Back in the saddle again

Kerm here,
Yea, back in FL.  After 10 days in the frozen north I'm glad to be back home on the Belle.  A couple  of hours after arriving on Sunday Chis and I went with her brother and his friends aboard a very nice Shamrock to watch a night Christmas boat parade.  Wow, some people really get into this boat decorating thing.  Hundreds if not thousands of lights, blow up Frosty and Santa... the whole nine yards. 

Chris was busy while I was gone.  She did some refinishing on the cap rails and a did great general clean up inside and outside the boat.  She also spent a bit of time at her brothers house helping him with a tile job and paintwork preparation in his screen porch. 

Yesterday we went shopping for fishing gear at Bass Pro Shop in Ft. Myers.  We purchased one new spinning rig, had new line put on 3 existing reels, a gaff and assorted bates.  We had a patient salesman who spent about a half hour with us explaining the ins and outs of catching mahi.  In the end all I can say is that no matter how many we catch it would probably be cheaper to hit the grocery store when we have a craving for fish.  Not as much fun but none the less...

After much discussion I relented and will be putting in a new inverter.  With it we will be able to make ice full time without the generator running.  Chris says that we need make sure there is enough ice to keep all the mahi we catch from spoiling and keeping the beer cold but I think she likes to hear a tinkle in her glass at about 4:00 every afternoon. The one we bought is a 1000 watt / 2000 watt surge unit with a remote.  More wiring, O' boy.

Today an old friend Ed McGuire from high school will be coming for a visit.  It will be fun talking about the 'old days' and gossiping about what we know about how some of our old classmates are doing.  We might also swig a couple of barley pops along the way.

As long as we are on the social theme,  Bill Collins and Missy are headed our way from Tarpon Springs on their way to the Keys.  Ruby and Jody aboard Misstickle are crossing about now and should be here in a few days. They were our boat buddies from the St. Croix all the way down the river system but stopped to go home for a 3 week visit up north.  Linda, Chris's sister will be here tomorrow.  She is a bit tired of the frozen north and will be spending the winter with us.  Great crew, great sister in law, great stainless steel polisher.  It's great having another hand on the boat, especially one that has boat sense and understands or at least knows when to ignore my off center sense of humor.