The Martineau's Come to Visit...Day 7, Last Day

We walked around Ollie's Pond since it will be the last cool day for awhile.  Ran into Wendy and Dan about half way around.  We had coffee on the harbor, got lunch at Arby's and ate in the truck, then did a little shopping at WM.  Sat outside and read for awhile and played with Tessa.  Bill took her for a walk, we fed her early and left her in her crate while we met Wendy and Dan at The Celtic Ray for dinner.

We met them at 6:00 and sat in one of the new gliders in front.  Our drinks looked nice in the late afternoon sun. 

Wendy and Dan had fish tacos, Bill had chicken fingers and I had the fish and chips.  After a great meal, we walked to the Harbor Scoops ice cream shop and Wendy treated us all to ice cream.  Yum!

It was a nice warm evening and we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset, one of the few we've seen this winter.

We met them back at their rental to pick up a few things, said our goodbyes and were home by 8:30.  

So nice to have them here, always sad to see them leave.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

Not Nice Pool Weather...Again!

Wendy and Dan rented a house with a pool, specifically to hang out around the pool.  The weather has been 15* - 20* cooler than normal, not pool weather.

Bill and I walked the Linear Path loop, had coffee on the harbor at Bayshore Park and ate lunch at home.

After waiting in line for nearly 20 minutes, we picked up beverages at Starbucks and headed to sit around the pool with Wendy and Dan.  We set up the scope to watch the nesting herons in a nearby tree.

The Celtic Ray was our chosen spot for dinner.  We sat on the upper deck, which was really nice and the clouds finally started to clear.

Thanks for stopping by...

;o)

The Martineau's Come to Visit...Day 5

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is a pretty special day here in sunny FL!   We think it should be a special day everywhere but not everyone is Irish.  Which is fine, we don't hold it against anyone.  

Bill took Titan for a walk while the rest of us got ready for our day.  We left about noon and headed to The Celtic Ray for their celebration.  We got in the food line at 12:22 and had our food at 12:49.  Pretty good service considering the place is mobbed!  Wendy and I shared a table with some very nice people that we didn't know, while the "boys" stood behind us.

It was in the low 80's and hot in the sun.  We found some shade across the street and settled in to enjoy beverages and music.

Dan has the best green shirt...not just for St. Patrick's Day but for any day.  And, it gets him a free second drink at The Celtic Ray on Mondays!

 We stayed until 3:00, then headed to the Brewhouse at Fisherman's Village.  Bill dropped us off, then went to find a parking place.  We put our names on the waiting list - one hour, which was perfect! - got beverages at the coffee shop and went to the new beach area to wait.  Got a table at 4:00, right next to the water.  Perfect ;o)  

We had nachos and drinks, then ordered dinner.  We ate while the Charlotte County Pipes and Drums played.  Great timing!

We were home by 7:00.  I did a load of wash, took a shower and made a batch of elderberry syrup.

We can never take just one photo on St. Patty's Day ;o)  I just wish I could find another shirt!

Good job Titan!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Thunderstorms Predicted

Wendy and Dan enjoyed a relaxing morning, not leaving the house till after noon.  Bill and I took Titan for a walk, brought him home and left to run errands.  We went to Mercer's for coffee, Beef Country for filets and twice stuffed potatoes, Lowes and Publix.  We got home around 2:00 and ate lunch.

Wendy and Dan went to Hurricane Charley's, where Dan loves the sushi, then they "broke" into the pool.

"Just another shitty day in Florida!"

They got back to the house around 4:00.  We had iced coffees - thanks Dan - and sat around waiting for the predicted thunderstorms to pass.  We gave Titan his medication and he pretty quickly fell asleep.  It's so much easier on him with his new medication, otherwise he is a freakin' wreck during storms.  He was sleeping peacefully and the storms, which weren't severe (thankfully) had passed, so at 6:30 we headed to The Celtic Ray for dinner.  Found a nice corner table upstairs, enjoyed a great meal and got home about 8:00.

I fed Titan and Bill played with him, even actually getting two of his nails cut, which he doesn't tolerate very well.  We played Racko till after 10:00.  I was ahead when we decided to call it a night and continue tomorrow.

Bill and I are heading home in one month.  Where has the winter gone?

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

The "Kids" Come to Visit

Friday...March 16:

Wendy and Dan arrived late in the afternoon ;o)  Bill went shopping for hamburgers for dinner and we sat on the deck visiting while he grilled.  It was a quiet evening at home.

Saturday...March 17:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We went to Mercer's Coffee House for breakfast, only to learn there was no cook, so we settled for bagels and coffee.  Very disappointing!  From there to the farmer's market, which surprisingly wasn't very crowded.  Dan did manage to get strawberry juice on his only green shirt.

We brought our purchases home and I spent a few minutes washing Dan's shirt so he could wear it later.  We took Titan for a walk along the Linear Path.

We headed to The Celtic Ray, Dan in a nice, clean green shirt ;o)  Dan found a place upstairs where we could stand to eat and the boys headed outside to order our meals...three corned beef and cabbage and one fish and chips (Bill doesn't like corned beef).  Wendy and I held down the fort while we waited.

