PAIN IN THE NECK

Home in Port Charlotte

FIFTY THREE DEGREES!



The first cold front of the fall season has arrived in Southwest Florida. We have had quite an extended summer here, with record highs in the mid 90's throughout October, so this was a welcome and much needed change. It will warm up to the low 70's this afternoon. We left the windows open and hid under the covers last night and that's always comfy.



Friday we drove to DeBary for Kathy's brother's daughter's wedding. We had a very nice time but I ended up pinching a nerve in my neck and I have been in pain now for over 24 hours. It hurt so much we changed our plans of staying up north for Saturday night and just drove straight home after the wedding. We have one of those massage wands and I needed some therapy bad. It provides relief when we work on it but I'm up at 4AM Sunday; still in pain.



I am flying out to Baltimore tonight at 5:45 and be gone until Saturday afternoon. I will be bringing our neighbors, Ronnie and Carol, to the airport with me as they head home to NY until February. I just checked the current conditions in Baltimore and it's 38*, raining with winds of 12, feels like 30*. The high today is going to be 49*. Oh boy. I'm glad I checked because I was going to just bring a light windbreaker but that's COAT weather, right there. I remember last March when I went up there without a coat and it was 12* with snow on the ground. I don't like cold weather. I wonder if I should try to get by with a windbreaker though, because when I start going to Boston and Philly it's going to be really cold and I don't want to spoil myself.

Ronnie bought a little canal boat from a lady here in town. It's a 12' Carolina Skiff with a 15 HP outboard and a trailer. He only paid 650.00. What a deal! The lady lost her husband in September and they were avid boaters, with a deep water canal home, 5 minutes from the harbor. She is also selling a 1979 Hunter 37' sailboat that is in wonderful condition for only 23k. Her husband put a brand new Westerbeke Diesel in board engine on it last year. I would love to sell my boat for that but I'd have no where to park it. Sailboats are not exactly bridge friendly. I did some comparison shopping and found that she is selling that for about ten thousand below what similar make/model/year Hunters go for. I read that the old sailboats like this are quite popular still because of the way the manufacturers applied such thick coats of fiberglass back then. It makes the older models much more seaworthy than some of those made today. That is good to know. I always wondered how those older models hold such value 30 plus years later.

Our friends, Nolan and Nancy, are coming from Arizona in less than 3 weeks. We have planned out quite the good time for them. I am taking a week of vacation time and we will spend a few days touring the Keys. The Sunday we are at home will be spent on the water, weather permitting. I have planned a 120 mile boat trip for us that will take us from home to brunch at Burnt Store Marina and then cruising the intercoastal waterway to Sanibel Island and back. I'm going to focus on that every time I get cold this week.