We'll need to haul her back out, remove the shaft log, and probably install a new one." With nothing more that could be done that day, we went back to C-Quarters to spend New Year's Eve with the friends we'd made there and in Panama City: Robby and Brenda with their Papillon Radar on Crazzy Nufff, Byron and Cynthia with their Wire-haired Griffin Toots on Bright Angel, plus Barb and Ross on Attitude Changer, Bob and his dog Duncan on El Nido, and Chuck and Susan on Beach House. It was a quiet celebration - potluck dinner and champagne - but we couldn't stay awake long enough to ring out the old and ring in the new.
One of our pot-lucks at C-Quarters in Carrabelle. Everybody brings a dish to share and their own plates and utensils. Somehow, we always ended up with a relatively balanced meal and more than enough for all.
Life is good at Dockside - plenty of sticks, and palm fronds if a good stick isn't handy. Midas could run free while the boat was on blocks, and made friends with Francesca and Belle.
Carmel, the middle of three great kids who live on a 28-foot sailboat with their parents. We first met them at Turner Marine in Mobile, and the day we pulled in to the Fort Walton Beach City Dock, they spotted the boat and ran along the shore, calling "Midas, Midas, Midas."
Whenever these kids are near the water, they're wearing life jackets.
Before a new shaft log could go in, the old one had to come out, and Mike began the laborious and messy job of chiseling out the cement that surrounded it. He spent most of the day one Sunday drilling and chiseling, and even when we hung a sheet across the doorway, the cement powder spread throughout the cabin.
Midas with his chin on Mike's leg and his new Panama City pal Boudrea, a Hurricane Katrina survivor rescued by his current owner.
The old shaft log, propped against the table in our temporary Dockside headquarters. A cell phone picture doesn't clearly show the tiny holes that allowed water to seep out of the log and into the hold of the boat.
While we were waiting for the new shaft log to be fabricated and installed, Byron, Cynthia and Toots arrived. An unusually low tide had left the stern of their boat on the rocks at C-Quarters, damaging both props and creating a leak. Bright Angel does not have a swim platform like Midas Touch. The only way to get aboard was by climbing a ladder, so Byron, Cynthia and Toots spent a couple of weeks at a motel about a mile from Dockside. The four of us could fit into the Ford Ranger with its two small jump seats for the short trip from Dockside to 2AL's for breakfast or from Dockside back to the motel.
2 AL's had great breakfasts and even better memorabilia. Remember Tinker Toys and Pick-up-Stix?
The folks at Dockside did everything they could to make our two week stay on blocks as pleasant as possible, even picking up the replacement TV we had to buy from BestBuy in Tallahassee and later picking up two big bags of dog food for Midas from Petsmart.
Other than a brief delay to tighten the alternator belt, our Monday night-Tuesday morning crossing from Carrabelle to Dunedin was smooth, uneventful, and 20 hours long. After a few days of rest, provisioning at a nearby Publix (thanks to the dockmaster's generous loan of his truck), a pump-out, and laundry at Marker 1 Marina, we turned south again on Friday morning to St. Petersburg, where Looper friends from Delaware City to the Hudson River are spending the winter. They had emailed us before Christmas and asked us to let them know when we reached St. Pete, and we had a delicious dinner with them at 400 Bayfront. (Lon and Pat had turned north when they reached Grafton, IL to explore the upper Mississippi River. C.A.R.I.B.E. is winterized at a boatyard in Minnesota.)
Midas and two of the other Golden Retrievers he met at the Farmers Market in St. Petersburg, where we bought his Anxiety Bandana.
