Mother that isn't me in the photo

Tax Day, April 15, 2009, Bird Key Yacht Club

Happy Tax Day everyone. I got caught in the middle of a TEA protest but more on that later. Last night had to be one of the worst nights we have ever spent on the boat. We were docked in a terrible place for what we were having to deal with weather wise. The marina is just inside the pass at Venice. When the thunderstorms started, the waves increased and they started rolling around the breakwater up the channel. We were dealing with a swell, high winds, rain and a changing tide with strong currents. The boat was rolling and pitching. We had fenders between the piling and us but because of the changing conditions, they would work their way off the piles. When they did, the boat would give bone-jarring hits to the piles. I had to get up every couple of hours and readjust dock lines and fenders. As soon as we could we untie we were out of there.

It was a short trip from there up to Bird Key. Sonya had been nice enough to get all my tax stuff overnighted to the Club, including making out the checks, furnishing envelopes and stamps. All that was required on my part was a signature and putting it in the mailbox. The signature was easy but I missed the mail person at the club and had to make a trip to the post office downtown. That is where the adventure began. It is a couple of miles into town on the bicycle over the Ringling Bridge. Grabbing the lowest gear on the bicycle and pedaling hard I get to the top. Of course going down is a real fast trip. Reminds me of going down the hill at Grandma’s house in Sycamore. When I think of some of the things, I did when I was a kid it is a miracle I am alive today. At the bottom of the bridge, there is a major intersection. There are TEA protesters everywhere, waving signs and in general creating a very good disruption of traffic. They are all friendly and I work my way thru going to and from the post office. I think I probably got there about as quick on the bicycle as you could have in a car. There was a news photographer taking photos and I wound up in one of the photo. So mother I want you to know I was not taking part in a protest march. I was an innocent bystander just like the time at the University when they were having the antiwar protest march.

Carole says I am beginning to sound like the food critic in the paper so I have to tell you about dinner last night. It started with cold refreshing Budweiser (my favorite) chilled to the perfect temperature. That was followed by a garden salad with wonderfully fresh tomatoes, garnished with a few picked beets. The main course was a scrumptious clam linguini, perfectly cooked and seasoned. The desert was a chocolate and caramel brownie. It may have been the best meal all trip. It was cooked by Carole and we ate on the boat. That is my story and I am sticking to it, forever.