"Rise of The Kek" Author John Joseph Burhop And Financial Wizard Rocky Leeper Go Exploring

LAS VEGAS, NV ROAD TRIP

2010-08-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Rocky at The Painted Desert

Petroglyph on Display

Panorama Featuring Johnny B

Rocky's New Car

Very Cool Petroglyphs Here

Click to Enlarge For Petroglyphs

Rock on Planet Earth

Rocky, Petrified Forest National Park

Modern Day Dinosaur

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Wood

Petrified Logs

Dino Bones

Johnny B and Petrified Wood

$5,000 Worth of Petrified Wood

Baby Dino

These Dinosaurs Charged Our Car

Hoover Dam

Rocky and Girder From 9/11

Atomic Energy Museum

Johnny B and Piece of Berlin Wall

Atomic Energy Museum

El Cortez Hotel and Casino

El Cortez Parking Garage

The Fremont Street Experience Screen

The Fremont Street Experience

Old Downtown Las Vegas

Paris

Planet Hollywood

This is really $1,000,000

Johnny B and Teller

Rocky and Teller

Johnny B and Penn

Rocky and Penn

Johnny B and Robbie Sanders, Planet Hollywood

Rocky, Robbie and Johnny B

Russian Boy and Comedy Kitty

The Letter B and Four Musicians

Best Beatles Cover Show Ever!

Johnny B With Hot Chicks and The Fab Four

July 30 to August 11, 2010. Rocky and I hit the road on Friday, July 30. We drove the two hours to Albuquerque where we stayed at the Extended Stay Hotel (where we always stay when we have VA appointments two days in a row). On Saturday morning, we headed west on I-40. We visited The Petrified Forest National Park in Holbrook, Arizona. Awesome! Petrified trees in the park date back more then 200 million years. The park itself had been plundered up until the early 20^th Century but lots of very cool trees remain.

We arrived at The El Cortez Hotel and Casino in Old Downtown Las Vegas on Sunday. Six nights there cost $120 total- that’s with tax and an upgrade to a tower room! The El Cortez just underwent a billion dollar upgrade and we were very satisfied with the room for the money. I got to know the drink girls very quickly while I pulled away at the penny slots.

On Tuesday, we went to see Penn and Teller at The Rio. We decided to do the crab leg buffet before the show but we didn’t realize that we would be in line for an hour and twenty minutes. By the time we got seated, we only had about ten minutes to scarf down a dozen or two crab legs. We were ten minutes late to the show and since we had third row seats, our arrival didn’t go unnoticed by Penn. Even so, we got autographs and pictures after the show.

On Thursday, we went to see “V” The Ultimate Variety Show at Planet Hollywood. I got dragged onto the stage with three other guys and two, yes two thick rubber masks were pulled over my head. Claustrophobia hit me hard but that was just the beginning. The performer began pulling strings at the back of the outer mask which moved a pair of lips up and down as I waved my index fingers like the conductor of an orchestra. I thought I was going to suffocate. There was little relief when the outer mask was removed because that’s when balloons were shoved into our mouths. The first of us to blow up three balloons, sitting on and breaking them one by one, would be declared the winner. I came in last. But it all worked out because I got tickets to a Motown Show. The Motown show had the week off so I was able to trade the tickets for $150 off The BeatleShow Tribute we had planned for Sunday.

Robbie Sanders flew in on Friday, August 6 and we picked him up at the airport. He checked into The Sahara Hotel and Casino. We spent one more night at The El Cortez before moving to The Sahara.

When we checked into The Sahara on Saturday, we realized very quickly that it was a hole. One of the parking garage elevators was broken (for the duration of our stay and I’m sure a lot longer) and the elevator that barely worked was among the slowest, dirtiest and tore up that I’d ever been in. There was this thick black smoke cloud of death that emanated from a huge vent that exhaled directly onto the walkway leading to and from the parking garage. When we saw it, it was clear that anyone on the walkway during the venting was in serious danger of choking. The main lobby carpet was filthy and the nearby bathroom stunk. Even the drinking fountain there was out of order. And this is all in the first few minutes after arriving! We booked the final leg of our stay there because this is where Elvis and The Beatles stayed. Never again.

On Sunday, Rocky, Robbie and I did the lobster buffet at the Rio and then went back to Planet Hollywood to see two shows in a row. The first show was Comedy Pet Theater. Lots of kitties and puppies, a few ferrets and a bird entertained us along with the Russians who were instructing them. After a short intermission, The BeatleShow Tribute began. The Fab Four cover band was awesome. Near the end of the show, one of them held up a signed tambourine and asked who wanted it. I raised my hand. The next thing you know, I’m being dragged back up on stage. I played tambourine for “Got To Get You Into My Life” and got to keep the tambourine. I kept pretty good time if I do say so myself. I also got a signed picture of me onstage. Pictures aren’t allowed at any of the shows so my photo was the only one during that particular performance.

On Wednesday, we drove Robbie to the airport and then headed back toward Hoover Dam. We were pretty tired from all the activity so we got a motel after only two hours on the road. We drove all the way back to truth or Consequences, NM the next day. The Arizona stretch of I-40 is actually pretty cool so the drive was at least scenic. It was nice to hit the road after a few years of sitting still but it was even nicer to get home.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

2010-02-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

February 23, 2010 to present. Rocky and I found an ad on Craigslist offering a house for rent in the hot springs district of Truth or Consequences, complete with a well that pumped 97 degree natural mineral spring water into a tub on the property. We were due for a change from the chicken farm in Deming so we called only to find out that the property had already been rented. We left our name and number anyway. A month or two later, we received a call from the landlord, Tisha. Tisha had been renting to a woman who was trying to make a living selling her art. The woman was having a hard time collecting rent from this woman and asked for our help.

We eventually agreed to buy this woman out of her lease, giving her $500 and Tisha the remainder of the agreed upon rent. We even offered to help her move and ended up doing all the work. After about a year, Rocky bought the house and we’re currently renovating it. The once back shed (studio) is now Rocky’s very cool bedroom, complete with both standard air conditioning and swamp cooler air conditioner, large flat screen, wireless internet access, built-in queen size bed with 8 inch memory foam mattress, soon-t-be half bath, and more. He even bought a new door and moved the entrance from the east side to the north side, facing the house. We even built a greenhouse on the west side of the small 12’x16’ building, and hope to extend it to the south side.

Inside the house are more renovations, including my built-in 8-inch memory foam bed, new doors, new living room ceiling, and soon-to-be new large bathroom with brand new shower unit. We’ve spread 23 tons of pea gravel over the dry dirt backyard and planted bushes, tress, roses and more. A few stray cats began visiting so we let them lick our pots and pans and dinner plates clean. Toonces is the matriarch cat, Chief Kitty Whiteface is most likely her offspring. Then came Rover and Tigger, two new kittens that we assumed were more of Toonces’ offspring. These are all golden colored kitties. Blacky (or Crazy Eye Scaredy Cat) is the black sheep, with a long black coat. Tigger just had a kitten that we named Conan. Tigger and Conan are currently the only two felines welcome near the back door.

IRRITABE RD. NW, DEMING, NM

2008-12-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

Finches in The Front Yard

Hummingbird in The Front Yard

Front Yard

Cactus Flower in Front Yard

Front Yard

Backyard Burn Barrels

Johnny B and Cowan Hens

1950's Model We May Buy On Our Way Out

This Dove Nested In Our Front Yard
Rocky Saved The Baby That Fell Out

Front Yard

View From Backyard
Florida Mountains in Background

View From Backyard

Front Yard During Thunderstorm

Backyard During Thunderstorm

Front Yard

Fawn and Poncho On The Front Porch

Don Entering The Trailer, David Outside

After The Roof That Don Built

Front Of Trailer, Before Don Built The Roof

Kitchen, After Moving In

Kitchen, Before Moving In

July 16, 2008 to February 22, 2010. One day, while Rocky and I were still staying at The Hacienda Motel, a guy I had met needed a hand to pick up some free chickens. I came to this place, and discovered that there was a double wide, 3 bdrm, 2 bath trailer for rent for $375/mo. Rocky and I moved in here with another guy I was working with, Don. Don, and a local guy named Poncho, were building a house for a local woman. I helped out for a few weeks and earned a few bucks in the process. Poncho and his girlfriend, Fawn, became good friends of ours. Don moved out after a month or so. Rocky and I have been sharing this 5 acre lot with our very cool landlord and his wife (David and Patty), and his chickens ever since. Our landlord has an identical twin brother, Danny, who lives on an adjacent 5 acre lot. Danny is just as cool as David.

HACIENDA MOTEL, DEMING, NEW MEXICO

2008-12-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

Johnny B Looking His Very Best

Panorama of Johnny B in Motel Room

Another Panorama of Motel Room

Johnny B Outside The Motel Room

Johnny B Drinking, Smoking, Jamming

And Revising The Neverending Book

Johnny B, Hacienda Motel

We Stayed Here For Five Weeks

June 8-July 15, 2008. We came back to The Hacienda Motel after several years, knowing that the price had only gone up $2 (from $22 to $24) after all that time. We got a weekly rate of $125.

NEW ORLEANS TO NEW MEXICO

2008-12-04T12:36:00.001-08:00

Beware of Rattlesnakes!

El Paso, TX, Mexico in Background

Notice The Windmill Blade On The Approaching Truck
Somewhere in Texas

Somewhere in Texas

Rocky, Somewhere in Texas

Just Passin' Through

Fort Stockton, Texas

Comanche Hotel, Fort Stockton, Texas

June 6-7, 2008. We loaded up the car and headed west, stopping only once, in Fort Stockton, Texas, before continuing on to Deming, New Mexico.

LEAVING NEW ORLEANS

2008-12-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

Rocky and Johnny B at The Endymion Parade

Joe at The Endymion Parade

Endymion Parade Booty

Dennis and Huong

Dennis, Joe and Johnny B
At The Endymion Parade

Dan at The Endymion Parade

Dan Posing as Kevin Costner

Crystal During The Endymion Parade

Huey P. Long Bridge, New Orleans

Mary, Johnny B and Jim
French Quarter, New Orleans

Mary, Latrobe Park
French Quarter, New Orleans

Huong, Vietnamese New Year, New Orleans

Dan and Huong, Vietnamese New Year, New Orleans

Brandi, Ann and Kelly,Steamboat Natchez
In Background, New Orleans

Brandi at Cemetery, New Orleans

Johnny B, St. Louis Cemetery No.1, New Orleans

Brandi at New Orleans Cemetery

Actual Bones, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans

June 1, 2008. Just days before we left New Orleans, our friend, Mary Sullivan, from Colorado, and our friend, Ann Holloway, from Illinois, came down for a visit. Mary stayed in a very nice hotel in the CBD (Central Business District) and Ann (along with a few friends) stayed in her pop-up camper at Bayou Segnette State Park. The campground actually has a wave pool. We all got together one afternoon to check out the wave pool, but after standing in line for fifteen minutes, we decided it wasn’t worth it. A large crowd, screaming kids, an $8 per person entrance fee, and the fact that we couldn’t even bring in bottled water were all factors. So we decided to swim at the campground’s smaller pool which we had all to ourselves. I was even allowed to bring in “a few” cans of beer. We had a great time in our little water oasis.

We did the standard touristy things: live music at Latrobe Park, Bourbon Street Bars, and all the local cemeteries. Mary even had her fortune read at one of the voodoo shops. It was a great send-off before heading to New Mexico. During our 15 months in New Orleans, Rocky and I stayed at The Canal Street Guesthouse for a few weeks before renting a very nice place on Royal Street in the heart of The French Quarter. We then moved to a 3^rd floor apartment on Madison Street, which had access to a rooftop perch with an excellent view of downtown and The Mississippi River. After that, Rocky moved in with a friend, Matthew aka Cross, in The Marigny (another historical district that is similar and adjacent to The French Quarter) and I moved in with my friend and co-worker, Jim Henry.

