Dec 29, 2014 Just practicing loading pics

Photos of the west coast of Florida

Pics

Dec 28, 2014. Punta Gorda

You absolutely cannot believe how wonderful the grass feels under your feet.  Bitts and I got to take a walk and do our thing.  Bitts really did hers!!  A bit muggy today, so Rich had to turn the air conditioner on.  We will stay in the marina til tomorrow, because it costs $2.00 a foot and Rich said we could just go and hang on the hook.  They do have a package where you can pay $17.00 a day if you anchor out and want to use their facilities.  Kathy and Rich took long showers, did laundry, and then Augie picked them up so Kathy could watch the Packers game at their condo instead of going to the sports bar.  They had a great time, plus her Packers won!  Tomorrow they will hang out at the marina until they have to go anchor out.  Tuesday, Augie and Rena will give them the tour of Punta Gorda homes on the canal.  Kathy and Rich really like this place, and it is only a short distance from Ft. Meyers.  Very quaint old Florida feel, with cottage homes in the older part.  Most of the city was wiped out with Hurricane Charley, a cat 4 that hit here in August of 2004.  It is like a brand new city but still has that nostalgic feel, or so Kathy says.  Us 4-legged creatures have yet to see it, and probably won't.

Dec 27, 2014. Punta Gorda

Well here we are in beautiful Punta Gorda.  I just said that, but what do I know, Bitts and I are stuck on the boat while Rich and Kathy go ashore.  They are checking out the marina, since they will take the big boat in tomorrow for fuel, water, and whatever a "pump out" means.  They met their friends Augie and Rena off of "Happy Arrgh!!" who now live in a condo here.  They were gracious enough to take Rich and Kathy to West Marine and Publix, and then they watched the sunset from the Tiki Bar at the Sheraton 4 points.  Unfortunately Rich did not think they would be gone that long, and when they got back to the dock it was dark.  Oops , no anchor light on the boat which was a 1/2 mile away.  They did have lights on the dinghy, but they got as far as the exit to the marina when the motor quit working due to condensation.  Bitts and I thought it was pretty quiet when they came back, because all we could hear was the spashing of the oars and Rich's muscles getting bigger.

Dec 26, 2014

Today Bitts and I finally got off the boat and got a dinghy ride to the Cayo Costa State Park.  Wow, that is a pretty park, with a path that leads to the Gulf side.  There were a lot of bigger boats bringing all sorts of campers.  I heard Rich say there were a bunch of campsites.  The kids and Dads looked happy, but the Moms not so much.  Tomorrow we go to Punta Gorda.

Dec 25, 2014 Charlotte Harbor

Bitts and I did not sleep very well last night.  The winds switched to out of the north and the swells made it bumpy.  Oh well, we can catch up on our sleep with a nap.  Oh yeah, a new development with   Bitts and her potty habits.  Seems like she would only do well about 50 % of the time, so now we are both being punished and have to sleep in the cockpit at night.  It's not too bad.  Mom brings our beds up here, tucks us in with our "blankies" then sits with us until we are almost asleep.  That way I can also do my thing if I need to get up at night.  Bitts is such a baby and only wants to pee and poop on land, so sometimes she holds it til she is ready to burst.  She'll learn.  Anyway, Mike from Tardis came for dinner and brought some baked apples, sweet potatoes, and Bahamas bread, which rounded out the feast of turkey breast and gravy, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and dressing.  Rich made a mincemeat pie.  Smelled awesome, and actually Kathy gave us a little, being Christmas and all.

Checking on what's cooking

Dec 23, 2014 Xmas Eve

Well we are still on the hook.  Beautiful, but breezy day, my nose tells me about 80 degrees.  Kathy and Rich were sitting on deck and saw a boat go by that looked familiar to them.  Turns out it is Mike  on Tardis from Niceville.  What in the world?   Mike is single-handleling his boat, so Rich invited him for Xmas dinner tomorrow.  Speaking of dinner, what's cooking down there, smells good.  Bitts and I will be lucky to get a crumb if it falls on the floor.  Anyway, Xmas Eve was spent in the cockpit with Mom and Dad eating heavy appetizers, and some beverages under candle light and 73 degree temps.

