Lunch, Haircut and a Boat Ride

Last Friday we headed into Palatka so I could get a haircut and since it was around lunch time we started talking about food and where to eat.  We had just passed  Corky Bell's and the sign out front said gumbo....well we turned around and headed back.  We both like seafood and we hadn't tried this restaurant.



We opted to sit outside on the deck.  The day was lovely and I had a bit of shade under the umbrella.  Jim has been playing phone tag with brother John and the above shot is the successful phone call!  John and his wife Kathy have just bought a travel trailer and will soon join the snowbird club.

As we sat and waited for out meal we saw an eagle catch his lunch and watched this boat motor away from the dock.  He had dropped off a couple

This part of the St John's River is called the Devil's Elbow and the restaurant in on Gator Landing.  Jim ordered the fried shrimp with french fries and cheese grits.  I had grilled cod loin with stewed tomatoes and okra over rice and green beans.  Both meals came with the best ever hush puppies!  I ate everything on my plate it was that good!

The above picture shows the spot where we enjoyed out lunch...

I really hated to leave but I still needed that haircut!  So off we go to search out a new salon I was told about.  We found it easy enough and I had almost all of my hair cut off.  It's about as short as yours Marilyn...

Back home we relaxed and enjoyed about an hour or so and then took Boo for a walk.  On the dock Jim and Billie were getting ready to head out for a slow cruise on the river and asked us along....I'm so glad we went!

Boo went along and at first he wasn't quite sure about it. Jim kept him on the leash and made sure he didn't look over the side to far.  He never napped but he did lay down once or twice.

There's a national forest across the river from us and we slowly motored our way into it.  All the while Jim and Billie were keeping us entertained and informed.  We saw a lot of wildlife and beautiful scenery

 

buzzards

I think we saw a young eagle but I didn't get a picture

osprey

great egret

osprey

 

 

 

 

Of course we saw other boaters and I'm sure some fishermen were upset we came by...

 

 

huge flock of ibis flew over!

As an ending to our trip they took us north to the Welaka Springs and we saw at least a half dozen manatees.  As we motored along the shore Jim pointed out various houses and who owned them...we all commented on how we could live on this boat or that boat but none of really wanted any of the houses and all that upkeep!

Squirrel problems?

You know I'm happy when I can watch the critters from the comfort of my chair.  Yesterday this little guy entertained me for about 30 minutes as he tried to figure out how to get the seeds.  The feeder has been hanging for the longest time and we were wondering if the squirrels didn't like palm trees...I guess he just hadn't discovered it.


 

These pictures were taken through a tinted window so they're not the best, but as you can see he figured out how to have some breakfast

This morning he was just sitting on it chowing down!

I much prefer to see the birds enjoying the seeds

Time flies when you're enjoying life!

These past two weeks between cold fronts has been so nice!  Days in the lower 80's and nights cool enough to sleep under the quilt...of course we had a few nights when we had to the run the air conditioner to cool the bedroom



With the spring like weather it means some plants and trees are blooming.  The pine trees are pesky!  The pine pollen is one of the things I have an allergic reaction to.  Nothing serious but it clogs my nose and gives me a slight headache...and the pollen sure makes a mess on all the vehicles...our truck looks awful!

Jim got a pressure washer and got the rig cleaned.  The roof was a mess after months of parking under trees.  But as you can see he got the patio all set up and hopefully this configuration will withstand the winds.  Our poles got warped and Jim wants to replace them....since we've had some wind with this new front coming through we'll see if the awning can hold up!
Since we have afternoon sun it helps having the screen and it sure is nice to sit out and have a glass of wine

On our walk the other day we found a Luna Moth...pretty little creature.  Have you ever seen one before? 

This part of the St Johns River is pretty and we enjoy our daily walks to the dock.  It isn't very far and Boo has a grand time walking all over and smelling the posts!  It's the longest river in Florida and one of the few in the United States that flows north.  It's a slow river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport, Florida. 

