Fun weekend!

We just returned from a great boating weekend. Jeff, Will, and their dog, Daisy, joined us at Cayo Costa State Park, a barrier island at the bottom of Charlotte Harbor. Ellen took Abby and Caroline to Houston for her 20th high school reunion. Her brother and family live there also, so it would be a fun time for all. That left Jeff and Will with time to play.....

We anchored first, and then they tied onto our boat. There are lovely sandy areas to fish and walk the dogs. Will and Jeff fished every day, but caught mostly catfish and pinfish. First they used their net to catch minnows so they have live bait. After their first time fishing, we showed the bait fish to Kate. She stared at them in the bucket for ages...and then we left her. Well....the next time we looked into the bucket, all the live fish were gone...and Kate's head was wet up to her ears! The few dead ones were still in the bottom, but she must have eaten at least 10 minnows! I doubt if she dropped them in the water.

     Here are a couple dinghy pictures....Don had early morning duty!

                                                  
 Will, who will be 4 in Nov., loves to steer!

There is a pool of water set back in the mangroves. It is like a keyhole, with narrow entrance and then large pool. Sometimes we see manatees in the pool...and what a show they put on for us this time! They were rolling over on the surface, swimming on their backs, just having a great time frolicking in the warm water. One became very curious about us....he kept surfacing and staring right at us. Then he discovered the dinghy's anchor rope. He started chewing on it! I would try to pull it up, and we sort of played tug-of-war for a while. It was really hysterical. Luckily, his flat teeth didn't do any damage to the line, and it sure was entertaining. We went back the next day, but they were not active and no one came to visit us.