On Saturday, January 18th, we decided to stay a second day in Bradenton.  In the morning we went to the downtown farmers market and purchased fresh produce and some artisan bread. We had coffee in our new favorite coffee shop. In the afternoon we took a long walk along the riverfront and back through downtown.
Sunday was a beautiful day for travel. We left Bradenton behind and after going through a small portion of Tampa Bay, reentered the inter-coastal waterway at Anna Maria Sound. We travelled on Sarasota Bay and docked at Marina Jacks in downtown Sarasota. We celebrated my birthday at Barnacle Bill's restaurant. The food was great. Monday was spent in Sarasota. We walked downtown in the morning. Of course we found the Starbucks as well as Whole Foods. Adagio I pulled in. We discovered that we had met Rod and Michele at Perry Sound two years ago at the Great Lakes Cruising Club Rendezvous. Sarasota also has a beautiful river walk. It is dotted with sculptures. At the end of the river walk we came upon the Marie Selby Gardens. We walked the perimeter and saw the beautiful assortment of flora.
Tuesday we left Sarasota and followed the inter-coastal through Roberts Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay and came to the city of Venice. We had two low bridges, but upon hailing the bridge master, they were opened for us.  We entered a canal that took us around the Venice Airport and connected to Lemon Bay. We made reservations to stay a week at Palm Island Marina Resort in Cape Haze. The winds had picked up during the day, but the dock attendants skillfully helped us tie up.  We were having issues with one of the aft shore power outlets so we had to use the outlets on the bow.  After we were secure Tony solved the problem by tripping the breaker.  We went for happy hour at the restaurant followed by a quiet evening.
Our week at Palm Island has been mostly sunny but windy. The nights have been very cool.  During the week we replenished supplies at the Publix, and we found a tiny coffee shop up the road. The owner was a former barge captain and knew all about the rivers we went through to get to Mobile. There was another looper boat, What's Next, at the marina and we shared stories and docktails with Deb and Rick. We also took a boat taxi to Rum Key and enjoyed a relaxing walk along the beach.  We enjoyed a dinner at the Leverocks restaurant one night.  It also was very good.
Today, Sunday, January 26th we were visited by Deb and Jim from Sea Fever and Al and Charlie from Always 5 O'Clock. We traveled with them several times during the first part of our adventure. Deb and Jim came in their RV and Al and Charlie came by car. They stopped on their way to a RV Show in Fort Myers and were stopping in to Legacy Harbor to jam with Tom and Patsy Conrad. Deb made all of us breakfast and we had a great time sharing our experiences and reminiscing about our travels together. Deb and Jim will restart the loop in Chattanooga. They may cross their wake this year or next as they seem to be in no hurry to finish. Al and Charlie finished the loop when they crossed their wake at Santa Maria Island just before Thanksgiving.  It was great to see them.

                                             Birthday Dinner at Barnacle Bill's Restaurant

                                                      Sarasota River Walk Sculpture

                                                           Marina Jacks in Sarasota

                                                              Sarasota Fountain

                                                        Sarasota River Walk Sculpture

                                                                Marie Selby Garden

                                                                Beach at Rum Key

Across from Rum Key Water Taxi Dock

After six weeks at home for the holidays, during which we had a most enjoyable time with family and friends, we returned to the Summer Recess on Wednesday, January 15th. The boat spent R&R time at Snead Island Boat Works, which is near Bradenton  across the Manatee River. After being pampered while we were away, she was floating comfortably in a covered slip. We were sure she was ready to continue our adventure. She has new bottom paint, a waxed hull, some minor engine maintenance, and an oil change. As we were unpacking Tony tested the air conditioning and discovered that water was not flowing, which would quickly result in a burned out water pump. We went to the office to report the problem and right after lunch the technician came out, flushed the hoses and everything worked perfectly. We highly recommend Snead Island Boat Works.  The people are knowledgable and very accommodating. They also have reasonable prices.  While we were busy getting the boat ready, our entertainment was the pelicans diving into the water in search of fish.  It's a wonder they did not crash into the docks. We stocked up on provisions, looked at the charts and at the NOAA weather web site. We discovered a cold front would be coming through on Thursday complete with small craft warnings. The decision to stay or leave would be put off to the morning.
We woke up Thursday morning to 42 degrees and gusty winds. Thinking we would wait until afternoon to leave, we went for a walk. We discovered Emerson Nature Preserve. It had several walking trails and scenic lookouts. It was bordered by Terra Ceia Bay and Tampa Bay. We had a   beautiful three hour walk. Two of the highlights was observing several turtles and wind surfers flying in front of the beach. When we got back to the marina the decision was made to stay until Friday.  
January 17th brought a cool (38 degrees) but sunny and calm morning. We left Snead Island behind at 11:30 for the short hop across the Manatee River to Twin Dolphins Marina right in downtown Bradenton. By 1:00pm, we were walking around downtown Bradenton. We stopped for a light lunch at the B'Towne Coffee House.  The coffee was also very good. Bradenton also has a lovely river walk.
We are glad to be back on the loop and look forward to new and exciting experiences as we continue our adventure.

                                                    Summer Recess at Snead Boat Works

                                                 View of Snead Island Boat Works

                                              Our pelican friends sunning themselves

                                                          Turtle at Emerson Preserve

                                                    Scenic Views at Emerson Preserve

                                                         Parasailing at Emerson Preserve

                                                            Para sailor gliding across the bay

                                                        Downtown Bradenton

Downtown Bradenton