M/V MAERIN

Vero Beach is one of our favorite stops. It’s known by cruisers as “Velcro Beach” because so many cruisers stop for a night or two and end up staying a month- or longer. There are cruisers who started out on a mooring and now have dirt homes here!   We did manage to talk Ray and Peggy into tagging along for a visit, they’re pleased they came. We had a few days of less than favorable weather, but the past couple days have been delightful. So the kayaks have been in the water, the bikes came out, and we’ve made daily trips to the dog park, which, incidentally has been improved since our last visit with a huge fenced area, plantings, hose bibbs along the perimeter and what appears to be the makings of two nice sized pavilions.

The dog park is a non-profit, self-funded and receives no support from the local government. We’ve enjoyed coming to the park whenever we stop here, and enjoy the local folks and of course, all the dogs! On a typical afternoon, there may be as many as 30 dogs in the park. It’s interesting and entertaining, and great for the dogs! One might expect a dog park to be a noisy place with lots of barking, but it’s remarkably quiet except for an occasional bark or low growl. It’s a very social place, for dogs and humans alike.  The dogs are amazingly well-behaved, they have a great time playing and running. It’s fun to watch how they gravitate towards each other, picking a friend who typically shares their temperament. Rarely do you see any aggression, if so it’s normally harmless play that escalates into too much excitement and somebody gets a nose out of joint. But it’s great entertainment.

Saturday was the weekly beach market, we hopped the bus and headed to Humiston Park for the farmer’s market, where we stocked up on some fresh produce, some artisan breads, and other goodies. We were introduced to the market on our first visit to Vero, and try to time our stays to include a trip to the market. The Asiago cheese bread is wonderful, and we particularly enjoy the butterscotch bread- yes, it sounds a bit off the wall, but it makes breakfast toast that is simply scrumptious!  By comparison, it’s a relatively small market, but still a treat! It was delightful to be walking around in shorts and tee shirts, finally!

After returning from the market we visited Riverside Park, a short walk from the marina, where the “Bark in the Park” event was being held. The Sheriff’s department was giving K-9 demonstrations, and several times during the day were shows by the Frisbee Dogs, lots of fun! As you can see from the photo, Molly seemed disinterested, she was more interested in visiting the other dogs and seeing which of the vendors were handing out dog cookies!

Meanwhile back by the boats, Ray was enjoying himself doing some kayak fishing. He landed a couple of Spanish mackerel in the mangroves, and shared one with us. From rod to grille to table, it was delicious!  There are numerous mangroves in the area, it’s a great spot for kayaking and evidently, the fishing’s not bad!