Christmas through New Years (and a few more days)

Bradenton, Tuesday, 12-23 through Sunday, 1/4, 2015

Our time at Bradenton was fun. We laid low on Tuesday, the 23^rd, did a grocery run,  and went for a walk. The Twin Dolphin Marina is on The River Walk.  It is a lovely walkway along the river, with sculptures, play areas for kids and just a great way to stretch our legs after a long time of sitting on the boat.

Egret watching the tide go out

Kathy sunbathing on The River Walk

Twin Dolphin pool

And, it was alight with Christmas displays. 

Christmas lights at Twin Dolphin



Christmas lights at Bradenton City Hall

Kathy purchased some mini-lights at the grocery store and decorated the boat with those as well as a few ornaments packed from home.

Kathy and T2 waiting for Santa on Sea Fever

Christmas Eve was a great day.  We set out to buy new indoor outdoor carpet for the boat (Kathy’s requested Christmas present) and found success at Lowe’s.  We then cooked up our signature wild rice and packed up our green vegetables to contribute to the feast, and descended on the Finney’s about 5, where Christmas activities were in full-fledged swing.

Christmas Cooks

Yoshi, the dog came by Tim for a pet, and charged right at Kathy, knowing that she would wrastle with him! We aren’t strangers anymore!

Dinner was great, turkey and all the fixings’. All dug into the dinner, talked and laughed, laughed and talked. And tried not to drop any turkey on the floor for Yoshi.

After dinner dishes were cleaned up, we retired to sit in front of the Christmas tree.  Young Mike was asked if he was interested in opening his presents from us, since apparently Santa doesn’t deliver presents in Bradenton until Christmas Day.  He looked at us in childlike wonderment as though we were stupid to ask the question, and ripped into the presents. Such fun.

Christmas Day brought a Skype session with Kathy’s family in Amherst.  Gregg and Audrey, sons Carl, Paul and Chris were joined by sister Karen, and the newest addition to the family, Carl’s fiancé, Kristin. It was fun to see everyone.  Adding to the fun was telling stories about Gregg’s wayward ways in his youth!  As Chris (the youngest son) commented on the story about Kathy and Gregg’s early experimentation with cigarettes, “I didn’t see that one coming!”

Friday, Mike and Jackie brought young Michael to visit Sea Fever.  Young Michael said that it was just a very small house on the water.  Very small. And then off to lunch at the Cortez Kitchen, a favorite of Kathy’s.  The grouper sandwich is to die for! It is adjacent to a fish market, which is stocked by boats bring in their catch. Everyone knows that a visit to Bradenton is not complete for Kathy without a grouper sandwich from the Cortez Kitchen!

Cortez Kitchen, home of Kathy's favorite grouper sandwich

 Sunday, Dec 28th

We were invited to a party at the Finney’s.  We were quickly identified as “the people from the boat”. How Bogart and Hepburn is that!!  Well, without the malaria thing going on! nIt was a great gathering with golf friends of Mike’s, and once again, great food.  Wine flowed, and we enjoyed being included.

Some folks headed for home, and several of us plunked down in the living room and shared stories which included tales of our first cigarettes, how family order influenced our lives, and other such things. Laughter reigned supreme. And new friendships were forged.

Monday, Dec 29 through January 4^th.

These were a few laid back days.  After spending so much time meeting deadlines, it is nice to just relax.

We enjoyed a barbecue with our friends from Brisa, and joined the Finneys for two movies.  The first was spectacular.  It was “The Imitation Game” about Alan Turing and the cracking of the Enigma Code in WWII. “Big Eyes” was a weird movie, but then, what can one expect from Tim Burton?

Tim got a little fishing in, and Kathy spent a morning to herself, we made reservations at the Saint Pete Municipal Marina and got ready to head out on Monday, January 5, 2015.