Even though we lived in two different areas, Rocky and I still got together for food and drinks several times a week. I worked the midnight to 8am shift so my free time was primarily 8am to 2pm (bedtime). I usually went straight to Harrah’s casino after work to play the penny slots and get free drinks. I’ve always been a pretty good tipper so the servers at the casino treated me like royalty while I slowly whittled away $5 bills on the machines and a dollar or two for every bottled beer. Sometimes, I even came out ahead. Based on my spending habits at the casino, I didn’t qualify for bottled beer (only draught) but the servers brought me bottles anyway- 2 at a time, in fact. I miss Harrah’s.

I also ran into one of my best friends from college, Joe Kerr (who also appears in the very first entry of this blog from 1995), that I had lost track of for 12 years. I've tried to locate Joe on several occasions over the years, and apparently, he has tried to locate me. Then, one day in New Orleans, out of the blue, there he was. He is living with another friend, Dennis, who we also knew from Chicago, after Joe had moved there. We also met Joe's friend, Dan Wood, an SIUC Professor and published author, in Chicago, who has since moved to New Orleans. Rocky and I made friends with another friend of Joe's, Huong. Another friend, Crystal, joined Joe, Dennis, Dan, Huong, Rocky and I at The Endymion Parade. We also got together for Thanksgiving, 2007.

Rockys Trip to So. IL to look for Real Estate

2007-08-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

2007-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Mickey explains the code of the real drinker. From The Knot Whiskey Shot Drink.

MadTV Nails Apple and Bush in One Skit

2007-07-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS SLIDESHOW

2007-06-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

A FEW SHORT VIDEOS FROM MARY'S VISIT

2007-06-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ ENGINE ROOM, NEW ORLEANS

CLOWNFISH AND ANEMONE, AQUARIUM OF THE AMERICAS, NEW ORLEANS

SHARKS AT THE AQUARIUM OF THE AMERICAS, NEW ORLEANS

VERY DARK VIDEO OF DUELING PIANOS AT PAT O'BRIEN'S PUB, NEW ORLEANS

12+ FOOT ALLIGATOR, HONEY ISLAND SWAMP, LA

MARY'S VISIT, NEW ORLEANS, LA

2007-06-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Mary and Johnny B. Leaving
The Courtyard Of Our Apartment

Johnny B. and Mary Outside Our
Apartment On Madison Street

Johnny B. and Mary at Clover Grill

St. Louis Cathedral
French Quarter, New Orleans

St. Louis Cathedral

Rocky and Mary on The Streetcar

Mary at The Dauphine Orleans Hotel

Mary With a Round of Beers

Mary and Rocky with The Oak Alley
Plantation Owner's 1920('s?) Model A's
Rocky and Mary
Rocky and Mary
Mary and Rocky Behind the Mansion
Mary Just Outside The Plantation
Oak Alley Plantation Mansion
The Oak Alley From the Second Floor Balcony
View From the Second Floor
Johnny B
Mary
Mary
Mary Again
Rocky and Mary in Front of the Mansion
Johnny B and Mary
Another Front Yard Shot
Mary (hidden) and Johnny B.
Doing Shots at a Bourbon Street Bar
Mary and a Bourbon Street Band
Johnny B. and Mary
Mary and a Local Lunatic
Mary on the Balcony of a Bourbon Street Bar
Mary With Her Fake Friends
Mary on Bourbon Street
Guess Where Mary Is?
Dueling Pianos at Pat O'Brien's Pub
Mary at Pat O'Brien's
Mary and Johnny B. at Pat O'Brien's
Mary on Bourbon Street
Johnny B. and Mary
Rocky Took Some Freaky Pictures
At a French Quarter Shop
Another Freaky Pic

Local Art in The French Quarter

More Local Art

French Quarter Shop

Aquarium Of The Americas

Some Very Very Cool Creatures on Display

Crab Hangin' Out

This Suit Enables Divers To
Go Much Deeper Than Before

Lots Of Jellyfish Here

Another Jelly

Yet Another Jelly

And Another

And So On

And On

SHARK!

Looking Mean

Showing Off

Ready For Lunch

He Was Checking Us Out

More Sea Creatures

Nurse Shark

Stingray

Huge Turtle

Another Stingray

Long Necked Turtle

Can You Spot The Owl?

A Few Giant Jellyfish Got Loose
And Terrorized The Museum Crowd

Another Jelly

More Jellies

Mary Petting A Stingray

Clownfish and Anemone

Another Crab

Mary Fell Into One Of The Display Tanks

Not Really An Albino Alligator
Because It Has Pink Eyes

More Coolness

Moray Eel

Otters Hanging Out

Reproduction Of Sunken Oil Platform Reef

Sea Dragon or ALIEN?

Freaky

Eerie

SeaHorse

I Forget What Kind of Fish This Is

More SeaHorses

SeaHorse

Another SeaHorse

Pregnant Male SeaHorse

Bird

Siamese Fish (Just Kidding)

PENGUINS!

Johnny B. and Mary In Facsimile of
Ancient Monster Shark Jaws

Rocky Strapped a T-Bone Steak
To His Forehead and Climbed into the
Tank For This Shot (It's Actually a Picture
Of a Picture on The Wall)

More Pretty Fish

Stingray in Orbit Above Earth

Very Cool Display

EEL!

Mary In The Canopy

Mary Before Boarding
The Steamboat Natchez

Aboard The Natchez For
The Jazz Harbor Cruise

Activity on The Mississippi River

This Is The Actual Ferry They
Blew Up In The Movie "Deja Vu"

Rocky and Mary At The Paddlewheel

Sculpture Garden
City Park, New Orleans

"Sacrifice III"

Sculpture Garden

Violin Spire In The Water

"Monkeys"

Mary With Her Catch Of The Day

Mary and The Giant Safety Pin
(Coming Soon to a Theater Near You)

Rocky and His New Friend

Johnny B. Got Attacked
After Straying Off The Path

Rocky And His Alter Ego

Johnny B. and Mary at
St. Louis Cemetery Number One

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is Right Across
The Street From The French Quarter

Johnny B. and Mary in The Cemetery

Guess Where This Was Taken?

Empty Crypt

Rocky and Mary
Honey Island Swamp Tour

Our Tour Guide Lured The Alligators
To The Boat With Marshmallows

Cypress Tree That Will Not
Rot or Get Eaten By Termites

Newly Spotted Local 12+ Foot Gator

Rocky and Mary on The Swamp Tour

June 12-16, 2007. Our longtime friend, Mary, flew down for vacation. We crammed in quite the itinerary. Rocky and I took her to a few of our favorite restaurants in the French Quarter, including Masperos, Deja Vu and Clover Grill. Unfortunately, Barrack's Street Cafe was under construction (she would've liked the vegetarian menu there). We also enjoyed the 4-course special at The Gumbo House. Our guide from the swamp tour recommended Mulate's in the CBD (Central Business District; downtown) so we ate there for our final dinner together.

The Honey Island swamp tour was very cool. We saw several alligators, including a 12+ footer that our guide had never seen before. Mary named him Big Jerry, after the tour guide. Apparently, alligators like marshmallows because that's what Jerry used to lure them to the boat. He also showed us a house that was plucked from its location on the riverbank and carried about 1.5 miles, intact, during hurricane Katrina.

We toured St. Louis Cemetery Number One, right across the street from the French Quarter, as well as The Sculpture Garden in City Park. We boarded the Steamboat Natchez for a Harbor Jazz Cruise, visited The Aquarium Of The Americas and Oak Alley Plantation. Rocky rented a car for two days so we saved $66 ($22 each) for transportation to the swamp and $105 ($35 each) for transportation to the plantation.

FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS, LA

2007-06-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

Lunch

2007-06-08T15:49:00.001-07:00

I made this for lunch, It has a bed of lettuce, green beans tomatoes, red onion, red pepper, smoked salmon, all drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, and chives!!!

up to the roof.

Femme, Femme, Femme

We didnt get any pics of the works, but I enjoyed it.

Some more new pictures 522 Madison

2007-06-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

So here we have proof of the spirits that live in my attic. This is a digital still of the attic above my head. You will see the smokey bubbles. Can you expain this?

Here I am talking to Ann Holloway on the phone. To get my cell to work back here, I have to climb up on the roof. A storm is rolling in from Algeirs across the river.

This looks down from the third floor apartment we rented for 6 mo.

Some new pictures

2007-05-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

734 ROYAL ST., FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS, LA

2007-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Our Balcony
Our Tiny Place In The
Heart Of The French Quarter
The Fireplace
Clean And Cozy

April 02 to 30, 2007. We rented this place for one month, knowing that another tenant was coming in on May 1. The location was superb- right in the heart of the French Quarter. Our address is on the Haunted New Orleans Tour. In the early 1800's, an octoroon (1/8 black) mistress was in love with her master but they were forbidden to marry. To prove here love, she spent the night on the roof where she froze to death. Her ghost appears pacing the roof on cold December nights.

CANAL STREET GUESTHOUSE, NEW ORLEANS, LA

2007-04-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Canal St. Guesthouse
Our Room
Our Private Balcony
Sam and Kathey Are Great Hosts
Community Kitchen

19 March to 1 April, 2007. We highly recommend The Canal Street Guesthouse if you are visiting New Orleans. Click Here to visit The Canal Street Guesthouse website.

NEW ORLEANS STREETCAR MINI VIDEO

2007-03-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS, LA

2007-03-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

U.S. Mint in New Orleans ("O" Mint Mark)

Johnny B. With the First of Many Rounds of Beers to Come
Typical French Quarter Street
Horse and Carriage in French Quarter
U.S. Marines Marching Down Decatur St. in the French Quarter
Full Grown Miniature Horse

16 to 18 March, 2007. We crossed out of Florida, through Alabama and MIssissippi, and arrived in Louisiana mid afternoon. Then we took I-10 across Lake Pontchartrain and into New Orleans. After a few nights in hotels, etc., we got a room at the Canal St. Guesthouse, just 10 blocks from the French Quarter ($297/week for 2 people).

HOWARD JOHNSON EXPRESS INN, PENSACOLA, FL

2007-03-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

15 March, 2007. Rocky and I were both pretty tired so we decided to get a hotel for the remainder of the day and night. It was 2 p.m. The important thing was that we were finally out of Tampa! There was also rain in the forecast and we would be heading right into it so a hotel was a double bonus. We got one of those discount coupon books from Denny's and found this place for a reasonable rate. There was a 24 hour truck stop restaurant across the street which we utilized twice- once for gigantic delicious hamburgers, and later for steak dinners. I was quite happy here- it was clean and quiet. The front desk even called to insure that everything was satisfactory. I especially enjoyed the fog which lingered after the rain came through.

MILNER HOTEL, TAMPA, FL

2007-03-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Johnny B. in the Hotel Room
Milner Hotel Inner Courtyard

1 to 14 March, 2007. We parked the motorhome in front of Gail's and left the keys with her husband, Marc. We posted it for sale on Craigslist and put For Sale signs in the window. Then we set out to find a nearby hotel for a week. The Milner Hotel is right off I-4 on 50th St. in South Tampa. Most of the rooms were unoccupied and under construction. I estimated the occupancy at about 10% of total capacity so we had the hotel pretty much to ourselves. The central courtyard and pool was very private and well maintained. The pool was freezing cold so we never actually went swimming even though the days were quite warm. After our week was up, I complained to the front desk about a few things and got another week for $20 less with an extra free night. We took the opportunity to thin out our possessions and transfer the video we took between Florida and California (2001) to DVD so we could throw away the bulky videotapes. Anyway, we got a call for the motorhome and contacted Marc to show it. The buyer bought it on the spot and Marc took the money. A few days later, we sold the van. All of our vehicles were gone so we rented a Chrysler Pacifica SUV and headed for Louisiana.

