Our vacation is in full swing, and this morning we went on an awesome speed boat tour — so to commemorate it, I found this cool radio controlled toy Japanese style dragon speed boat.  There’s only one for sale at the website Emerald City Toys, and it’s $400, but it’s more of a collector’s item than a toy:

This is a late 40’s early 50’s wooden Japanese speedboat that is battery powered. The boat is 18″ long and is in original condition with no repairs or touch ups. It is complete right down to the usually missing mast on the forward deck. The boat shows play wear, but the dragon graphics is very good. Power is provided by a single battery powered motor that drives two props. The wiring looks complete, but the function is untested.

Here are a few more shots of the boat from Emerald City Toys:

Now let me tell you a little about Tampa Speed Boat Adventures.  This is a guided — but self-driven! — tour around Tampa Bay and part of the Gulf in a two-seater speed boat that looks a little bit like the boat above.

My husband and I had so much fun doing it two years ago that we had to make time for it again this vacation, and we took the second of the two routes that they have mapped out on their site.  It’s quite a thrill, and I know we’ll be doing it again the next time we’re in Florida.

(Mike is driving in this picture, but don’t worry — at the halfway point of the tour they let you switch drivers, so I definitely got my turn!)

I do a lot of my blogging on my tablet from my favorite bars in Minneapolis, as I’ve mentioned before, and I know I’ll continue to do so… but today I wrote this sitting at the little “tiki bar” next to the pool at our hotel, with a view of the beach… and I’ve gotta say, I think even my favorite Minneapolis watering hole will be lacking something next time I sit down to write after vacation.

Ah well.  We have the rest of the afternoon and evening yet today, and three more full days left to soak in the sun before we return to the “real world.”  I have finished reading The Cursed Child and don’t really need to start any of the other books we bought at GeekyCon, so I should be freed up for more fiction writing, I hope!  Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading everyone, take care and stay creative!

Image credits:
Ito Syle Japanese Dragon Speed Boat from Emerald City Toys
Speed boat promotional image from Tampa Speed Boat Adventures
Speed boat selfie and tiki bar photos by me