Sunday, departed REMayo at 00. Hot, but nice weather. Long slog down the Alligator Pungo River Canal. Can smell the cedar. Large butterflies and eagles accompanied us. On the Alligator River,a nasty T&L storm paralleled us all the way to the bridge; then dissipated. Dropped the hook in the Little Alligator River (mm82.1) .

Monday, anchor up at 0700. I was late. We had an awesome night last night. Stars shining with very minimal light pollution. Nice breeze blowing down hatch over the bed. This is what a night at anchor should be. But, back to reality……crossing Abelmerle Sound. This is a wide, shallow body of water. A nasty chop builds easily. One of my least favorite parts of the ICW. SSW 10+ Washing machine action for about 4 hours. Arrived at Coinjock Marina (mm 49.6) around 11:45. Body felt rattled. We were lucky to get across, as the wind was building. Dinner at the Coinjock Restaurant, at the marina. It was packed for a Monday night. Great ribeye. Larry had shrimp, grits, with sausage. He said it was very good. We earned that dinner with that crossing this morning.

Tuesday, departed Coinjock at 0715. Looks like a nice day. Currituck Sound was, thankfully, calm. Now comes the fresh water: trees right in the water, osprey nests, and huge turquoise dragonflys. Arrived at Atlantic Yacht Basin (mm 8) at 1:00. Walked to lunch at the Old Courthouse; Kroger’s food shopping and then Tuesday Morning. First store of this type since COVID hit.

Wednesday, departed AYB at 8:45 for 9:00 bridge and then the lock. All smooth. After the bridge, a flock of pigeons flew by, then two white doves in front of us. We stopped at Top Rack Marin for fuel. Then the “industrial” ride, through the many shipyards and terminals of Norfolk. Still, interesting shapes, colors. I always get some good shots. Abtracts in the making. Arrived at Hampton Docks by 2:30. Young lady dockhand almost got knocked out by Panda Bear.I had to yell out. Went for a walk and lunch at Brown Cow/Brown Chicken. Later, with the wifi, we settled in to watch TV…. A sci-fi movie then the series, The Vikings. BTW, we crossed ICW mile 0 today. A mental milestone for me.

Thursday, departed Hampton, VA around 0745. Hot, easy ride up the Chesapeake to Deltaville, VA. Arrived at 3:00. Larry accidentally threw over one of my life rings, so we did a man overboard drill and I picked it up. We did have to plow our way out as it had floated out of the channel. Settled in to dinner and wifi TV.

Friday, departed Deltaville at 0800. Hot but quite nice. Lots of groups of dolphins, and a dead small shark-all in 10 minutes. Long but easy ride to Solomons. Arrived at Calvert/Washburn’s Boatyard by 5:06. Larry had predicted 5:00. We have arrived! Lots of jellyfish! Yep….it’s the Chesapeake. Another journey completed.

Now the work begins…. Cleaning, maintenance, sorting and packing. We have to get a rental car to drive home, and with COVID, it is difficult. I had a reservation for next week since May. Well a reservation nowadays means you are “in line”. It doesn’t guarantee a car, according to them. Had to work hard to get one. Boat out of the water and set up before we leave.

Update: drove home on July 24th.

In November, after much troubleshooting, it was determined that the electrical issue was just a burnt out on/off battery switch.

Sunday, July 4th. Walked to town for the parade. Sat in front of a closed restaurant. They had comfy tables and chairs. Met a couple; she had on a Loopers shirt, so we started talking. Turns out they are now looping on a boat that had looped with us. Small world! Hey told us that they owned a Monk 36. We said that we had traveled with a Monk 36 on our loop. Same boat, new crew and name. Ended up going to lunch with these folks. Nice folks and good food. At night, back on the boat, we got to watch fireworks from the bow. The Beaufort fireworks plus all the other towns at a distance….Morehead City, for one….