CHANNELSIDE AREA and GAIL'S HOUSE, TAMPA, FL

2007-02-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

Rocky Catching Bugs
Gail

Gail's Enclosed Front Yard
Gail in Front of Her Place
Across The Street From Gail's
Gail Out front
Gail's Ride

These Towers Are Near Completion
There is One Main Sculptor in the Area

Condos Near Completion
The Main Sculptor Has Some Really Cool Pieces
More Condos Near Completion
The Whole Area Used to Look Like This
More Condos...

5 to 28 February, 2007. We decided that the 29 foot motorhome was too cumbersome so we got rid of it and then purchased a more manageable 20 foot motorhome. We parked it on a street near all the construction occurring here. Large condos are being built to replace this run-down warehouse district. This area is adjacent to Channelside Drive, which is actually one of the most active regions in Tampa. Cruise ships, including Carnival's "Inspiration" take on passengers near here. The Channelside area is also where large ships take on gypsum that is mined nearby. It's a touristy area, serving embarking and debarking cruise ship passengers, complete with expensive restaurants, bars and a theater. Our little 20 foot motorhome blended in nicely and no one was the wiser that we were sleeping inside.

HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK, THONOTOSASSA, FL

2007-02-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

The "New" Motorhome

February 3 to4, 2007. We decided to give the "new" motorhome a field test so we went back to Hillsborough River State Park for a couple of days. We've been pretty happy with this State Park- that's why we keep going back.

SAWMILL CAMPGROUND, DADE CITY, FL

2007-02-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

Johnny B. at His Computer

One of the Many Permanent Homes Here
Sawmill Offers Cabin Rentals Too
The Building on the Right is "Splash" (A Bar That Also Serves Food)
Some of The Tenants Here Take Their Landscaping Very Seriously
There are Trails and Woods Complete with Large Snakes!
Another Permanent Structure / Home
Some People Live Here Year Round
Ricky Lake is Actually The Cesspool
Sawmill Offers RV Storage Too
Fire Pit Behind "Woody's" (Another Bar on the Premises)
We Really Enjoyed the Landscaping and Ornamentation Everywhere
More Permanent Housing
Another...
Lots of Golf Carts Here

2 January to 2 February, 2007. Rocky and I first visited this campground in 1998 when they first opened. When we renewed our memberships, they were surprised to learn that our membership numbers were from the earliest days of their opening season. This place has two bars, a convenient store, full hookup sites, rental cabins, primitive camping sites and permanent houses that patrons have purchased for full time residency. There are woods, trails and a large RV storage section. I built many large fires in the open field near the RV storage area that was isolated from the other areas. The pool is heated, with lots of seating and an adjacent bar that serves a variety of simple food items such as chicken fingers, etc. The entire pool area is clothing optional. We stayed here for a month at a full hookup site and had a great time.

HIGHLANDS HAMMOCK STATE PARK, SEBRING, FL

2007-01-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

26 December, 2006 to 1 January, 2007. We decided against continuing on to the Florida Keys and so decided to finish off our allotted 2 week maximum stay here before returning north. It was much busier after the Christmas weekend but still fairly uneventful.

CAMP MARS, VENUS, FL

2006-12-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Johnny B. at the Christmas Party
Johnny B. Showing Off His Perfectly Sculpted Body

Johnny B on Bench, Art; Center Right

Inside the Fortune Teller Trailer

Lush and Fertile In The Campground

The Fortune Teller Trailer

23 to 25 December, 2006. This place was a blast. Lots of fun people here. They show a movie every night on the huge outdoor screen. There's a large fire pit with seating around it facing the screen. They even provided Christmas Dinner. I provided an 1878-S Silver Morgan Dollar for the gift exchange. Rocky provided a silver $10 Collector Coin from Las Vegas. Both coins were originally slated for eternal residence beneath the base of the mast of the 38 foot sailboat. That sailing tradition requires one coin per member of the crew for good luck and as an offering to Neptune. We had a great time here- just remember to bring everything you need because the nearest convenient store is in Lake Placid, many miles away.

HIGHLANDS HAMMOCK STATE PARK, SEBRING, FL

2006-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Hammock Inn Restaurant
Music In The Park Stage
This is a Fire Dependant Ecosystem
Johnny B
Rocky On The Main Loop Trail
Lots Of Land Surrounds The Park
Rocky In The Orange Grove
Our Site
The Empty Campground
The CCC Museum
There's Even Something For The Kids
This Place Was A Ghost Town

16 to 22 December, 2006. This place was dead and we were perfectly fine with that. We rode the fold-up bicycles down many of the trails and got lots of exercise. There's a C.C.C. Museum here that chronicles the area during the Great Depression. A very large swath of open field surrounds the park and it was great place to get away from all signs of civilization. We decided to spend Christmas weekend at Camp Mars with our friend, Art, who owns and operates St. Petersburg's oldest barber shop. So we headed south toward Venus, Florida and met Art at the campground.

LITTLE MANATEE RIVER STATE PARK, WIMAUMA, FL

2006-12-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

This Tortoise Loved Romaine Lettuce
Our Site Starting The 2nd Day
The Mantis That Nearly Burned In Our Fire
The Mantis That Rocky Spotted In The Fire Pit
Our Site The First Day

3 to 15 December, 2006. Our reservation didn't actually start until the 4th so we stayed at a different site the first day. As you can see from the pictures, they're really tearing this place up. Lots of dust and lots of ants. Rocky spotted a mantis in my unlit fire arrangement so I took a few pictures of it. I got some more very exciting tortoise video which I'll try to get posted. Not much to say. I'm really more interested in getting pictures posted, no matter how boring they might be. Stay tuned...

HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK, THONOTOSASSA, FL

2006-12-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

Tree Frog Checking Out The Showers
Yes, Johnny B Is Still A Pyro
I Had A Hard Time Getting A Good Picture Of These Turkey
Vultures Whose Wings Spanned Five Feet And More
I Just Thought It Was Cool How This Little Guy Folded His
Hands And Stood There Waiting For A Handout
Notice The Sign On Top: Flood Water Level 1988
Our New Home (That Will Hopefully Be Upgraded Soon)
Rocky On The Suspension Bridge Along One Of The Trails
Suspension Bridge
Suspension Bridge
It's Nice To Have The Paved Handicapped Site

18 November to 2 December, 2006. They have a half-acre pool here! And the turkey vultures were huge too. They spent a lot of time soaring above our heads and throughout the campground. We took our bikes around the one mile trail- that was nice. There's a very cool suspension bridge at the end of the trail. But when we started down the three mile trail, numerous large tree roots on the trail made for a bumpy ride. Pretty boring stuff, huh?

WAL-MART PARKING LOT, SUN CITY CENTER, FL

2006-11-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

17 November, 2006. Wal-Mart will let you park your truck or RV overnight in their parking lot. Talk about convenience. There were all kinds of other stores within walking distance too. It's pretty cool when you can cook a roast in the oven and be making ice with propane while sitting in a parking lot with live music next door, even if it is gospel music. A trailer pulled up next to us, opened it's bay door and there they were- Gospel Echoes "Crimson." Our friend Art came over from St. Petersburg to have dinner with us here. After dinner, I sat in the van with a beer and listened to the gospel band. I must admit, I rather enjoyed it.

LITTLE MANATEE RIVER STATE PARK, WIMAUMA, FL

2006-11-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

We Almost Ran Over This Very Dangerous Coral Snake
With Our Bicycles. It Was In The Middle Of The Road
Rocky On One Of The Infamous Fold-Up Bicycles
Rocky At The Canoe Launch
Little Manatee River
Very Large Grill Near The Picnic Area
Cool Little Gazebo-Like Pavillion
Another Cool Pavillion
Playground Near The Picnic Area
This Guy's Shell Was About A Foot Long
There Were Originally Several Turtles On This
Branch Before I Accidentally Scared Them Away
Little Manatee River
Our Newly Acquired Fleet
Youth Camping Area
Amphitheater
Rocky At The Large Picnic And Parking Area
Just Some Silly Little Bridge Near The Large Picnic Area

Little Manatee River

14 to 15 November, 2006. This place was pretty cool. I especially enjoyed the large tortoise that was hanging out in the handicapped site next to the bathroom. I took a short video clip of him finally getting sick of my camera in his face and crawling away. It was very exciting- I'm trembling just thinking of the high speed action. Rocky looked up the snake (that we almost ran over with our bicycles) on the internet and it turns out that it was a coral snake which apparently kills more people than any other snake because it hangs onto its victim, pumping as much venom as possible into the bloodstream.

LAKE MANATEE STATE PARK, BRADENTON, FL

2006-11-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

13 November, 2006. We borrowed the tent from Gail and came here with our cargo van filled with everything from the boat. It hadn't rained in weeks but wouldn't you know it, it rained on the one and only day that the tent was our home. We acquired the motorhome the very next day.

TERRA CEIA BAY ANCHORAGE, TERRA CEIA, FL

2006-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

10 September to 12 November, 2006. Rocky had the boat pretty much to himself here. I stayed at a friend's house to help work on their yard and also to upgrade my book according to the changes I made while transforming it into a screenplay. During that time, Rocky and I both decided that we wanted off the boat. So I arranged a trade for a motorhome. We bought a cargo van, emptied the boat and made the trade. So now we're back on the road. We going to hang out in Florida and head south into the Keys to wait out the winter. Then (hopefully) it's off to Lake Charles, Louisiana, maybe New Mexico and then into Mexico and Central America. By that time, we should have a nicer motorhome.

TERRA CEIA BAY ANCHORAGE, TERRA CEIA, FL11 NOVEMBER, 2006

2006-11-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Johnny B and Houseboat Joe, Terra Ceia Bay
Ed Going Back To His Boat
Houseboat Joe, Kenny, Johnny B And
Joe's Screaming Fast Boston Whaler
Houseboat Joe, Johnny B and Kenny, Terra Ceia Bay

Houseboat Joe and Kenny on Joe's Boston Whaler

TERRA CEIA BAY ANCHORAGE, TERRA CEIA, FL29 to 31 OCTOBER, 2006

2006-10-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

Johnny B Reaching For The Moon

Sunset On Terra Ceia Bay
Another Sunset On Terra Ceia Bay
Yet Another Sunset On Terra Ceia Bay
And Yet Another Sunset On Terra Ceia Bay

This Is Actually The Same Sunset As The First Picture
But I Like The Blue In This Image

TERRA CEIA BAY ANCHORAGE, TERRA CEIA, FLOCTOBER 13, 2006

2006-10-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Johnny B Showing Off His Butt In Leather
We Had Some Leftover Leather From Ft. Lauderdale
So We Decided To Take Some Pictures And Try To Sell It
Dolphin Breaching- You Really Need To Expand This Picture
The Dolphins Like Terra Ceia Bay
We Built This To Finally Get The Mast Out Of The Way

Rocky Built This Insulated Box For The Air Conditioner

TERRA CEIA BAY ANCHORAGE, TERRA CEIA, FL12 SEPTEMBER, 2006

2006-09-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Houseboat Joe And One Of His Buddies Visiting The Beast

Ellen and Rockys Cruise

2006-08-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

August 24, 2006 Ellen Johnston, and Rocky Leeper go on a Cruise together. The four night cruise was a last minute deal. We took Carnivals Funship Fantasy. We went to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Here are some pictures of our time.

