On Our Way to Get Some Milk

Gulfport Farmer's Market

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

We were out of milk, so we headed into town. But what did we find? Tuesday is Farmer's Market/Craft Fair day. The road was filled with various vendors selling anything from vegetables to hand-crafted earrings. We also saw a vendor selling visors for dogs. This area is unbelievably dog-friendly! After dinghying our goods back to the boat, we turned right around and went back to O'Maddy's for their cheap pizza and drinks. It was one of those magical afternoons...perfect weather, good view and awesome company.

Awwwww, so cute!

On our way back to the boat, we noticed a Com-Pac 23 (the same model as the original Wrinkles) parked at the dock. The guy was playing his trombone in the cockpit. You don't see that every day. The adventurous and brave couple had crossed the Gulf of Mexico in their trailerable sailboat.

Good thing storms were predicted for this afternoon, otherwise we would have been on the road already and missed this gorgeous day. With so many options, it is hard to decide where to go next. After perusing charts, websites and cruising guides, we decided to head for DeSoto Point on the Manatee river tomorrow.

Desoto Point Anchorage

Even a hike to buy milk can be a lot of fun!

 

 

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"Keep Gulfport Weird"

Friday, April 22, 2016

Keep Gulfport Weird is the logo for this town. We decided to see what it was all about. We loaded our bikes into the dinghy (a first for us) and headed into town. The first road we took led us right to a park that was a nature conservancy. As soon as we entered we saw Ibis and Roseated Spoonbills walking through the shallows looking for food.

 

On the other side of the path was a turtle fuzzy with green algae. New to us were the common Gallinue. They have a smushed red beak and black body. Mom, dad and chicks were fun to watch.

Common Gallinue

 

The park road lead to the main drag where the usual businesses were found. However, the area between the Main Street and the beach was so much fun!

 

There were brick paved streets and several live oaks with hanging moss. The area is hard to describe. No two houses were alike. Some were cottages, some artsy, some 50's modern and others with a Greek influence. Nothing appeared to be less than 25-50 years old and there was a variety of socio-economic levels in close proximity to each other. One common thread was the proliferation of vegetation. Huge live oaks with Spanish moss hanging down, palm trees, bushes and vines. You name it....green is the common denominator here. Some yards were more polished than others, but they all had yards filled with foliage. Farther along our trek the sidewalk turned into another park with several sculptures along the path. Some were mosaic, others metal or glass. This park is where they have a bi-monthly art fair.

Iron Giant Proposing to Brenda

We loved this "weird" little town full of life and art. At the end of the day took our bikes and dinghy back to our anchorage. Once there we took a solar shower and fixed pork roast and potatoes in the pressure cooker. We watched a trail of storms move just to the northwest of us. We are getting used to being anchored again after too many nights in a marina.

 

 

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Gulfport

Our first night in Gulfport was a little rocky. It takes a bit to get used to being at anchor again, but 25 knot switching winds don't help. Mike ended up sitting in the cockpit for most of the night keeping an eye on our anchor and holding. No problem for our Rocna anchor. Not so good for two of our neighbors. We think the west winds took them by surprise and the dinghies rallied to pull them back out and re-anchor.

Our first trek to land the next morning brought us right up to a dinghy dock by the Casino. Sorry Kim, not a gambling casino, but a large dance hall gathering place straight out of the 40's. It is adjacent to a large pier for day sailors,,,similar to the Memorial Union docks in Madison, Wisconsin. Gulfport makes it easy for boaters!

Right across the street from the beach are several open air restaurant/bars, each with its own personality. O'Maddy's was quite popular and had a great happy hour menu. We had a pizza, beer and rum punch for $18 plus tip. Next door is Salty's which has a large open courtyard with two giant Jenga games set up, a Ping pong table, a pool table and bean bag toss surrounded by plenty of comfortable seating. Brenda still can't beat Mike at ping pong! Further down was Neptune's where Hector amazed us with his guitar-playing abilities and then completely surprised us with his voice. Awesome! We have been missing live music.

Mike doing "research" for his wood carving

 

The street running perpendicular to the beach is lined with quaint sidewalk cafés, restaurants and boutiques. Absolutely no chain stores! We had a wonderful afternoon just taking in the sights and enjoying the beautiful weather and being on our own again (although we miss our Clearwater crew immensely). We'll probably be here a few days!

 

 

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