SEAS-ONS GREETINGS from Tarpon Springs

Day 166
No Travel

Today has been a most unusual Christmas Eve. Being in Florida certainly has its advantages. We packed an odd assortment of tasks into the day.

Before we retired to bed last night we agreed that we would change the oil in the engines first thing. We did not know how long it might take to complete the nasty, messy job, so we wanted to get started early. To change the oil, the engines should be warmed up to help the oil flow more easily. We have an oil Xchanger system so removing the used oil from the engines is not too bad, but removing the used oil filters is terribly messy!

Although overcast it was the perfect day to take the boat for a run. We dropped the lines and left them on the dock so that when we returned, the boat would be tied in the same configuration as before we left. In this way we did not have to rethink distances to the walkway or tidal influences and such. Since there are docks and boats everywhere as well as manatees in the area, we had to work our way out to a non-"no wake" zone so we could rev up the engine and get it good and warm for the oil change.

We left the dock at 10:15 and puttered along at the strictly enforced "idle" speed for almost an hour before we could push the throttle up to get some speed. Clark even took it up to get on plane for a couple of minutes. Since the run was only to heat up the oil, we quickly turned around, hitting our own wake in the process, to head back to the dock to begin work as soon as the temp registered 180 degrees.

Clark seemed to be enjoying himself immensely at the helm and said, "Boating on Christmas Eve! How cool is that!" Since Clark was otherwise occupied and not doing his photographer job, I grabbed the camera to take some shots before we got back to the dock.

Fishing Boats - Tarpon Springs

We passed by numerous boats of all shapes and sizes, and as we came through the fishing boat docks, we found scores of pelicans. I thought the ones hanging out in the bushes were particularly interesting. We also saw many pelicans sitting on the poles along the dock - one pelican per pole with all spaces taken.

Pelicans "grow on trees" around here!

 As we passed by the marina, we saw one of the boats up on a lift being moved to its storage slot. I wonder how anyone gets the confidence to pick these boats up, drive them around at what seems like a relatively high speed, and raise them up high overhead to slip onto a shelf.

Racking and stacking a boat in the marina.

We docked around 12:30. The fun part of the boat job done, we had to settle in for the oil change, messy portion of the task. No matter how hard he tries, Clark ends up wearing some of the used oil, and today was no exception. We are not sure how it happened, but he got quite a bit of oil on his shorts, which soaked through to his underwear and even got the edge of his t-shirt that was tucked into his pants. Fortunately he was wearing his "ratty" pants that have oil on them from the last oil change. Unfortunately his other clothes were not in the same sad state of disrepair but now must be thrown in the junk category.

The oil change took almost three hours. Even though the sun was not out, it was a hot humid 80-something degrees today. By the time we finished the job it was definitely time to head for the showers. Clark suggested that we go for a swim in the marina pool first. I was so hot and sticky that I actually thought that sounded like a good idea! Hey why not - boating on Christmas Eve ... swimming on Christmas Eve! Might as well go crazy, right!? So, here's the proof!

The pool is not heated, but there is a hot tub that is heated nearby. Some other folks were at the pool when we got there, but they were focused on using the hot tub only. Too bad for them that the hot tub is not kept in the "on" mode, so they had to turn it on themselves. After half an hour the water was warm; by the time they were ready to leave about 45 minutes after that, the hot tub was up to its full 104 degree temp.

We guessed that the pool water was somewhere around the 68 degrees mark. After a spell in the pool Clark decided to try the hot tub. I followed him over there, but after only a few minutes I climbed out and got back in the pool. Swimming (or sitting) in warm water in the heat makes no sense to me whatsoever. I was happier in the cool pool.

While we were frolicking in the pool, I had the washing machine going to clean our sheets and some towels. About the time I decided that I had had enough pool time, the timer on my phone notified me that it was time to start the dryer going. I chucked the items in the dryer and headed in for my shower. My shower took less time than the dryer to do its job, so while we waited for the dryer to finish, Clark and I hung out by the side of the pool for a while longer before packing up and heading back to the boat.

The dip in the pool and the laundry were kind of "spur of the moment". I had hoped to get the sheets washed today. I had no clue we would jump in a pool. While poolside, we were busy watching the clock towards the end because we did have an activity planned for this evening called "Light up the Bayou". After we got back to the boat from our swim, we changed our clothes and walked over to Craig Park to see the "Light up the Bayou" event. We did not quite know what we were going to see but thought it would be an interesting thing to check out.

Winding through the park, at the water's edge, we saw 3500 Lambatha bags containing candles. Each bag was adorned with a message - either a tribute to someone's memory or a holiday greeting. As we strolled down the path next to the rows of lighted bags, we overheard some conversations. Each bag it would seem cost $2. I did the math in my head and thought "someone made out well on this enterprise." According to the website, the event was started in 1986 by a local PTA.

Light up the Bayou!

Spring Bayou lit up with Lambatha bags for Christmas Eve

As I close out tonight's blog entry, we are preparing to leave to head to the local Methodist Church for their 11:00 candlelight service.  Tomorrow we are driving to see one of Clark's cousins that lives here in Florida for Christmas dinner. We are bringing sweet treats from Hella's for dessert!

I wish all my blog followers / readers a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you for following us on our great adventure!