Back at the kayak, I indeed decided to paddle to town and found a place to stash the kayak in the trees at the parking lot for the Park. Somewhat hesitant about the distance, I started walking toward the restaurant area of town. After a ½ mile, I made a firm commitment to my complaining stomach to find a place to eat – firm enough to ignore a stunning sunset over the Gulf. With ample time to think, I decided to avoid the overpriced tourist oriented seafood places and any place with local musicians playing for tips. I’ve generally been disappointed with the former and suffered through too many bad renditions of Jimmy Buffet at the later.

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I landed at Geraldi’s, the Italian Eating Place. It’s the small, hole in the wall type place I enjoy. Jose and Marita own and run the place themselves. You’d be hard pressed to find more authentic Italian – mostly pizza, salads, pasta and subs. The menu fit the place though I’m sure Jose could chef any high end Italian dish.

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I chose a calzone. For a beer, Marita directed me to the bar next door. There, to the amusement of several local barflies, the cute bartender patiently explained that it was still Happy Hour and that I would get two Stellas for $3.50. She wanted to know if I wanted the second one now or later. I couldn’t quite sort this out as I was still trying to get my head wrapped around the concept of two Stellas for $3.50.

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With a role of her eyes, she finally put an ice cold Stella and one of those little plastic dipping containers in front of me. “Bring the empty bottle and dipper back to redeem your second Stella.” She was finishing her shift but said the bartender coming in would honor it. I was now fixated on the ice cold Stella. “Sure” I mumbled and headed back to the little lattice enclosed outdoor dining area next to Geraldi’s.

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By the time I returned, which wasn’t very long because I hadn't brought my water bottle from the kayak, the story of the mumbling Yankee had made it all the way around the bar. Several patrons greeted me with a good natured laugh that I found my way back. The new bartender promptly set my second Stella on the bar.

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When I had ordered my calzone, Marita had warned me that they came large or larger. I ordered the larger, hoping to avoid cooking for another night. Still, I wasn’t prepared for what arrived. I ate about a third. Two nights without cooking! The two Stellas soothed my feet on the walk back to the kayak. L.T.’s anchor light guided me home.

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I won't pretend that every day is this good. My novice mistakes and forgetfulness have made for some awkward moments, but haven’t had any serious consequences yet. The learning curve is still sometimes frustrating, especially with seemly infinite variations and combinations of my chart plotter, radar and sonar. I haven’t even tried to hook up my Sirius radio system yet, mostly because I don’t have speakers but partly because I’m rationing my limited tech oriented brain cells. 

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