Stolen Election 2004, Nice Video! 10min

2006-08-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Rigged USA Elections Exposed 12min

2006-08-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

Clinton Curtis testifying that Congressman Tom Feeney hired him to prepare vote-rigging software

2006-08-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cops Gone Wild!

2006-08-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

So I have no choice now but to vent. A couple of months ago, I was standing on the dock at the Davis Island Seaplane Basin. I looked out over the water and saw a powerboat hovering over the top of a diver friend of mine that I had seen in the water earlier. I saw his head just under the bow of the boat. I was concerned that the people in the powerboat did not know he was there. I seemed obvios that they did not, because you wouldnt want to have the bow of your boat jumping up and down in the water with a person there. I stated to wave my arms and yell "Diver, Diver, back off, back off." That is when the boat backed off turned and headed straight for me. That was also when I could see the Tampa Police cartoon letters painted on the side of the boat. The officers arived at the dock. One of them imediatly jumped off the boat and grabed at my chest with one hand, and held the other in a fist beside his head in a threataning manner. He started to shove me off the dock. He was screaming "Get off my dock, Get off my dock!" I, at the same time, was asking "what did I do, what did I do?" When I was pushed backward toward the land, I pulled out my phone and called 911. I told the opperator that I was being assulted by one of there officers and I requied their supervisor. As all this was going on, the other officer was tying thier boat to the dock. My friend the diver, had rowed over to the dock to see what the trouble was, and what the officers were doing on top of him anyway. The issued him a ticket for no having a dive flag, wich was painfully apparent on his dingy. After wich, the officers started to leave. I yelled that they should stay untill the supervisor arrived. Their decision to stay was only meet by the fact that a supervisor was rounding the corner. The supervisor was not their supervisor but some others. He told me that I would have to contact their supervisor two day latter, then if I was not sattisfied, I could start an internal affairs investigation. I said that I wanted to press charges, the supervisor said I could not do that, and I would have to get ahold of their supervisor. I personally find it obsurd that you cannot press charges against a Tampa Police officer! This steroid rage crazed loon gets to run free to assult others, while I sit and wonder when he is going to come and exact retribution. I am also told that I cannot place a restraining order on him. So what does one do when faced with something like this? I followed the instructions of the supervisor. I called their supervisor two days latter, I stated my name. He then cut me off, saying that he had already heard from his officer about the incident, and that I was responsible for their actions, because I was interfering with their investigation, and that I was attempting to keep their boat from docking at the dock. I expalined that this was not the case, and he again cut me off saying that "my officers dont lie" and said that their was nothing that I could do about it. I asked for the number to internal affairs.

So, I called internal affairs. A detective scedulaed an interview and told me again, that I could not press charges, because an officer has the right to lay hands on the public in the course of his duties. As I had herd this on enough times, I looked up the law. There are some very specific allowences affored to police officers in regards to the use of force. None of these allowances were met. I was attacked by a Tampa Police Officer Marine Division.

I went to the internal affairs office and was meet by the detective. I was ussed into a small office cubical with the rather large detective and another person of the same stature. I was double teamed, berated for suggesting that a police officer could do such a thing, that it was my fault, and then was asked agressive and unusual questions concerning my mental state, my attitude, and my "childish manner." I asked the detective if this was to be a private and confidential interview? That is when the other rotund person said that he would be in the next office listining in if the detective neeed him! The detective then said that he was going to start the investigation and pulled out a recorder and stared the interview. He became very professional at that time.

After this was compleated, he asked If I had any witnesses to the event. I suggested that there were twenty or more people there, and getting some of them to give statements would be no problem.

The weekend insuded and I had time to reflect on the interview. I decied that I would not inflict such treatment on people who would be doing me a favor. So I asked a few of them to write out statements about what they had seen, and had them noterized. While we were doing this, I was called by the detective and asked where my witness were? I explained that after my interview, I held no confidence that the Tampa Police Department was capable of handling the policing of there own, and I would take the situation a different direction.

As for my further actions, I must keep that confidential for now.

All of this has recently come back to my attention due to yet another altercation. This time, at the same location, with either a State of County police officer, I was pulled over and givin a ticket for "not registered" by an unknow officer. I cant read the ticked, he refused to identify himself, and was unfamilir with the law. I had asked "If I take the motor off the dingy, Then Im leagle right?" He said no, all boats have to be registered. This is just not the case. Also, there is no such law or violation called "not registered". I cannot read anything he wrote on the ticket. I dont know where to send a payment. I dont know where to appear to fight said ticket. It seems that he advanced the time on the ticket, maybe to get some overtime?

I think that If your job is to write these tickets, you should be familiar with the laws and violatins. You should also attempt to write legably. You should at the very least provide enouth information on the ticket so the something could be done with it. I have no choice but to do nothing.

I will be leaving this area this week anyway, then to hell with them. I may have to return for civil procedues, but I will return with a entorage of securty, for protection. I do feel that I am risking my life by being in Tampa, and Hillsborogh County.

Theres a nice and happy story for you!

LeLena Gone Wild!

2006-08-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

The crazy woman Lelena, as seen in previous posts, has again, went crazy.

Johnny B sold the buccanner. Hoary! These two young guys bought it. One of them is a trucker, so he is gone throughout the week. The other is looking for a job. This weekend, our friend Ed saw that they were using inflatable emergency dingies. He offered to let them use the canoe of another friend of ours that was only here some of the time. He had offered to allow us to use it so no one saw anything wrong with this.

Where I fit in is: I was returning to the basin with a couple of friends. Lelean was coming to the dock in here dingy with the canoe in tow. As I was stainding on the dock waiting for my friends park, I saw that she was screaming disparaging remarks. I didn't want my friends exposed to the foul language or to some altercation, so I started to walk toward the car. She stated to yell insults and threats at me. I turned and asked what did I do? She said come over here and I show you, as she swung an ore over her head. I then just walked away. I then saw Mike, one of the boys that bought the bayliner swimming to the dock. Apparently she had gone to the boat took the canoe, was screaming at them incoherently and threatening them. She then made her rounds around the basin harassing everyone in her sites.

The icing on the cake for me, was around midnight, there comes a knock on the boat. I woke to find Raymond and Lelean Taylor, Moses, or what ever Allis they are now using in their dingy knocking on the boat with an ore. Raymond said that he didn't like what went on today, and I shouldn't be pointing at his wife. I stopped him with "I don't want to have anything to do with you or her ever again, You ignore me, and I will ignore you." I thought it was over. They went back over to the bayliner and stole the dingy that I had gotten from them eight months earlier. I had traded a large quanta of teak wood, and a new airconditioner for it. I had bottom painted the thing twice already, and fixed it when the hurricane tore it up. I also had just loaned it to the boys because they again were screwed for a dingy.

I now feel that the dingy is just fodder, and if that's all it takes to get them to leave me and the boys alone, great.

Let Thieves lie.

BUCCANEER SOLD! Good Job Johnny B

2006-06-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

DAVIS ISLAND SEAPLANE BASIN, TAMPA FLTROPICAL STORM ALBERTO'S AFTERMATH15 JUNE, 2006

2006-06-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ed Helping To Haul One Of Tropical
Storm Alberto's Victims Back Into The Water
Tropical Storm Alberto Was
The Only Real Storm Of The Season
But It Did A Number In The Yacht Basin
Michael (Aft) In His Rented Limousine
Tropical Storm Alberto's Wrath

Putting The Sailboat Back Where It Belongs- In The Water!

15 June, 2006. Michael Hunt stayed on the boat for a few months before moving up to Chicago. He had the pleasure of riding out Tropical Storm Alberto for 36 hours with Rocky. I stayed at Gail's house. It appeared that we were in for a brutal hurricane season since Alberto was the first named storm of the season and it piled up several boats in the basin. It just barely reached hurricane status (for less than a day) before being downgraded back to tropical storm status. I was telling everyone that this was going to a very calm hurricane season and I was right. After Alberto, the season was pretty much over.

DAVIS ISLAND SEAPLANE BASIN, TAMPA FLTROPICAL STORM ALBERTO & AFTERMATH13 JUNE, 2006

2006-06-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Gathering To Assess The Damage
Some Nice Boats Were Lost To Alberto
This Is What Happens When You Don't
Anchor Or Moor Your Boat Properly
Such A Waste
Shortly After The Storm Ended

During The Storm. The Smoke Is From The Plane Crash.

13 June, 2006. During the storm, a twin engine plane came barreling into the Peter O' Knight Airport at about 90 mph and crashed into a house that belonged to the owners of Tate Brothers Pizza on Davis Island. I talked the FAA about 5 hours after the crash as an eye witness and apparently, I was the first person to shed light on the fact that one of the engines was out and the landing gear was not down. The news was even reporting that it skidded off the runway. It may have touched the very end of the runway but this plane came in fast and crashed hard.

CRUISING AROUND TAMPA WITH HOUSEBOAT JOE, TAMPA, FL

2006-05-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

TAMPA BAY, TAMPA, FL

2006-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

THE DAVIS ISLAND CREW

2006-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Snoopy; Raymond and Lelina's killer companion

Houseboat Joe

Lelina describing the one that got away

Raymond and Joe on Raymond's boat

Ed, Raymond and Joe on the dock, Davis Island

April 15, 2006.

DAVIS ISLAND AND THE STALKING BLIMP

2006-04-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2006.

DAVIS ISLANDERS

2006-03-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

Dinghy collection behind Raymond and Lelina's boat

Lelina on her boat

Raymond and lelina's boat

Lelina on her boat

March 23, 2006.

Raymond and Lelina Return to Davis Island!!!

2006-02-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

DAVIS ISLAND, TAMPA

2006-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

Davis Island, Joe's houseboat in background

Thar be dolphins

Dolphin breaching

February 14, 2006.

BACK TO DAVIS ISLAND, TAMPA, FL

2006-02-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

February 9, 2006. So we finally got our Pearson 38 in the water on Thursday, Feb. 9. We had the boat put in the boatlift earlier in the day so we could drop our centerboard for the first time and hopefully get some bottom paint on it. It took nearly an hour to finally break it free from all the sand and mud that was clogged up in the trunk. But we got it down and painted it. Then, at about 6 pm, we splashed it. No leaks! It wasn't actually floating, it was sitting on the bottom. We had to wait until 9 pm when the tide would be high enough for us to be afloat. Then we moved it by hand to the slip next to the boat launch bay so we would have enough water to get out of the marina the next day. Our engine is in but not yet functional.

Morning came. The day's high tide was after 1 pm so we took the time to secure the mast to the deck. We'll get all the rigging in order and have it lifted into place at Davis Island when we're ready. It took some serious pulling but we got over the infamous hump in front of the launch bay and then pulled it up next to Win and Kristy's boat. We tied our bow to their stern and they towed us out of the marina and up to Davis Island. The trip lasted from about noon to 7 pm. We met up with Jason and the five of us; Win, Kristy, Jason, Rocky and I went to an Italian restaurant on Davis Island that we had been to before. We were planning on going out to Ybor City for drinks but it was already after 9 pm and we were all pretty tired. So we all went back to our boats. It was nice to finally be back in the water.

SPLASHING AND TOWING THE BOAT TO DAVIS ISLAND

2006-02-10T10:27:00.001-08:00

Coming up on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Dolphins off the starboard bow

Sunset

Johnny B on the bow

Johnny B during the tow to Davis Island

Splashing the Pearson

Almost ready to be towed to Davis Island

Almost ready...

Putting the mast on horizontally

IT'S IN THE WATER- SPLASHED!

The Pearson in the lift

The drop keel

Splashing the boat at Cortez Cove Marina

Rocky on the Pearson

Rocky releasing the drop keel

February 10, 2006

LIFTING THE NEW ENGINE

2006-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

The "Goodbye everyone because our rates are going through the roof" party

The Pearson 38

Rocky overseeing the engine lift

Rocky and engine

The Beast

New engine!