Monday-Wednesday: There is a running joke with us at this marina….we always say we are staying for a couple of days. But, due to weather, we end up staying a couple of weeks, year after year.Reason: There aren’t any great stops in either direction where you want to get stuck for a while. And this is a good marina, good people, good location. This time is no exception. We walked, shopped, ate, borrowed the car for errands, etc. Larry also did a little prep for the storm…..

Thursday, storm day. Hurricane Elsa at her closest point. Some storms then lots of wind. With the chop in the creek, PB was bouncing all over the place. Tricky working out and showering. Gusts of 40 at 5pm and wind increasing. Were we at home, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Finished up leftovers for dinner.

Friday, laundry then last walk into town…. Lunch at Clawson’s and more shopping.

Saturday, departed the marina at 0700. Lovely day. Thinking underway today: thought of getting home, getting it all done at home and turning around and heading south again is maddening. Arrived at REMayo (mm157.3) at 3:30. This is really a fishing boat dock, so no services. Tying up was difficult due to current and no cleats, poles and rough edges….. we got it done.

Sunday, departed Osprey Marina 0800. Was able to maneuver around Journey, a small trimaran that pulled in behind us. Calm and sunny but lots of Sunday traffic out and about. Worse than the southern Florida Sunday traffic that we avoid. This waterway is narrower! Finally arrived at Southport Marina (mm 309) at 5:15. Really long day to make only 64 miles in 9.25 hours.

Monday, up early to get underway. But, what’s coming? Some nastiness……windy, rain, storms…..not a good day to tackle the Cape Fear River. Good call captain. After the storms, we walked to the town of Southport. Lunch at Fishy Fishy. Afterwards, antiquing and a good walk.

Tuesday, we’re about to depart and saw that a replica of Hemingway’s Pilar had pulled in last night. We’re invited aboard but we were in a rush to get moving. Got some great pictures. Departed….easy trip on the Cape Fear River….again, good call Captain, not to go yesterday. It can really get quite nasty. Anchor down at Mile Hammock Bay (mm 244.5) on the Marine Corps base, at 5 pm. Received notification that our friend, Pam Gwinn, had died. Sad. I will miss her. Star gazed before bed, with minimal light pollution.

Wednesday, anchor up, 7:40. This whole area is part of a Marine base. We were buzzed by helicopters all night long. Fun to watch early on then pillow over the head type night. Bet they were Ospreys. Easy, pleasant ride to Beaufort, NC. Arrived at Town Creek Marina (mm201) by 3:30. Good to see Carol and e gang, especially after COVID… our new microwave was waiting for us. This is a great marina (and town).

Thursday, yep, windy, SW 20-30, on the beam. We are staying. Walked to town for lunch, shopping, etc……

Friday, raining and windy. Borrowed marina vehicle to run errands and get Italian at the NoName. Very good, as usual.

Saturday, gorgeous day. Cleaned out the back porch and found an ant nest…explains the ants out there…..Walked to town to the farmers’ market, antiqued, lunch, a little more shopping. At lunch Larry ordered scallops instead of oysters by mistake. Waitress brought him a full order of oysters on the side…..she got a great tip!

Hurricane Elsa may be coming at us. Guess we will stay a little longer. Good place to sit.

Sunday, still at Lady’s Island Marina. Supposed to be stormy but storms didn’t come until 10:00PM. Really nasty storm at 11:00pm. But the day wasn’t bad. Walked to Publix because Larry needed milk. We got to stretch our legs.

Monday, tomorrow expect strong storms. So, again, we’ll sit here. Next stop is an anchorage. Not with the electrical issue. Went for Mexican food and antiqued. Of course, I buy heavy items. Thank you Larry. The large stone vase could be used as anchor. Just fit in his backpack. Larry spoke to Eric today. He owns the marina where we store PB, and they do our maintenance.

Tuesday, 6/22. Borrowed the marina car. Went for our favorite barbecue. KC Mike’s. A bit too far for a walk, especially with the constantly threatening weather. The Brunswick stew is awesome. Back ad settled in around 3:30. Mom has eating issues. She still rattles me. Especially since I know that her caretaker is an excellent cook.

