Day 24 – April 23

After a bouncy night, there is hope on the horizon as the winds are expected to calm down a little today; although by nightfall they are expected to pick up again.  We are off to town again, but I stop in the Ace Hardware store, which is one of the largest I have seen, and find the tubing for the generator additional tank.  When I get back and attach it, and voila, no more refueling the generator as the spare tank holds over 5 gallons of gas.  I also pick up some bolts and wing nuts to fix the dingy outboard accelerator extension, which was given to me by one of our neighbors at our dock. 

We wander down to Duval again and stop for ice cream; Kohrs, which I remember from the summers on the Jersey boardwalks.  Beth has a chocolate with chocolate sprinkles, and I have the vanilla and orange sherbet swirl (my favorite from the boardwalk).  The crowds from yesterday are replaced with crowds from a cruise ship.  We make our way to the harbor and then back up Duval.  We turn south and head to the Truman Annex section, and stroll through the “little White House” grounds.  After leaving the annex, we end up by the harbor again, where we find the KW art museum.  There are several sculptures on the outside, and Beth takes several pictures.  We turn on to the boardwalk by the cruise ship and gaze across the harbor at Sunset Key where there are parasails everywhere.  With the winds and waves easing, they are out in force; same with the snorkel tours, which were probably cancelled the last few days.   

After several hours, we return to the dingy dock.  Beth snaps several more photos of the houseboats that are right next to us, as well as the Naval housing which she intends to send to Lauren.  Dinner is a nice spinach salad, and shortly after dinner, if on cue, the winds pick up for the night.  We are getting used to sleeping through the rocking and wave slap.