Dec 23, 2014 Charlotte Harbor

OK, so I am just a dog, but I thought computers were suppose to be smart.  Apparently that is not the case with Kathy's.  She has been trying to export pictures from her droid phone to her iPad, but seems she needed to download a "driver"  and an app
to the computer to make that work.  Any way all I heard her say were things like "this stupid thing won't let me download", "this dumb a__ computer ", and a whole lot of "#%~+x/".   I am not sure what some of those words mean, but she only says them when she gets mad at things.  Anyway, she persisted and got the program working.  Yea, now you will be able to see some cool pictures of Bitts and I.  But apparently not today, because we are anchored in no man's land.  I can smell land, but not swim to it.  Anyway, now we are too far from any WiFi, so will have to wait until we move to Punta Gorda.  Yesterday was a fun day for us.  We went down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) from Sarasota to Charlotte Harbor.  It took us 8 hours to get here, but the wind was on the nose of the boat, and the windex kept pointing us to where we were going to anchor...at least that is what Rich said.  Bitts and I just had fun watching the sites of Venice, and going through Bascule and Swing Bridges, 7 in all.  We watched as all the traffic had to stop, and the bridge man opened the bridge for us.  I guess we were pretty important.  I guess today will be clean the boat day (boring), but maybe later a dinghy ride to land.

Trying to load picture

Well, Mom is not the techno genius, so hopefully this will load from the iPad.  Problem is that she has an android phone and is trying to export pics to the iPad...they say it can be done.  I'd do it but my paws are getting in the way, so you will have to wait for her.

Dec 19, 2014 Sarasota

You can not believe what I saw today...Dolphins...one came up and almost splashed me, it was so cool, then he and his partner stayed alongside the boat for a long time.  I don't know what's wrong with Bitts, but she just does not get as excited like me.  We are on a mooring ball right in downtown Sarasota.  Kathy and Rich went in to explore the marina without us, but they said something about really nice showers and laundry, so guess we know what they will be doing tomorrow.  Speaking of Dolphins and their being so cool and everything, I get yelled at for barking at them.  What???
Since we have gotten on the boat, there seems to be all these new RULES.  At home we were free to sit on the big dog couch, sleep in the king size bed, and generally roam as we wanted.  Now we have RULES...get off the settee (I guess that is a fancy word for the couch), off the berth (again fancy word for bed), and get in your doggy bed and go nite, nite.   What????  Well, Bitts and I are complying, only cuz we can't swim that far and are sort of trapped.  Well we heard our captors talk about staying here a few days and exploring the city, I am sure we will go for a nice dinghy ride and walk.  There is a nice dog friendly park and a tiki bar called O'Learys.

Dec 18, 2014 De Soto Point, Manatee River

Nice little anchorage by this historical point.  As soon as Rich finishes installing the new filters for the water maker, we get to do one of my most favorite things, A DINGY ride to the shore.  There is a nature walk and all, plus new doggy friends to meet.  I guess this guy DeSoto discovered this place, so I am sure that Rich will have to stop and read all the placards about it...I would rather just smell my way around.  Rich says we are going to Sarasota tomorrow, so watch us on SPOT.  We are taking our time because we have a regulator/controller for our wind generator being sent to our friend's house in Punta Gorda.  It is coming from Montreal, so with customs and Xmas mail, it may take awhile.  Meanwhile I guess we will take our time and enjoy the west coast of Florida.

Dec 16, 2014 Gulfport

Yipee, today got off the boat and into town for lunch.  Rich and Kathy met Rich's brother Steve's friends Bobbie and Tom from Wisconsin who winter in Treasure Island.  They ate at this really cool outdoor restaurant OMaddy's, where all the passerbys patted me on the head, and the waitress brought Bitts and I a bowl of water.  There was also a dog friendly park where Bitts and I emptied our tanks, so to speak.  Off to De Soto Point on the Manatee River tomorrow.  BTW, if Kathy ever figures how to import pictures, she will send some.  She just figured out how to use this blog...where is Zack when you need him.

