was buried in the mud and the weather was turning cooler with a low in the upper 30's F. That evening a group of  local teenagers dropped by the dock. There's not much stimulation for teenagers growing up in a small town. One of them asked where we were from and we said Toronto, then their response was "where's that?". The next morning at departure, Harry powered up Cabaret and maneuvered Please Yourself away from the barge and out of the mud.

Irene made perogies. The secret to perfect perogy dough is to mix two parts of flour and one part sour cream. The filling is mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and fried onion pieces.

Grafton limestone bluffs on the Mississippi River.

Every boat docks facing into the Mississippi current and is tied on by Fern who runs the operation. She is a wealth of knowledge about anchorages along the Mississippi River.

Bob and Irene at Hoppie's.

The Admiral is an art-deco riverboat built in 1938, using the hull of the former railroad transfer boat Albatross built in 1907.

The Admiral is now a Casino. The riverboat is 374 feet long and 92 feet wide.

Abandoned riverboat casino near St. Louis.

Steam locomotive at Paducah train museum. The large wheels make a nice rest. They just don't make trains like this anymore.

Irene, Lucy, Ed, Linda and Harry doing a champagne celebration on the flybridge of I Love Lucy. We're finally off the Mississippi River.

After a few drinks Ed finally let his hair down. Ed has spare follicles to donate to the needy.

Bob enjoying a delicious 2 inch thick barbecued southern porkchop at Patti's Settlement restaurant in Grand Rivers Kentucky. We had traveled 247 miles since the last marina stop at Hoppies so we joined Harry and Linda for a civilized celebration.

Patti's Settlement had decorated their establishment with thousands of Christmas lights.

The town of Grand Rivers Kentucky was beautifully decorated in Christmas lights. The most refreshing aspect of the town's lights display was that there was no Coca-Cola Santa Claus or the commercialism of Christmas. St. Nicholas was there to greet the children, and minstrels and choirs performed Christmas carols.

I Love Lucy and Cabaret locking through at the Pickwick Lock  on the Tennessee River.

Irene gets a lesson from Lucy and Linda on how to make sushi. Lucy's big bambu is ready to smoke.

Bob, Irene, Lucy, Ed, and Harry enjoying sushi.

Deer swimming across the Tennessee River.

Tennessee River grain elevator was at the edge of the original riverbank before the river was widened. The structure was supposed to be demolished but it was so sturdy that demolition was abandoned.

Sand barge on the Tennessee River.

For cat lovers, Decatur Alabama is the home of the Meow Mix factory.

Irene at Eastport Marina near Iuka Mississippi. We are definitely in the south.

The Painted Bluff on the Tennessee River is over 350 feet high. Bald eagles soar above and a fisherman is dwarfed at the base of the cliff.

Nadia, Bob and Irene doing the traditional gravy shooter. The gravy was made with wild-picked mushrooms. Nadia liked it to the last drop.

Irene, Bob, Nadia, and Greg starting Christmas celebrations.

Atlanta Georgia, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fans partying before a football game against University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Atlanta Georgia, frat house beer tree on the Georgia Tech campus.

Atlanta Georgia, bomb squad at rival football game of Georgia Tech and University of Georgia.

The space shuttle is so large that Irene is dwarfed standing at the base of the middle support post.

Irene standing next to the world's fastest airplane, The SR-71 Blackbird, flying at over three times the speed of sound, was used by the U.S. military for high altitude surveillance. Most metals melt or distort from the air-friction heat at 2,400 miles per hour so the plane was made of titanium metal. When the SR-71's were being built the U.S. did not have enough titanium, but Russia had the largest supply of titanium so the U.S. secretly purchased titanium through dummy corporations. The SR-71's then flew missions over Russia. The plane flew at the edge of the atmosphere so the pilots wore astronaut suits. The cameras on the plane could take a picture of a golf ball on the ground from 80,000 feet in the air. The Blackbirds had over 1,000 missiles launched at them but none were ever hit because the planes were too fast. 

The Huntsville, Marshall Space Centre has a gold-leaf custom motorcycle made by Orange County Choppers.

Houses on the banks of the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers are built on stilts because of spring flooding.

The Tombigbee Waterway runs through some remote places of Alabama. Camouflage clothing is worn as a daily fashion when going shopping or out to a restaurant.

Mistletoe grows on trees in clusters. It is a parasite that attaches to tree branches.

Bob picking mistletoe near Guntersville Alabama.

Guntersville Alabama wrestling poster.

Tombigbee River, Demopolis Alabama, a group of Mallard ducks but the duck on the left has a tufted ball of feathers growing on it's head.

Irene added a dollar bill to the ceiling. The southern dinner at the Down Yonder restaurant was deep-fried catfish, boiled turnip greens with bacon, sweet potatoes and deep-fried cornmeal hush-puppies. Southern catfish are farm raised in ponds and taste delicious but are always served deep-fried whole with fins or fillets.

Irene with a box of roadkill helper seasoning.

Pickensville Mississippi, southern antebellum mansion.

Irene at gate of the mansion. The gate closing mechanism was a cannonball suspended midway to a chain attached to the gate and a post. As the gate was pulled open the chain stretched out raising the cannonball. When the gate was released the weight of the cannonball pulled the chain down and closed the gate. No spring to break.

Tombigbee Waterway, Please Yourself at Bobby's Fish Camp. The Spanish moss hanging in the trees is not parasitic. It absorbs moisture from the air, and is a member of the pineapple family. This is the only dock for over a hundred miles up or down river.

This is the restaurant at Bobby's Fish Camp. People come from miles around, dressed in camouflage clothing, for a feed of deep-fried catfish (head and skin removed) which you hold onto a fin and pick at the fish with your fingers.

Tombigbee Waterway, flock of vultures in trees. Clusters of mistletoe in tree.

Tombigbee Waterway, white cliffs of Eppes.

Tombigbee, Pirates Marina Cove sailboat sank in twenty minutes when the the holding tank fitting broke.

Tombigbee, below Coffeeville Dam, morning fog was lifting to reveal foam churned up by water falling over the dam.

Andy Carlson, Bob, Jack Andrade. Both Andy and Jack are sailors of renown. Andy had the distinction of leading the riderless horse in the John F. Kennedy funeral procession. The horse was the last one used by the U.S. army. Andy also had the honor of leading the riderless horse at General MacArthur's funeral.                               We all have Jack to thank for the wonderful music of Jimmy Buffett. When Jimmy was learning to scuba dive at the age of 18, Jack was the dive instructor. They were diving down at 90 feet when Jimmy ran out of air. Jack saved Jimmy's life by sharing his air with Jimmy and brought him safely back up to the surface. When Jimmy became a musician, he sang about Jack the diver.

New Orleans party balcony. Party on the balcony threw beads to people on the street.

Irene caught beads. Girl gone wild.

New Orleans, French Quarter building decorated for Christmas. Peace Yall!

New Orleans has the best souvenir stores. Bob and a stuffed alligator.

New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery, "oven" vaults. The family vaults were re-used. The body in a vault was entombed for a year and a day and then the bones were pushed into a 2 foot cavity at the back so another body could be interred.

New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery. The more affluent families had individual tombs with wrought iron fences.

New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery plaque on a tomb of a 25 year old man that died in a duel.

New Orleans, St. Louis Cemetery tomb of  voodoo queen Marie Laveau. Practitioners of voodooism make pilgrimages to this tomb and leave or exchange gifts such as flowers, money, cigars, candy, candles and beads.

Metairie Cemetery has tombs arranged in streets.

Metairie Cemetery tall tombs.

Metairie Cemetery epitaph of Wilberforce Savery Cox, a 3 year old boy that died in 1871. 

"All that's bright must fade                                                              The brightest still the fleetest                                                         All that's sweet was made                                                            But to be lost when sweetest"

Metairie Cemetery abounds with life-size carved marble statues.

Lakeland Cemetery, Brunswig tomb in an Egyptian style, but built in marble.