2006-02-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

So,
Pat McCartin
Inland Marine Diesel
Buford, GA
404-513-4414
Service and parts for all diesel auxiliaries
Sales of Yanmar, Westerbeke/Universal,
and Beta Marine.
Generators from,
Fischer-Panda and Westerbeke
Mermaid Marine Air Conditioning

He was nice enough to deliver our new 'used' engine from Georgia! Ok, so he was comming to St. Pete anyway... He brought the first rain we have seen in weeks. He got trapped by floods and falling roofs along the way, but arrived safely.

The engine is a Universal M25.
Thanks Pat!

New Bottom Paint Today.. Horray

2006-02-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

CORTEZ COVE MARINA, CORTEZ, FL

2006-02-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jan. 15. Low Tide From The Far Dock

Jan. 15. Joe Making Sure

Johnny B's Got His Ears On

January 15

The 40 HP Yanmar That Didn't Fit

Jan. 19. Johnny B and

Deleted due to paranoid schizophrenia

Working Below

Jan. 19. Sunset From The Far Dock

Jan. 25. After 4 Coats of White Paint

Jan. 25. The Beautiful Painted Transom

Jan. 25. After The Second Coat of White Paint

The Bow Peak being Reborn

Just Before The First Coat of Paint

Johnny B In The Cockpit

Rocky and Johnny B Applying The First Coat

Johnny B Mixing Paint

Jan. 12 to Feb. 1, 2006. Rocky and I got right to work on the boat after my vacation. Our friend,

Deleted due to paranoid schizophrenia

When I first got back to Cortez, FL, Rocky, Michael, Jason and I took a road trip to Pensacola, FL, 7 hours away, to pick up a 40 HP diesel engine for our boat. The seller had limited information regarding the engine's dimensions so we took a chance and went to pick it up. It turned out to be too big to fit our boat so we resold it on ebay. We've got another engine that we know will fit being delivered here on Friday, Feb. 3. We were hoping to get our boat out of the yard and into the water by the first of the month to avoid the skyrocketing rates here at the marina since they officially opened the boat yard. We had our boat delivered here from Ft. Pierce on the Atlantic coast several months before the yard officially opened for business. The dry storage rates (having a boat in the yard) are increasing monthly from $12/foot/month to $15 to $20 to $25 by March 1 so it's definitely time to get in the water.

We'll be securing our mast on the deck and then get towed back to Davis Island Yacht Basin where we spent last summer. There, we can get all of our rigging in order before raising our mast by way of leverage between two other boats while we're at achor there. That should be interesting. We have many friends at Davis Island and although we can't wait to head down to Central America, it'll be nice to spend some more time with them.

End 2005

2005-12-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve, 2005-2006
From The Marina

Pearson Invicta II, Christmas 2005

Houseboat Joe, Christmas 2005

Deleted due to paranoid schizophrenia

Pearson Invicta II, Christmas 2005

New Table in Cosmic Debris
Getting Her Ready to Sell
December 10, 2005

New Galley in Cosmic Debris
Getting Her Ready to Sell
December 10, 2005

So, JB went off to his P's in Mt. Prospect. Joe came down to straighten out his SS. We have been working pretty steady on the boat. We worked out most of the 12 volt. I spent a whole day sanding, with a day or two more to go. The marina apparently sent out their new rates.... Hope we sell the buc before next month.

I hope all of you are well this CHRISMAS SEASON! Rocky.

From Johnny B: Dec. 11, 2005 to Jan. 5, 2006.

I took an extended vacation to my parent's house in Illinois- Dec. 11 to Jan. 5. My dad was supposed to have knee surgery so I was going to help out at the house since my mom doesn't drive. This was also a chance to get my parent's on ebay and start selling some of my mom's little treasures like lead crystal items and handmade porcelain dolls. The ebay venture went well and my dad picked up the process like a champ. My mom was very excited about the whole thing and constantly checked the bids and watchers for the items we listed.

I had come up with the perfect Christmas present that I would give to both my sisters' families and my brother and his wife- astronomical telescopes. It was a gift that all of their families could enjoy- fun, cool and educational. So I picked up three 4.5 inch main mirror telescopes.

My sister, Patty and her 3 kids stopped off at my parent's house on their way from Georgia to the upper northeast where they would be spending Christmas Day with her husband Dave's family. Dave had some business to attend to at that particular time so I didn't get to see him. But I had a great time with Patty and the kids, Taylor, Kendall and Tanner. They're great kids, very smart and polite. With so many dysfunctional families these days, it's great to know that my brother and sisters have such good kids.

My parents and I drove into Chicago to spend Christmas Day with my oldest sister, Sue, her husband Edek%2

MICHAEL, NATALIE & ROXANNE'S HOUSE, FT. PIERCE, FL

2005-11-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

Natalie cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for us on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was awesome. I had a total of 8 full plates of turkey with all the fixin's between Saturday and Monday. Michael picked up Rocky and I from Cortez on Friday. We arrived in Ft. Pierce shortly after dark. Rocky and Michael went online and we decided to try the "Sake Japanese and Thai Restaurant" in nearby Vero Beach. One of the dinner specials was Lobster Roll for $12.95. Michael and I ordered that. Rocky and Natalie ordered the Tempura Chicken. Natalie also ordered the Japanese Tempura Roll. We added Tempura Shrimp and Sushi to top it off along with some Sake. The presentation was Superb, as was the food. Truly a top notch dinner experience at a reasonable price for the quality and detail that was put into it. That was Friday. Saturday was the awesome Thanksgiving Dinner with Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Rolles, etc. On Monday, we went to our favorite local All-You-Can-Eat Chinese Buffet. I gorged on Crab Legs and Claws. We always have a great time when we visit Ft. Pierce and this was no exception. Laughter is good for the soul and we enjoy plenty of it when we're here.

SHELL POINT MARINA, RUSKIN, FL

2005-11-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Rocky Scanning For Parts

Rocky at the Ready with Hammer and Drill

The Jaws of Death

Jason's New Boat in Background

Johnny B looking terrible as usual

Jason's new Pearson 35 foot Sailboat on left

7 November, 2005. Jason bought another boat from Shell Point Marina. On Sunday, Nov.6, we scavenged some parts and pieces from the four boats beside his. They were slated to be crushed and hauled away but we didn'tnow when. We returned on Monday just as the track hoe operator was preparing to dig into the first boat. We began scavenging some more as the operator began munching the boats with the track hoes jaws of death. He even tore up some sections of deck so we could get to a few stanchion plates.

HALLOWEEN AT CORTEZ COVE MARINA

2005-10-31T09:54:00.000-08:00

Denise (Martini) and Jimmy (Buzz Light) Left, Johnny B Center, Virgil and Val on Right

Rocky Enjoying The Festivities

Win With His Daughter, Georgia

Dave is a True Southerner and Installed an Ice Machine in the Laundry Room

Ruby, Denise and Jimmy's Rotweiler, is one of the few Female Dogs here

Cocoa, One of Win and Kristy's Dogs, is a Funny Little Guy. Poor Cocoa can only stay out of the way when the Big Dogs are Getting Crazy on the Dock

Ruby Hanging Out

(Below) Win, Kristy and Jimmy

CORTEZ COVE MARINA, CORTEZ, FL

2005-10-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Win, Kristy and Win's Grandson

The Party Dock From That Denzel Washington Movie

Our New 38 Foot Pearson Invicta II, Looking Fore

Our New 38 Foot Pearson Invicta II, Looking Aft

Johnny B and Houseboat Joe on The Invicta II

Win's Dog, Radar, Checking Out The Dolphin

11 September, 2005 to Unknown. Well, here we are, back at Cortez Cove Marina. Now we've got our 27 foot Bayliner Buccaneer sailboat in a slip with power (AND AIR CONDITIONING), our 38 foot Pearson Alberg Invicta II sailboat in the yard, and a huge semi trailer box for storage. Many of the same people are here from before but the Seahorse Bar and Grill is now Pelican Pete's. I haven't been in there yet and and have little desire to go there. The Seahorse was great because of the owners but they're gone. We've been working on the new boat here as well as preparing Buccaneer so we can sell it. Our friend, Joe, from Davis Island comes down on Tuesdays to hang out and help us work on the boat. He works with his dad in Bradenton (nearby) on Tuesdays so he's already in town for the visit. He was able to do some surfing as Hurricane Rita passed offshore, despite his neck and back injuries.

Arno, who runs the marina, is currently building a new dock so he can haul boats in and out of the water. It's supposed to be done by November, 15. We still see manatees here and some dolphins have wandred in. On Tuesdays, we have pot luck parties on the big dock. The dock was built for a Denzel Washington movie called "Out of Time" (I believe that's the title). The parties have been great with awesome food. I even secured a load of blue crabs the other day from The Tow Boat U.S. guy here (Finny). He brought the catch in too late for market so he offered them to me. I gladly accepted and brought them out to the dock. Virgil was having a birthday party for one of his friends that night. Win and Christi did most of the cooking work but I ran acros the marina ten times, taking out the garbage, securing cooking pots, propane, and paper towels and running messages. I enjoyed helping out with the party and even cleaned up the whole dock afterwards. Michael, Natalie and Roxanne were mandatorily evacuated from Hutchinson Island in Ft. Pierce for Hurricane Rita so we got two hotel rooms in Tampa and stayed there as the hurricane blazed through South Florida.

SAILING ACROS TAMPA BAY AGAIN

2005-09-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Johnny B Sailing Under The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay

Johnny B Sailing Across Tampa Bay

So we sailed from Davis Island Sea Plane Basin Back to Cortez.

DAVIS ISLAND SEA PLANE BASIN, TAMPA, FLORIDA

2005-09-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

18 May to 10 September, 2005. We arrived here after a long, slow sail across Tampa Bay. Gail had sent us a satellite photo of the basin and we had done lots of research concerning this anchorage. It is situated near downtown Tampa, between The Davis Island Yacht Club and The Peter O' Knight airport. There is a small beach here, a boat ramp and a dog walk park. We've only seen one sea plane land in the basin the whole time we spent here. We arrived late in the day and dropped anchor among dozens of other boats (mostly sailboats) in this small basin.

Gail's house was about 8 miles away, just off Bayshore Blvd. In July, Gail married her fiancee Marc. The wedding and reception was at the local VFW. We videotaped the whole affair and have since loaded it onto Gail's computer. The VFW offers a Sunday breakfast that is open to the public and is funded by donations only. We have attended many Sunday breakfasts there. You simply fill out the card with your preferences and soon after, a huge plate of well prepared food arrives. You can get beer from the bar or fill up your own Bloody Marys or Screwdrivers from the dispensers- all for donations only. We've always been good tippers and so donated accordingly.

On about the third day, we came back to the basin to find our boat tied up to another sailboat. Our anchor had gotten away. Jason had just sent us the anchor from Maryland and Rocky was devastated that we lost it. Mikey was the one who had secured our boat after it had broken free.

Mikey is an avid master of Aikido (I think that's how you spell it), a martial art based on non-violent self defense. He pretty much takes care of the basin. He's dropped several moorings for people there, including us. He has a sailboat rafted (attached side to side) to a power boat. The sailboat has no engine but he takes it out to drop moorings, etc. with ease and then smoothly returns it to his mooring with the power boat. He has taken possession of a 55 foot power boat whose owner apparently brought it to the basin to die. Both engines work on this boat but the rudder is damaged so there's no steering. Even so, Houseboat Joe managed to steer the boat with the dual engines across the basin for relocation purposes. Mikey is also tending to a 55 foot wooden sailboat that he wants to bring back to life. he's a busy guy. He's a Vietnam veteran. He also led the fight against Tampa, even hiring lawyers, for the rights of the boaters to live in the basin. The boaters won.

