We're getting ready to go

Look closely as you'll see an owl, smack
in the middle of the picture.

After all the last bits of stuff has been done we're finally getting ready to shove off. Our target is Tuesday of this week. 

Of course, now that that is the case, the weather's turned. We had weeks and weeks, all winter long, of balmy days and lighter winds. The temp dropped over 20 degrees since yesterday and we've been pelted by winds. It looks like Wednesday and Thursday should be nice days to get over Gasparilla Bay and maybe Lake Okeechobee if we can get that far. However, we haven't moved once since we got here. And after all the work Russ has done on the boat we don't have a lot of faith everything will go flawlessly.

Before...

..after. Russ ordered and cut stainless strips to 
finish the surround on the new oven.

Russ made the flip-down panel below the 
stove. He did an excellent job!

We did have some visitors last week. Cousins I haven't seen since I was 5 years old flew down to visit my folks, and all drove to see Sarasota and inQuest. Frankly, if they hadn't come I'm not sure we would have cleaned the boat! She seriously needed it after weeks of being a floating garage.

The gang on the deck.

Dim sum!!!

For any foodies who read my blog I have to give a shout out to two new restaurants we discovered in Sarasota that should be visited. The first is the Yummy House, which is Chinese. Our excitement is they do Dim Sum, one of my favorite-est foods. Unlike typical Dim Sum, where carts are pushed around the venue and people call out what they have within them, you get a laminated picture menu and a sharpee, and just mark what you want. It's awesome! The second restaurant is Turmeric, an Indian place. Truly outstanding! We made a point of getting there a second time before heading out. After talking to one of the proprietors we found out they came from New Jersey, where there are a bunch of Indian places. Good to know! I'm headed that way in a few months.