Road trip to the Gulf Coast! Crystal River is one of our favorite, somewhat ‘close’ locales we like to escape to. We had a 4-day weekend free and Eric found a AIRBNB rental. It’s in a different location than what we have rented in the past but still meets our needs.
And here’s a tighter shot……
It’s a cute place: two bedrooms, two baths and a dock.
We got the boat in the water the next morning.
I’m waiting for him to arrive at the dock…………..
He says ‘We’ve got a problem, no electronics on the boat – nothing.’ This does not bode well for a weekend fishing trip. 😦 He looks into the well for the battery and finds this.
Huh, oh, this isn’t good. A few weeks ago he discovered that someone tried to steal our boat from the ‘secure’ storage yard and we’re thinking they tried to steal the battery. The wires were either cut, or pulled. Regardless, it spells bad news.
Score one for smart phones. Eric made two calls, got some advice for a ‘fix’ and the weekend adventure continues. This part for $6.29 should fix the problem.
Eureka! Look at that happy face.
Okay, now we can begin. What happens first, we need gas.
I’m waiting for Eric to pay, then this young kid motored up in this boat. Wow! he looked young. He tied his boat to the cleat and then his dad arrives to gas up the boat. Says he’s been driving since he was seven. His son corrects him……………’I’ve been driving since I was six’.
We finally made it to open water. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up and fishing was tough. We stopped at a promising spot in the river, and Eric got this shark. It was a good fight, but not a shark that is typically eaten. He was released to live another day.
Going back to our rental is a process. First is this channel off of the river.
Followed by several long stretches of more channel.
Going underneath this bridge.
For another stretch of the channel.
Before finally reaching our canal and we’re at the very end. Yep, it’s a journey, even on water.
Soon enough it was time for today’s main event – dinner. Adrienne was able to join us this weekend, starting tonight for an enjoyable meal at Vintage on Fifth.
We shared a bottle of wine during dinner.
Before our smoked fish dip arrived – yum. Loved the capers.
And then came my meal. I was going for a steak special, but when the waiter described Adrienne’s choice, I was won over. It was pan-fried grouper with lemon butter sauce. OMG!
We got to end the meal with one of my top choices for dessert: carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
That candle you see on the cake is there for a reason. It’s my birthday. 🙂
Ginny
Darden Travels 