Fish On!

March 2016

We were working so hard fixing our “beach house” we hadn’t taken time out much to play. So one day we did take an afternoon off and play golf. It was nice to get away from the painting and laying floor although we knew we had more to do.

A Bit of Water and Sand

We spent the next few days finishing up the rooms. The weather hadn’t been the greatest so having our little remodel project was okay. The winds and rains were pretty strong and we did have a couple tornado warnings with one touching down within the county. The nice thing about it was the sunset one evening. We managed to get outside in time to get a few pictures of the color and the clouds that looked like a thick wavy blanket.

Blanket in the Sky

Sunset over the canal

The weather was finally nice and the work done, yahoo, so we loaded up the boat and went fishing for the day. We launched out of Ft. Pierce since we have had success in the river there catching sheepshead.

The day was gorgeous with not too much wind and some cloud cover. I caught the first nice sheepshead we could keep and Steve decided to catch a catfish. He ended up catching two. These catfish you don’t want to keep. Unlike the catfish we have at home, these are considered trash fish here. I guess because that’s kind of how they taste.

Not What We Want Although Fun to Catch

Captain Steve 

 Finding a New Spot

The Spectators

Steve did start catching sheepshead as well, but he also found this funky looking guy. We have had a few of these in the past take our bait too. Oh well, it’s not what you catch but the fact that you’re catching something to begin with, right?!

Funky Looking Fish

  

We got home with seven sheepshead this time. Steve cleans the fish and I clean the boat and gear. I am so okay with that arrangement! We shared this catch with our neighbors across from us. Victor and Carole have been great and easy to get to know. They will head home sometime in April so we have been picking their brains on the close-up process for the house. It will be interesting to see how our little place fairs during the summer.

 Fish Cleaning Station

I guess we were pretty tired of working as we played golf a couple days after fishing and went to the beach on another day. I could get used to that schedule much easier than painting walls and putting in floors! I think Steve could too!

You’re probably wondering if Izzy is having any fun too. Well she is as we try and either take her to the dog park every day or throw her floppy a few times a day right outside our door. We have two empty lots next to us so that’s Izzy’s private playground right now. She’ll be sad if they get filled with homes.

  

We’re not sure about snow-birding this far from home but decided to give it a try. So if you need a winter get away be sure and let us know – we have a guest room and would love to have you come visit SIT!

Will keep you posted as to what’s next for our Florida adventure here on the treasure coast.

What Were We Thinking?

January 4 – March 1, 2016

Well I haven’t really taken time to sit down and compose our latest adventure. I am not sure if it is due to time or the simple fact that we have been a bit busy with cleaning, organizing, buying, and remodeling.

You are probably thinking what in the world is she talking about as they are in a 5^th wheel trailer. Well, we decided to bite the bullet and bought a small older mobile home in a park along the Indian River. We are in a town called Vero Beach which is just north of Ft. Pierce. We started looking some when we first arrived and kept coming back to this one park. The advantage of this one is you can actually launch a boat and kayaks from here, go about 2 miles and be at a nice beach and 3 miles will get you to a huge dog park. I don’t think Izzy is complaining too much about it either.

 

The Indian River

We were fortunate enough to find a small boat as well that just fits in the carport. I feel bad for Big Red as we have to park him down by the clubhouse. It’s a short walk from the place so not too much of a sacrifice!

Our Florida Boat

Back to the place – it is a 2 bedroom 2 bath home that had some updates completed already. It survived the hurricanes however there was some water damage in the paneling that wasn’t taken care of during the kitchen remodel the previous owner did. At first we were okay with that for now. Our attention was first going to getting it clean so we could move in.

Our Beach Bungalo

We moved our clothes and fishing gear in and bought the house essentials needed to get settled. We spent the first night on January 24^th. We enjoyed getting the boat out a couple of times for some fishing shortly after that and had some good keepers. Izzy had to supervise the cleaning process. I guess since she didn’t get to go with us she thinks she has to inspect the catch.

I took some pictures of the place when the owner was still in and then after we moved in. As you can see it is a bit different now. Especially since we did decide to go ahead and replace the carpet that was in the bedrooms with new flooring and since we were doing that we took care of the water damaged walls in the master bedroom. I guess fixing places up is in our blood. I think it is slowing draining out though!

