2020 Aug: Sweltering Summer in Palm Coast, FL.

Time Flies.

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since our last post!

One of our current family “adjustments” was helping our son move from North Carolina to Jacksonville, FL. Now you know the MAIN reason we decided not to cruise the summer. 😊 Not having seen him since Christmas, there’s no way I would drop the lines and head north.

It’s been great having him within an hour’s drive. He has been enjoying a center console boat he purchased and readied (with Dad’s help). He treated us to a day exploring Palm Coast waters. His boat goes a little faster than our little dinghy. 😊

Ray captured a video of a short fishing trip with his new drone:

We have wheels again! Big THANK YOU to our son & his roommate!

Our son offered to drive our car to us during his house-hunting trip.We tried to reject his offer, as it meant both Carson and his roommate would need to drive separate cars down, but he insisted.Normally, if we had decided to retrieve our car from Daddy’s house, we would have rented a car one-way.

We dog-sat our “grand dog” while the guys went house-hunting. He’s a little needy, but just look at that face.

One of the first places Ray found with our new “wheels” was Harbor Freight. (Glad I wore comfortable shoes that day. 😊)

Flagler Beach.

We spent an afternoon on Flagler Beach -- walking through Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve, driving through neighborhoods, and trying a couple of eateries. By June, many restaurants were open for outdoor dining.

At Break Awayz, I enjoyed Banana Pudding Cheesecake while Ray sampled some FL beers.

Beachgoers seemed to enjoy the “pool” created by the sandbar about 50 yards off the beach.

Palm Coast is Hot in June. By June, heat index was 116, mid-day.

Hammock Beach Sunrise.

Ray & I set our clocks early one morning (haven’t done that in about 2 years) to have coffee and watch sunrise from the beach.

Ray got a few great photos from the drone.

Moving Day.

We returned the favor to our son – this time driving his car down to FL. He found a great rental house; there’s a golf course and a banana tree in the backyard. And Luca loves the “accessible” picture window.

Great Harbour Visitors.

We had fun getting to know Midnight Blue - a sistership to SCOUT. They stayed in our marina during their cruises to and from St. Augustine. SCOUT (left) is a “flat-top” N37; Midnight Blue (right) is a fly-bridge N37.

We enjoyed live music at our new favorite pizza place (Gluten Free cauliflower crust – yay).

Our Tanuki friends drove down from their new “dirt home” to join us for dinner at European Village.

And our Tanuki friends invited us for Fourth of July fireworks 2 docks down from their waterfront “dirt home”. A beautiful night -- and unusually comfortable temperature. A few little fireworks before the neighborhood show – a hired crew.

Palm Coast is Hot in July.

By July, heat index was still 95 at 9:30 pm.

Beautiful Resort.

We enjoy the beautiful grounds at the resort where our marina is. This landscaped path is right along the intracoastal waterway.

While we’ve only been to the lazy river once (so far), we go to the marina pool often – usually after working out in the small fitness room.

Since we are not near a busy city or town, it is sometime confusing to hear the resort bell tower chime the time of day.

There are miles of hammock-shaded sidewalks for bicycling and walking.

Unlimited kayaking is available in neighborhood canals, just across the intracoastal waterway (ICW).

Our marina is just behind Ray’s head in the photo below.

Palm Coast is Hot in August.

By August, heat index is still 114, mid-day.

Projects.

Since we are “stuck” for the time being, it is a chance to get some project completed. Except for the extreme heat, it has been quite successful working here. A few of the projects Ray tackled so far:

Rebuild the anchor winch:

Convert our dinghy from a gas outboard motor to 100% electric:

Create an emergency steering system in case of hydraulic failure:

Plus 100 other maintenance items…….

Art.

We “spotted” this loggerhead turtle, “Tiff”, at Long Creek Nature Preserve. The sculpture, by artist Ron Lace, was inspired by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

This sculpture, “Fish Story”, is right beside the marina sea wall. The artist, Paul Baliker, “endeavors to capture a moment in wood or bronze and express potential for a symbiotic relation with nature.”

Animals.

This little gator and turtle were spotted in the marina harbor.

These birds, an Anhinga (Google guess) and a Great Heron were spotted on the resort.

Upcoming Plans.

Because of COVID and nearby family changes and commitments, we will probably be camped out here (or nearby) until early spring. We are waiting to see how things shake out with the virus – it makes no sense to try to go out to experience our great people and towns (the whole point of boat cruising) during this time.

Keep scrolling, below, for a few sunset photos.

Sunsets.

Sunset through the summer’s Sahara dust cloud.

Palm trees by the pool.

Ray captured this panoramic sunset view of the marina with his new drone.