Plaza outside the theater in St. Petersburg where we saw Unbroken on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
We were in luck at St. Petersburg; the mooring ball reserved for us and a second one had been damaged when a much larger boat pulled up two mooring balls; we were able to stay at the dock at the same price, and spent three days enjoying the vital downtown area. On Saturdays, there's an open air Farmers' Market a few blocks from the marina, and fellow Loopers Shirley and Larry on We Wine a Lot, whom we had met in Columbus and Demopolis on our way down the Tenn-Tom and who had helped us dock on Friday, returned with rave reviews of home-made guacamole and other goodies. Dolphin Project friends met us to enjoy the market, where we also invested in an anxiety bandana for Midas. The bandana has a small triangular pouch in the neck seam and came with a supply of dried lavender and other herbs. It smells great, and it works! From the time that we both read Unbroken, recommended by Mike's nephew Roger, we've been eagerly anticipating the movie, which was still playing in St. Petersburg, and it was worth the wait.
Midas also supervises computer work from one of his favorite spots when we're docked or anchored.
One of many beautiful sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico
Next stop - two days in Sarasota on a mooring ball at Marina Jack's, a very large and very nice marina on the edge of downtown. Shirley and Larry followed us from St. Pete but stayed at the dock, and joined us for a visit to The Ringling, which is much more than a circus museum. John and Mable Ringling were world travelers and avid art collectors, and the 66-acre estate includes a world class art museum, the Ringling's winter home Ca' d'Zan (House of John), a fascinating Circus Museum, and the Bayfront Gardens. The complex also has an education center and the Hiatoric Asolo Theater, a performing arts center. The house is modeled after a Venetian villa, and Mable's 27,000 square foot Rose Garden contains more than 1,200 roses. Unfortunately, only a few were in bloom in late January. We toured the home and the circus museum, which includes the Wisconsin, John and Mable Ringling's private railroad car, and the Howard Brothers' Circus Model, the world's largest miniature circus, an amazing display which gave us a view of the day the circus came to town. Imagine moving 1,300 people plus all the animals by train every day, setting up multiple tents, feeding 1,300 people three meals a day, packing and unpacking props, costumes, scenery, 7,200 chairs...an incredible logistical feat, with no computers to help keep up with the thousands of details. 
A few of our neighbors in the mooring field, with another view of downtown Sarasota behind them.
Below, the Admiral (Marian) and the Captain (Mike) on the bow of Midas Touch on a chilly Wednesday morning. We were ready to board the dinghy and go ashore for breakfast at First Watch, a Florida chain with another location in Fort Myers. Yummy food and juices.
Two of Mable Ringling's roses, blooming in late January. 
John and Mable Ringling accompanied the circus as it toured from the comfort of their private railroad car, which included a full-size bathtub and separate sleeping compartments for both.
More circus memorabilia...the bicycle riding clown moves back and forth along a tightrope, suspended in front of the second story window to the lobby entrance. 
Late Thursday morning, after an excellent breakfast/lunch just a short walk from Marina Jack's, we disconnected ourselves from the mooring ball, using the dinghy to retrieve the second line that had slipped from Mike's hands as he tried to pull it out of the loop, and turned south to an anchorage at Englewood Beach. The sky was clear and the water was almost flat as we cruised down the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, passing hundreds of huge homes and dozens of condos on the way. Unlike our largely unspoiled and beautiful Georgia coast with its pristine barrier islands, the western coast of Florida is, in our opinion, over-developed. The secluded anchorages we enjoyed in Georgian Bay, the North Channel, and along the Tenn-Tom don't exist. We found space in Englewood Beach, surrounded on three sides by more condos, two restaurants with loud music, and no easy place to get Midas ashore. We found a small ramp at Flounder's, where Midas and Marian were able to get out safely while Mike tied up. We decided that Flounder's was too loud and didn't have a good place for Midas, so we checked next door, where the folks at the White Elephant welcomed him warmly; we found a table on their deck right next to the dock, and Mike went back to bring the dinghy over. After we split two appetizers - ribs and nachos - we dinghied back to the boat for the night. The next morning, we went to the same boat ramp; the tide was lower, and when she put her foot on what looked like wet sand, she discovered it was wet, very slippery dirt. Muddy jeans, muddy shoes (old ones, fortunately), muddy cuffs on jacket and shirt, but nothing injured except her dignity. While Midas took care of business, Mike tied up the dinghy and joined us. The Englewood Beach parking lot is across the street from the restaurants, and it has a restroom where Marian could rinse off the worst of the mud.
