Miss Hattie's Loop: Visiting in SW Florida

It's been a while since we've posted - so our 800 Dock Mates, Don and Molly, let us know - we'll try to catch you up. March has been a great month for visiting friends. After taking in the sites at Jewfish Key, we went up Port Charlotte Harbor and Di and Dennis McKay graciously hosted us while be docked in Punta Gorda. Dennis spent an entire day trucking us around to stores and helping us install a new set of house batteries on the boat. And then we got to go to their new house and swim in their pool - the house is beautiful and Dennis is making even more so with his usual hard work and attention to detail (sorry, we foolishly forgot to take pics).

After visiting the McKays we went down to Sanibel Island and stayed on the hook one night before heading up the Caloosahatchee River to Fort Myers. This stop is full of visitors to Miss Hattie. First, our friend from Indy, Cathy Orosz graced us with a 5-day visit. We took her on a cruise to Fort Myers beach (20 miles down river) and stayed on the hook two nights while we explored the restaurants and beaches; we also caught the IU-UNC game at a dive bar called Hoosiers in Paradise - it was March Sadness for the Hoosiers that night. On our return to Fort Myers Yacht Basin we toured the Edison and Ford winter estates - a very cool life they were leading down here in paradise. And Lenore made a new Easter Bunny friend, Lulu, as we walked along the sidewalk back to the marina.

Yesterday the McKays brought Don and Molly Prusa down to Miss Hattie - Don and Molly had driven down to Port Charlotte Easter weekend. It was a great afternoon and evening visit - good laughs, good food (including Bob's guacamole), and of course good drink. We had an empty, lonely feeling when they all walked away from Miss Hattie.

Now we're expecting John and Chris Sobecki - they'll be crossing the Okeechobee waterway to Stuart with us beginning April 1. Tomorrow, Bob's brother and spouse - Gary and Nadine are scheduled to show up. No doubt there'll be more food, drink and laughs