Dec 14, 2014. Gulfport

Turns out Rich's cousin Trevor is down from Cincinatti, so Rich and Kathy met him for breakfast in Gulfport.  Gulfport is this cutsey, artsy, little seaside town on the west side of St Pete.  Rich took Trevor to tour the boat, and Kathy went to a sportsbar to watch the Packers lose to the Bills.  Quite a few Packer fans there.  Kathy says she's never been in a 80% gay sports bar before, primarily women...hmmm.  I am not sure what "hmmm" means, but you would think if 80% of the people were happy, that would be a good thing. Trevor then took Rich and Kathy for an hour ride north where his brother (Rich's cousin) is building his private airport and building his new home on 40 acres of farm land.  Quite the undertaking I guess, but what do I know, I was stuck on the boat.  Oh yeah, by the time we went through 190 gallons of water, Rich found the hose that cracked (under the refrigerator  of course), proving that Kathy was not abusing the water...I know Bitts and I only got our bowl full.

Dec 11, 2014. At Sea

Left at o'dark thirty.  Not the best day for sailing as we have following seas, and quite frankly it feels like  we are in a washtub, not that I have ever been in one.  Very rolie police.  There has only been one other sailboat on radar.  We put up the forsail, so that made it better, but it was a rough nite.  Kathy thought she would be able to read her iBook, but with the wave action, it kept flipping directions, so proved to be challenging.  Arrived St Pete area exhausted and anchored in the Boca Ciega Bay at Gulfort.  Our friends Pat and David Tye were anchored there and were kind enough to invite us for dinner.  We liked it so much we ended staying there for 5 days.

Dec 10, 2014. Dog Island

Uneventful sail here, if you call the most beautiful sunrise and sunset uneventful.  Kath says it's a shame that most people do not have a chance to view God's artwork because they are too busy with other things.  Every morning and night I can hear them oohing and ahhing the sky.  Getting ready for the 27 hour sail to St Petersburg...won't be a lot of fun for me, cuz Bitts and I will be stuck in our beds below.

Dec 9, 2014

Refueled and filled the bow tank with water for the second time.  Dad keeps telling Mom she is not at home and needs to conserve water til he gets the water maker running.  She insists she is in boat mode, and there must be a leak.  All I know is that it is chilly outside and Mom has the cabin nice and warm and filled with the aroma of Rosemary Balsalmic Chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans...big woof, Bitts and I will have to settle for some kind of dog food!!  Beautiful sunset though!!!

Rikava finally Sails

Dec 6, 2014
Hi, we are CJ And Bitts Vanderburg.  I, CJ, am an 11 year old Cocker Spaniel, and my little sister Bitts is a 9 1/2 year old Shitz Shu.  I've made this trip before as a puppy in 2003-2004, so I only think it's right for me to tell the adventure, as Bitts is not an experienced sailor.  To prove that, she was so upset getting on the boat tonight that she puked 3 times, and we are not even sailing til tomorrow!  Guess it will be up to me to show her the ropes.

Dec 7, 2014

Well we hit the waterways early on our way to Panama City.  I am so excited I can't sit still...I just want to run around this boat and sniff everything, including my favorite little boat, the dinghy.  One short hop and I was sitting on the bow of the dinghy.  OK, bad decision on my part, that bought me the ole leash attached to the boat.  Oh well, after a bumpy ride across the Choctowhatchee, we have settled into some relaxing and pretty views of the intracoastal waterway.  Looks like we are staying a night or 2 in Panama City as Kathy jammed too much food in the refrigerator and bent the thermocouple, so had to wait for our friend Rick, the boat genius, to come with parts.  That's okay, I'm loving the grass to do my business if you know what I mean.  I can't tell you how many people ask Mom and Dad the question of where we do our business.  Well, I am very good at it and just go on the foredeck...easy to pick up for them, and easy to hose.  Bitts on the other hand is having big time problems...hopefully she will catch on.  Tomorrow we are off to Appalachicola.