Look at that face...

No, that isn't Izzy.  Her face is more baby-kitty shaped.  That is our grandcat Alfie.  He is the new kid, at a bit over a year and a half now.  He is a big boy, and furry...

Look at that luxurious belly!  He is a Siberian Forest Cat (like his "sister," Tasha), and has his winter fur.  Yes, in Arizona.  We're anxious to see how much he has grown since we saw him last...

That breed typically continues to grow for the first four years.  For a comparison, he is now nearly twice the weight of Izzy.

A handsome boy... can you tell we don't have grandkids?  ;-)

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Jack Frost nipping at your nose.  Not really.  I stepped outside this morning to check on the boat...  that Frost bastard was trying to eat my face!  46º with a light drizzle and a biting north wind.  The "feels like" temperature is 38º... according to the Weather Channel.  I think they use that "feels like" bit because the term "wind chill" is foreign around here.  I still remember it from my years in the frozen northland.

We'll meet friends Mike and MJ for lunch later, and I'll be wearing my warmest winter coat.  In the meantime...

 The furnace is occasionally running this morning; this cottage-size home is tightly built, so it doesn't take much to warm it up.  This electric fireplace is also a space heater and keeps the living room comfy.

You're heard the phrase: "It's a dry heat."  In the Tropical Tip today, it is a wet cold.

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Time for another recording before we head out for lunch - a cover of Carole King's It's Too Late...

https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/its-too-late

A conga track instead of full drums.

A day's difference...

24 hours ago, we were just pulling in from a truly delightful dolphin experience.  Today... it started out windy and drizzly, with the temps dropping all day; to a chilly 52º with a strong north wind.  The rain has stopped for now.  Nothing I needed to go outside for today.  Well, other than a quick step outside to press the button on some of our Christmas rope lights to switch them from green to white... for some reason, they come on green.  White works better with the rest of the lights.

Another day or three and those will come down.  Joan put away all the indoor Christmas decorations today.

From what I read, many people with a cat have problems with their feline family member attacking the tree.  We have been fortunate: our first kitty, Smoke, was pretty small and she only swatted at the low hanging decorations.  Raise those up, and all was good.  Molly never bothered any decorations, but she was more like a furry person than a cat. Izzy is just the sweetest little thing ever, and doesn't cause problems; has never gone after Christmas decorations or anything on a table or shelf.

I see that much of the country is having severe cold and wintery weather.  I don't miss that a bit.  These northers that blow in this time of year are more than enough to make me appreciate our sub-tropical climate.

A triple!

Yep, third post for the day.  As an update, we went out for BBQ for lunch - we saw the FedEx truck heading onto our island as we were heading off.  When we got home, the 4 boxes we left on the steps were gone; we're assuming the driver was able to "find the house" this time.  ;-)

It was around 3:30 when we drove across the swingbridge back to our island.  I asked Joan, "Would you be up for a short boat ride when we get home."

"Sounds great!"

Before going home, we stopped at the furthest canal over to check the situation - the dredge was still tied to a dock there - looks like the crew got to have some days off.

Back home and looking down our canal, it appeared as though the pipe was closer to our side of the canal.  We shoved off, thinking we could still get alongside it... nope - it was too close to a boat on a boat-lift on our side.  No choice but to "jump" the pipe.  Looking up the canal, Joan was ready for the next crossing...

We got across that one and turned the corner to get into the exit canal.  Here's a look at this small "rustic" (I'm being charitable) dredge...

One last pipe to get over, but that was submerged enough that I didn't have to pull the motor completely up -  we are heading out!

The sun had been in and out of the clouds all day; with the afternoon getting short, I wasn't planning to be out long - I want to be back in our canal while there is still enough light to clearly see the pipes.  We were barely out of the canals when we got our first view of some dolphins, looking into the lowering sun...

I went behind them to get to a position where we'd have better light - that is some belly...

"They are right here by the boat!"

Well, not just there, we had dolphins all around us...

This boat came by and drove right over the top of them...

They at least slowed down, looked for a few seconds, then kept going.  Sometimes that drives the dolphins away, but they seemed anxious to play today!  We don't need "Walking In A Winter Wonderland" - we have dolphins frolicking in the snow!

No, not really... that is water splashing, while looking into the sun - makes for an interesting high contrast image.  In the following shots you'll see the difference in light as we move around.

Some tail...

So much activity to look at - do you look close or far away?  Ahead of us or behind??

Look at that pretty face...

Getting to see their faces above the water is my favorite!  Well, and belly...

When Isabella offers her belly up for a rub, that is the ultimate show of trust... I can't say it is the same with the dolphins.  Face or belly?  It's all good!

One of the dolphin watch boats passed by; slowed down to take a look, but they were headed back to the dock...

We exchanged "Happy Holidays!" greetings, then had the dolphins to ourselves again.

One of my favorite shots of the day...

A bit of everything!  On with the viewing...

Look at this little baby face!!

Big and little dorsal fins...

Look behind the tail...

Yep, another face!  Here's a series of "nosing up to the boat" images...

All this was happening in the span of less than a half hour - what a great viewing!

And never more than about a half mile out of our canals.  One last shot to say "Good bye!"... the activity quieted down as we turned for home.

Coming back in our canal, someone had moved the pipe (not the dredge crew), and it was sitting higher in the water - a bit more work to get over it to get home.  Fortunately, there was very little wind, so we were able to mostly "drift" over the pipe, with the motor up and off.  Snug maneuvering.

A short, but great, outing!