Limited Out!

We got a late start this morning because of a thunderstorms and rain.....but we managed to limit out on (6)Reds. The weather was great down at the bay, but it did got HOT later in the day. This was only our third trip out in our new boat...sure did run good in the shallows and even out in the open bay.
We stopped on the way home at a Dairy Queen to celebrate our successful trip with a ice cream cone.

Cayman-Kittewake-Hunting Lion Fish

A short flight, bumpy landing and we were back in Cayman...picking up our rental car, stopping for groceries, then a drive out to the East End to find our downstairs condo #103 ready and waiting. The weather was terrific, the water was warm, and the winds were light.....kinda perfect! The diving began on Sunday morning on Eastern Skies with some of my old friends at the dive op making me feel at home. On Tuesday I did the 2 tank morning dives, then grabbed a quick lunch and made the Kittewake dive in the afternoon..thanks to my chauffeur, Dale. Sure will be interesting to see how the marine life develops around the ship in the future....a really nice dive!
Dale spent the mornings taking a long walk and catching up on his reading....in the afternoon we hung out at the new pool and hot tub or grabbed a nap. Wednesday evening we enjoyed "Diver's Night", a delicious dinner of ribs and chicken, with rice and beans, potato salad, sweet cornbread and pineapple upside down cake while watching videos that Ellay made.

Thursday I had 2 morning dives and signed up for the "Lion Fish Hunt" a 2 tank dive in the afternoon. I was a spotter, Dennis was the bag man, and Steve was the hunter...two other guys on our team just swam off with huge cameras to take photos of the reef. The whole boat got 37, while our team had 12 in the bag. Steve cleaned them, and TJ grilled them when we got back to Compass Point, my first Lion Fish meal. After my last two dives Friday morning, Dale and I decided to have lunch at Over the Edge, then drove to Rum Point and found a shady spot on the beach to relax.
Saturday we packed our stuff, finished off most of our food and drove to the airport for the trip home. This trip ran like clockwork, the diving was good, we met new friends and had a wonderful relaxing week on the island.

Sand Fest Sista's II

Packed up...Karen and I headed out to Port Aransas for SandFest Sista's Weekend II stopping in Rockport to grab a bite to eat and some groceries. Pam's flight was delayed so she arrived later than expected. On the way back from picking her up we stopped at Doc's Seafood and Steak for some seafood and drinks....it was sooo good! Unpacked and up early we headed to watch the sculptors begin their work and checkout the vendors. The wind was blowing like crazy the whole weekend. We made a run to buy fresh shrimp right off the boat in the marina and enjoyed them grilled for supper. After dinner, we walked down to the beach to enjoy a full moon over the Gulf and some bubble blowing.

Saturday we rented "Miss Kitty" to tool around town and the Sand Fest....Karen did the driving this year. Our biggest adventure was getting Miss Kitty out after getting blocked in.....we did it!

We also made a stop at the University of Texas Marine Science Center.....a educational highlight! A brief stop at "Shorty's".....was very educational too! Karen fried shrimp for dinner with a big salad that was delish and we enjoyed eating on the porch.
Sunday morning it was time to head back home...we dropped off Pam at the airport and our great weekend "Girl's" trip came to an end.

Our New Baby Cat!

Today we picked up our new boat, a Tran Sport Baby Cat.....WOW! It is 16 ft 2 inches long and has a Suzuki 90 hp motor. We added a platform on the front with a railing...for keeping an eye out for those schools of red fish. It is blue and gray, with two big ice chest.
Love, love, love it!!!!

No Sun.....No Fun in Tampa!

Dale and I flew out of Austin on Monday, arriving after a very turbulent flight in the rain....our bags got wet and some of the clothes were pretty damp. We picked up our rental car and checked into our room in Brandon.Up early, the rain
had stopped, off we went to Sun'n Fun
wondering how wet and nasty it was going to be. Weather had prevented most of the planes from arriving, so we checked the vendors, talked to some old friends and looked at the planes on hand. The next day the skies cleared and we got to the gate even earlier. We walked around, looked at planes before enjoying our picnic lunch under the trees. I took off to find a spot in the shade for the airshow while Dale went to see the vendors again. The sky got dark, the wind began to blow, and they announced the show had been delayed because of a line of thunderstorms approaching. We waited for a while, then headed out to have dinner and go back to the hotel. The storms hit and it rained most of the night.... we awoke to find severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in our area and decided to stay at the hotel. A good call, because the airshow was hit by a bad storm and at least one tornado. Many planes were damaged or destroyed during the storm....so sad! Friday we flew back home to Texas....our trip had come to an end....Sun'n Fun was kinda a bust this year!

Texas Trash and Treasures

Gal pal, Karen and I headed up to Warrenton/Round Top for the Preview Week of the show...since it was the only time we could make it. I met Karen in town and off we went arriving early when it was still cool. Karen was on the hunt for a cast iron Dutch oven and I was just looking, nothing special! We found some really cute shirts at Bodacious Buckles in Round Top, and had lots of fun with the gals working the booth. In Carmine we made a few stops, didn't find the Dutch oven, but did find an outstanding steak house.....J W's Steakhouse
We enjoyed a delicious ribeye, onion rings, salad, and stewed okra......some ice tea and an ice cold beer. Back to Warrenton, we split up to cover more ground.....and we did find a Dutch oven and I picked up some garden art.
On the way home I managed to get some photos of bluebonnets, a real thick patch in the cemetery in La Grange made a great shot....even if Karen made fun of me laying in the cemetery.

Foggy Cruise!

Well, we are all packed, and ready to leave in the morning, but fog is playing havoc with the cruise ships in Galveston. This was going to be our first cruise after achieving Diamond Status with Royal Caribbean! Our ship finally made it in and after standing in a long line for a couple of hours we boarded about 6:30 pm, unpacked, had dinner, and turned in for the night.....only to find that we were in Galveston still being held captive by the fog when we got up the next morning....SURPRISE!
We enjoyed our first sea day, with a trip to the gym, a soak in the spa and relaxing with a good book. The Captain put it in full speed ahead and we made Roatan just a hour later than planned. We had a great tour of the island with Roland at Victor Bodden Tours. It was just me, Dale and Roland for the day. I even had a chance to check out Anthony's Key Resort, a really nice dive operation I will visit in July with the gals from Kansas.
Our next port was Belize, we decided to stay on the ship for the day...it was just us and the old folks, so we had a quite day, with plenty of time to relax. Dinner that night was at Portifinos Restaurant, a wonderful meal, great service and we left stuffed!!!

The next morning we docked in Cozumel....Dale and I were off the ship early, grabbed a taxi to meet Cristina for a day on the water, with a couple of dives. Cristina was waiting and we boarded the Nena and left the marina headed to Palancar Gardens. Diving was great, the water was a little chilly-79 degrees, but visibility was fantastic. As usual Cristina served lunch on the boat, with lots of fresh fruit and the best guacamole. Dale napped and read his magazines while I was diving.
Our last day at sea, we slept late, enjoyed breakfast and a light lunch and relaxed around the pool. Dinner again was at Portifinos, another yummy meal. That night we enjoyed Phil playing the piano and singing in the bar.
Up early the next morning, only to find the fog was holding us captive at sea and we didn't dock until almost Noon. We disembarked, Dale picked up the car, picked me and the luggage up and we headed home.
We had a great time, met lots of nice people on the ship and made it home safe and sound. I even managed to sit still and read a book, cover to cover......."Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond.