We Could Get Used To This

Day 232  |  Palmetto   

One week back in Palmetto, I dare say we've fallen into a bit of a routine. Yes, I started the morning with my 5k walk. My knees have enjoyed our stay here at Riviera Dunes and I've seen improvement in just a few short days. On one hand, this routine is very good as I could see myself staying here in this beautiful setting with amazing weather for a very long time. Contrary to that point, however, is the fact that for seven months we have been constantly traveling along the Great Loop and are getting anxious to untie the docklines and get moving again. After all, our upcoming time in Florida and the Bahamas is one of the biggest highlights of our trip. With that in mind, we have identified our next stop as St. Petersburg and plans have been made to head there at the end of the week.

The pressure now builds to complete the projects in progress. Three remained unfinished from yesterday. We first completed the change of the sanitation hoses. Barry then headed to the upper deck to finish the horn installation. While up there he decided to knock out the application of waterproofer to our Bimini. The sun was high in the sky, creating a warm day which was perfect for brushing on the liquid. While he was up top, I hung out on Fiberglass Beach. I started a new book and knocked out over 100 pages before we wrapped up boat work and headed out to Emerson Point Preserve, less than six miles away, for some afternoon relaxation. When we got out of the car we were met by this little crab.

This preserve is at the west end of Snead Island, on the north shore of the Manatee River where it meets Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The water was clear and a bit chilly. We walked the Beach Trail, through the black mangroves and live oaks as the short-period waves lapped onshore and created a bit of sea foam.

Rounding the point, we got a close-up look at the intricate root structure of the mangroves and the equally complex trunk of this palm tree. The shell path cut through a meadow of wispy salt hay. A roadside sign conveyed one of my favorite sayings. Trees lining the network of boardwalk paths sported a bit of baggage as their limbs were draped in Spanish moss.

As the sun dropped, we took the boardwalk trail through the mangrove swamp. We climbed to the top of the observation tower and looked over the live oaks, palm trees, and sea grapes and across the river to see the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the skyline of St. Petersburg in the distance.