Houseboat Joe is another good friend we made in the basin. We spent many days and evenings on his houseboat, jamming tunes and playing on the internet. He has a large generator so we hung out in the air conditioning and had power for the computer. Joe learned how to use the computer and surf the internet quickly. Some days, we couldn't tear him away from the computer. Joe was in a rollover car wreck (the other person's fault) and is currently fighting the system for some benefits. His neck and back were injured pretty bad in the wreck. Rocky took some video of Joe playing his guiter for "The Houseboat Joe Show" that we would like to post online someday. We've even got Mikey tying some nautical knots for the show. Joe's houseboat is like the clubhouse of the basin.

Raymond and his family live on a large power boat in the basin. He came over and secured an additional anchor on our boat when Hurricane Dennis passed nearby. He also sold us an outboard motor that we used to get back to Cortez Cove Marina in September. His wife Lelena is also very cool. She led the latest fight against the Yacht Club for a slanderous article about the people anchored in the basin. She prevailed, closing down the Yacht Club's boat lift (with Houseboat Joe's help) for environmental violations. Because of her, one of the local police officers has to spend off-duty time writing parking tickets for Yacht Club members on Tuesdays during their weekly race. Their kids are cool too.

Red and his brother, Jeff also live in the basin. Red's houseboat has a rebel flag and barking dog. His brother, Jeff survives on a small sailboat. He has since purchased a larger, nicer sailboat for $100 from a local woman who is a member of the yacht club. Sweet deal. Red and Jeff have lived in the basin for several years.

We also got to know Clark. He has a very nice 45 foot "yacht" named Temptress. His boat has a steam room in it. He also builds wind generators. He's been down the island chain and visited some of the paradises we hope to visit. Clark is the only other person in the basin with wireless internet service. He goes on many dates with women he meets online. He is considered one of the live-aboards in the basin but spends much of his time at his house in Mount Dora.

Gideon is also a Vietnam veteran. He's a wild one. I drank many a beer with Gideon. We also met Tom who sold his 27 foot sailboat shortly after we got there. He then moved back to Panama. Tom was an avid rum drinker and had one of Clark's wind generators on his boat. It produced lots of power and Tom played many DVD's with the excess power while entertaining on his boat. We also met Dave who is on a sailboat that Joe plucked off the wall after one of the 2004 hurricanes. The owner let it go cheap. Jay is an australian looney tune (by his own words) who lives on a sailboat there. He finds humor n almost everything. From what I understand, he got stuck in the U.S. and wants to return to Australia. We also met Randy, another Vietnam vet, when we first arrived but didn't see much of him after that.

During our stay in Tampa, Rocky, Jason and I purchased a storm damaged Pearson sailboat located in Ft. Pierce on the other coast. After closing the sale and pumping over 7,000 gallons of rainwater from the boat (it sat in the yard for many months), we received the title. Although we bought the boat as a 35 footer, the title indicated that it was actually a 38 footer with a drop keel. We were pleased. Rocky has since determined that it is a Pearson Invicta II of which there were only 12 produced. We had the boat trucked across the state to Cortez Cove Marina. That is our next destination.

SHELL POINT MARINA, RUSKIN, FL

2005-05-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

10-17 May, 2005. We stayed here to check out a real neat 39 foot Ericson racing sailboat. It was a bank reposession. It was packed with mahogany and pretty much ready to go with minor repairs. We were the only bidders and put a reasonable bid on it.We didn't quite meet the "recommended" starting bid but hoped they would part with it since no one else had placed a bid. It wasn't ebay so there was no reserve or official starting bid. They dragged their feet until someone offered $12,000 so we obviously didn't get the boat. The no-see-ums were unruly here- to the point of maddening! This is another Florida marina that is selling off to the condo developers. Either way, we have no desire to return.

BLIND PASS MARINA, ST. PETE BEACH, FL

2005-05-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Mary, Jay-Man, Gail, Marc and a Mysterious Stranger Playing Tri-Ominos at Bob's House

Mary and Johnny B at Bob's House

Johnny B at Bob's House

Mary

Johnny B and Mary at Bob's House

Mary and Gail at Bob's House

Rocky, Mary and Johnny B, on the way to Egmont Key

Mary

Mary and Johnny B, Egmont Key, FL

21 April to 9 May, 2005. We dinghyed Mary to the boat and began our multi-bridge journey to Blind Pass Marina just a few miles away. This marina is next to the bridge connecting St. Pete Beach to Treasure Island, where Rocky and I lived in the late 90's. Mary had actually visited us when we lived on Treasure Island so it was pretty cool to have her staying on the boat with us several years later just a few blocks from our old house. We went to Caddy's bar on the beach as we had done before but the Tiki bar that Mary remembered so fondly had closed down. She is one of our very best friends. When Rocky and I first left Southern Illinois after college, we moved to Denver and lived with Mary for a little while before getting a few places of our own. Those were great years with Mary in Denver.

We met Dino and Mikey shortly after we arrived at the marina. Dino works part-time on a boat (you can see it right across from the marina) that takes people out to Egmont Key where there is one of the oldest functioning lighthouses in America. It was also a military fort during the Spanish-American War. He comped the three of us a trip the following day and we took him up on it. It's normally $30 / person. He asked that we tip $20 since the trip was free for us so we tipped $30. It was fun. We hung out on the island (Egmont Key) for 2 hours where there are lots of turtles (or tortoises). Rocky found a big shark tooth and gave it to Mary. On the way back, we had dolphins, including a baby, putting on a show in our wake. We had a great time during Mary's visit and it was great to see her.

Mikey has been at the marina for fifteen years. He has a Skipper key dog named Skippy. Skipper Keys are bred to live on boats. They helped to take care of the rats that plagued 18th and 19th century ships. He's a great little dog and I told Mikey that I would work a Skipper Key named Skippy into my screenplay. Mikey is great. He's a "tough guy" and so is Skippy. His latest boat is a 30 foot homebuilt sailboat from the 1930's with Ketch rigging (two masts) that he bought for $1,000 at the marina. This boat is solid and could take a beating. The interior is mostly empty but it's in very good shape. Mikey let us plug into his electric (and cable that was suposedly cut off) for a 12 pack of Heinekin. Electricity at this marina requires opening an account with the electric company (same for cable). We also met Kevin who had a beautiful aft-cabin / center-cockpit sailboat. The aft cabin is great because it provides a completely separate cabin for some get-away privacy when necessary.

MAXIMO POINT ANCHORAGE, GULFPORT, FL

2005-04-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

19-20 April, 2005. We finally crossed Tampa Bay to get here just in time for Mary's arrival from Denver, CO. Our friend, Jay, who we met when we lived in Tampa back in the late 90's, came to pick us up and take us to Bob's house. Jay is renting the "mother-in-law" apartment on Bob's property. Rocky, Mary and I stayed at Bob's house for 2 nights. Gail and her fiancee Marc were also there most of the time and we had a great time hanging out by the pool.

When Rocky and I first arrived in Tampa on Christmas Day, 1997, from Denver, it was raining. Either January or February, 1998, the rainfall totaled something like 27 inches for that month, breaking the record set in the 1880's by something like 10 inches. That was our introduction to Florida after driving from Denver (including a fierce Oklahoma ice storm). Shortly after we arrived in Tampa, we met Bob and Billy, who threw these great pool parties. We also met Gail, Jay, Rich, Hippie Don, Timmy and a lot of other great people.

We are currently in constant touch with Gail, who was living in a house that Bob owned in Zephyrhills (yes, the spring water). We were at a hurricane party at the house in Zephyrhills when we won the first 24 foot sailboat on ebay. We had evacuated Michael, Natalie and Roxanne from Ft. Pierce (on the Atlantic coast) and Timmy was with us also. We even called Hippie Don but he was on his way to Michigan for a month so we didn't get to see him. It was nice to be back among so many good friends after our journey from Chesapeake City, MD. Of course, we had a great time visiting Michael, Natalie and Roxanne in Ft. Pierce before going through the Okeechobee Cut to the Gulf Coast of Florida.

CORTEZ BRIDGE ANCHORAGE, ANNA MARIA ISLAND, FL

2005-04-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

16 to 18 April, 2005. We left the marina and anchored here again to wait out the weather before crossing Tampa Bay. We discovered that our dinghy was gone from the dinghy dock one day after spending some time on the island beaches. We thought it had been stolen but discovered that some kids had thrown a dead fish in it and released it. It had drifted to a nearby private dock where we recovered it. We now lock our dinghy to dinghy docks. I went back to the Sea Horse one night. I hung out after they closed and didn't get back to the dinghy until almost 6 am. It was pretty rough to dinghy against the current after a long night of drinking but I finally made it back to the boat. When we got a favorable weather report and set out, we were delayed by an accident on the Anna Maria Bridge (just after the Cortez Bridge). Two openings were cancelled due to the accident. We encountered several asshole motorboaters throwing up huge wakes right next to us but once we were through the second bridge, the ride was fairly comfortable across Tampa Bay.

CORTEZ COVE MARINA, CORTEZ, FL

2005-04-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

A few of my buddies. Don't worry, I let them go.

Manatee, Cortez Cove Marina

The SV Cosmic Debris, Cortez Cove Marina

15 February to 15 April, 2005. Our longtime friend, Gail came down to Anna Maria Island so we could seek out a marina to stay at for awhile. We found Cortez Cove Marina on the other side of the bridge from the anchorage. $10 / foot / month with electricity. We call our boat 26 feet (actually 26'8") so for about $550, we spent 2 months here with electricity, showers and free laundry facilities. Actually, I jumped ship for one of those months to stay at our friend Rich's house. I was hoping to get some work done on my manuscript. I actually experienced a little culture shock at the apartment on the corner of Himes and Waters in Tampa. Endless traffic, constant sirens and millions of people scrambling around with stress in the air. I did manage to get some work done. But mostly, I just needed a break from the small boat we've been living on for several months. Rocky and I are best friends but sometimes, you just gotta get away.

Gail made us promise to be in the area by 20 February because she had a surprise for us. We had no idea what it was. When we arrived at her house, she produced Jason, the salesman from Harbour North Marina in Maryland where we bought the boat. We had become good friends with Jason and we finally knew why his plans to visit us had sizzled out. It was a great surprise and, in my opinion, one of Gail's greatest moments. She had another great moment when some guy was standing in the median shading his eyes from the sun. Gail drove right next to him and popped him a hard salute. Embarrased, he pulled his hand down and Gail did the same as if the salute was returned. We were laughing so hard we almost had to pull over.

Cortez is a great little town near Bradenton. We crossed the bridge on our new fold up bicycles many time to return to Anna Maria Island and rode the bus into downtown Cortez for Wal-Mart and all you can eat Chinese food on many occasions. Michael even came over from Ft. Pierce to visit. I particularly enjoyed the Sea Horse Oyster Bar and Grill just outside the marina. $1 drafts and good people. The first few times I went there, I spent less than $10 a night and had a blast. The last time I went there, I brought $5 and when I ran out of money, Dave, the owner, shoved a $20 bill in my hand so I would stay. Now that's service! I even did 'Help' by the Beatles and 'Satisfaction' by The Rolling Stones during Karaoke one night. If you're ever in Cortez, Florida, go to the Sea Horse. They've even got all you can eat King Crab Legs for $24.95.

Arno, the owner of the marina was a great guy, as were the other boaters living there. Many of them were musicians doing gigs in the area. There were several manatees living in the marina. We met Win and Christy who made the cover and centerfold of Motorboating magazine recently. They deliver yachts for a living and have sailed extensively throughout the region, including Central America. Rocky helped get Win's laptop up and running. Win then let Rocky copy NOAA charts for the entire world. To purchase these charts individually would cost somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000. Once we get a good GPS system to tie them into, we've got the entire planet covered. We can use them as is, but a GPS system would produce real time results for any trip across the globe.

