Nov 29, 2009 - Trip to Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest

We headed out for a nature jaunt to one of our favorite places - The Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest. We never know what we'll see there, but it is always lovely and scenic as all get out.

Where is the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, you may well ask? You drive out of Immokalee on highway 29 toward LaBelle. On county road 832, turn right. Basically, the park is in the middle of the state of Florida. One web site comments, "visitors can still walk in and observe pre-Columbian Florida."

Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of a Florida forest. For those used to the alpine forest, there is quite a difference.

Along the east side of our favorite dirt road is private property. However the water and grass prairie in the private property is prime water fowl territory.

We saw a number of birds on our outing. The first was a turkey vulture.

A red shoulder hawk

This bald eagle was a looooooooooooooong ways away

White ibis in tree. The spotted bird on the right in an immature white ibis

Snowy egret

Pied billed grebe

Loggerhead shrike

Common moorhen

My personal favorite wading bird - the little blue heron

An anhinga, drying it's wings

A great egret stalking

Great blue heron

Finally, it wouldn't be a trip to Okaloacoochee without an aligator.



We were very happy with our trip to Okaloacoochee. Since we had forgotten to take a picnic lunch....again...we headed out to La Belle to look for a restaurant. On the way, we had two wonderful surprises. First, Robert saw a crested caracara on the side of the road. We had been looking for one for five years. Second, was a huge flock of wood storks, an endangered species.

Crested caracara, which is a member of the falcon family

Wood storks

After a very exciting outing, we found the KFC/Taco Bell in La Belle. Of course, this was followed up with a cone from McDonald's. Hey, Team Finnegan knows how to live large.

Thanksgiving, 2009

Talk about a fun time!!! For Thanksgiving, 2009, we hosted two families with kids in similiar age groups....daughter Katy and family from Turlock, CA and daughter Daria and family from Williston, VT.

The most amazing thing about this visit was the four grandchildren played for hours each of the four days in either the pool or around the pool table and never once was there a squabble, harsh word or tear. They made up games and played in perfect harmony. It was so much fun to watch. Sadly, I was having such a great time that I forgot to take any pictures. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Fortunately, daughter Daria is a professional photographer who gave me permission to use the pictures from her blog.

Noelle, on the left, is Katy's daughter. Summer, on the right, is Daria's daughter. Both girls were 11 and in the sixth grade when this picture was snapped.

Enjoying one of the many pool games, Justin Nielsen, 15, Baxter Bishop, 9, Noelle Nielsen, 11, Summer Bishop, 11.

Baxter and his mom Daria are having a very happy day in the pool.

One day Katy, Daria and I headed out to Chico's on Marco Island for a shopping spree. My friend, Erika, is a whiz at finding just that right look, plus she is a lot of fun. We all had a blast, plus added to our wardrobes. Later that evening, Daria and Katy had a fashion show for the guys.

While we were shopping, the rest of the group went exploring the Everglades and Everglade City with Grandpa Robert.

We did not cook Thanksgiving dinner at home. Although initially a controversial decision, the benefits soon became apparent as we surveyed the feast available at our club. It was a yummy spread. Even more fun was walking away from the dirty dishes and strolling out to the pool area for a group photo.

On the left is the Bishop family - Daria, Andy, Summer and Baxter. In the middle are Robert and I. On the right are the Nielsens - Katy, Chris, Noelle and Justin.

Soon after the group photo, the kids put on their bathing suits and jumped into the resort-style pool at the Players' Club. While the kids happily splashed, the rest of us lounged.

Katy looking extra glamorous

Me being extra silly

The day after Thanksgiving, the Bishops had to leave. The Nielsens were able to stay a couple more days. We really enjoyed a kayak adventure through the mangroves with superb kayak guide, Joseph.

Sept 16-19, 2009 - In NYC with Frank and Lilan

We were very pleased to welcome aboard Grand Fromage, our friends Frank and Lilan from Alameda, CA. We had originally met Frand and Lilan at Emery Cove Marina in Emeryville in October, 2003, where we docked our previous boat, Copperopolis. While we were boat neighbors at Emery Cove, Frank and Lilan were so welcoming to us and constantly invited us on their boat to share Frank's famous pasta.