The head of the sphinx on the Brunswig tomb has the face of the interred woman. Hand-carved marble statues.

Lakeland Cemetery Seidel tomb of red granite. The bronze statue is life-size.

Lakeland Cemetery Pizzati tomb with life-size carved marble statue on top.

Lakeland Cemetery, Egan tomb built out of marble to look like an unfinished castle.

Mobile Alabama, Conti Street. Old oak trees covered in moss and vines grow across streets.

Mobile Alabama, Dauphin Street. Mobile was founded as a city in 1703.

Mobile has been a city under six flags. The French flag was followed by the English, Spanish, American, Republic of  Alabama, Confederate and again American. The state capitols of  the southern confederacy today have their capitol buildings' entrances facing south.

Mobile, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Construction on the cathedral started in 1835.

Mobile, Cathedral Basilica interior. The ceiling has gold-leaf embossed fleurs-de-lis and shamrocks to represent the French and Irish Catholic heritage of Mobile.

Mobile southern belles. Mobile had a marathon and the southern belles were at the finish line.

Mobile, Mardi Gras float. Each float has about a dozen people throwing bead necklaces, stuffed toys, mardi gras coins, Moon Pies, panties, beer, cups, balls, candy and other trinkets to spectators. But, you have to get the attention of the person on the float by screaming, jumping, flashing or whatever. The spectators are allowed to drink alcohol on the streets as long as it's not in a glass container. Beer vendors are on the sidewalks incase your drink runs dry.

Mobile, Mardi Gras, Joker float. Mardi Gras originated in Mobile in the U.S., and was later picked up by New Orleans. Mobile has been celebrating Mardi Gras since 1780.

Mobile, Mardi Gras, Conde Cavaliers Marshalls on horseback with sacks of bead necklaces thrown to spectators. When their floats came by it was bedlam.  Each parade is hosted by a social society and this one was called The Conde Cavaliers. All people on the floats must wear masks and are not allowed to remove them until the "grand ball" that evening at the end of the parade. Invited guests to the ball must wear tuxedoes with tails and white tie for men and evening gowns for women.

Mobile, Mardi Gras, members of Krewe of Mullett Mates. The parade route which is about five miles long, has waist high barricades and it's a 100 dollar fine to cross them.

Mobile, Irene and Bob with beads caught at one parade. On weekends there are three or four parades per day. It's a non-stop party.

These are a sample of beads collected at Mardi Gras parades. Each necklace is unique, no duplicates. The variety is fascinating.

Mobile, Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday, Jack Andrade serves up smoked venison. Jack's son had shot the deer with a bow. On Fat Tuesday the Mardi Gras parades start in the morning and continue all day. Everyone celebrates with barbecues and tailgate parties along the parade route.

Bubba (real name) scooping up the best boiled cajun peanuts, anywhere. He boils the peanuts in a salted broth of habanera and jalapeno peppers, garlic, onions, lemon and orange for about 18 hours. The best peanuts are in Theodore Alabama.

Saturday afternoons at Julies Bar in Theodore Alabama. A couple of oyster fishermen go out in the morning and harvest a few bushels of oysters and bring them to Julies Bar. The deal is that the beer costs $2.50 a bottle but you get a free dozen fresh oysters on the half shell. They were the tastiest raw oysters we ever had.

Irene at Julie's Bar, eating raw oysters. Two dozen slid down her throat with ease. This was after attending the first Mardi Gras parade of the day, four more parades that day.

Wooden boats in the bayou.

Mobile Alabama, Irene and Bob eating crawfish poboy sandwiches at the Boiling Pot restaurant.

Grand Mariner Marina, Irene at entrance to marina office. The water flood-lines from hurricanes George and Katrina are marked above Irene.

Irene and Bob on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama. The sand is like fine sugar and squeeks when you walk.

The interior of  Pirates Cove Bar is most unusual. It is filled with stuff donated by boaters who stopped in for drinks, and by the looks of the eclectic curios, a lot of drinks. On weekends they have a band that plays late into the night.

The ceiling of the dining room is covered with old sails and visiting boaters sign the sailcloth.

The owner of  Pirates Cove Bar has a large mastiff dog and encourages patrons to bring their dogs. There are at least 8 dogs wandering around the bar and follow the waitress around because she brings your food and the dogs gather around and stare at you, hoping to get a morsel. They wait a few minutes and if you don't throw them something they look around for the waitress and follow her to the next meal serving. The dogs are all different breeds, large and small, well behaved and very friendly.

Pensacola NAS, Hercules C130 transport plane. The pilot of this plane landed on an aircraft carrier without the use of a tail hook and took off without a catapult assist. When the pilot was coming in for a carrier landing he had his engines in reverse in the air before he touched down so his landings had to be perfect. He did this 25 times.

Pensacola NAS bar with a collection of officers' plaques from stations in the West Pacific.

Pensacola NAS, F16 Falcon with communist insignia. This airplane has the closest flight characteristics of a Russian MIG so they use it as a target plane in aerial dogfight training.

Pensacola NAS, Blue Angels F18 Hornet. The planes that the Blue Angels fly have had about 2,000 pounds of armaments removed.

Colorful homes on Perdido Key,  Florida.

Pelican relaxing on shopping carts. Panama City, Florida.

Irene with a bag of deep-fried pork skins. A southern delicacy.

Panama City, Sun Harbor Marina, NASCAR race fans gathered at the tiki bar to watch the Daytona race. Dave Coupe (red shirt), the marina manager and social organizer keeps the boaters happy. Sun Harbor is a fun marina that's hard to leave.

Panama City, Sun Harbor Marina, barbecue party, Irene had roasted corn covered in butter and mayo dip and topped with shredded cheese and chili powder. Delicious. Dave Coupe's recipe.

Appalachicola Bay, oyster fishermen harvesting oysters on the bottom. The boats are in 3 to 4 feet of water and the fishermen use a pair of 8 foot long rakes that are hinged like scissors.

The oyster fishermen scoop the oysters off the bottom and clean off the sand. It's labor intensive which keeps the oyster beds from being over-harvested, provides income and keeps the price up.. Years ago they dragged the bottom with nets for big oyster harvests but coral and plants were uprooted as well which destroyed the seabeds so Florida wisely outlawed dragging for oysters.

This store had a whimsical catfish ornament. There are a lot of cats in town. One store had a note on the door " Free cats. You catch 'em,  you keep 'em."

A souvenir store had an assortment of fridge magnets.

Appalachicola is a commercial harbor with shrimp boats. Great seafood at great prices.

Appalachicola Florida, The Tin Shed nautical stuff store.

The Tin Shed, old brass diver's helmet $1,995.

The Tin Shed whimsical signs.

The Tin Shed, Irene holds glass prism.

The Tin Shed, Steve Beley with pirate woman.

Carrabelle, TowBoatU.S. to the rescue, Captain Russell and Captain Millard of C-Quarters saved this pelican from certain death. The bird had it's pouch cut open in a scrap with another pelican, they have sharp claws and a hook at the end of their beak. Every time this pelican would try to swallow a fish, it would fall out the hole in its pouch. Russell and Millard netted the bird and stitched it up with plastic tiewraps. The bird has recovered nicely and hangs out around the marina. It's nicknamed Zippy.

Carrabelle Florida, Please Yourself at low tide. The sand bar, behind the boat, runs down the middle of the Crooked River.

Carrabelle Florida, Please Yourself at high tide. The sand bar is covered by a foot of water. Attention to waterway markers is important.

Carrabelle, TowBoatU.S. to the rescue again. The Searay didn't pay attention to the markers and got stuck on a sandbar and had to be towed off.

Carrabelle Florida,  Steve and Irene at the Carrabelle police station. World's smallest police station.

The freshly harvested oysters have to be washed before shucking.

George shows off a properly shucked oyster.

Bob and Steve hack away at oysters. Cut and bleeding knuckles are not a detterent.

Steve slurps a juicy oyster.

This converted ambulance car was spoofing the movie Ghostbusters. It belonged to the First Methodist Church of Tarpon Springs.

