Gilles is still working on the boat, sawing wood and getting paint on everything and asking me to get out of the way. I've read three books: "The Best American Travel Writing 2007" edited by Susan Orlean, "The Cure for Anything is Salt Water: How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea" by Mary South, "Moral Disorder" by Margaret Atwood, and just started a fourth, T.C. Boyle's "The Women."
I'm anxious to get going. We're only a few miles from Satsuma where five year old Haleigh Cummings disappeared. Everyone seems on edge as the search continues and there is still no sign of her. It's becoming commonplace to see people handing out flyers, helicopters flying overhead, and fleets of police cars and television microwave trucks.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Palatka Adventures and Misdadventures
Adventures and Misadventures in and near Palatka, FL
1. Going to Mema’s in Satsuma for a “country cooking” family dinner on my first night in Florida. The setting was definitely down home and we watched a U-Haul truck chase in LA on the large flat screen TV with the other customers. The fact that the occupant of the truck was a sole woman drew some interesting comments. The grilled grouper was pretty good.
2. Eating dinner at Café Bleuu (one of the best restaurants this side of France) in Welaka, one of my favorite towns in Florida.
3. Going on a rainy night to hear the open mic music at the Larimer Arts Center in Palatka on 4th Friday, except it turned out to be 5th Friday. Drove back to the boat.
4. Waiting for the temperature to rise to finish painting the boat and other chores, I went online and checked out the Carnival cruises to the Bahamas. Could do a 5 day trip for $299, sounds pretty good.
5. Finding some calligraphy brushes and ink at the art store (there’s a community of artists in Palatka, who have painted murals on many of the downtown buildings). I like this one.
6. Looking for a good coffee place on the way to St Augustine (where we were going for boat supplies… necessary things like mosquito netting), the directions we had were that it was near the intersection with I-95. The only cafe we saw was Café Erotica…. pretty sure that was not it, we continued until we came to Mystic Bean Coffee Co., “coffee you can’t find anywhere else!” It’s true!
7. Listening to NPR all day and all night when Gilles leaves the radio on.
8. Hiking in Ravine Gardens State Park along the springs and azalea trails. Some of the azaleas were in bloom and there were lots of bulbils (that's what they're called) from the air potato plant lying around. It's a little odd walking along a trail littered with seeds that look like potatoes. The air potato is an invasive vine growing up to 8 inches a day. I picked up a few and threw them in the trash.
1. Going to Mema’s in Satsuma for a “country cooking” family dinner on my first night in Florida. The setting was definitely down home and we watched a U-Haul truck chase in LA on the large flat screen TV with the other customers. The fact that the occupant of the truck was a sole woman drew some interesting comments. The grilled grouper was pretty good.
2. Eating dinner at Café Bleuu (one of the best restaurants this side of France) in Welaka, one of my favorite towns in Florida.
3. Going on a rainy night to hear the open mic music at the Larimer Arts Center in Palatka on 4th Friday, except it turned out to be 5th Friday. Drove back to the boat.
4. Waiting for the temperature to rise to finish painting the boat and other chores, I went online and checked out the Carnival cruises to the Bahamas. Could do a 5 day trip for $299, sounds pretty good.
5. Finding some calligraphy brushes and ink at the art store (there’s a community of artists in Palatka, who have painted murals on many of the downtown buildings). I like this one.
6. Looking for a good coffee place on the way to St Augustine (where we were going for boat supplies… necessary things like mosquito netting), the directions we had were that it was near the intersection with I-95. The only cafe we saw was Café Erotica…. pretty sure that was not it, we continued until we came to Mystic Bean Coffee Co., “coffee you can’t find anywhere else!” It’s true!
7. Listening to NPR all day and all night when Gilles leaves the radio on.
8. Hiking in Ravine Gardens State Park along the springs and azalea trails. Some of the azaleas were in bloom and there were lots of bulbils (that's what they're called) from the air potato plant lying around. It's a little odd walking along a trail littered with seeds that look like potatoes. The air potato is an invasive vine growing up to 8 inches a day. I picked up a few and threw them in the trash.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Gibson's Boatyard
Down a dusty dirt road and hidden by lush vegetation on the St Johns River near Palatka, FL is Gibson's Boatyard, where we have kept Dolfijn ever since we left our last layover spot in the Thunderbolt area of Savannah, GA. Gilles is still painting, and working on the water and electrical systems after redoing all the interior woodwork which deteriorated rapidly in the Florida heat and humidity. It's coming along slowly.
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