Hi All…Ben here again,
Jeff sure took his good ol’ time putting together that last post to this blog. Izzy had to finish it for him, because he was too busy with planning and fixing things for the rest of the trip. Maybe he was just recuperating from Matt and Aaron’s visit. Anyway I guess I got my job back as OBW (Official Blog Writer) as well as OWD (Official Watch Dog) and I’m back at the computer now trying to catch up.
In April we had some good times with company that came to visit us! At the Loopers Rendezvous in Charleston, SC, we met some nice people that will be traveling in their boats along some of the same route that Jeff and Izzy have picked out for us. A lot of them came over to our boat to visit while we were there, and I got some good head patting and ear scratching.
There were big winds and rough waters when we arrived at Charleston, making the water churn in the narrow channel right before the harbor. Izzy and I hung on while Jeff managed to keep us in the channel until we got to the marina.
The wind stayed with us the entire time we were tied up on the Mega Dock. It's called the Mega Dock because it's SO BIG!! We were docked at the very end of it, and I had a hard time "holding it" the whole way to the doggie walk spot in the mornings when Izzy took me out. Good thing she always had a bag ready when I couldn't quite make it. Embarrassing...
The wind persisted the whole time we were there, making it hard for boats to leave. When we finally got out of there, we caravanned with some of the other Loopers that we met at the rendezvous. “THERESA” and “BLUE ARROW” traveled with us to Georgetown, SC where we spent Easter weekend.
Jeff and Izzy took me with them for brunch at this dock where they are known for the Alligators that hang out there waiting to be fed by the tourists.
Luckily I didn’t see any.
There were some fancy boats there like this one called "Bahama Mama".
The azaleas were in bloom and the dogwoods, so we took a nice long walk and looked at the old historic houses and bought bread and marmalade at Kudzu's bakery.
Izzy put her bike stand up on the fly bridge so she could ride her bike while we’re underway and wear off those extra “lbs” that she’s been collecting with all the good eating here, but I haven’t seen any activity on it yet. Keep your eyes on the water, Izzy and watch out for the crab pots!
Right now it’s just something for me to get tangled up in. I think she should just take me for more walks!
This is us going through a swing bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway.
And there were fishing boats like these with all the birds riding on them waiting for a handout.
In Southport, NC we had our first experience with the dreaded “no-see-ums” while at a dock party celebrating the return of a couple of Loopers back to their home port. Jeff and Izzy came back with lots of little red itchy bites. Luckily my furry coat protected me from those little buggers. After that Jeff bought a new clip-on bug repellent that they can wear. (They ought to just let their hair grow.)
Southport is a fishing town, and there were lots of crab pots around getting ready for the season of crabbing to begin. Here's a picture of Jeff and me in the rain checking them out.
You can see our boat in the background tied up to the free dock that was built by the Army Corp of Engineers a long time ago when they first dredged the ICW. They left the docks to the city with the stipulation that one of them had to remain a "Free Dock" for transient boaters to tie up. It was pretty ricketty...but FREE! We had water and electricity too!
One night we stayed in Myrtle Beach at Coquina Marina where they had a big grassy area for me to walk in , and a book trade for Jeff and Izzy to visit and get new books to read. This is a picture of the lighthouse at the entrance that Izzy took in the early morning when we left.
Jeff wanted to anchor in a little inlet called Hammock Bay near Camp LeJeune one night. Sounded peaceful. He heard it was calm and out of the way. So we pulled in there around four o’clock one afternoon- just at the right time for a good walk before dinner. Problem is that the land around the water is military ground and we weren’t allowed to go to shore! Then some odd looking airplanes started flying around making a lot of noise. Jeff was having a great time watching them…he called them “Osprey”
and they were doing their practice take off and landing patterns in a field right near Hammock Bay. Sometimes there were 3 or 4 of them in the sky all at once coming and going.
Jeff and Izzy got out the wine and cheese, and I got some dog treats, and we sat on the sundeck to watch the “show” for a while. We thought they’d stop when it got dark, but they kept practicing until after midnight, then started up again it 5 AM! They need to rename that bay.
Good thing I can sleep most of the day while Jeff and Izzy drive! Since we were all up early that morning, we got to see this beautiful sunrise.
Too bad I couldn't take a real walk. Guess the "yard" will have to do again today.
Speaking of yards, in Morehead City, NC we tied our boat to the dock in front of The Ruddy Duck Restaurant where Jeff and Izzy had a great dinner. As usual, I was the OWD and stayed on board to keep things safe. There were lots of people to bark at there on the restaurant deck, but Izzy kept trying to keep me quiet. I'm starting to get confused about what she wants from me as the Official Watch Dog, but I think everyone there like me because they were laughing when I went out onto my yard and took care of my business. After that we were able to stay for the night for free. Must have been the entertainment I provided.
Speaking of yards, in Morehead City, NC we tied our boat to the dock in front of The Ruddy Duck Restaurant where Jeff and Izzy had a great dinner. As usual, I was the OWD and stayed on board to keep things safe. There were lots of people to bark at there on the restaurant deck, but Izzy kept trying to keep me quiet. I'm starting to get confused about what she wants from me as the Official Watch Dog, but I think everyone there like me because they were laughing when I went out onto my yard and took care of my business. After that we were able to stay for the night for free. Must have been the entertainment I provided.
The next night we moved down the channel in front of another restaurant called the Sanitary Fish Market. I used the same entertaining tactics with my "yard" there, and we stayed again for free. I'm pretty good at getting us FREE docks! If I keep this up, maybe Jeff will bring me back a nice steak when he goes in for dinner. I LOVE this yard!
There were some more strange boats in this city,
and lots of them had dogs riding in them.
I like our boat better. I think this poor guy would like to have a yard like mine.
I like our boat better. I think this poor guy would like to have a yard like mine.
Some towns have unusual mascots. The town of Oriental, NC has dragons everywhere. This one was floating in a pond near our boat.
I gave it a good barking, so it stayed in the pond and didn’t bother us while we were there. I can’t say as much for the dogs in that town. They don’t even have leashes like I do. They have to go for walks by themselves.
In Norfolk, VA they have mermaids.
Jeff really liked these and wanted to have his picture taken with them all.
Oh yes, Norfolk…that was the place where we had to get pulled off the mud by a tug boat! Now, Jeff will try to tell you I was driving the boat, but it’s just not so. He was busy patting himself on the back for getting cheap fuel when he should have been listening to the tug operator on the VHF radio. He got us stuck real good in the shallow water and mud trying to stay out of the way of that barge. I know it was shallow water because I saw one of those crab pots next to the boat sitting on the bottom - only half covered with water! I was thinking we’d have to stay there until high tide that night, so I quietly made my way up onto the flybridge and stayed out of the way, pretending that I didn't see anything so I wouldn’t get the blame.
Bye-bye nice tug boat operator!
As expected, Jeff somehow Jeff managed to get a picture of me with the rope that the tug boat broke while getting us out of that mess, but believe me...I didn't have anything to do with it!
We had a loaner car to use in Yorktown, VA at the marina, so I got to go on a car ride to Lowes and the pet store. Jeff bought me some new treats to make up for blaming me for the tug boat thing.
This is Williamsburg, VA where Izzy and Jeff went to see how people lived a long time ago.
That night Izzy’s cousin, Anne, and her husband Jeff came to visit us for dinner on the boat.
Tomorrow Peggy and Larry arrive. I’m sure there will be some stories about that later.
Love,
Ben
Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment