Peck Lake, (along the ICW) FL

We left Vero Beach at 8:00 am and anchored in Peck Lake at 1:50 pm, traveling 41 miles.  I highlighted anchored because this is a milestone event for us on this trip.  Today is the first time all the gods (weather, timing, location, current, tides, etc., etc.) came together and we had the perfect conditions to anchor.  Very exciting!

ANCHORED

We had a virtually cloudless day and magnificent warm sunshine.  We opened up the enclosure around the cockpit and allowed the warm breeze to come through.  The dogs wanted to soak in the sunshine, too.  Especially Oscar, who has no fear of walking all around the deck of the boat, even when we aren't out there with him.

We passed by the Atlantic Ocean again a couple of miles before reaching our anchorage.  This is the St. Lucie Inlet.  This inlet was busy with boat traffic...it's a popular inlet with power boaters and fishing boaters.

St. Lucie Inlet, to the Atlantic Ocean

We enjoyed a rest and a snack, then headed over to the beach via dinghy.  Just over the dunes and through a State Park, we came across a beautiful, unspoiled beach right on the Atlantic.  We gave the pups their first experience on a beach, but they weren't very excited about it.  They kept trying to eat shells with critters still inside, rolled in some seaweed, and found a ball which we threw a few times for them.  

 Looking toward the North

 Oscar (Jazz is tucked behind him)

 Greg, taking a picture of the dogs

 Looking to the South

Me, taking pictures of the dogs - by the way, most pictures of the 

dogs are completely unusable (like the dolphin pictures) because they are

just too fast!

I also took a couple of photos of La Dolce Vita as we approached upon our return.....

Vero Beach, FL - Day 2

Wow!  Today started out foggy, but turned into a beautiful day!  We stayed put at the Vero Beach City Marina today so we could do a little laundry and take a walk on the beach.  We did both, as well as do a little shopping in town, and walk the dogs to the dog park nearby...twice!  And then we simply relaxed the rest of the day.  Very nice!

Below are a couple of pictures of the south mooring field here at Vero Beach City Marina.  They are a small marina, but very popular with cruisers (we were told we had to go there).  We had wanted to pick up a mooring ball, but when we called to check availability we were told that there were none available, but we could "raft" to another boat on a mooring.  We passed on that....  Turns out they "raft" up to 3 boats per mooring.  Also, a picture of La Dolce Vita at the dock.

 

 

 Vero Beach

 Finally, we get to walk on the sand!!!

 Lunch at Mulligan's

 Beautiful tree-lined neighborhood between the marina and the beach

Just saw a large Tern (I think....I'm not a birder) across from us.  Actually, Oscar saw it first, and he has not taken his eyes off it!  It had a small fish in its beak.  Sun has set and it is getting dark, so not a great photo, but wanted to add it:

Vero Beach, FL

We left Cocoa this morning at 9:15 am and arrived Vero Beach City Marina at 5:00 pm, traveling 55 miles.  It was a beautiful day...no rain....warm.....and windy.  The ICW follows the Indian River here and it is very wide until just before Vero Beach, where numerous unnamed islands lie along the way.  There are homes, towns, and wildlife preserves.  It is a beautiful stretch of waterway.

There were two interesting things that happened today.  First, we came across something we have only seen at the last Boat Show in Annapolis.  I don't know what it is called...water jets?  I believe it would take some skill to do this, but this woman seemed to be having a good time.  Here's a picture:

Second, I finally got pictures of dolphin!!!  We have seen numerous dolphin every day since way back in North Carolina a month ago, but I was never fast enough to get pictures before they went underwater.  Today, just north of Vero Beach, two dolphin came alongside our boat and swam with us.  I grabbed the camera and went out onto the deck and was surprised to see them so close, within inches of our port side, swimming at the same speed we were going.  Still, they were hard to photograph, but here they are:

Not as exciting as the dolphins, but here are some shots of the beautiful scenery along the way, again just north of Vero Beach:

 This could be a Bald Eagle's nest.....

 Big, beautiful homes just north of Vero Beach, FL

 And, finally, sunset as seen from our tie-up on the dock at Vero Beach City Marina:

Cocoa, FL

We had planned to leave at 8:00 am this morning, but the dark clouds to the south caused us to rethink.  We waited until after the shower had passed and the sky began to clear, then left at 10:15 am.  We arrived at Cocoa Village Marina at 1:30 pm, traveling 23 miles. 

La DolceVita in her slip at Cocoa Village Marina

 After settling in, we went for our normal walk to check out the surroundings.  Cocoa is a sweet little town.  Shops, restaurants, and a nice park with an amphitheater nestled along the banks of the Indian River.

We got a real treat....2nd Cousin Rebecca Higgins True and her husband, Travis, and their two beautiful girls, Leah and Lauren, who live in Orlando, drove over to see us.  We got to meet Lauren for the first time....she wasn't born yet at the last family reunion.  We really enjoyed their visit!

 Rebecca with Greg

Titusville, FL - Day 2

We stayed put today in order to visit the Kennedy Space Center.  When I first stepped out this morning, I could barely see because of the fog and worried that the day would be another cold, foggy, cloudy day.  This is how it looked this morning:

But, the fog lifted by the time we were ready to go.  Then as we stepped off the boat to leave, we saw a large Manatee right under our bow.  Very exciting:

 The pups couldn't see it, and had no idea why everyone was

so excited

 Raising its head to breathe (you can see

Greg peering over the dock in the water's reflection)

We finally stopped looking at the Manatee and headed over to the Kennedy Space Center.  We took the tour and really enjoyed seeing the exhibits.  The Space Program brought about many good changes into our lives, and now with the end of the Shuttle program, the Space Center is in a state of renewal.  The Shuttle Atlantis will be there on display next summer.  So we will have to come back to see it up close.

 The main entrance, and behind it The Rocket Garden

 Greg walking on the actual service arm that Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and

Michael Collins walked across to the command module of Apollo 11 on July 16

(Greg's birthday), 1969.  Their next stop was the Moon!

 Vehicle Assembly Building

 Rocket launch pads

 Shuttle launch facility

 Inside the Apollo and Saturn V Center

Actual Apollo 13 capsule