Spent a few days with Kristen, Danny and Logan in Lakeland - and had a great time! It felt good to spend a few days on terra ferma. We’re back on the boat and exploring Clearwater Beach. We walked Pier 60, a long pier extending out into the Gulf with a cache of local vendors each night. We missed the sand sculptures from last weekend; the front-end loaders were redistributing the sand when we checked it out. The beaches are beautiful white sand, and the contrast of the water makes a pretty scene.


Today we’ll do a few chores (read: pay bills, do laundry, etc.) and otherwise hang around the boat. Sunday, we leave for Norfolk, VA for the spring Looper’s conference. I hope to gather intel for the northern portion of the trip. Our dock mates here are from Ft. Myers, and I’ve been collecting a lot of intel from here to Miami. After we return from Norfolk, our next stop will be Ft. Myers to visit Kevin and Sharon, then to Marco Island, Marathon Key, Key Largo and Miami. Clearly, we’re behind schedule but we’re enjoying our pace and it’s hard to hurry it.


Last night Barbara found a Kilwin’s ice cream shop just across the street from the marina - how convenient! Our weather continues to be favorable - highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s and sun, sun, sun!