Our warm days will be replaced with cooler ones starting today.  Although we had sunshine this morning the clouds moved in and now it's gloomy out there and the temperature is dropping.  It's already 59 degrees out there but on the bright side, we haven't had any rain...yet.  This cold front left freezing temperatures in parts of Arizona,Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi according to friends all across the regions.   Wonder what will happen here???

Day Trip to St Augustine

Plop me down somewhere for any length of time and my thoughts turn to gardening.  We we're shopping for a step ladder at Lowe's and Home Depot....I say we, but naturally I mean Jim...while we were at these fine establishments I was wandering around the garden centers.  Found some leaf lettuce to transplant into a window box so I bought another planter, some soil and viola!  My own salad greens.  Jim doesn't care for leaf lettuce so I rarely buy it.



The left planter has seeds of lettuce, some flowers and a couple herbs.  The next pot has parsley and oregano that I picked up at Country Feed Store and Garden Center in Tallahassee.  The white pot contains a Christmas? cactus that Anne Scott gave me, that is just now budding out.  Then we have my pony tail palm and the newly planted lettuce

A few days ago we drove to St Augustine to revisit that beautiful, historic city.  Our last visit was last June (and that visit was the first in over 30 years!).  We had lunch at Cafe del Hidalgo where we both enjoyed a panini, Jim's was chicken and I had a veggie one with cheese..we left stuffed!

Cafe del Hidalgo


After lunch we wandered around the city taking in the marina this time.  It's always fun watching the boats in the harbour and wandering the docks checking out everyone's pleasure crafts.

Have you ever seen a banana in bloom and bearing fingers of baby bananas?  It's a beautiful plant and this one is outside another eating establishment

There are many churches and cathedrals and if I posted all the pictures I took you'd soon get bored.  Also, I'd have to write down all the names!  This one is near the college and I cannot tell you how gorgeous it is

 

This one is near the parking lot we used for the truck

It was a lovely afternoon spent with the love of my life!

We've mostly been enjoying our stay here and everyday life finds us doing chores of cleaning and laundry.  Jim bought a pressure washer and a couple days ago he cleaned the roof.  It really needed it as we've been parking under sappy trees!  We've taken to walking Boo a couple times a day down to the dock.  Boo loves all the new smells and lingers and sniffs every post and chair!

Our weather has finally gotten nicer and we've been wearing shorts!  The Thursday night potluck was fun, no jackets required!

If you're in the path of the rain, snow and cold...stay warm and safe!

Happy New Year!

I hope this new year is a good one for all of my readers!

Late morning on Tuesday we headed out to Flagler Beach for some ocean time and lunch on the beach.  I can't think of a better way to start the new year.  Traveling and eating out is something we both enjoy




as we were driving south with the Atlantic Ocean on our left and homes and businesses on the right we noticed a Pirate House!  I said I needed pictures so we made it a point to stop and I took several pictures but I don't want to bore you with all of them

Just an ordinary house but someone when to a lot of trouble to hoist all the figures up on the roof and chimney!

It was a beautiful, sunny day and some folks were enjoying the beach.   In summer I'm sure it's packed with wall to wall beach goers.  For now it's peaceful with just the sounds of the waves and seagulls

 

Only saw a couple surfers.  Jim and I didn't think the waves were big enough to surf but they did manage to catch a few

 

We had lunch at Oceanside Grill and Bar.  Nice place with outside seating if you want to look at traffic whizzing by or the parking lot.  We sat inside and discovered our Verizon cell service was nonexistent!  We asked our waiter and he said his phone didn't work either and he thought it was the CBC building and the re-bar used to strengthen it

Our meal was good.  Jim had breakfast that included a Belgium waffle, an egg and two sausage patties.  I opted for a Philly steak sandwich....fell right off the plant based wagon!  But it was so gooooood!!!!  We both had a draft beer

 

We didn't stay long on the beach but it sure was nice and I'm sure we'll come again

not sure what he was digging for but he was having a good time doing it!