New bikes and old friends...

Well, I need to catch on a few days here... being in port is not like being out cruising on the boat, where every day is an unusual adventure and there's lots to write about! Thursday, Ron and I took a hiatus from the "all-work and no-play routine", and had an impromptu day of fun! In the early morning, we rode our bikes again along the same 10-mile route that we did yesterday, just working on getting our bike legs back. Riding is gorgeous here: long riverside roads, views of water and palm trees, banyan trees and beaches, as well as "old Florida" homes that are so unique: wooden-framed with metal roofs, large, wrap-around porches, some with the old, propped-up hurricane shutters. Just pretty biking! After our ride, we went to Mac's, a bicycle shop here in Jensen Beach to look at some hybrid bikes to replace the rusty remaining folding bike for the boat. Ron's on a mission, wanting to get these bikes!

Afterwards, we put Eclipse in the water alongside Equinox, since the guys now working on touching up the gel coat and cap rail needed it to access the port side of the boat. (We're docked up along our starboard side without a finger pier on the port side.) Then, in the afternoon, we drove down to Pompano Beach to see some boating friends from Pennsylvania, Kim and Al, at their gorgeous Florida home! It was a blast being with them, especially since it was a surprise for Al -- he thought we were still aboard in Bimini! We enjoyed the sunshine and lounged around their pool before going to dinner at Yolo in Fort Lauderdale (utterly delicious calamari, as well as tuna sashimi!) before heading back to the house for apres-dinner drinks and more relaxing poolside. We had such a wonderful time; it was great to see them again!

Lounging poolside!

Friday we focused on getting more boat stuff done. Most importantly, we got Equinox and Eclipse registered in Florida, now that we are back in Florida waters and not returning to the Chesapeake. In contrast to the rather common experiences at the Maryland MVA of horrendous lines and long waits, the Martin County DMV is refreshing!! It's smaller, rarely crowded and the staff very friendly. We've had numerous visits here to get the cars registered in FL, get our driver's licenses, get fishing licenses, etc, so we can attest to their efficiency. Thankfully, though, I think we've jumped through the final hoops regarding all vehicles, vessels and licenses! 

After a quiet afternoon of reading and relaxing, we went out to dinner with some Kadey-Krogen friends at Peter's Steak House in Jensen Beach. We've discovered there's lots of great restaurants around the Stuart/Jensen Beach area here, which is another reason we enjoy it here so much. Since the food at Peter's is consistently delicious, we were delighted to return and introduce our friends to the place as well! We enjoyed catching up with Bill and Tracy, enjoyed the good food, great service, and just had fun. A nice time! After weeks of quiet anchorages and relaxing dinners aboard, it feels rather decadent to be dining out!