Me and my girl celebrating Irish!

Bill and Dan were back quite quickly with a ton of food!

I wasn't able to finish my corned beef there was so much!

When we finished eating, we went outside to listen to the entertainment.  

Wendy was talking to the kitchen manager who told us they had started at 4:30ish AM and so far, (it was about 4:00 PM) they had gone through about 700 pounds of corned beef.  It's the only day they serve corned beef and cabbage.

We left around 4:00 and proceeded to Fisherman's Village.  The parking is horrendous this year but we found a place along the road and walked back.  Dan is such a goofball!

We went to Scotty's Brewhouse and found seats along the planter boxes.  We didn't plan to eat, so we didn't ask for a table.  Everywhere is crowded on St. Patrick's Day!

We had beverages and were entertained with some "traditional Irish music" while we awaited the arrived of the Lee County Pipes and Drums.  It was a beautiful afternoon, lots of blue skies and sun; however, we were able to sit in the shade most of the time.

The "pipers" arrived at 5:30 and played for 15-20 minutes.  Bagpipes always give me goosebumps.

People cleared out quickly once they finished.  We listened to the other entertainment a while longer, finished our drinks and did a little shopping on the way out.  We picked up Dominoes pizza for dinner and arrived home around 8:00.  It was a busy day.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day

We missed Wendy and Dan this year for our annual St. Patrick's Day photo shoot, but we will get that taken care of next week.  

We stopped by The Celtic Ray for a beverage and some free entertainment.  The day turned out sunny and warm, so the place was super crowded.  Oh well, still the best place to be on the only Irish holiday!

Bill even wore his green Celtic Ray shirt...thank you Greg!

I look at blogs all the time and see pictures posted of several dogs, all decked out in holiday attire, sitting patiently for their photo.  Taking pictures with Titan is frustrating, to say the least.  He totally wears me out...completely uncooperative.

This is the best we could do...

We hope you enjoyed your day and got your fill of corned beef, cabbage and green beer!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Food Truck Battle

Although we considered going to the beach today, we opted for the Food Truck Battle in Punta Gorda.  

I must admit, it would be nicer if it was held in a park with grass, rather than a parking lot but that didn't stop us from indulging ourselves.

There were many different kinds of food to choose from...gyros, raw bar, hot dogs, bar-b-que and pizza, just to name a few, but we went because our favorite, The Celtic Ray, was there.  We got a nice little piece of fish and french fries for $5 and a scotch egg for $5.

Bill had a large lemonade and I had a Bud Light (the beer that really isn't beer).  

While I was getting the drinks, Bill was joined by a couple from PA and Arcadia, FL.  We are not very social people, so we never meet anyone, but we enjoyed a nice conversation with this couple.

We left there and walked to Cubby's for ice cream.  If you're gonna ignore your meal plan, you might as well go all the way.

We stopped at Beall's on the way home to shop...Bill got a shirt and swim trunks, I got - nothing.  That's twice now...

We played with Titan in the yard, then sat on the deck with our books and iced coffee while he cleaned out a Kong treat.

Had a good visit with Wendy, she is feeling much better tonight, after her surgery on Thursday.

We will settle in after dinner to watch the playoff game between the Patriots and the Texans.  Go Pats!

Thanks for stopping by...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Had lunch at Nan's Thai Noodle, which Wendy and Dan had recommended.  It was quite good.  After some shopping, we went to the celebration at the Celtic Ray.  We stood for an hour and enjoyed the entertainment...Stevens Green & Paul Duffy.

 We left there and walked around the Gallery Walk checking out the new book store (quite nice), the antique cars and the alcoholic beverage offered at Landmark Realty.

Owned by Elton John at one time

We sat in the park while I finished my drink, than back to the Celtic Ray, where we scored seats!  Left there around 7:00.  It was a nice St. Patrick's Day.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

We dropped Wendy and Dan off at Gilchrist Park so they could walk the Harborwalk while we walked Titan to the hospital.  We met them there, then split up again and they returned via the Harborwalk.  It appears that someone is not happy about the parking restrictions.

We ate lunch at home, rested for about 45 minutes, then headed to Linear park for a workout, although the temp was in the mid 80's.  Dan's back was bothering him but he helped us out with some of the exercises and fulfilled the position of our photographer.

Ruined a perfectly good jump rope

Dan took a group photo so we could send it to The Brickhouse just to prove we were working out, heat be damned!

Bill and I were interviewed by WINK news regarding the crosswalks in Punta Gorda.  We learned that pedestrians do NOT have the right-of-way unless they are actually IN the crosswalk.  Who knew?

Wendy and Dan went to Hurricane Charleys, Bill and I came home and sat on the deck with iced coffees until it got too hot.  

We all watched the 5:00 news where Bill and I enjoyed our 15 minutes seconds of fame.

We had dinner at the Celtic Ray, which took forever but we did get home in time to watch the Amazing Race.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)