Cruising the intercoastal

We spent most of yesterday afternoon cruising aboard Rick & Gretchen's boat down the inter coastal highway. It was a glorious, sunny afternoon that was perfect for being on the water. The boat is named Elysia, which means beautiful or heaven in Latin. And the name suits this sparkling cruiser. She is a brand new SeaRay with several custom features built in (like a flat screen TV that pops up from the cabinet, touch pads for everything from lights to flushing the toilet, a circular table the swivels and 2 bedrooms). Having all the comforts of home, they spend weekends aboard the boat regularly. Captain Rick expertly maneuvered the 60' boat through the canals and under draw bridges, eventually taking us into open water. It was a relaxing, beautiful day.

After dinner at one of their fave casual restaurants , we spent the evening watching the Superbowl at their neighbors, Julie and Lou. We especially enjoyed the private tour of their private art collection (including original Dahli, Matisse and Roya). Its safe to say we have never been in the presence of such fine art outside of a museum. I'm not confident that I truly appreciated the value of the pieces but it was highly entertaining regardless.

Spent the night at Rick & Gretchen's and then headed out for the port.