Monday the 29th Diann and I had morning work to do here in Coconut Grove..
For what ever reason my laptop isn’t able to log in to the Yacht A Fun website while using our Verizon “hot spot” account. The phone shows five bars of signal but the website just won’t load.
So, at 8:30 AM we put a very large laundry bag and my laptop (protected in a dry-bag) into the dinghy and went to the Dinner Key Marina laundry facility and lounge with wifi.
While Diann did laundry, I checked business emails; wrote and uploaded this week’s article for the Hickory Daily Record; contacted a prospective agent/buyer of my last residential listing in Hickory; located Westerbeke oil filter substitutes at Crook & Crook Marine Supply; and uploaded the blog entry for Dec 27th.
Returning to our Gemini catamaran, we offloaded the laundry and laptop; made sure the dog was with fresh water; and left for afternoon lunch and errands. New construction is on the walk to the market.
New residential towers have twisted form
Lunch was at Fresh Market. We like the salads but have decided that their sandwiches are not to the standard they aspire. Great salads. Maintenance feeding quality sandwiches.
From there: we found a Fed X store for business copies; continued to walk down Grand Avenue to CVS pharmacy; picked up the #249 bus to Crook & Crooks for the oil filters; walked further on 27th Street to Shell Hardware for a marine grade stainless steel padlock; walked another half mile, or so, on 27th Street to Publix grocery; walked back to the intersection at Crook & Crooks to catch the 249 bus back to Dinner Key; walked from the bus stop to the dinghy dock and returned to Yacht A Fun with our parcels.
( Our bus driver, on 249, said we can use our luggage cart next time. If so, the Coconut Grove bus will be way ahead of the Sunshine bus in St. Augustine.)
Our walking and bus riding motion began at Noon and ended at 6:40PM. We will soon take an airplane to Raleigh and pick up the Jeep in Oriental. Having the urban friendly, easy to park, Wrangler in Coconut Grove / Miami will be worth the hassle of going to fetch it.
Extended cruising, during which every day is Saturday, is really pretty cool. If you need to run errands- and can walk, bike, or bus- the laid back aspect is such a wonderful change from the high velocity “get ‘er done” mindset.
On the other hand, it’s not exactly inspirational when walking multi-miles with: a loaded backpack (hand held VHF, flash light, iPhone, note pad, camera, pens, hats, sun glasses, reading glasses, dry good items as purchased); and with pounds of groceries (double bagged for strength) that seem to grow heavier each block traveled.
Call us weenies, but since we plan to live, work, and provide day sail charters on Biscayne Bay- having the Jeep just makes sense.