Chicken Coops, Dog Beaches and Miami Boat Show!

It has been over 2 weeks since we laid eyes on Off Leash and 10 days since our last post.  We had hoped we would have been able to move aboard 10 days ago but, unfortunately, there were a few issues that showed up on our survey that needed to be taken care of before she could be “splashed” back into the water for us to take delivery. We are getting a taste of how frustrating it can be to have a boat in the yard. Like everything these days, with supply chain issues and labor shortages, nothing happens quickly. So the motto for the past 2 weeks…. “Hurry-up and wait!”

So what do you do while waiting? Our daughter, Ali, took us and her three doodles to the most fantastic dog beach I have seen. Located on Bonita Beach, near Naples, this was a long narrow stretch of beach with a very gradual slope into shallow water. There were over 50 dogs happily frolicking in the water, splashing and chasing balls and each other. I know Ali’s dogs were happy and you could not help but have a smile on your face while watching the action. Tuckered out, they slept well on the way home.

Our daughter’s new house is located on 2.5 acres in a rural area just east of Fort Myers. She brought a couple of her chickens from Oregon with her and over the past 3 weeks has hatched 6 more chicks and purchased 2 more.  Ten Chickens!  They obviously need a proper place to live and protection from the raccoons, bobcats and even the occasional panther that lurk in her rural neighborhood.  But, how to design the coop? That became the question. We could start from scratch but, with the cost of plywood these days, we thought we would look at other options. Ali is the queen of selling and shopping on Facebook marketplace. We looked for a used coop but they were either too worn out or too small. Karen came up with the idea to look for a children’s playhouse. We found one, rented a trailer to pick it up, and for the past few days we have been modifying it for chickens! I hope they will be happy (and safe) in it.

We also spent one day at the Miami Boat Show. Wow…. Some magnificent boats and lots of toys. We even got a picture with you tube personalities the Gayle Force Twins!

But, what about the boat? We were told the boat was scheduled to splash this coming Monday and we could move aboard at that time. Then I got a surprise call this afternoon that Off Leash splashed today and was back at the dealer dock waiting for us! There are still a few days’ worth of commissioning work to be done, but we will be able to start moving our gear aboard on Saturday! So, if all goes well, our next post should be from Off Leash. Fingers crossed!