We enjoyed sharing the sights of Manhattan with Frank and Lilan.

Robert points out the location of Grand Fromage in Jersey City from the top of the Rockafeller Center.

Frank and Lilan at the Top of the Rock

Lilan enthusiastically taking picture in Time Square

Lilan appears to like that picture.

Taking a brief respite in a very busy sightseeing day

Lilan on the boat to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. In the background is the old train station.

Frank and Lilan with the must-do, totally mandatory pose in front of the Statue of Libery.

Since it was the year of taking Grand Fromage guests to see the Blue Man Group, you guessed it.... 

Sept 10-13, 2009 - With John and Vivian in NYC

We love to tie up at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. The view from Grand Fromage is fabulous. On one side is the Statue of Liberty. On the other side is Jersey City. Straight ahead is Manhattan. Liberty State Park, where the marina is located, has a very convenient little ferry to Manhattan.

What made our stay at Liberty Landing even more special was being able to share the experience for a few days with our friends from New Bern, NC, John and Vivian. One day we spent sight seeing. Of course, one of the stops was our personal favorite view site...The Top of the Rock or Rockafellow Center.

John and Vivian at the Top of the Rock.

Last year, when we were in New York City, we tried and tried to get tickets for the Broadway musical, Jersey Boys. Sold out. This year we were able to obtain four tickets. We highly recommend Jersey Boys.

It was by far our favorite musical that we saw on Broadway. Upbeat, fun, high energy, with wonderful songs.

Since this was the year to take our NYC guests to see the Blue Man Group, of course this was a must do for John and Vivian. We started out with a trip to a New York pizza joint. What made this outing to the Blue Man Group so special was that in the middle of the show, John was picked to go up front for one of the skits. What a hoot! Vivian has never forgiven us for taking them to the show because John's answer to all requests for chore sharing ever since is "I never had to --------- when I was with the Blue Man Group"

The Petersons with a Blue Man 

Once again, we were in NYC on 9/11. From our marina, Liberty Landing, we had an unobstructed view of the twin spotlights that are lit on the anniversary of this sad and horrific event.



Sept 9, 2009 - Ft Jefferson, NY to NYC with John and Vivian

While we were leaving our marina in Ft Jefferson, Captain Robert noticed a sizeable fish boil in the water right ahead of Grand Fromage. Our friend, John Peterson was handling the lines. He used the radio earphones we use while docking, to suggest Captain Robert cut the engine and drift through the boil. John immediately cast a fishing line into the boil and 10 seconds later had caught a blue fish. John immediately cleaned and filleted the blue fish. Anticipating a very yummy fish barbeque when we arrived at our slip in Jersey City, we bagged up the fish with marinade.

We enjoyed a scenic ride up Long Island Sound, passing some huge houses on the east shore.

Scenic lighthouses

Still in Long Island Sound, the East River begins after crossing the bridge ahead. We had our first exciting view of New York City. Over the radio, we learned that the East River would be closed at the Manhattan Bridge between 12 and 1. We were certain that we would be able to make the closing, at our current rate of speed.

As Law and Order fans, it was fun to cruise by Riker's Island

Cruising up the East River

The Chrysler Building

The United Nations Building

The Empire State Building

As we cruised up the East River, we began to see more helicopters in the air, plus Coast Guard and military vessels in the river. We learned that the East River would be closed due to President Obama visiting the United Nations Building.

We were nearing the end of the East River, with two bridges to go. We could see the Statue of Liberty on the other side of the Hudson from the Broklyn Bridge. We were becoming increasingly confident we would be able to clear the two bridges before the closing. We greatly anticipated tying up to our slip at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. With boat chores complete, we'd be able to kick back, prepare and enjoy our blue fish for lunch.

Luck was not on our side. As we prepared to cross under the Manhattan Bridge, Coast Guard vessels commanded us to halt and hold our position.

After treading water for an hour, the Coast Guard released us to continue our voyage under the Manhattan Bridge and finally, under the Brooklyn Bridge.

I am happy to report that our blue fish barbeque lunch was worth the wait.