A white egret waiting for a handout. The city docks at Tarpon Springs are in the heart of  the sponge district. A lot of excellent Greek restaurants, shops and entertainment are close to the boat. A very clean and picturesque community.

Tarpon Springs, St. Michael's Shrine Chapel has on display the miracle icon of the crying Madonna. On July 18, 1989 this icon started to weep and the stains are still visible.

Bob, Greg, Nadia, and Irene celebrating St. Patrick's Day at Brennan's Pub in Tarpon Springs.

Fiddler at Brennan's is from Wisconsin, the badger state. Notice the sporran.

Greg, Nadia and Irene cruising Clearwater beach.

Clearwater Beach during March break.

Irene and Bob enjoy mojitos at the Sand Pearl tiki bar on Clearwater beach. The freshly muddled mint and lime mixed with lemon rum made a perfect mojito.

Irene, Bob, Nadia and Greg after sampling pitchers of  mojitos with lime or orange or pineapple or strawberry. The smiles are genuinely happy.

Irene embraces the sign at the Sand Pearl tiki bar. She likes their attitude.

The maidenhead of the Bounty.

The square-rigged tall ship Bounty. This replica is an impressive sight. Hollywood doesn't make movie props like this anymore. It's all computer digitized.

EPCOT, Morocco pavilion mosaic fountain. Disney World's attention to details enhances the experience.

EPCOT, Irene participates in a 3D brainwashing experiment. Aliens are among us. Trust no one.

EPCOT, Mexico pavilion.

EPCOT, Spaceship Earth geodesic sphere is 18 stories tall.

EPCOT, Spaceship Earth was named by sci-fi author Ray Bradbury.

EPCOT, every evening ends with a fireworks display.

Irene, Elaine, Glen and Bob at Woody's River Roo. Glen and Elaine are the reason we made this trip. They had cruised their boat Frost Free to Florida, years ago and have now done the trip again  in a larger, 48ft. Ocean Sportfish.  About 12 years ago, when we were dock neighbours at Lagoon City Marina, Ontario, Glen and Elaine would entertain us with stories of their first voyage to Florida. Their adventures instilled the desire to do this trip.

Woody's River Roo Pub warning sign. There really are alligators in the river so dangling your feet from the docks is discouraged.

Woody's River Roo entertainer plays for tips.

Skipper Bob handled the anchor chain without gloves. OUCH.

Sarasota FL, Bob waiting for the mangoes to ripen.

Sarasota Botanical Park, Irene under state champion Bunya Pine over 80 feet high.

Sarasota, lizard love. Yes their playing leaping lizards. These lizards are everywhere in Florida. You have to watch your step on sidewalks because they like the warm sun.

Sarasota, Island Park local, walking his cockatiel. Warning, repeated sunstroke will do this.

Sarasota, heron perched on dinghy waiting for a fish.

Sarasota, Skipper Bob and Tampa Bob. Bob has lived in the Tampa area for many years and we finally got together for a reunion.

Sarasota, Javier, the mechanic, and Bob celebrating the successful repair of the dinghy engine. Javier completely rebuilt the Evinrude at a very reasonable cost. The engine now runs perfectly.

Philip Jackson's "Serenissima".

Philip Jackson's "Moonstruck".

Dustin Shuler's  "Dance".

Seward Johnson's  "Comprehension".

Sarasota, Ringling Museum poster of aerial acts.

Sarasota, Ringling Museum poster of cannon act. The stunt person in the cannon is propelled by a steam-pressured ram like the type used for launching jet planes. Before each show a sandbag weighing the same as the stunt person was launched to see where the catch net should be placed.

Sarasota, Ringling Museum poster of an unusual ceiling walking act.

Sarasota, Ringling Museum life casts of  circus clowns.

Sarasota, Ringling Museum, Irene in the Asolo Theater. The palace playhouse was built in 1798 in Asolo Italy to honor the memory of the 15th century exiled Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro. The theater was extensively remodeled in the 1930's to modernize it so the decorative panels were put in storage. The Ringling art director bought the panels in the 1950's and rebuilt them in the Ringling estate. The only 18'th century European theater in North America. Irene is standing under the original portrait of Caterina Cornaro.

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan corner window.

Sarasota, Ca D'Zan central 60 foot tower.

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan, Irene on waterfront patio. The patio and dock are inlaid marble. The patio overlooked Sarasota Bay and beautiful sunsets.

Sarasota, FL, Ca D'Zan mansion

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan ceiling. The ornate decorations on the ceiling are German influenced by John Ringling's heritage.

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan tapestry on second floor, ballroom west wall.

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan bar room.

Sarasota, Ringling Ca D'Zan, John liked Napoleon's bed, on display in France, so he had a duplicate made for him and his wife.

Sarasota,  Ringling Ca D'Zan bedroom chest and artwork. The chest was also a copy of Napoleon's. The artwork is original.

Sarasota, Ringling Art Museum, statues in line on the roof. Each statue is hand carved and unique.

Sarasota, Ringling Art Museum. Irene beside an original of Rubens' The Meeting Of Abraham And Melchizedek, c 1625. John Ringling and his wife traveled to Europe extensively looking for new circus acts and purchasing paintings for their private art collection.

Sarasota, Ringling Art Museum. Chiari's Cupid Inciting A Satyr, c1720. Before John Ringling passed away he willed his entire estate including his art museum to the State of Florida.

Fort Myers Beach, great beach for shell collecting. Low tide is the best time but you have to walk with a shuffle to scare off stingrays that settle on the bottom and cover themselves with sand.

Fort Myers Beach, dock at low tide. We usually tie up to the dock in the background to take the dinghy's fuel tank to the gas station near by. This day the tide was 1.5 feet below low tide. Tides vary depending on the lunar cycle. The water was so low that the dinghy motor had to be tilted out of the water and row to the dock. It was messy pushing the dinghy through the mud for the last few feet.

Fort Myers Beach, heron at dock. At low tide the heron was picking through the mud for crabs. The heron was upset when we arrived at the dock.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene playing in the sand.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene relaxing at a tiki hut on the beach.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene standing in the Gulf Of Mexico.

Fort Myers Beach, Lisa, Quinn, Bob and Irene in front of the Lani Kai Resort.

Fort Myers Beach, Quinn, Lisa and Irene on the beach pier with a couple of pelicans.

Fort Myers Beach, Bob staring down a pelican.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. Gary, Bob, Bob Rybak (Irene's brother), Lisa (Bob's spouse), Irene (Gary's spouse) and Irene. The nice thing about being the last boat in a mooring field is that there are no other boats close by so we could party all night.

Cape Coral, FL, Linda partying with the band Deb and the Dynamics.

Fort Myers Beach, Jodi likes to dress up for a party.

Fort Myers Beach, Jodi, Linda and Irene recuperating the next day.

Cape Coral, FL. The Joint is an open air bar at the Cape Harbour Marina. The band has a biker following as well as boaters. The bikers display their Harleys and custom choppers.

Cape Coral, FL. Cape Harbour next to the marina.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene picking fresh mangos. The  best mangos had just fallen off the tree and were soooo sweeeet and juicy.

Fort Myers Beach, dolphin lawn ornament.

Fort Myers Beach, swimmer lawn ornament.

Fort Myers Beach, Poinciana tree flower cluster. The tree is filled with these 2 foot diameter flower clusters.

Fort Myers Beach, tiki posts.

Fort Myers Beach, part palm pontoon boat.

Fort Myers Beach, Jon, Sarah, Bob. Sarah is Bob's cousin.

Fort Myers Beach, Jon hanging out in the mangrove trees.

Fort Myers Beach, Bob had to row because the outboard engine wouldn't start.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene, Bob, and Karin at Bonita Bill's.