CORTEZ BRIDGE ANCHORAGE, ANNA MARIA ISLAND, FL

2005-02-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

10 to 14 February, 2005. There were a lot of derelict boats anchored here. There is a dinghy dock next to the Anna Maria Pier and lots of cool stuff on Anna Maria Island. The island beaches here are beautiful with lots of beautiful bodies to look at. There was a convenience store, several good restaurants, even a grocery store and post office on the island. I highly recommend Anna Maria Island to anyone traveling through the area. The main beaches even have concession stands. The water was finally getting warm and we got our first taste of salt water in several years while swimming here.

FREE DOCK, VENICE, FL

2005-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

9 February, 2005. The free dock here is right next to the Venice Yacht Club. There's supposed to be room for 4-5 boats but this huge yacht (that in my opinion, could've afforded to be in a slip at the Yacht Club) took up nearly the entire dock. There was just enough room for us to get in. The Game Warden who patrols the area to insure that the 72 hour limit on free dockage is enforced, asked us about the registration for our boat which we easily produced. We purposely didn't put the stickers on our hull because we knew, by law, that it wasn't required. He recommended that we put the stickers on the hull so we did. He claimed that he was doing us a favor by not writing us a ticket but we were fully aware of the law in this regard and it simply wasn't required. After cutting through all the BS, we came to like him. I even sent him a Civil War CD a few days later because he was a Civil War buff. There were a lot of snooty people in condos there but we enjoyed our stay.

CAPTIVA ISLAND, FL

2005-02-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

8 February, 2005. This was a nice anchorage. I must admit that I'm finally catching up on this blog and simply don't remember anything in particular about this anchorage. I do remember that we saw lots of dolphins here but we've been seeing dolphins everywhere. There are so many nice anchorages on the Gulf Coast. The Atlantic coast doesn't even come close to the beauty and the beaches of the Gulf Coast.

FRANKLIN LOCK AND DAM, ALVA, FL

2005-02-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

Johnny B just waking up

Rocky

Rocky on the phone

Rocky

6 to 7 February, 2005. It was nice to get to the other Army Corps of Engineers campground for $8 / day with electricity and showers. The nearest convenience store was about 5 miles away but one of the RV campers there let me use his bike to ride there. We didn't do a whole lot here. Mostly just took the time to relax. I did have an old friend stop by and we had a great time.

FREE DOCK, LABELLE, FL

2005-02-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

4 to 5 February, 2005. Another free dock with electricity. Docking here is done Meditteranean Style (either bow or stern straight in- and no finger dock or anything to step off the side of the boat. You drop your anchor to keep from swinging too much. We docked stern in and found that our outboard was getting slammed up underneath the dock whenever a wake would come through- so we pulled forward. It was very difficult to jump from the boat to the dock and vice versa. There was a post office here so we were able to get out a few orders. There was also a U-Save grocery store a few blocks away but we were stocked up so didn't need it. There was also a laundromat a few blocks away with a bar inside. I got laundry done and the foreman for Florida Aluminum and Steel bought rounds of pitchers so I was able to have a few beers for free while doing laundry.

The bridge just before the dock here opens on request (like most bridges) and apparently we got lucky getting the bridge tenders attention. A guy who knocked on our boat had a Bayliner Buccaneer like ours and we talked for awhile. He said that he once had to actually climb up the ladder to get the bridge tenders attention after trying his radio, his cell phone and using his horn. The bridge tender had the TV up so loud that he didn't hear this guy. Then, another guy in a sailboat who docked next to us here said that after numerous attempts to contact the bridge, he actually called 911 because he thought something might have happened to the bridge tender. The 911 operator was able to contact the bridge tender and let the guy through. I think this bridge tender needs a new job.

CITY DOCK, MOORE HAVEN, FL

2005-02-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

Moore Haven Lock

Lake Okeechobee, Rim Route

Johnny B, Lake Okeechobee, Rim Route

Lake Okeechobee, Rim Route

Burning downed trees from the season's hurricanes

1 to 3 February, 2005. Well, we're out of Lake Okeechobee. We stayed 3 night here but only had to pay for one at 75 cents per foot. This place has a great grocery store nearby (B & B Grocery) with lots of great deals. We bought a lot of food here, including a package containing several cloves of garlic and several jalapeno peppers for 33 cents. They have carts of damaged cans for pennies on the dollar too. We also found a Goodwill store and bought a Presto WeeFry Skillet for $2.99 and a Dustbuster for $2.99. The skillet is great because we don't have to use up our propane to cook when we have electricity. We can even heat up the coffee pot on it.

We met Lance, a homeless guy whose mother's property was confiscated by the government for some dumb reason. Very nice guy. He was staying at the video store owned by his friend who was currently out of the country. The front window was smashed out and apparently he had to contend with rats in there. Even though he was down on his luck, he bought some ribs and chips to cook up for us on one of the grills at the dock. He even bought the beer! It was fun to grill and drink beer all day for a change. We were issued a key for the shower here and we let him use it. The night before we left, the water pump on the dock sprung a leak and gushed water over the dock for an hour or so until someone came to turn it off. We had read about a 90 year old woman who had bought the bank building here and had a trimaran (triple-hulled sailboat- possibly for sale). I went into the "Anne Tiques" store that she owned but she was in Texas. Apparently, her husband owned the boat and didn't want to sell it.

TOWN DOCK, NEXT TO SLIM'S FISH CAMP, BELLE GLADE, FL

2005-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

Johnny B

Free Dock

Bird mating dance

The misspelled No Swiming sign and warning for the single alligator that stalked the bathroom

A rare Florida Pelican

Slim's

View from bridge that leads to Slim's

Bridge that leads to Slim's

Free Dock

The Buccaneer

The Buccaneer in paradise

Some record fish on display at Slim's

The Buccaneer hiding out

The hand-crank bridge that leads to Slim's

20 to 31 January, 2005. As soon as we passed through the lock and into the lake, the waves were hitting us from the side and we rocked pretty hard. The shelves in the boat were falling over even though the waves weren't all that big. Rocky took the tiller and I worked on the computer. We saw at least 20 monster alligators in Lake Okeechobee- some at least 12 to 15 feet long. Scary but also very cool. About 2 hours into the trip, we arrived in a protected channel and the trip smoothed out. Before arriving at the town dock, we passed under a manually operated bridge. This poor guy breaks out a long metal pole, inserts it into the bridge gears and begins walking the wheel. After we were docked, I was able to ask him if they paid him well and he said that they did. The town dock here is in the middle of Slim's Fish Camp. The marina here is totally destroyed but there are many campers and fisherman around.

We were able to hook up to the free electricity at the fish cleaning stand here. Free dock with free electricty- priceless. This place is a bird watcher's paradise even though most of the birds are pelicans. I walked the 2 to 4 miles into town (Belle Glade) several times for supplies since the small store here is not only limited but they don't accept credit cards. I see lots of turtles in the creek along the way. Somewhere along the line, I threw my lower back out (still don't know how) and I could barely stand or walk for several days. Even after nearly a week, it still hurts but I'm much more mobile. Rocky caught 2 catfish here that he cleaned and cooked. And on January 30, a pelican collided with a transformer that cut power to he entire camp. When the transformer exploded, so did the pelican. Power was restored that night. Also, I was able to open a new ebay sellers account so when the first of the month arrives, we can start posting on ebay again. Hopefully they won't make the connection to our many accounts over the years and cancel it. Michael and Natalie traveled the 80+ miles to visit us here too. It's always nice to see them.

PORT MAYACA, FL

2005-01-19T08:12:00.000-08:00

17 to 19 January, 2005. We tied up to the dolphins (large pilings) here for three days. They are just before the Port Mayaca lock that leads into Lake Okeechobee. Apparently, the lake can get pretty mean, pretty quick since it is so shallow so we were waiting out the waves. At one point, we put the 6 HP engine on the dinghy and took it back to Indiantown Marina that we had passed on the way. We needed smokes. We din't realize that it was 10 miles behind us so when we arrived after 2 hours, it was already getting dark and we were quite cold. We stopped at a small inlet just before arriving at the marina that had some very nicely formed whelk (I think) shells. It was hard for me not to collect them for either my mom, Gail or our friend Mary in Colorado. The tiny inlet is on the north side, just west of Indiantown Marina if any of our fellow boaters are interested. When we got to the marina, they welcomed us into the clubhouse and made us coffee. One of the men even gave me 2 beers. He ended up driving us into town so we could do some shopping. We decided that bthe trip back would be grueling in the cold and dark so we threw $70 we couldn't afford at a hotel room. We dinghyed back the following morning. We finally received an agreeable report on Lake Okeechobee waters and headed into the lock.

ST. LUCIE LOCK AND DAM, ST. LUCIE, FL

2005-01-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

St Lucie Lock's resident alligator

St. Lucie Lock Recreation Area

Resident alligator

Resident alligator again

Rare flying animal, St. Lucie Lock area

The Buccaneer below the pavillion and fire pit

The Buc in its slip

The Buc again

Roxanne as Popeye

The Buc inches from the rocks

Roxanne being dinghy

The Buc AGAIN

Some sunk boat nearby

Johnny B making hamburgers

Roxanne jamming out

Michael being stoic

Michael still being stoic

2 to 16 January, 2005. Once again, our Golden Access Pass comes into play. As far as we know, this is the only Army Corps of Enginners Boat-In campground on the entire east coast. We got half price with the Pass ($8 / day) and stayed for the limit of 14 days. This place is immediately after the lock, with 8 docks. We met several people here, including Richard, we helped us dock. His catamaran was docked next to us for most of the time we spent here. I began to wonder just how much standing room he could have in his boat since the center of a catamaran is so far above the waterline. When he left, a very unpleasant man and his wife took the spot. This man treated his wife like dirt. Rocky and I were both on the verge of speaking up on several occasions. One day, his wife was in the dinghy, scrubbing the tow line and he told her to pull the plug to drain the water out. She informed him that water would come in if she did that but he insisted so she pulled the plug. When the water started coming in, he snottishly commented, "well, what do you want me to do about it?" I did hear her tell him one day that she felt sorry for him for being such a miserable man. It was nice to know that she wasn't completely beaten down. It was a great day when they left.On the other side of us was George. He was very cool but we didn't see him much- usually just when he came and went to shower. Another guy named Rich was on a double-masted sailboat that he never sails. He was a nice enough guy but very negative and basically unhappy. He came to build fires at the common fire pit in front of the docks.

There was also 2 young couples who were also on a 27 foot sailboat. I really only met Jeffrey from that group. I couldn't imagine 4 people on a boat this size. They would sail around the small body of water there to pass the days while waiting for engine parts. One night, after sitting around the fire with Rich, Jeffrey and I walked the 2 miles to the convenience store for a 12 pack of beer. Jeffrey had a small bottle of 140 proof liquor with him that he sippped on during the walk. When we got rung up at the convenience store, Jeffrey offered the cashier $5 instead of the $5.89 (or whatever) that the beer actually cost. She didn't appreciate it much. After taking the beer behind the counter, she told us to leave before she called security. I tried to apologize for Jeffrey but she wouldn't listen. When I stepped outside, Jeffrey had slammed the rest of the liquor and threw the bottle behind him. Not good. He was already too drunk before that. I managed to apologize to the cashier and she finally sold me the beer.

