Fun, Fun, Fun

My eyes popped open and saw a clear blue, sunny sky in the overhead hatches.  Time to play!  The captain was a bit off his game today, so I found a friend to romp with.  There's always a Krogen person looking for fun and adventure.  Debbie's husband was traveling, so we quickly made plans for the day. First I had to meet Athena, her Yorkie Poo.   Needless to say we created a commotion on the dock.  Dogs dragged their owners over to see what the fuss was all about - there we were in the center of the furry fracas, loving every minute of it.  After schmoozing with the marina manager (always a good thing to do), we headed to my rental car (a white Chevy Impala with Tennessee plates).  Those plates gave me every reason to act like a tourist and make wild U-turns when headed in the wrong direction.

We were soon on our way, heading to our lunch destination in Jensen Beach.

 Jensen Beach means ocean and bay front restaurants serving the freshest fish that can be found - and pretty great cocktails too.  I don't know why but a frozen margarita tastes like nectar of the gods when near the water.  We had lunch at one of the bay front restaurants that is favored by the locals, called Conchy Joe's.

Lunch consisted of my beloved Mrs. Peter's smoked fish (the legend of West Palm Beach airport during my last trip in January) and the house's specialty - conch chowder (with a touch of sherry).  Debbie had buffalo shrimp which I never had  wow those shrimp were fantastic!

We ate outside and enjoyed a beautiful view and a great lunch.  After eating without a need to be anywhere immediately, we decided to take a ride to Stuart's most famous fresh produce market.

The parking lot resembles a Long Island suburban parking lot where it's "me first".  The shoppers are so crazed to get their hands on the beautiful produce, that they have no idea where they're walking or parking their cars.  I almost fainted while backing out of my space.  An older woman was right at my right tail light, a minivan was heading for my parking space and the car next to me was backing out in the opposite direction.  Good thing the strawberries I bought looked so luscious and fresh, otherwise, it wouldn't have been worth the scares.

After that adventure, we were off to Stuart's version of Whole Foods, called Fresh Market.  What a place!  I had to get something to take to our friend's house for dinner and found a perfect fresh fruit tray.  After that we decided to head back.  We were anxious to bring the marina manager his treat - 4 huge cupcakes decorated for St. Patrick's Day.  That was a good move - he was absolutely thrilled.

I did manage to spend several quiet hours - texting, reading one of my boating magazines, getting in a few Words with Friends games and sipping a lovely cool drink.

Around 6 pm we headed up the dock for our dinner with friends.  The trip was no more than 20 minutes, the last 5 spent riding on a road that ran parallel to the ocean and bay, lined with palm trees.  Our friends just purchased an oceanfront condo that took our breath away.  They have an end unit with a balcony that wraps around the entire apartment.  Directly below them is the ocean in all its glory.  Another view from their 15th floor unit is over 2 pools, tennis courts and another view is of the bay.  Talking about living in paradise!

These are a couple of views right out of the sliding doors.

more beautiful views - could you just swoon?

As if the above views weren't enough, the late evening scenery was even more beautiful.  The lights in the distance look like a jewel necklace.

Lucky for us, the views were matched by a fabulous dinner of linguini with fresh clam sauce and a heavenly salad.

Like most things in life, you must be in the right place at the right time with the right people in the right frame of mind.   All this came together tonight.

Tomorrow will be another day of adventure as we head for the St. Patrick's Day festivities in downtown Stuart and along the River Walk.

It's a tough life, so I volunteered to live it.