Bill and Cathy McArthur on the Road 2010: 7

  Monday, February 15, started chilly but became sunny and warm by midday. Cathy went to her exercise class and the gym. Bill left early and launched his kayak at 8:05 AM with barely enough water to paddle out of the campground. The wind was calm and the tide and the chill kept early boating to a minimum, so Bill enjoyed a smooth and quiet Naples Bay and ICW. He wore his shorty wetsuit again and was starting to feel a bit too warm toward the end of the 16.3 mile, 4 hour 20 minute trip. After Bill got a hot shower and we ate lunch outside for a change, we went to Hair 911 for haircuts. Afterward, we stopped at Starbucks. Bill started working on our taxes during the late afternoon. We walked over to Tom and Jean's RV at 5:10 PM and joined them and Greg and Carol for dinner at USS Nemo's restaurant in North Naples. The food was excellent. Cathy and Bill had Mahi Mahi and Yellowtail Snapper Indian Style. We also had Tuna Tartar and Fish and Corn Chowder for starters. We got back to the RV at 7:30 PM. Bill finished working on our taxes and efiled our personal federal return. We will print and mail the other three returns in April. After the taxes, Bill ordered a new Dell laptop to use part of our federal refund.

  Tuesday was chilly and windy. Cathy went to her exercise class while Bill did some core and leg exercises and stretches. Bill rode his bike to Bad Ass Coffee for a cappuccino and then to the post office to mail a book to our Granddaughter Rachel. Bill fiddled with his iPhone as he waited in a long line at the post office. After lunch, Bill walked for 7 miles along the airport. Cathy had a meeting to attend for a ladies luncheon in March. We had an early dinner and went to the clubhouse to play bunco. Bill split the prize for most buncos. We watched some Winter Olympics coverage when we returned.

  Wednesday continued the string of days that started in 40s. Bill dressed like "Ralphie's little brother" with 3 layers on top, running tights, thigh wraps, calf sleeves, pulldown hat, and 2 pairs of gloves. He did a comfortable 5 mile run at 9:32 min/mile, which is just about the pace predicted from his Naples Half Marathon time. He felt good after the run. Cathy went to her exercise class and the gym. Bill got his kayaking gear ready and then went with Cathy to Starbucks and Publix. After a quick lunch, Bill launched in his kayak at 1:06 PM for a 4.5 hour endurance paddle. He only went 13.5 miles, but there was lots of wind and current to make it a very good workout. After Bill got back, he took a very long, hot shower and then walked to the laundry room to pick up the basket full of clothes which Cathy had washed during the afternoon. We grilled burgers for dinner and watched "Lost" and the Winter Olympics.

  Thursday stayed chilly and breezy all day. Cathy went to her exercise class. Bill worked on preparing for his tutoring session at noon. Later in the morning, we drove to Office Max and bought some CDs for a neighbor who wanted to archive some photos; we were also checking on the feasibility of blowing up some Mad Hatter drawings for a luncheon in March. We gassed the car on the way. After an early lunch, Bill rode his bike to LVCC for a good tutoring session with his student Francisco. When he returned, the "Team McArthur" shirts had arrived, so we divided them for mailing and Bill rode his bike to the post office to buy and address five mailing envelopes. After sending out the shirts, Bill rode to Bad Ass Coffee to take a break from the cold wind and recaffeinate. The cafe was totally filled with cold vacationers. Bill rode back in the chilly wind, wearing gloves. Cathy was out at her tutoring session, so Bill went over to our neighbors Fran and Denny in order to help them cut three CDs of old photos for their children. Bill ran into the old Windows restriction of no more than 128 files in a top level directory on a device. He finally remembered to put in a single top level folder and then load the files. We drove to the Office Max in North Naples to check on the Mad Hatter posters, but they couldn't make them. We drove to Grouper and Chips and had great meals. On the way back, Bill acted like a jackass, but apologized later. Bill called Tom Reilly to discuss plans for Friday's boat trip. We watched Winter Olympics coverage before bed.

  Friday was mostly cloudy and chilly, but the wind was light. We joined Tom and Jean Reilly and Greg and Carol Koesel at Brookside Marina, where we rented a boat for the day. We wore multiple layers of clothing, hats, and gloves to deal with the chill of the air. We explored the canals of Aqualane Shores and one of the lagoons of Port Royal before making a bathroom stop at Bayview Park. We continued out on the Gulf and sped north to Doctors Pass where we entered Venetian Bay. We docked and walked around the shops before eating lunch at The Village Pub. After lunch, we sped back down the Gulf and continued up Naples Bay to Haldeman Creek. We headed up to Naples Land Yacht Harbor and saw former Rock Creek neighbors Ray and Suzie on their boat. We finally dropped off the boat at around 4:30 PM after a good day on the water. We had a tortellini dinner and watched Winter Olympics.

  Saturday, Bill launched his kayak for a 4.5 hour, 18.3 mile endurance paddle which took him a mile past the entrance to Rookery Bay on the ICW. There were lots of obnoxious boat drivers out showing off their big boats. After lunch, we went to Kinkos to drop off some Alice in Wonderland drawings to be made into posters for a ladies luncheon in March. When we got back, we got into our costumes and went to the staging area for the Rock Creek Mardi Gras parade. It was quite a spectacle for such a small community. Bill won the individual marcher award; Cathy and her "boot camp" group won the award for performing group. We enjoyed dancing for few hours before packing it in for the night.

  Sunday, Bill got up at 5:30 AM and got himself ready for a big run. He started before 8:00 AM and did a 18.6 mile run as part of the medley: 5K bike, 10K run, 5K bike, 10K run, 5K bike, 10K run. Running segments: 9:30 min/mile; 9:55 min/mile; 9:39 min/mile. Lots of music and lots of GU (6 packs). After lunch, we drove downtown and visited the International Art Festival in Cambier Park. After we had enjoyed viewing the arts and crafts, we drove to Kinkos to pick up the posters. We went to Happy Hour on the bridge. For dinner, we had a quinoa and grilled chicken meal. Bill headed to bed fairly early.

        Bill and Cathy