Kitchen

Living Room 

 Florida Room

 Master Bedroom Before Us

Florida Room Turns into Work Shop

 Guest Room New Floor

Will be gone soon

 Progress New Walls and Fresh Paint

The Finished Product

So now you know what we have been up to for the past couple of months. Not necessarily fun but certainly much more fun than having to go to the office and shoveling snow! Don’t go too far away as you can read a bit more about our time in Florida.

Wow That Water Is Warm

December 16 – 31, 2016

SIT continues to enjoy our time on the treasure coast. We were able to get another fishing trip under our belts. Well we didn’t have belts on but we did have success with catching some red drum (also called red fish) that we could keep.

We had fun catching quite a bit of fish this time in the morning, but unfortunately we couldn’t keep all of them. That’s okay since we can try again when they are in season. Regardless what we caught was quite tasty!

 Nice Sheep Head, Yum

Nice Snook Steve, Too Bad You Can't Keep It

Big Fish Tory Strikes Again

 Hanging Out As The Fish Are Cleaned

Maybe They Don't See Me

We were fortunate enough to have my brother and sister-in-law, Rod and Mary, with us beginning on the 22^nd. I picked them up from the airport and then the next day we all went to Largo to visit Uncle Al and Pat. We surprised my Uncle for the most part. He had not seen them for many years. Izzy had fun too as Pat loves having Izzy over.

Love My Uncle

The Bailey's

We spent the rest of the time showing them around the area, with the first place the pier/jetty. Steve and Izzy have a routine of coming here most mornings to talk to the fisher people and see how the catch is going.  We managed to get to a couple of beaches, one of them a dog friendly beach so Izzy could enjoy the sand and water. Rod was surprised at how warm the Atlantic was as compared to the Pacific Ocean. Might just have a convert here!

Steve Explains The Happenings

Yuck Too Much Salt

Just Enjoying The Day

 Oh That's Warm

Beach Selfie

Rod and Mary took off for St. Augustine for a couple of days to check out the town as well as visit a friend Rod knew from high school. I forgot to ask him if he looked the same! Before they headed that direction we had a great motorized kayak tour. The company that provides this tour year round have developed the motorized kayak so anybody can get into one and steer. Although I was glad I was the person and in front in charge of the paddle!

In Complete Control

Rod and Mary Staying Upright

You get to tour through mangroves, around islands, and possibly encounter dolphins and manatees. We didn’t find any dolphins or manatees but did enjoy the day, learning about the vegetation and spotting some waterfowl on occasions. The best part is nobody fell out of the kayak! I was pretty sure Steve was going to try and dunk me just because Rod was there to laugh!

Taking a Nap

 I Said Left Turn Mary

Don't Come Any Closer

Hi

Watch Out We'll We Be Coming Through

How Come I'm Paddling?

This is Fun

When Rod and Mary got back from St. Augustine we went to the movies. The force was with us as we battled along with all of the fighters. I won’t tell you any details of the new Start Wars movie as I don’t want to spoil it for you if you choose to join the force. I think Izzy is part of the force especially when she wants to play with her floppy!

You Have To Let Go If You Want Me To Throw It Again

We also toured the Navy Seal Museum that is here in Fort Pierce. The original training spot for the Seals was here. The museum is very well done and informative. As you wander through it you get a feel for how tough it is for someone to become a Seal especially since they go through about two years of training before they are even done with the program.

I Am Learning A Lot

 Watching The Film

 This Would Be Fun On The Beach

 Learning About the Dog's Training

 Mark V Operations Craft

One Mean Boat

Now That's A Big Plane

                                                                                                             

Some of you might remember Captain Phillips? Tom Hanks played him in the movie if that gives you a hint. Well, the museum has the lifeboat that Captain Phillips was held captive in by Somali pirates on April 8, 2009. The Navy Seals rescued him on Easter Sunday April 12^th, truly a wonderful story to remember.

 Captain Phillips Was Held Here

There are a lot more things to explore around here as well as get our kayaks wet even though they are not motorized. Well, I guess they are with muscle power!

Stay tuned for some exciting news I’ll share in SIT’s next post!