Fort Myers Beach, Karin, Bob and Bob at Lighthouse Tiki Bar.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. School of stingrays next to Please Yourself. The stingrays are about 3 feet wide and occasionally "fly" out of the water, 2 to 3 feet in the air. A Florida woman was killed in 2007 when a stingray landed in her boat and stabbed her when it was thrashing around. Close to our dinghy were a school of stingrays about 20 feet away and Bob was standing up in the inflatable dinghy to take a photo, when the largest stingray charged at the boat. The tragedy of the Florida woman came to mind, but fortunately the stingray dove under the boat.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. Dolphins came around Please Yourself every day. The smaller fin is a baby dolphin with the mother next to it. The baby would jump and spin in the air while the adults hunted for fish. The pilot of the pumpout boat for the anchorage saw an amazing sight  with these dolphins. He was looking at a kingfish swimming by his boat when a 5 foot shark came up and grabbed the kingfish and started thrashing. Then suddenly a dolphin charged at the shark and head-butted it out of the water. The shark spat out the kingfish but was again tossed out of the water by the dolphin and when it landed it was tossed out again. By this time the shark was floating dead. The dolphin then rested and panted heavily through it's blowhole. While it was resting a baby dolphin swam up to it. Dolphins don't tolerate predators.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. A 1000 lb. manatee surfaced near Please Yourself hoping to get a squirt of fresh water to drink. It's illegal to feed or water manatees because they'll lose their fear of boats. Manatees are slow moving mammals. This one had propeller scars on its back.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. A school of roseate spoonbills came past Please Yourself at low tide to feed on the crabs in the exposed sandbars. These spoonbills look like flamingos but have a long spoon-shaped bill to scoop up the bottom and get crabs.

Fort Myers Beach anchorage. Bob catches a saltwater Sail Catfish. We had just finished eating a barbecued chicken and had some skin and fat left over, so Bob puts it on a hook and tosses it overboard. Within a minute the catfish was caught. They make a weird croaking sound when hauled out of the water. Four catfish were caught in 5 minutes. The catfish were filleted and pan fried. The catfish was delicious and tasted like chicken, no fishy flavour.

Fort Myers Beach, Bob catches starfish and whelk. Well it was more like stalking and scooping than catching.

Fort Myers Beach, seashell mailbox.

Fort Myers Beach, painted mailbox.

Fort Myers Beach, another seashell mailbox.

Fort Myers Beach, mailbox on tiki post.

Fort Myers Beach, fish mailbox.

Bonita Springs, mermaids mailbox.

Bonita Springs, dolphin holding a mailbox.

Bonita Springs, old fisherman mailbox.

Bonita Springs, dolphin mailbox.

North Fort Myers, FL. Irene picked up a live bull shark that a boater had just scooped up at the dock. The shark has many more teeth than Irene's smile. Lounging by the pool with a cooler full of drinks made her brave.

North Fort Myers, Bob and Jeff enjoying poolside beers.

North Fort Myers, Scottie and Dan keep an eye on grilling jalapeno poppers. To make them, jalapenos are cut in half along their length and the seeds are removed. The jalapeno cavity is filled with cream cheese. For extra tang the jalapeno seeds can be mixed in with the cream cheese. The jalapeno halves are bound with a strip of bacon and grilled on a barbecue. Delicious.

North Fort Myers, Marinatown, alligator swimming past the boat.

North Fort Myers, pool party Bob.

Fort Myers Beach, Pirate Party ship.

Fort Myers, The Buddha statue in front of the Buddha Bar. The reason the Buddha is smiling is because he's holding himself with his left hand. The bar was originally a Chinese restaurant but new management turned it into a nightclub, but the giant concrete statue was too difficult to demolish so they called it The Buddha Bar.

Rhode Island, Bob (Irene's brother), Jenny (his daughter), and Irene

Mystic, CT, Irene, Jenny, Quinn, Lisa sitting by the dock of the bay.

Mystic, CT, cantilever bridge.

Mystic, CT, tour boat.

Mystic, CT, the town has an annual marathon reading of Moby Dick. This town is hurting for entertainment.

Newport, RI, Bob and Irene in front of Newport mansion.

Newport, RI, Newport beach with surfers in distance.

Newport, RI, Lisa and Bob in front of another mansion.

Saunderstown, RI, hydrangea flowers grow naturally in a blue color in Rhode Island because of soil conditions. Most property boundaries are lined with stone fences.

Boston, MA, Irene and brother Bob exiting Cheers.

Boston, MA, view of Massachusetts  Institute of Technology campus.

Boston, MA, headstone of Sarah Revere, wife of Paul Revere.

Night view of hot-air balloons.

The Wallenda family performed their high wire act at the balloon festival.

The Wallenda family perform their famous high wire pyramid.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene enjoying the surf.

Key West, FL, Irene and Nadia tourist photo.

Key West, FL, southernmost house.

Key West, FL, art deco cinema.

Key West, FL, Nadia wearing an expandable paper hat.

Key West, FL, city council election sign.

Key West, FL, Hemingway house.

Key West, FL, barefoot biker with parrot on his head.

Key West, FL, picturesque house.

Key West, FL, Nadia and Irene at southernmost point.

Key West, FL, city cemetery.

Naples, FL, Irene and Nadia at Naples pier.

Naples Fort Myers Race Track, Irene and Collin in the grandstand.

Veterinarian checking dogs before weigh-in.

Checking dog's weight before a race.

Greyhounds rounding the final turn.

At the finish line.

Collin snatching a lemon at the race track. The last time he did this was 18 years ago, at the same place but he had to jump to reach the branches.

North Fort Myers, Mrs. Belej and her son Steve, Irene. Steve took us to Michelbob's  Restaurant in Naples for the best barbecued ribs.

Naples Florida, Michelbob's restaurant sign.

North Fort Myers, Rolondo, Kathy and Irene stopped by on their way back from a scuba diving holiday in Key West. They kindly delivered a spear gun for skipper Bob.

Fort Myers Beach. Stella, Kathy, Bob and Irene, walking the beach with beers in hand.

Bob and Irene enjoying the Warsteiner beer and the non-stop bands in the huge beer tent. A few pitchers of  beer and the "chicken dance" sounds like fun.

John and Rina partying at Oktoberfest. John noticed that the beer glass is empty.

Fort Myers Beach, FL, John and Rina at Beach Seafood Market and Restaurant. The best seafood in Fort Myers area because the fishing boats sell their catch to this fish processing market. The restaurant has the freshest seafood and will prepare anything purchased at the market. Try their grouper sandwich done medium blackened with Cajun seasoning.

Fort Myers Beach, FL, John and Rina walking through a flock of seagulls. The seagulls with the long beaks are skimmers. The skimmers have a lower beak that's longer and as they fly just above water, they drag the lower beak in the water and scoop up small fish and insects.

Fort Myers Beach,  Rina and John and cormorants.

Pine Island, Florida, Ragged Ass Saloon is a favorite biker bar.

Matlacha. Florida, Mike, Linda and Collin at Bert's Bar.

Matlacha, Florida, Bert's Bar, Irene Bob, Mike Collin. The man dancing in the white shirt and hat on backwards is the mayor of Matlacha.

North Fort Myers, Bob towing Mike in dinghy. Dinghy motor throttle cable broke on a tour of the lagoons.

Fort Myers Beach, Collin trying to catch a seagull for dinner.

North Fort Myers, Shell Factory Store, Collin in jaws of prehistoric shark jaw.

Naples Beach, Florida. Son and dad doing the beach.

North Fort Myers, Marinatown, Ian and Barry at Coconuts.

North Fort Myers, Marinatown, Ian caught sail catfish.

North Fort Myers, Marinatown. Sunset view from our boat at the marina.

North Fort Myers, Cousin Irma, Aunt Mary and Pierre visit us in Florida.

Fort Myers Beach, Elaine the pirate.

Fort Myers Beach, Glenn and Bob at the Smoking Oyster Brewery restaurant.

Fort Myers Beach, Irene and Bob at Beach Seafood Restaurant. The freshest and best seafood in Fort Myers because the fish processing plant is behind us.

Fort Myers Beach. Bob and Collin playing shuffleboard at the Holiday Inn.

