Sunday

 

We ate an early lunch at home and then headed downtown on the golf cart with Toby. It was a beautiful 75 degrees with partly sunny skies. We wanted to time the trip from our house to the Dunedin marina, and we had some questions for the ferry operators about our upcoming trip to Clearwater Beach via the ferry with family. It took us 20 minutes to make the trip to the marina.

The ferry currently operates Friday through Sunday, Saturday being the busiest day. It leaves Dunedin at 11:50 and goes directly to Clearwater Beach Marina arriving about 12:15. The ferry back to Dunedin leaves Clearwater Beach at 1:45, so there is plenty of time to eat at one of the restaurants near the marina.

The ferry is dog friendly, and the captain let us bring Toby aboard to see how he would do. Toby did great on the dock, but resisted walking down the narrow gangplank to the floating dock, despite being lured with treats. John ended up carrying him to the floating dock, and the captain generously allowed us to come aboard for Toby to get acclimated. Toby hopped in. We sat and talked for a few minutes, enough to see that it would work. We will need to bring his mat for him to lie down on.

Our next task is to find the closest dog friendly restaurant to the marina and do a test run. Experience is NOT overrated. The ferry captain recommended The Bait House which is directly beside the ferry dock, and it’s pet friendly. The menu looks great.

We observed this wrecked sailboat without a mast and rigging at the mouth of the Dunedin harbor.

We wanted to reward Toby for his bravery, so we parked the golf cart downtown and walked to Bark Place for doggie ice cream.

Formerly Salty Paws, Bark Place has repainted and rearranged its layout. It still has the same owners.

John decided on peanut butter ice cream for Toby.

Toby sat and waited patiently this time, which the owner noticed. The last visit, Toby had his paws on the counter, knocking down all the trinkets on display. It was easy to leverage his love of ice cream into good behavior.

Whenever we take the golf cart over the Cedar Creek bridge, Toby knows the next destination is downtown Dunedin. From there, he knows his way to the ice cream shop. He will cry with anticipation from the Cedar Creek bridge until we get to the shop. And if we have any other destination in mind, he will keep nudging us to Bark Place.

Loved it. John had to help with the last bit.

New laundry hampers for the guest rooms arrived this afternoon.

Bamboo and cotton fabric, collapsible, and lightweight. We are trying our best to avoid plastics. I love online shopping. Everyday is Christmas!

We took Toby to Stirling Park in the golf cart before dinner. The thermometer said it was 71 degrees, but it was cold to us. Poor John. He said today that his new ideal temperature is 80 degrees.

Clouds have moved in since our midday outing.

Last night’s full moon.

Miles walked: 3.5

Miles biked: 0