Miami Boat Show, First Mooring Ball at Ft. Myers Beach, Seeing many more friends and Surprise Visit from Caitlin and Claire and on to Marco Island

On Tuesday, February 10 we drove to the Miami Boat Show with Looper friends Belita and Herb (boat First Light). They had rented a car for the 3 hour road trip and invited us to go!  We left on Tuesday so we could attend the show for 2 full days, Wednesday and Thursday.  Tim and I stayed at CitizenM using Marriott points and the location was amazing. We were in the heart of downtown near the Freedom Tower, Miami Dade College, a walking pier with large yachts, the Kaseya Center where the Miami Heat play, many tall condos, and the port where all of the cruise ships come in. We walked around and took it all in, including some "mega-yachts" called Lionheart and Soundwave.  CitizenM has a great rooftop pool and bar with stunning views. We enjoyed the view,  along with a "life-size" chess game up there. The area also has many shops and restaurants and we enjoyed breakfast at a French cafe called Sweet Paris. They also have preserved the original Pan Am Globe from the old Pan Am airlines that used to be in the airplane terminal in the 1930s. 

Belita and Herb picked us up for our "day 1" of the Miami Boat Show. We did the convention center portion on that day. We bought some items and talked to RayMarine about some issues we were having. Of course we looked at many boats as well. That evening we all had pizza up on the rooftop bar at CitizenM. Thursday was our "day 2" and  we went to one of the outdoor locations where the boats were in the water. We went to the Miami Beach Collins Avenue location that I heard called "millionaire row". The boats were surrounded by huge mansions on one side, and condos and hotels on the other side. It was fun to see the older buildings on Miami Beach on the way there. We looked at Cruisers Yachts (maybe our next boat?), Princess Yachts, Beneteaus, and even a Palm Beach yacht (definitely out of our price range). On the way back to Fort Myers Beach we had a lot more traffic so we ended the evening with dinner at Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille on the Fort Myers side of the bridge.

On Friday, February 13, back at Pink Shell, they needed us to move to a mooring ball since someone had already reserved our slip. We still had all the amazing amenities of the resort though. We did well attaching to it!  I grabbed the "eye" with a boat hook and was surprised how heavy that part  was to lift, but I managed. We took the dinghy down to Snook Bight Marina and had lunch and got provisions at the Publix next door. We enjoyed some amazing sunsets while on the mooring ball.  Saturday we took the dinghy over to breakfast and pool time at the hotel and later took it to Snug Harbor for dinner with 3 looper couples. Belita and Herb were there as well as  Dwayne and Michelle (past loopers) and Brenda and Colby (6 weeks in on first loop). Belita and Herb are actually on their third loop! Sunday we were able to see Kirk and Carol from back home, who are another couple who winter down here. They were staying in Cape Coral. 

Monday, February 16 we had a surprise visit from our daughter Caitlin, and 7-week-old granddaughter, Claire! She had called the day before and said her husband, Henry, gave her this trip for Valentine's Day! He and their 1 and a half year-old son, Connor, stayed behind. When she called Sunday we figured the best time was now so she and Claire flew in the next day and got an Uber to Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers Beach! By this time we were back in a slip instead of a mooring ball. We enjoyed the reunion and then dinner at Rae's Italian at Pink Shell. Tuesday we cruised for 4 hours to Esplanade Marina in Marco Island. Claire did well and it was a smooth ride! We had lunch at Mango's and then our friends Kathie and Bill met us for dinner at Deep Lagoon. The next day they picked us up and took us to their rental on Isle of Capri where they had a pool and their boat from back home. They stay a few months each winter. They treated us to lunch and also a home-cooked steak dinner they made from good Illinois steak and corn they had brought with them. During the day I stayed at their place with Claire since she is so small, and the rest went to the beach. Kathie and Bill were  so good to us and Bill even drove Caitlin and Claire to the airport Friday morning at "0 dark 30!" (4:30 am)!

On Thursday, February 19 we got to see friends from the Lindsay Park Yacht Club back home who were again down here for a visit. It was an unplanned visit since they did not know we were here but just happened to see our boat in front of Mango's where they were eating! It was great to see Deb and Dan and they even graciously bought us lunch at CJs on the Bay here at Esplanade! Deb also walked to some shops with me, Caitlin and Claire and helped us pick out Marco Island swag. On Thursday and Friday we got to see some old friends who winter down here too. Mary Anne and Darryl, former residents of Bettendorf and our church back home, came over to the boat from their nearby condo. They also took us to the beach  on Friday, bought us lunch,  and gave us a great tour of the many hotels, homes and condos on the southern end of the island! They also gifted us with local honey, jelly, and marmalade! They attend Marco Lutheran down here and we learned it is very close to the Marina, so we are excited to go there on Sunday. Stay tuned for that and more adventures as we await Tim's sister and brother-in-law from Wisconsin to arrive.