Days 80 & 81 - Family, Beach and Cards

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $0, daily high temperatures 84*F and 74*FNo news from the Alison and Oscar about the new baby. Stay tuned.Wednesday we awoke to clouds that quickly left giving us a sunny, warm day with soft breezes. The locals have been complaining about how temperatures in the low 70s with clouds and a breeze are too cold. We are enjoying any day we can move about in T shirts and shorts. Andy and I spent the morning on the boat completing daily chores and preparing for a visit from my cousin Dick Pederson and his wife Carole along with an extended cousin, Andrea Battaglia who is a longtime resident on Marco Island. She serves as our tour guide and takes us to places that are only known about and or available to island residents. Dick and Carole reside in Clemson SC. They traveled to Marco Island to meet Andrea for the first time and spend a few days with us before moving on to Key West for a few days. The “family” spent the afternoon on Changing Latitudes catching up on family history. We then traveled to Andrea’s home on a canal at the southern end of Marco Island. Andrea’s friend Bryan joined us for the evening. We cooked steaks on the grill, had a wonderful dinner on the lani then played the card game 7 down – 7 up for the balance of the evening. I was the weiner.Andy, Andrea, Carole & DickThursday was another beautiful day. We spent the afternoon at the Marco Island Resident beach looking for shells and enjoying the soft breezes and temps in the mid-70s. This is one of the largest beaches I have ever seen. They tell us the oceans are rising, Dolphin Tiki Bar and Grill, a well-hidden local spot on one of the bays with great sea food and other options. After the girls did some shopping at the Esplanade we returned to Andrea’s home for pizza and another round of cards which Andy won.Marco Island Resident Beach.