Off We Go!

We have been here in Daytona for a month and it is now time to head to the Bahamas. We are crossing the Gulf Stream with Heinz and Jacqueline on board their East Bay 49 motor yacht Ganesha.  The winds will hopefully diminish enough so we can have a fairly smooth passage on Monday. In a few days we should finally get to see how New Horizon made it through the summer months (this will be the first time Dave has seen the boat since his accident over 8 months ago). However, I am also looking forward to seeing the clear water.

We are packed and ready for whatever comes our way. Stay tuned...I'll do an update again as soon as possible, depending on internet connections.

Giving Thanks

We certainly have been counting our blessings this year and have so much to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving from the both of us.....

Wind Blown

The wind has really picked today with gale force conditions. We rode down to Ponce Inlet at high tide to see how rough the ocean was. Wow, it sure was dynamic!

If we were in the Bahamas I would say there was a rage on.

Dave walks through the sand, trying to get a bit of protection from the dunes and lifeguard tower.

 

He had to crawl over the railing in the lee of the tower because the sand was blowing so hard by the jetty walkway entrance.

 

 

The kite surfer and windsurfer on the New Symrna side of the inlet were getting quite the ride with the wind and waves.

A lone tenacious fisherman must have been getting sandblasted.

 

It was amazing to see these conditions after going to the beach yesterday and having it totally warm, sunny, and calm. We certainly are glad we are not out there in a boat...and that's the reason why we are still in Daytona!

Stuff!!!

Thanks to their Craig's List ad, we found a picker's dream....Benson Junction Trading Post. It had a little bit of everything for everyone!

Is it an exercise room or a torture chamber?

 

 Some metal items were sold by the pound.

 

 Everything is for sale including the kitchen (and bathroom) sink!

Dave in the stripper cage. Woo Hoo!

 

  Everything was so organized...

Lots of stuff outside too.

 

A cauldron full of drawer pulls.

Bicycles of all shapes and sizes.

 

It's hard to take in everything in one trip. Now that we have had a little taste of the place, we'll be back in the spring to pick some more.



Peddle Paddling

With our calm winds we have been taking advantage of our peddle paddle trips. Dave peddles his bicycle while I paddle.

Halifax Harbor Marina

Someone had this Guana Grabbers sign from Abaco on the porch of their condo. Hopefully we'll be there soon!

 

Cool boats at Daytona Aquamarina

 

The backwater mangroves of Wilbur by the Sea near Ponce Inlet.

Adventure Yacht Harbor and the Boondocks Restaurant

Birding opportunities abound. This osprey kept a keen eye on me.

You can see the difference between a cormorant and an anhinga. The cormorant (left) dives and catches the fish in his mouth/beak. The anhinga spears the fish with his very sharp beak (hard to tell because he was looking straight at me). When he is partially submerged he looks like a snake.

Now we are back to windy weather so it's time to find some more diversions until we can cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Stay tuned to see what we discover.

This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to market (in the trailer):

 

And all his friends hope they get to go home:

 

This little piggy was actually roast beef:

 

And this little piggy had none:

 

And these little piggies went wee,wee,wee, all the way home......luckily in the back of the truck.

 

After going to this farmers market and swap meet we have now decided to become vegans!

Freshwater Interlude

This week we visited one of the many fresh water springs near Daytona. The kayak and bicycle were loaded up into the van and off we went to the state park at DeLeon Springs.

Dave peddled while I paddled.

 

 

Moss Monster!

 

I saw lots of bird life including two bald eagles. It's pretty hard to get photos of them, but I did manage to snap these photos of coots, gallinules (that have very eerie calls), and a great blue heron hiding in the marsh grasses.

There used to be a resort at the spring head but now just the old Spanish sugar mill remains and was turned into a great rustic restaurant.

Here are the mill gears on the inside of the building.

 

The restaurant is famous for its pancakes that the customers actually cook on the griddle located on each table. Sometimes the wait can be up to 3 hours to get a seat. Luckily it was a slow day and we were seated right away. I decided to have french toast and got to grill it myself.

After lunch the foggy day turned into sunny skies so Dave took a dip in the 71 degree crystal clear water at the head of the spring.

The swim area is around the spring boil, but as you can see in the above photo, people scuba dive into the caves that go a long way beneath the water.

Next time we visit this historical park I'll be sure to bring my walking shoes to explore the 4 miles of nature trails. Perhaps Dave will be ready to do some diving in those underwater caves too!

Family Af-FAIR

It's Volusia County Fair time! My brother Rick joined Dave and I for an afternoon of checking out the tractors, displays, animals, rides, and of course all the great food.

What a colorful event, especially as we watched all the different rides.

Some were really extreme!

I always enjoy looking at all the cake exhibits.

'Minions!' A very popular theme everywhere. 

This would be fun in the trails at home.

We could use some goats up north too.

Dave and Rick tried their hand at milking this fake cow. It even mooed!

 

This robot cruised around the fairgrounds and was a big hit with the crowd, especially the kids.

 

Wish we could find a gas pump like this one.

Of course the guys are always drawn to the tractors....

 

...and the engines.



Dave was in the right place at the right time when they needed another driver for the tractor parade.

His needed a jump start from the owner of all these Farmalls.

Miss Volusia County Fair led the way.

This is Meghan with HER John Deere tractor that no one else was allowed to touch. Notice she's still a 'girlie girl' wearing her pearls.

Dave was in 7th Heaven driving this 1948 Farmall Super AV.

Rick, Dave, and John (the owner) turn off the gas and talk tractors.

 

What a fun way to end the day!