North Fort Myers, Marinatown. Terry, Scottie and Peggy setting up Christmas party table.

Marinatown. Scottie and John get turkey ready for deep-frying.

Marinatown. Melynda and Scottie enjoying the Christmas spirit.

Marinatown. Collin and Bob sharing Christmas cheer.

Marinatown. Vic, John, Chris and Scottie minding the Christmas turkey.

Little Shark River, Florida Everglades swamp. Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico.

Key Largo, Florida. Sunset on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida. The Gulf of Mexico side has nicer sunsets.

Bimini, Bahamas. Friendly Joe Roberts makes the best conch salad. His stand is on the King's Highway in Bailey Town, at the water's edge. To make a conch salad Joe gets a live conch from a crate in the water. The conch snail is removed and cleaned. Then he dices it and mixes with diced onions, tomatoes and green peppers. Garlic salt and fresh squeezed lime is mixed in for a delicious salad. Everyone on the island eats at Joe's.

Bimini. Downtown Alice Town on the King's Highway. The road runs the length of the island. North Bimini island is 7 miles long and 600 feet wide.

Bimini. Colorful tailor shop.

Bimini. Entrance to Big John's Bar. Every weekend it's party time with a reggae band.

Bimini. End Of  The World Bar at the south end of North Bimini. The floor is sand and it's traditional to pin your underwear up in the bar. A few rums and Kalik beers help.

Bimini. Irene with sponge and star fish. The sponge was kept wet in a bucket and after 3 weeks the black skin had rotted off, leaving a nice soft golden sponge. The star fish was put back in the water.

Bimini. Irene with conch shells collected at low tide. Bob tried to extract and clean 4 conchs for a salad. Two hours later and conch pieces splattered around the dock, the meat was ready to use in a salad. It's easier to buy the conch meat already cleaned for $2 each.

Bimini. The freighter Gallant Lady of Belize City was smashed up on shore in a bad storm. Wave action slowly destroys the ship.

Bimini. Ironically the cemetery overlooks the shipwreck.

Bimini. Irene and wandering goats in Bailey Town. Unfortunately the goats eat anything and really like the neighbour's hedges.

Bimini. Irene in front of the Bahamas Immigration Office. This is usually the first port of entry for boats coming from Florida. The officers at Customs and Immigration are very courteous to boaters clearing into the Bahamas. A $300 US. or Bahamian (the monies are on par) cash fee allows the boat a cruising and fishing permit.

Bimini. Beach houses at Bimini Bay Resort.

Bimini. Storm coming on Radio Beach.

Bimini. Radio Beach house called Cirrhosis-By-The-Sea. This house has a beautiful view of sunsets on the Atlantic which are best appreciated with a few drinks.

Bimini. Ansil Saunders and Irene. Ansil hand builds wooden boats with local materials. The striped wood on the steering console is Horseflesh mahogany from South Bimini island. Ansil is also a fishing guide and has the distinction of taking Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. out on a cruise where King wrote his final speech and was assassinated three days later.

Bimini. The old sea plane terminal. Chalk Airlines flew Grummann G-72 Mallard amphibious planes from Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini. On Dec.19/05 a Chalk plane crashed after takeoff with 20 victims on board. The CEO of Bacardi and his wife were 2 of the 20 deceased. Chalk Airlines went out of business after this accident, which was their only amphibious accident in decades of service.

Nassau. Please Yourself, at Harbour Central Marina, is dwarfed by neighbouring yachts Double D's at 74ft, and Canflor Lady at 96ft.

Nassau. Bob in a junkanoo costume. The costume is on display at Festical Place at the cruise ship docks.

Nassau. Nicholas Cage's house and yacht Sea Ghost, on Paradise Island.

Nassau. Irene shopping at the straw market.

Nassau. Arawak Cay. The shoreline is built up with empty conch shells. Conch snails are used raw in conch salad and scorch conch, or cooked in fritters and cracked conch.

Nassau. Irene, Marie and Larry enjoying Easter Sunday next to their boat Puppy's Home Again.

Nassau. Marie with a poster of a British soldier at Fort Charlotte.

Nassau. Blue Water Resort, Cable Beach. This is a view over the patios of condos.

Nassau. The Queen's staircase was carved out of solid rock in honor of Queen Victoria when she abolished slavery.

Nassau. Irene on Queen's staircase. 65 steps were carved out. A step for each year of Queen Victoria's reign.

Nassau. Bob climbing tv series The Superstars obstacle course set.

Nassau. Atlantis Resort with The Superstars set in front.

Nassau. Bob with Miss Bahamas and contestants.

Nassau. Bob, Lady Foulkes, Royal Bahamian Police Band Major, Irene. Bob and Irene had dinner at the Governor-General's mansion with his wife.

Nassau. Booze Cruise tour boat loaded with party animals, cruising the harbour.

Nassau. Silver Cay abandoned aquarium had an underwater view.

Nassau. Haitian boat loaded with old mattresses, jugs and used van. This barely floating boat will return to Haiti to sell the used goods.

Cable Beach, New Providence, Bahamas. Compass Point Resort has colourful guest cabins.

Nassau. Irene in front of yellow elder tree. Bahamian national tree.

Nassau. Irene in front of Fort Fincastle which is shaped like a boat. The dog lying beside her is a wild dog. The homeless dogs are seen throughout the Bahamas and are known as "potcakes".

Nassau. Megayacht "Le Grande Bleu" is the 11th largest yacht in the world. It is 370 feet long. It carries on board a 76 ft sailboat (seen in the water) and a 67 ft express powerboat. It was owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who gave it to Eugene Shivdler as a gift.

Paradise Island. Entrance to Atlantis Resort marina.

Paradise Island marina. Megayachts docked at Atlantis Marina. The yachts are 120-150 feet long. Docking fees are $7/ft/day plus electricity.

Paradise Island, Atlantis Resort Marina. Packed with megayachts.

Paradise Island, Atlantis Resort. Nice architectural elements.

Paradise Island, Atlantis Resort Marina. More megayachts. The very-rich come here to play. The marina is so popular that docking has to be reserved, and yachts are waiting out in the harbour to get in.

Nassau. Megayacht "Reverie" is 230 feet long. It can be chartered for $946,000 US per week. If  you want to cruise the yacht then captain, crew, fuel and docking fees are extra. The megayacht Le Grande Bleu is docked on the right.

Nassau. Bahamian Parliament Building. Statue of Queen Victoria in front.

Nassau. Irene at Watkins residence, banana tree. The purple pod will sprout new bananas.

Nassau. Irene in front of Hilton British Colonial Hotel. Built in 1922 by Henry Flagler, who developed Miami. Hilton completely renovated the hotel in 1999.

Nassau. Irene in front of cruise ships.

Nassau. Waterfront home shaped like a lighthouse.

Nassau. Shawne and Larry musing about sheep's tongue souse. Shawne's favourite.

Nassau. Irene with a Bahamian breakfast of tuna and grits. It's spicy and delicious and only $1.50.

Nassau. Irene on rope bridge at Atlantis Resort.

Nassau. Marie and Irene at Atlantis Marina.

Nassau. Changing of the guard at the Governor-General's mansion. The ceremony is performed every second Saturday morning.

Nassau. The water is almost at the gunwale so this old tugboat was towed offshore and scuttled. In a few years it will be covered in marine life and will make a nice dive site.

Grand Bahama. Port Lucaya harbour, Pelican Bay Resort and UNEXSO dive boats.

Grand Bahama. Irene trying on dresses at Port Lucaya market.

Grand Bahama. Curly-tail lizard.

Grand Bahama. Bob relaxing at Ocean Reef Resort.

Grand Bahama. Irene cooling off at Ocean Reef Resort.

Grand Bahama. Bob and Irene at Taino Beach Resort.

Grand Bahama. Bob and Tony at the conch stand.

Grand Bahama. Tony Macaroni's conch stand at Taino beach. Every Sunday afternoon a local rake and scrape calypso band entertains. Good dancing music and a beautiful location.