On the way back, Jeffrey got a little wild. At one point, he grabbed the open 12 pack and began running through people's yards. When he returned, the 12 pack was three beers short- he had dropped them somewhere. From there, I had to hold him up while we walked back. Suddenly, he just took off running ahead. I tried to find him all the way back to the campground with no luck. I went back up the road to search for him and found him laying in the grass just as a cop rolled up. His face was covered in blood and there was a puddle of blood on the sidewalk nearby. The cop was totally cool. He called the paramedics and they took Jeffrey to the hospital. I informed his boat mates and they got himk back to their boat either that night or the following day. He didn't have a cuncussion or anything but some pretty nasty scars are sure to persist. Rocky and gave them some aspirin, acetominophen, ibuprofen, naproxen and some bandages. There is an alligator that hangs out on the other side of the dam and I got a few pictures. It's about 7 to 8 feet long. Michael, Natalie and Roxanne came out for a few visits and we took the boat a few miles west for the fun of it. They enjoyed the trip, as did we. It was nice to stop somewhere for 2 weeks.

2005-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jan. 12 to Feb. 1, 2006. Rocky and I got right to work on the boat after my vacation. Our friend, Houseboat Joe, spent nearly two weeks with us doing fiberglass work among other things. Joe finally got his Social Security Disability benefits approved after years of getting the runaround. It's great to see him so much happier with the huge weight of getting jerked around by local and federal agencies finally lifted from his shoulders.

When I first got back to Cortez, FL, Rocky, Michael, Jason and I took a road trip to Pensacola, FL, 7 hours away, to pick up a 40 HP diesel engine for our boat. The seller had limited information regarding the engine's dimensions so we took a chance and went to pick it up. It turned out to be too big to fit our boat so we resold it on ebay. We've got another engine that we know will fit being delivered here on Friday, Feb. 3. We were hoping to get our boat out of the yard and into the water by the first of the month to avoid the skyrocketing rates here at the marina since they officially opened the boat yard. We had our boat delivered here from Ft. Pierce on the Atlantic coast several months before the yard officially opened for business. The dry storage rates (having a boat in the yard) are increasing monthly from $12/foot/month to $15 to $20 to $25 by March 1 so it's definitely time to get in the water.

We'll be securing our mast on the deck and then get towed back to Davis Island Yacht Basin where we spent last summer. There, we can get all of our rigging in order before raising our mast by way of leverage between two other boats while we're at achor there. That should be interesting. We have many friends at Davis Island and although we can't wait to head down to Central America, it'll be nice to spend some more time with them.

FABER COVE, FT. PIERCE, FL

2005-01-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

29 December to 1 January, 2004. We made it! This was our primary goal before spending a couple of weeks in St. Lucie, FL at the Army Corps of Engineers boat-in campground for $8 / night. Our friends Michael and Natalie live in Ft. Pierce with their daughter, Roxanne. Rocky grew up with them in Southern Illinois. We made 70 miles in one day to get here and pulled into the anchorage after dark, about 6 pm. We promptly dinghyed to shore and walked the 3 blocks to their place. They hadn't heard from us in 4 days and were quite surprised to see us. They expected we would be another day or two. They live on Hutchinson Island which was ground zero for both hurricanes (Frances and Jeanne, I think). We saw lots of damaged boats and property on the way here. Michael and Natalie live next door to a bar called Archie's which has been there for 50 years. It was pretty much destroyed by the hurricanes but they will be re-opening on February 14. Patty, the owner of Archie's got a one-day permit to have a New Year's Eve party in the parking lot with a live band. It was lots of fun. It was becoming a hassle to dinghy back to the boat everytime we needed something so we paid $15 for a slip at the apartment complex docks. I always enjoyed hanging out at Porpoise Beach across the street. The walkway that leads down to the beach is now level with the sand. The hurricanes threw mountains of sand onto the land. They're still digging out from the aftermath. A lot of people lost their rooves from the hurricanes. It's always nice to spend time with Michael and Natalie but we need to move on to Stuart.

COCOA BEACH, FL

2004-12-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

28 December, 2004. I finally got to see some dolphins riding the bow on the way here. There was supposed to be a free dock here but it looks like either the hurricanes took it out or they turned it into the boardwalk that wraps around the anchorage So we anchored and dinghyed to shore. When we visited my parents back in June, My mother was showing us some of her antiques and jewelry. She dangled a broken gold bracelt in front of us and asked if either of us wanted some gold. Of course we did so we politely accepted. I had been carrying the bracelet around in my pocker for a few weeks and when we were ashore at Cocoa, I went into a jewelry store to sell. I got $70. Rocky and I promptly went and got chicken wings and a few amber bock beers. I ordered a chicken cordon bleu and Rocky had the Mahi sandwich. We were sick of eating out of cans and needed some real food. We had been playing leap frog with another sailboat on the way here and they were eating at the restaurant too. Their boat was fairly small but they told us that its previous owner had sailed around the world in it. People keep telling us that people have sailed around the world in boats a lot smaller than ours. Although we always knew that was true, we also knew that those people must have been crazy. Even the ICW is full of perilous waterways.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL

2004-12-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Johnny B, between St. Augustine and new Smyrna Beach

A factory producing fresh air

Johnny B, between St. Augustine and new Smyrna Beach

27 December, 2004. We had great speed nearly all day (up to 9 mph at times which is awesome for any sailboat) and made 67 miles today. We could've gotten even further south but there was no good place to anchor 6 to 8 miles south of New Smyrna Beach. This put us within about 120 miles of Ft. Pierce, our primary goal. It is just possible that we could make Ft. Pierce in 2 days. I really want to spend New Years eve with Michael and Natalie there. Anyway, there were shoals everywhere here so we anchored just outside the channel at about 4 pm. We watched a few episodes of The Simpsons and King of the Hill and went to bed early (as usual) so we could get an early start the next day. We are getting hungry for long mileage days now that Ft. Pierce is within our reach. We started out about 7 am. after coffee, fought the shoals and finally got into the channel about 7:20, just after sunrise. We saw dolphins right away. Several times, Rocky has been climbing onto the bow and seeing the dolphins riding right alongside us while I'm driving so we decided that the next time we see dolphins in front of us, he'll take the tiller and I'll get on the bow so I can finally see them riding in our wake. We saw some in front of us, I climbed onto the bow and wouldn't you know it, they rode our wake aft, right next to Rocky at the tiller. Oh well, dolphins are everywhere so hopefully I'll get a chance one of these days. We should get past the Kennedy Space Center today- our goal is Cocoa Beach.

UNKNOWN BOAT YARD, SAN SEBASTIAN RIVER, ST. AUGUSTINE, FL

2004-12-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

25 to 26 December, 2004. The waves were pretty bad and it was raining but we had made our goal and reached the vicinity of Fish Island Marina ($1 per foot). But the waves prevented us from heading in there so we decided to head toward Oyster Creek Marina on the other side of the St. Augustine Inlet. We were both pretty miserable and just needed to stop so we pulled into a dock at a boat yard. There was a sign on the office door that they would be closed until December 26, so we pulled over to the next dock where there was electricity and plugged in. I heard a guy playing Christmas songs on his coronet. I politely waited until he finished "Silent Night", applauded and then and asked if there was anyone there to take our money. There wasn't so we stayed there two nights with electricity and pulled out at 6 am. on Monday morning. There were showers that we took advantage of but no washer or dryer so we dried all of our wet clothes with our electric heater. Rocky desperately needed a bacon cheeseburger so we walked into town and found a place called Holly's (It looked like a Rally Burger joint and was perfect). Rocky got his bacon cheeseburger, chili cheese fries and I had a patty melt. $23 with tip. Burgers instead of canned soup- priceless. The winds grew to 40 mph and it rained most of the time so we were happy to be tied up instead of worrying about our anchor slipping. I got a lot of work done on the screenplay of my book. Two nights of electricity for free was just what we needed.

PABLO CREEK, FL

2004-12-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

24 December, 2004. It started raining pretty hard so we diecided to anchor anywhere we could. We basically just crossed out of the ICW Channel markers and anchored next to a bridge, beside a barge. We had one round of dry clothes left so we changed into them and then Rocky lit the bomb (the 1970's catalytic heater filled with camping fuel that we originally bought to match the time period of the 1974 microbus). We were able to get a few local stations on the TV and ended up watching the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie- pretty sad. We haven't been able to pay the bills so we have no phone or internet service. So we just ate some food and worried about the anchor breaking loose as we so often do. I don't mean to complain but DAMN, can we get a break? The heater kept us pretty warm and we slept well. Exciting stuff, yes? Anyway, we set out in the morning about 7:30 am and decided to seek out a marina where we could get some electricity and dry some clothes. It's supposed to be very windy and rain quite a bit over the next two days and the temperature outlook doesn't look so hot (literally). Besides, it's Christmas- what better excuse to spend your last dime.

MALKINTOOH CREEK, OFF THE BRICKHILL RIVER, GA

2004-12-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

23 December, 2004. Arrived here 10:30 am. The radio has been telling us for 2 days that northern white whales are currently in the critical habitat areas of southern Georgia and northern Florida. We are supposed to keep a sharp lookout for them and report any sightings.They are a critically endangered species and can become aggressive so we're not supposed to approach within 500 yards of them. The other day, they were telling us to watch for a whale that was entangled in a fishing net. We'll certainly keep an eye out for them. Anyway, we keep seeing more dolphins every day and oftentimes, they are right up on the shore splashing around. We're still not sure why. We anchored in Malkintooh Creek at about 10:30 am, waited out the 30-40 mph wind gusts and then continued our journey at about 1 pm. On the way to our next anchorage, I was preoccupied with the map and came within about a foot of colliding with a channel marker attached to a telephone pole sized pylon.

BRICKHILL RIVER, NEAR CUMBERLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, GA

2004-12-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wild horses on Cumberland Island

Johnny B selecting a horse for dinner

Sunset, Cumberland Island

Wild horses on Cumberland Island

Sunset, Cumberland Island

23 December, 2004. We arrived here about 3 pm. We were going to continue the Cumberland Sound but as soon as we entered the Cumberland River, the waters got rough so we decided to wait it out until morning. We anchored next to the dinghy dock that allows you to walk to the Cumberland National Seashore. Just as soon as were secured, we looked over onto Cumberland Island and there they were- the wild horses of Cumberland Island that we had been reading about. But again, although we took many pictures, they were all too dark. I'm really starting to want a zoom lens. I watched the wild horses graze on the shore and the dolphins playing in the water next to us. It was a beautiful day but we knew another cold front was already on the way. We woke to freezing temperatures and headed down the Cumberland River, past the nuclear submarine base and across the Cumberland Sound. The waters weren't too bad until we entered the bay on the other side of the sound. The waves got pretty rough but we managed through them and into the Amelia River. Alas, we were finally in warm, sunny Florida where it was freezing! We stopped for gas at the Amelia Island Yacht basin, which was closing in 30 minutes for Christmas Eve. Sometimes I woinder how we get so lucky so often. It's very comforting to know that we have 20 gallons of gas as we head into the Christmas void.

DOVER CREEK, OFF THE SATILLA RIVER, GA

2004-12-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

22 December, 2004. Arrived here 1:00 pm. We took an alternate route through Jekyll Sound to avoid the regular ICW route across St. Andrew Sound that takes you out into the ocean before continuing south. I don't think so. The alternate route adds about 5 miles but that is perfectly acceptable to us. We crossed the St. Simons Sound earlier in the day just before the weather got bad. I'm afraid of anything with "Sound" in its name these days. And my fear comes not from a sound, but from the the 5 foot waves in the river before Georgetown, SC. The ICW is not as safe as I believed. There are many openings to the ocean- large openings! We were going to continue into the Satila River but as soon as we entered the river, huge waves and swells forced us back almost immediately. We find ourselves waiting out bad water often these days. I've begun turning my science fiction book into a screenplay and got a lot of work done that afternoon.