Clay's decision to anchor overnight
at Peck Lake was decidedly not his best decision of the trip as it turned out
this Friday, April 25th eve. The breeze calmed; the temperature maintained a
steamy 80 degrees throughout the night; and Clay repeatedly denied my request
to start the generator for air conditioning. He reasoned that the temps would
drop, but they didn't. Note to self for future: a) Clay doesn't readily awaken,
so he surely must have been asleep when he denied my repeated requests; and b)
take the initiative myself (hopefully I won't blow the engine).
Saturday's destination was Sunset
Bay Marina in Stuart, on the St. Lucie River. Clay picked this marina due to
the close proximity to the downtown historic district, walkable, with good
economic development. We had fun walking the area and poking around the retail
shops. Seldom are our purchases other than consumables, but it's oh such fun to
look! We also scouted out restaurants, but opted to eat the in-freezer grouper,
compliments of Jack and Jan Alexander and their too-full-to-pack-any-more-fish
coolers as they headed for St. Louis a few weeks ago from Sanibel. Yummy
dinner, we were thankful for Alexanders' love of fishing.
I had heard tales (long since
repressed) of very large rats in Florida which were known to live around water,
board boats and become hide-and-seek residents. Ignorance is such bliss! I did
not wish to be reminded of such games, but Clay found need to point out road
kill of the rat variety. I wish he'd let well enough alone; at quick glance I
had thought it was a baby 'possum.
Our morning walk Sunday took us
around a loop that included both US 1 and the historic district, giving us a
much better perspective of the surrounding land area. We debated lunch at
Panera, quite a distance; but wanting to bike, it gave us a destination. Good
decision as, not only did we enjoy a late lunch but, en route we found Wal-Mart
and West Marine, purchasing needed items at both stores (why do we always need
somethings from WMT and West Marine?). US 1 is often bordered by sidewalks on
one or both sides which makes the route popular and user friendly for bikers
and walkers; all three locations would have been out of the question had there
been no sidewalk.
We only questioned our decision as
we arrived back at the marina hot, sweaty, tired and thirsty. Another note to
self: remember the bike destination is only half the distance to be traveled!
Clay had a hankering for Italian
bill of fare as dinnertime approached. The orientation given by Sunset Bay's
harbormaster included, at my prompt, some popular local eateries. He
highlighted a nearby one in particular called Casa Bella, a favorite of his. We
were not disappointed! We were treated to a wonderful dinner at a reasonable
price in an atmosphere other restaurants would do well to mimic! A delight and an
experience I'd recommend and repeat in a heartbeat!
Monday found us cruising north yet
again, to dock at Ft. Pierce City Marina where Clay connected with an outboard
motor repair business that advertised pick-up and delivery, our lifeline. Our
hope was an overnight stay to complete the repair of the 15 hp dinghy motor.
Many city/municipal marinas are located in the city's downtown as was this one,
ideal for exploration which we did once Mr. Outboard Repairman showed. Clay was
quick to realize said repairman operated in his own timeframe, but 'oiled the
squeaky wheel.' So, Clay became the squeaky wheel which yielded a good-to-go
motor 24 hours later. Our departure plans for Tuesday afternoon were aborted
when the whippy winds discouraged any idea we had of 'setting sail.' The
American flag mounted on a harborside flagpole stood at military attention and
negated even the most optimistic notion of departure!
So, one more day in port at Ft.
Pierce allowed ample time to explore on foot and on bicycle the downtown area
and the nearby strip mall to the north. Ah, another West Marine where Clay was
again in purchase mode, this time a joker valve (translation: the head
toilet is a joke without this valve!) En route home, we stopped at Pelican
Seafood, a shop advertising local fish which enticed Clay to interrupt his
cardio workout. I truly think it was just a good excuse for a rest, but we did
leave with fish for two nights' meals. Stiff winds demanded using our little
George Foreman rather than our outside grill which did an admirable job of
grilling salmon and zucchini for Tuesday dinner.
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