Grand Bahama. Irene in front of Junkanoo Club at Taino beach. The Junkanoo Club is a popular party place on weekends.

Grand Bahama. Taino beach view from Junkanoo Club.

Grand Bahama. Ocean Reef Yacht Club wall mural.

Grand Bahama. Ocean Reef Yacht Club activity board.

Grand Bahama. Ocean Reef Yacht Club gift shop and restaurant.

Grand Bahama. Paul and Connie from Ft. Lauderdale. John and Cheryl from Columbus Ohio. Paul and John are high school friends and took their wives for a holiday at the resort. We partied heartily.

Grand Bahama. A colorful spider on a coconut.

Grand Bahama. Captain Les's sons Brian and Adam with their catch of barracudas and groupers.

Grand Bahama. Adam with a grouper that he could hardly hold for the picture.

Grand Bahama. Captain "hook" Les tried to remove a lure from the fish in the previous photo. The hook from the lure embedded in his finger, past the barb, so Les had to get a doctor to remove it. It's gotta hurt but he's smiling.

Grand Bahama. Irene under a Royal Poinciana tree.

Grand Bahama. Irene under a Bouganvillia tree.

Grand Bahama. High Rock lighthouse is still manned.

Grand Bahama. Irene drinking a "gully wash". A "gully wash" is a delicious Bahamian drink. To make the drink, cut the top off a coconut (preferably golden) careful not to spill the juice. Add 1.5 oz. gin, 1 oz cream and some ice. It can also be made with canned coconut water, gin and cream. Rum doesn't taste as good in this recipe.

Grand Bahama. Irene on Silverpoint beach.

Grand Bahama. Irene with an embarrassment of mangoes.

Grand Bahama. Bob with a mouthful of sea grapes. The grapes turn dark when ripe and are sweet to eat but have a pit like a cherry.

Grand Bahama. Irene at The Prop Club in Port Lucaya.

Grand Bahama. High Rock cemetery. An ocean view to die for.

Please Yourself at Ocean Reef Yacht Club and Resort, Lucaya, Grand Bahama.

Harold, Kelly, their niece Heather and Irene enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. Kelly roasted the turkey on their boat because they have a full-sized oven.

Santylal (Santy) Daya preparing curried chicken. Santy has many curried chicken recipes and we were delighted to try them all. They were so delicious we gained 15 pounds during our stay at ORYC.

Santy, Nancy Bauer, Irene, Jim Bauer, Bob, Lori, Nicole, Ivor (Taffy), Jeff enjoying Santy's barbecued curry chicken.

Bob, Girelle, and Irene at Ocean Reef Y C.Girelle is Miss Grand Bahama.

Mary Morison, Irene and Evelyn Chadband helping Dave celebrate his birthday at ORYC.

Barry McCarthy and Bob picking through a pile of conch shells at Maclean's Point, Grand Bahama.

Barry found a few conch shells to take home. Good thing it was low tide in the mangrove swamp because those pretty blue shoes would have been a mess.

Pirates Barry and Bob paying homage to "The Pirates Of The Caribbean". This is Gold Rock beach where the movie was filmed. This is the beach where Captain Sparrow was being chased by an angry hord.

Barry and Santy try to fly after only one beer.

Restroom doors at the Sand Bar.

Barry showing off his sea turtle shell codpiece. He's always bragging.

Barry buying sea shells by the sea shore at Pelican Point, Grand Bahama. The starfish had a strange odor.

Santy and Bob at the Sand Bar. Notice the sand floor. Kalik (ka-LICK) is the beer of the Bahamas, brewed in Nassau, is named after the cowbells used in the Bahamian Junkanoo Carnival.

Katherine and Barry on a fishing trip. Caught some snapper, trigger fish and grunts. Good fish fry for dinner.

Santa Claus in Grand Bahama, getting warmed up for work on Christmas Eve. He goes to the North Pole just to pick up the stuff the elves have made. He spends all year in paradise and only works one day. A job that can make you fat.

Sharon and Jim Dalton celebrating New Years eve. Jim's a pilot for American Airlines so midnight was timed precisely on his Breitling watch.

Jim, John and Joanne Kerr, and Sharon at the Bikini Bottom Bar at Williams Town Beach, Grand Bahama.

Bob, Janice Treco, Irene and Les bringing in the New Year at the Bikini Bottom Bar.
 

Irene and Bob doing New Year's eve. The swinging seats are a challenge by midnight.
 

Bob's a private pilot but his landings need some practise. Lisa stands by him to the bitter end.

Lisa and Bob at the Grotto Bar, Taino Beach Resort, Grand Bahama.

Lisa and Bob getting it on in a hammock. Things get broken that way.

Bob, Irene, Bob Santy, Lisa at Port Lucaya Square, Grand Bahama.

Bob, Santy and Walter at Ocean Reef Y.C.
 

Dave, Castara and Zenya take Castara for her first ocean swim.

Dave, Zenya and Castara at the Taino Beach Resort, Grand Bahama.

Irene, Lisa (Bill's daughter), Hazel (Bill's wife) and Bill at Mather Town Beach, Grand Bahama.

Bill and Hazel in Ben's cave at Lucaya National Park, Grand Bahama.

Judy, Hazel, Irene and Bohdan doing their rendition of the Swan Lake ballet.

Hazel walking their Siberian husky "Gaelan" on Williams Town beach, Grand Bahama.

Spring Junkanoo carnival at Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama.

Irene daringly tries fried barracuda steaks. Barracuda, being a top of the food chain predator, accumulates ciguatera virus from other fish. If an infected barracuda is eaten the virus causes diarrhea, vomiting and fever and requires hospitalization. Generally the bigger and older the barracuda the more likely it's infected. We watched a number of people eat the barracuda at a beach stand and then decided to try it. Delicious. Most of the Bahamians that have eaten barracuda have been sick and when asked if they'd eat it again they definitely would.

Eight Mile Rock park where the spring Junkanoo is held. Each booth has food and drinks. Start sampling at one end and see how far you get before you pass out.

Collin and Heather drinking Bahamian Gully Wash from the coconut. Add sweet cream and gin to the coconut. Tastes great. The coconut water tastes better with gin than rum.

Collin and Heather at Gold Rock beach.

Irene and Bob at Gold Rock beach.

Collin and Heather on a sand bar at Gold Rock beach. If you stand still too long you sink into the sand.

Heather and Collin catching a tan at Gold Rock beach.

Bohdan and Bob drinking the day away, overlooking Ocean Reef Y.C.
 

Collin and Heather swinging on the bosun's chair of the Ghost.

Santy at the helm of the Ghost.

Heather, Bob, Collin, and Irene partying at Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama.

Collin doing his dance at the fire-eater show at Port Lucaya Square.

Heather and Collin doing some Rake and Scrape dancing in Port Lucaya.

Hazel, Bill Anthony and Santy. In case Anthony drank too much he wore a name tag. Easier to remember at a party.

Bob caught a 4 foot barracuda while fishing just south of the Berry Island on route to Nassau. The lure was trolled at 10 mph in 400 feet of water for about 5 minutes when the barracuda hit. The fish was reeled up to the side of the boat and held for a photo. Just as it was being hauled into the boat it thrashed and broke the steel leader and took
off with the lure.

Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Paradise Island, Bahamas. Bill and Hazel on rope bridge at Atlantis Resort
 

Hazel and Bill at Atlantis Resort.

Irene checking out the aquarium at Atlantis Resort.
 

School of sting rays, Atlantis Resort.

Flying fish sculpture, Atlantis Resort.

Paradise Island, Atlantis Marina. 168 feet long megayacht Gallant Lady. The sportfish boat off its bow is the runabout for the Gallant Lady. The
Gallant Lady was built for the American businessman that brought the Toyota car business to the U.S.

Atlantis Marina. An egret caught a curly tail lizard but the lizard wrapped its tail around the beak so the bird couldn't swallow it.

Nassau Bahamas Ardastra Gardens. Irene confronts a flamingo.