Midas and Marian had a good time exploring Cayo Costa State Park, a barrier island that has not been developed.
Midas could run on this beach, chase his tennis ball Mike had tossed into the water with Chuck-it, and finally had a chance to swim. With muddy clothes that needed washing, we needed to head to a marina for Friday night, and found Gasparilla Marina in nearby Placida. It has an excellent laundry, great showers, and a very good restaurant, where Shirley and Larry from We Wine a Lot, who had arrived a few hours after we did, joined us for dinner. As usual, Midas made friends with the dockmaster and conned him out of much more than his share of puppy cookies. Midas adapts quickly to any place we go; it doesn't take him long to locate places to "get busy." Saturday morning, as usual, Marian took him ashore soon after she got up and fed Midas. Leash in her hand, they set off down the 200 yard dock toward the parking area and grass. Midas trotted ahead and was soon out of sight, turning off the dock toward land. Marian stopped by the TV room briefly to leave a couple of books she had finished, then started calling Midas frantically. He was not in sight, not in the area where we had taken him the night before, not anywhere in the large "barn" where boats are stacked four rows high, not anywhere along the road. The dock hand who had helped us tie up Friday got one of the golf carts to help look - no luck. Marian went back to the boat to tell Mike our dog was gone, Mike asked, "What's he look like?" and pulled Midas to the door. He had returned to the boat on his own, and stood patiently at the upper helm window, looking in until Mike spotted him. Whew!
We topped off the water tank, moved over to the fuel dock to take advantage of good diesel prices, and set off. When we anchor out frequently, we tow the dinghy instead of securing it to the davits. As we started out through the narrow, shallow channel leading from the marina to the ICW, Mike shifted to neutral and went the swim platform to lengthen the line. Before we knew it, the wind had blown us out of the channel, and we were aground. Luck was with us as the tide was incoming. With Mike's skillful dinghy driving to push Midas Touch back into the channel and Marian at the helm to steer and "bump it," we were able to get off the shoal and back into the channel in record time. From Placida, it was on to our next anchorage, at Cayo Costa State Park. It was another beautiful day, warm but not hot, and we tied up at the dinghy dock and rode the tram to the other side of the island. Midas is not allowed on the beach, so we hiked along the road, then returned to the dock. One of the volunteer rangers told us Midas was allowed on the small beach near where we were anchored, and off we went, after picking up Chuck-It and a tennis ball from the boat. Midas finally had a chance to swim, retrieving tennis balls. Swimming in salt water means a bath, and that happened on the swim platform. We now have a clean, happy dog.
We'd heard good things about Fort Myers Beach from our sailboat friends on Raptor, and Sunday morning, we were off anchor at 9:30 and cruising south past Captiva and Sanibel Islands and out into the Gulf for a 6.3 nautical mile run to the south end of Estero Island. Another tricky, narrow channel to Fish Tale Marina, tucked in between more condos. With help from two enthusiastic dock hands, we were soon secured in an alongside tie-up in what looked like too small a space for the boat, lines were dressed, shore power connected, and we headed to the ship's store to check in. Midas made more friends and gobbled down more dog biscuits, earned when he goes through his repertoire of salute, sit up, bow, and high five commands. After feeding Midas, we set off for the nearby CVS to refill a prescription; we later returned to a very good Mexican restaurant in the strip center near the marina, then back to the boat for showers and Downtown Abbey.
Condos and narrow canals across from the dock at Fish Tale Marina. The camera makes it look wider than it actually was.Below, our stern/aft deck and the boat behind us, showing how narrow the canal is. With a "single screw and no bow thrusters," our refrain whenever we approach or leave a dock, Mike's skill at maneuvering Midas Touch was really needed. With coaching from several folks along the docks and on neighboring boats, several forward-reverse shifts and lots of wheeling, we turned 180 degrees and headed out of the canal.
