Of all of us, four-year old Karen seemed most concerned. “Is that anchor jammed in the ground, dad?” she asked.

When the winds were strong, the kids buried themselves down with our iPad. Rick turned on the engines and moved us forward a bit – more “out of practice,” than need is what he said.

On weekends Florida Bay is full of boats, jet skis, and people, who look deep in thought, on paddle boards. That’s what makes this Sunday a standout.

A tornado watch in Florida means there is no traffic on the water. We are bobbing on our anchor, out here alone.

But it’s not a desolate scene. At least not for us. We are a 2-minute dinghy ride to Dave’s waterfront home. From here, I can see palm trees turning themselves inside out – looking like giant dandelion clocks.

The worst of the storm seems to be over. The winds are strong – Force 6 – or 35 knots, which is what we measured earlier this morning.

Later, when the storm has passed we will search for our missing fender. It’s large, oblong with a black fender sock. We had thought that the fender was tied down.

Meanwhile, Karen is enjoying her pancakes.

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