Nassau Ardastra Gardens, Hazel feeding a parrot. These parrots love apples.

Nassau, Harbour Central Marina. Please Yourself and Bill and Hazel's boat Memory Maker.

Warderick Wells, Bahamas, Exuma National Park, boats tied to a mooring ball.

Warderick Wells, Whale skeleton on beach in front of the rangers office.

 Warderick Wells, Irene standing next to whale skeleton.

Stocking Island, Bahamas, Irene discovers a giant ants nest in a tree.

Stocking Island, Bahamas, Bob overlooking Elizabeth Harbour. Please Yourself at anchor and in the distance is Georgetown Bahamas.

Stocking Island, Bahamas, Irene at the shoe tree. Boaters leave a shoe to mark the trail going across the island.

Clarence Town, Long Island, Bahamas, Catholic Church.

Clarence Town, Anglican church. Both churches were built by the same priest. He was an Anglican priest first but converted to Catholic priest because the Catholics had more money.

Clarence Town, beach house.

Morning sunrise after a stormy night crossing the Muchoir Passage on the way to Turks and Caicos.

Turks and Caicos, Bob and Irene overlooking the south Caicos Banks. The water is a beautiful turquoise color and the clouds overhead are turquoise also. The most beautiful waters on our trip.

Turks and Caicos hillside home.

Turks and Caicos flamingos feeding on brine shrimp.

Turks and Caicos, Irene overlooking Turks Head cacti. The country got its name from the red Turks hat growth on
the cacti, native to the islands.
 

Turks and Caicos shopping plaza.

Turks and Caicos, Please Yourself at Southside Marina.

Southside Marina, outdoor bathroom shower. One wall is a coral rock cliff face. It was very pleasant showering in sunlight.

Southside Marina. Irene picking pomegranates.

Southside Marina, Please Yourself at dock.

Turks and Caicos souvenir stand.

Turks and Caicos ship yard. Please Yourself strapped down for storage during the hurricane season.

Turks and Caicos, Halyna, George and Irene on a guided tour of the conch farm.

Conch farm, Two inch conch are kept in pools for nine months.

Conch farm. Offshore pens where conch are kept for two to three years. The offshore pens cover 60 acres.

Conch farm. Male and female conch. The male conch is on the left with its black penis hanging down, just touching the man's third finger

Turks and Caicos. Bob and Irene dressed up for Halloween.

Turks and Caicos. Irene partying Halloween at the Sommerset Resort. Excessively expensive drinks at $12 each.

Turks and Caicos conch festival. Bob entered the conch horn blowing contest.

Turks and Caicos. Irene and Bob with the winner's trophy. Bob has the distinction of being the biggest windbag in the Turks.

Turks and Caicos. Instructions on dash of a Hertz rental car. Being a British colony the vehicles drive on the left.

Irene points to where the boat is in the Turks and Caicos, at the Caicos Marina.

Turks and Caicos ship yard. Submarine used to take tourists on reef tours.

Turks and Caicos marina. Pirate party ship Treasure Seeker was on route to the Virgin Islands from Florida when it ran into hurricane Tomas near the Plana Cays in the Bahamas. The captain dropped anchor off West Plana Cay but the surge was so strong the ship was washed onto shore. The rudder broke and was lost and the ship was on its side with a flooded engine room. Captain Ray had to activate his emergency beacon. A coast guard rescue
helicopter pulled Ray and his son off the ship. The ship was left abandoned. Ray and his son were taken to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Ray then had to find a tug boat to go back to the Bahamas and tow his ship to Caicos Marina. Maritime law allows anyone to claim an abandoned ship. Fortunately, because of the remoteness of
West Plana Cay nobody had boarded the ship before the tow boat arrived. The ship was towed to Turks and Caicos but the ship was too big for the lift. The repairs had to be done in drydock, so Ray arranged for a tow boat to come from Haiti and tow the ship to Fajardo Ship Yard in Puerto Rico. It took three days constant running in very rough seas to reach Puerto Rico. Ray had to stay on his ship and survived on cans of coke and chocolate bars.

Ray the pirate on his ship Treasure Seeker. Ray displays his Christmas elf. If you're in St.Thomas, Virgin Islands then go and party with Ray. He's always ready to party.

Maidenhead on Treasure Seeker, survived hurricane Tomas with only a few scratches.
 

Turks and Caicos. Ray the pirate with Santa at the Blue Hills Christmas Festival.

Dominican Republic Ocean World Marina. Please Yourself smashed bowsprit again. There was a massive storm that covered the whole North Atlantic ocean from Greenland down to Puerto Rico. The swells in the marina were so bad that lines broke, cleats bent and the boat was pushed into the concrete dock. Fortunately no hull damage. The bowsprit absorbed the impact.

Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata. A Christmas tradition is barbecued pork. Roadside pig preparation is common. The pigs are kept in the wooden pen on the far left of the photo. The pigs are picked out and slaughtered, cleaned, seasoned and impaled on a large wooden spit. Then you have a choice to take the raw pig or buy one that has been roasted over an open wood fire. No nitrites or preservatives. Absolutely the best barbecued pork.

Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata. Barbecued pigs on a spit are brought in by the truckload for sale by
sidewalk vendors.

Puerto Plata. Street pork vendors. You can buy a whole roasted pig or get it by the pound. The roasted pork is delicious and no bad sideffects. We ate the pork and had no problem with our delicate gringo stomachs.

Dominican Republic, roadside restaurant cooks in large pots over a wooden fire. The farthest pot is filled with boiled conch, the middle pot has rice and the closest pot is for fried fish. The parrot fish are dusted with flour and fried. The standard Dominican meal is fish, local rice with local beans, and a salad. Great food.

Dominican fish restaurant. Hazel, Bill and Irene waiting to be fed.

Dominican Republic, Rio San Juan. Cattle grazing amongst banana trees in the valley of Bill and Hazel's property.
 

Dominican Republic, Rio San Juan. Bill standing warily next to a donkey. It's common see donkeys, horses and cattle tied to a roadside post and left there to graze for the day.

Dominican Republic on the road to Luperon. Colourful Haitian housing. Dominicans have a long standing grudge against the Haitians because of Haiti's attempted takeover of the Dominican Republic. Spain had to send troops to repel the invasion. Illegal Haitians are tolerated because they are cheap labour.

Puerto Plata, Irene under a mango tree.

Dominican Republic, Santiago, casket store across the street from the hospital.

Santiago, another casket store across the street from the hospital. There were six casket stores right across the street from the general hospital in Santiago. We didn't check the side streets but there are more. I would be reluctant to be admitted to that hospital if there are so many deaths as to keep those stores in business.

Santiago, and another casket store across from the hospital.

Cofresi, Ocean World. View of Pica Isabel from the boat. At the top of the mountain is a giant statue of Christ.The top of the mountain is usually covered in clouds. The mountain is 2,565 feet high. There is a tropical garden at the top. The other side of the mountain was where the first Jurassic Park movie was filmed.

Cofresi, Ocean World, restaurant, casino, theater, and disco.

Cofresi, entrance to Ocean World casino. The casino is much too close to the boat. We had
to restrict our visits to four times a week.
 

Cofresi, Ocean World.

Dominican Republic, rice fields.

Dominican Republic, La Entrada. We stopped at this restaurant and noticed a turquoise sun plaque on the wall that would look better on our boat. A bargain was struck and for $8 it went with us. Deals can be found everywhere.

La Entrada, Irene, Bill and Hazel waiting for their meal. The dinners were roasted over an open fire. Delicious.

Dominican Republic, Nagua. Irene on the balcony of the inn where we stayed on the way back to Cofresi from Santo Domingo. A beautiful view, but at night the bar under our room becomes party central. Also, there is only one road that goes along the north shore and this inn sits at the "Y" of the main road and the road going into Nagua. It sounded like we were in the middle of a road race with everyone in town partying in the bar below us. We had to keep the windows open because the airconditioner didn't work. No sleep that night.