Sept 5-8, 2009 - Mantauk, NY

As much as we hated to leave Block Island, we had an advance reservation at the Montauk Yacht Club for the Labor Day weekend. Robert had discovered that it was difficult to obtain a reservation for this very popular boating weekend.

The Montauk Yacht Club was not our first choice for the Labor Day weekend because of the nightly price of a slip, but it was available and it looked fabulous on their website. Part of a hotel resort, it appeared we would have a pretty swank weekend. Yes, it was going to be the most expensive marina stay ever, but we would enjoy the many amenities and facilities. I mean, according to their web site, the marina was "named by Yachting Magazine, as a top ten marina destination in North America, Mexico and the Bahamas."

Perhaps our stay in Montauk was influenced by the fact that it was the Labor Day weekend and despite the cost and the recession, every slip was occupied. Most of the boats seemed to be occupied by families with many children. The place was packed to the gills.

Let me state that the cost of this marina was wildly exorbinant....2 times more than we have ever paid. I know I may be overstating this, but according to our experiences in other high end marinas, we expected extra value for our money. For example, in a few other marinas we had received complimentary newspapers, perhaps muffins and fruit delivered to our boat in the morning. At the Montauk Yacht Club, the only special thing was each boat had it's own garbage can that was emptied once or twice a day.

There were many downsides to our stay. Most marinas require children to walk on the docks and wear life vests. Here, children were running, riding bikes and playing on the docks with no life jackets. The marina bathroom was shared by the hotel guests using the pool. It was filthy and water sogged. The much touted spa was closed.

However, the very biggest downside were the prices and service at the hotel restaurants. Sure we understood the season is short, but the menu prices were astronomical. We felt gouged. In the coffee shop, a cobb salad was $18.00. Basic breakfast was $16.00. For these prices the servers were grumpy and unwilling to make any substitutions....if the combination wasn't in the computer, they couldn't or wouldn't accomadate us.

Ok, what about the town of Montauk you may ask? It seems everywhere the prices were jacked up 2-3 times for the summer season. During a haircut, I was told by the beautician that during season the locals can't afford to eat out. As soon as Labor Day is over, the prices immediately plummet.

Enough whining, we did enjoy a few nice walks along the beach. Montauk is the peninsula at the very north east end of Long Island and is reknown for the fishing.

The famous Montauk lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in NY state.

Here is a lobster pot that will no longer be bothering us.

One very positive thing occurred in Montauk. On Labor Day, our friends, John and Vivian Peterson, flew in from North Carolina to JFK and came by the Long Island bus out to the marina. Thanks to John and Vivian, our last night in Montauk was full of a lot of laughs and stories.

Sept 2-4, 2009 - Block Island

Robert always likes to make our marina reservations as far in advance as possible. This strategy has served us well. However, he could not make a reservation for our stay on Block Island. It isn't like he didn't try. Sadly, all but one of the marinas that had facilities to accomodate Grand Fromage were full during our designated dates. The one marina that wasn't full, Payne's Dock, wouldn't give us a firm reservation. Robert tried several times and was told each time, "call us on your way and we'll see what we can do". We were facing insecurity. What did this mean????

It was with some trepedation that we left Newport for Block Island. As per instructions, Robert called Payne's Dock while we were under way. He was told, "bring her in and we'll work it out." Okie dokie. This wasn't security, but it sounded like they'd take us.

What we found out upon arriving is that all boats are accomodated one way or another. These people are the "pack in the boats" experts. They have their methods and the methods work, as long as you are ameniable to being rafted to other boats. All of the boats rafted together made for a jolly, party atmosphere. You had instant friends. You had instant relaxation. Payne's Dock was a hoot and a half.

After we were expertly tied up, Robert wanted to settle our bill and thus inquired the whereabouts of the office. The reply was "we don't have no office, why would you want the office?" Robert said he wanted to pay and was told, "pay one of us when you leave, that's good enough for us."

Three sail boats rafted up behind us.

We unloaded one of our scooters for some sightseeing. What a beautiful island. We had a great time exploring. Here are some pictures of our Block Island adventures:

We had a wonderful time on Block Island. It is both beautiful and adorable. The residents are eccentric, but warm and welcoming. It is relaxing and unpretentious. If we ever have an opportunity to return to Block Island, we will definitely jump at the chance.