Mike's brother Phil and his best friend Larry have been following our adventure and checking out things to do near our destinations. Based on their recommendation, we decided to backtrack to Fort Myers and visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, which we did on Wednesday. Unlike the luxury of the Ringling mansion, the winter homes for the Edison and Ford families are relatively simple, obviously built for casual living and relaxation. The complex includes a museum highlighting many of Edison's inventions and Ford's early years in the auto industry, exhibits depicting the family's leisure activities - fishing and swimming in the first swimming pool in Fort Myers, musical evenings, and dancing. The two families were good friends, and Henry Ford thought of Edison as a valued mentor. Ford was an excellent dancer, and he and his wife helped revive some of the popular dances of earlier times, such as the quadrille. There's a beautiful botanical garden, and specimen plants throughout the grounds: mangrove and banyan trees, exotic orchids and other Bromeliads, and a huge bougainvillea, to name only a few. One of the reasons Edison purchased the property was for its stand of mature bamboo, which could be carbonized and used as a filament in early incandescent light bulbs. Edison experimented with a wide variety of plants, grown on his property, in his attempts to find a material that would burn for a long time. We were tempted to buy a potted sweet almond shrub, but where would we keep it on the boat?
Our Curator/Historian guide at the Edison-Ford Winter Estates. She was a walking encyclopedia of the lives and times of the families and all of the plants in the botanical gardens. The Edisons named their home Seminole, and the Fords' home was called the Mangoes. Henry Ford was so saddened by the death of his friend and mentor that he could not bring himself to return to the winter home after Edison passed away.
There were several bougainvilleas on the estate, but this one probably holds a size record. It's probably multiple plants growing together because of the wide variety of colors, from the deep magentas in the photo to deep oranges and pale yellows to violet.
Fountain on the Edison side of the estate.
One of the stands of bamboo in the Edison gardens, surrounded by other plants, some native to the area and some from other countries. Edison used carbonized bamboo as the filament in his early light bulbs.
The Edison family pool, one of the first private pools in Florida. On the left, banana trees, which still bear fruit, were planted to provide a privacy screen. On the right, you can see the supports of the outdoor room where the family gathered. The building had showers and changing rooms. At the far end, there's a diving board platform, with the high dive about 12' above the water. Our guide told us the high dive was rarely used.
The home had large, open rooms with floor to ceiling windows on both sides to allow plenty of air circulation. To the right and below, two views of the library and sitting room area. This is the space where Henry Ford and friends rolled up the rugs, moved out the furniture, and danced the nights away.
Edison's lab at the winter home was fully equipped, and he and his employees worked diligently on many projects. The original lab was moved to Menlo Park, New Jersey, and the lab shown on the right, located across McGregor Boulevard (U.S. Highway 41) from the homes, is a replica containing authentic equipment that would have been used in Edison's time. 
The statues of Thomas and Mina Edison are 1.5 times actual size; they weren't really that big. Thomas's statue is in front of a HUGE banyan tree, which has multiple roots. This is the tree that Edison planted when he originally purchased the property. Don't step on the roots.
The botanical gardens are amazing, especially the many varieties of orchids. Some of the photos below are orchids growing in clay pots, and they're for sale. Others are ephiphites, "plants that grows non-parasitically upon another plant, and derives their moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating around it instead of the structure it is fastened to."
(Thank you, Wikipedia, for the definition.) The photos are large to do justice to the beauty of these spectacular flowers. But don't ask for the botanical names; we didn't write any of them down.
We like Fort Meyers so much that we decided to stay a week at the city-run Yacht Basin. Our slip is conveniently close to the laundry and showers, and we're within easy walking distance of the recently revitalized downtown area. We've checked out this weekend's art festival, made a provisioning walk, with our handy red wagon, to Publix, and connected with other Loopers here at the Yacht Basin. Tomorrow is Sunday, and we're looking at a favorable weather window for Monday, so we'll top off the water tank, vacuum and clean the cabin, maybe even defrost the freezer, install green (starboard) and red (port) transparency film on the insides of the running lights, re-stuff the bag that holds the rope for the block & tackle we use to haul in the dinghy, and generally prepare for an early departure for Naples and points south on our way to Marathon Key.