Puerto Plata, Irene getting fresh fruits and vegetables at the Mercado outdoor market. The display of Scotch Bonnet hot peppers makes your tongue burn just looking at it. All the fruits and vegetables are organic because the soil is so rich and because the farmers can't afford fertilizers and pesticides. A lot of the produce comes from peoples' back yards.
 

Cofresi, Irene with a perfect golden pineapple. Pineapples grow in the Dominican Republic and are supersweet, not like the green pineapples that are found in North America. The green pineapples never ripen to the sweetness of a golden pineapple. The best part is they cost about $1.30 or less.

Cofresi, Barry and Bob playing pool at Chris and Mady's Restaurant. The table was not levelled properly so the balls tended to roll into the pocket where we're standing. Lots of beer was the only solution.

Cofresi, Ocean World Casino, Restaurant Poseidon. You can dress Bob up but you can't take him anywhere nice.

 Cofresi, megayachts at Ocean World Marina.

Cofresi. Gaelan, Bill and Hazel's Siberian Husky, likes to air out his tail.

Luperon harbour. It's a natural hurricane refuge. Many of the boats have been there for months and empty their sewage tanks into the harbour. Don't swim in this water.

Cofresi. Mansion on hillside overlooking Ocean World. It's a multimillion dollar mansion that the owner rarely visits. A security guard is the only occupant.

Puerto Plata, Carnival on the Malecon. Carnival started in the Dominican Republic in the Santiago and La Vega area as a celebration of the county's independence from Spain on February 27, 1844.

Puerto Plata. Irene with Taino Indian headdress carnival parade participant.

Puerto Plata. Irene with another parade reveler. Notice the pants are covered in sea shells.

Puerto Plata. Carnival tradition has revellers walk the parade route with inflataed pigs bladders which are used to whack the backside of onlookers when they're not looking. Caution, don't walk on the parade route and keep an eye out for costumed participants approaching. The whack does have a nasty sting.

Puerto Plata. Carnival paraders.

Puerto Plata, Carnival parading group. The pigs bladders are decorated.

Puerto Plata. Carnival, Tiznaos dress their African heritage.

Puerto Plata. Roba De Gallina are transvestites that ask store owners for contributions of money or candy to be shared with children on the parade route. Now the tradition has degenerated into a self-indulgent drag show, and the children are ignored.

Cofresi. Irene holding a cajuilito. Also called a Malay apple. It has the texture of a bell pepper but tastes like an apple and it doesn't have seeds. Better than a regular apple.

Irene with a Zapote plant. Zapote is a large sapodilla, about the size of a pear with the flavour and texture of a cross between a papaya and a pear. Irene had bought zapotes at the market and after eating, stuck the seeds in soil. Plants grow so readily without fertilizer and pesticides that if you stick a popscicle stick in the ground it will sprout. The Dominican Republic has the perfect climate and nutrient rich soil.

Dominican Republic, Costambar. The Costambar community is a favourite retirement spot, and young Dominican women are attracted to mature men. There's a thriving business for male energizers. The Dominican women are beautiful and very seductive so the pills are for the really old farts.

Puerto Plata, Irene under the huge statue of Jesus at the top of Pica Isabel De Torres.

Puerto Plata as seen from the top of Pica Isabel.

Puerto Plata, Teleferico gondola to the top of Pica Isabel. There is also a road on the back side of the
mountain but it's a long convoluted drive so it's easier to pay the $7.50 for the gondola ride and it's more thrilling.

Puerto Plata, Club Gallistico Municipal is the local cockfighting club. The cock fights are held Saturday
afternoons.

Puerto Plata, Club Gallistico, bets being made and paid before the next fight. One cock has a blue band on his leg and the other has a white band. You bet either blue or white and continue to bet throughout the fight as long as someone around you is willing to make a bet.

Puerto Plata, Club Gallistico. The roosters are released and the fight is on. The handlers will step out of the ring. If one of the roosters doesn't want to fight it runs around the ring with the aggressor chasing and pecking at its tail feathers. The fights last a maximum 15 minutes. There were no fights to the death this afternoon.

Puerto Plata. The opponent cocks are introduced to each other which gets them riled up. The bets are made with the onlookers around the bettor. There is no betting cashier so bets are all on honour. No one dares swindle on a bet.

Puerto Plata, Irene and Nadia at the cock fights, listening to the music at the patio bar.

 

Puerto Plata, Caribbean Bar on the Malecon road. As previously stated, the Dominican women are very seductive.

Cofresi, Irene and Nadia overlooking Cofresi beach.

Puerto Plata, fire station on the Malecon road. One of the oldest buildings.

Puerto Plata, apartment building on the Malecon road which is on the oceanfront.

Puerto Plata fishing boats on the Malecon beach.

Puerto Plata, Lisa, Bill's daughter, with Irene and Bob at Sam's Bar. A stray dog which decided to make the bar
home was named Sam and the bar was named after the dog.

Puerto Plata, motorcycle taxi called a motoconcho is a popular means of transportation. As many as three
passengers can be squeezed behind the driver.

Ocean World Marina, Bill at the helm of Memory Maker.

Costambar, Irene under a wall of bouganvillias.

Costambar, Bob under a mango tree on the golf course. The golf course was lined with many mango trees.

Puerto Plata street.
 

Costambar beach bar. Dancing and drinking seems to be the national tradition.

Costambar beach on a Sunday. Dominicans enjoy their beaches on weekends.

Costambar beach, Irene and Bob enjoying a delicious gulasch, nicely spiced.

Costambar, electrical meters. This post is better organized than most connections.

Costambar, Irene found puffball mushrooms. The first edible mushrooms since we started the trip.

Luperon, Mario (Mattia's father), Flerida, Laila and Mattia at Hostasa Resort.

Costambar, Louise taking a break from gourmet duties. She's the co-owner and chef at The Restaurant at Las Rocas. We brought in mushhroms we found and Louise prepared them with garlic, butter and spices. Delicious. She also makes a fabulous spicy Indonesian fish cake with grilled eggplant covered in couscous and grilled veggies with her homemade mango chutney on the side. Every other Friday it's good olde fashioned fish and chips with malt vinegar.

Ocean World, Dario and Bob enjoying gumbo.
 

Ocean World, Mattia, Laila and Flerida joined the gumbo feast.

Puerto Plata, Mario (Mattia's father) prepares Dorado (Mahi Mahi) for a pasta dinner.

Puerto Plata, cable and telephone repair. Broken ends of wires stick out everywhere and the repair man has no idea how to fix it.

Costambar. An egret picking flies off a horse.

Puerto Plata, Rancho Tipico bar. Bob, Irene, Mattia and Flerida partying to typical Dominicano music. We took a table in the VIP section of the bar. The restriction in this section was that only whisky is served, no beer or rum. The problem is that whisky in Dominicano is common blended scotch not single malt. . No Crown Royal and no Jack Daniels whisky. Johnny Walker Black Label is the preferred whisky. They are not familiar with Kardhu or Glenfiddich and Bob is unfortunately adversley familiar with Johnny Walker. Bob refused to drink scotch but Flerida was nice enough to convince the waitress to go to the bar in the "cheap seats" section of the bar and sneak a large styrofoam cup of rum to our table along with a few bottles of Coke. Party's on! Bob and Irene were the only gringos in a bar of about 500 people. The music was fun and watching the locals dance seductively was entertaining.

Puerto Plata, Rancho Tipico Bar. Fefita La Grande was the featured entertainment. She plays Dominicano music backed by a large band. The music is a doubletime merengue beat. Very fast and difficult to dance unless you grew up on it. Fefita is 70 years young and loves to party. Later in the performance she took off her blouse and invited men to go up and feel her breasts to confirm they are the real thing. Fefita had a body of women half her age. It's amazing that she could play the concertina so vigorously without pinching her boobs.

Puerto Plata, Rancho Tipico Bar. Flerida, Mattia and Fefita La Grande. Fefita is definitely an entertaining fireball.