Wearing o' the Green in Stuart

Though Stuart isn't New York City when it comes to a St. Patrick's Day parade, they didn't do such a shabby job.  This is my first St. Patty's Day outside of NY and it was first class all the way!  The streets were closed off to traffic (a huge pain earlier in the day), bands played everywhere - on the River Walk, in restaurants, on the streets and just about anywhere a power cord could be used.  My favorite was the music playing all day on the River Walk - they could be heard for miles!

People dressed in green, outlandish attire spilled out of restaurants, danced in the streets and were determined to enjoy every minute of this glorious day!

We started the day with a private tour of the newly opened Elliott Museum exclusively for the KKY folks.

 The day began with lunch in the beautiful museum restaurant (of course we had to eat first)!  The tour lasted about an hour and was very enjoyable.  The highlight of the tour was Leonardo DaVinci and his brilliance in crafting mechanical as well as artistic masterpieces.

We saw pulleys, wheels, and all sorts of things we take for granted today.  The flying "machines" were awesome!

There was a demonstration of the stacking technology for cars employed by many NYC parking lots.  There were over 50 cars on display.  By pressing the button for the car one wished to see up close, the car was delivered front and center and rotated so all its parts could be viewed.

We headed back to Stuart afterwards - thanks to the parade, we passed this sign several times.

Those who have driven with me are surprised if a trip doesn't include at least 3 wild U-turns.  This trip was no exception!  Once back in town we headed back to the boat and a relaxing afternoon in the (perpetual) sun.  Someone said it's supposed to be rainy Tuesday, but at a predicted high of 81, I don't care what it does!

Tonight we decided to go casual and headed to restaurant about a mile from the boat called The Deck.

What a great place!  We sat at a picnic table on the grass about 2 feet from the water and enjoyed green beer and Reuben sandwiches.  There was a band playing, people tossing frisbees and kids fishing from the dock.  This town is all about fun.  Some of Florida's best sunsets happen here, so we were primed with cameras for the big event.  We were a bit worried because some clouds had scuttled in while we were eating...

But we needn't have worried, Mother Nature didn't disappoint us!

We even got a grand finale!

I'm not sure if it's the people at this dock, marina, town, but everywhere we go, most people are incredibly friendly.  I can hardly get to where I'm going without stopping to chat with someone, pet a dog, comment on the weather or just say a passing hello.  I have to remember that when I get home, this kind of behavior can get me in big trouble!