Wednesday, the 23rd. My birthday. Departed Beaufort 0750. Overcast keeps the heat down. Anchor down just south of Charleston (mm 471), a 65 mile run.

Thursday, anchor up at 0700. Passed through Charleston Harbor. Wind on the nose, N 15 and the tide against us. Decided to pull into Leland Oil, McClellanville (mm430). A new stop for us. Nice rural area. We also found another Manatee here: Sterling Lady with Sterling, Jill, and Peanut on board. We all went for dinner at the only restaurant in town. I got to bring home a Pawley’s Island pie, which I usually get in Georgetown, which is not on the schedule this trip. Saw the oldest tree, over one thousand years old then took an enjoyable walk around the

“downtown” area.

Friday, the captain decided to sit for the day. He has boat chores such as changing the oil. I painted.

Saturday, departed Leland Oil 0740. Dark and overcast. Then it poured rain, and thunder and lightning. We both thought we were going to get hit. Went through the Waccamaw River-a favorite. Tied up at Osprey Marina (mm 373), around 3pm. I got drenched with the hose, cleaning up the boat. Larry went to visit several other boats we know that are here while I ordered Instacart groceries. Ok, the forward TV stopped working, the microwave is on its last leg, and we still have the electrical/battery/inverter problem. Poor Panda Bear….just need to make it to Maryland. Afraid to say it…..at least the engine, etc is working properly.

Sunday, departed Jekyll around 0905. Strong north winds. Easy run to Brunswick, GA . Arrived at the Brunswick Marina by 11:00. Brunswick is off the ICW-slight detour. The idea was to leave Jekyll Creek with good water level-it’s always tricky. Kind of a wasted day. Let Larry rest. Around 1:00, the rain, thunder, and lightning began. Not as bad as yesterday. After weather passed, we walked the town. Almost everything closed on Sunday. Dinner was either at a Subway, or a 45 minute wait at the only restaurant open. It was 7:00 already, Subway would do.

Monday, departed Brunswick (mm682) at 0730. Easy exit from slip. Egret posed for me on the dock before we left….I paid for it…..bird poop everywhere on the back deck and mast. Lots of dolphins then the green head flies! Yep, it’s Georgia. Lots of big fish jumping. I wonder what was chasing them. Long day. Arrived at Queen Bess Creek (mm 607) at 7pm. Larry looked beat. This is a favorite anchorage; in the middle of nowhere. Ran the genset to cook. Later, quieter, I got to sit on the back porch and watch the sunset, the crescent moon, listen to the cicadas or just tons of crickets. Dolphins breathing in the dark; Mars, very bright.

Tuesday, anchor up at 0900. Nice day, but already hot. Went through Hell Gate (the GA one LOL) with plenty of water. Arrived at Delegal Creek Marina (mm601) around 10ish. Fueled up. Met some folks that know some people we know that own a Manatee too. She took our picture to text them. Not a great shot of us….Did our chores then took the marina golf cart to restaurant and Publix. The restaurant, Village Grille, is the first restaurant at which we have eaten (vs takeout) since March 2020. Felt as if we never stopped. Food shopping and back to the marina. Larry confuses golf cart with go cart! Still in the 90’s at 7pm. So we decided to forego a walk.

Wednesday, sat in the back porch looking for the wild boars and just enjoying the creek. Departed 0815. While still in GA, a little boat yelled at us “Yankee go home”, the Boston hailing port on our stern. Then we crossed into SC. Anchored out (mm 539). Uneventful day. Now Larry thinks something is wrong with the inverter….not the batteries. Can not do anything without the generator running.

Thursday, up early and moving. Arrived at Lady’s Island Marina (mm 536). They called an electrician for us; but he didn’t call back. Walked to Publix. We got dinner at a small strip mall near the marina. Larry got a boiled dinner. He said was good but lots of work. I got a turkey pesto bacon, and a salted caramel milkshake. Oh the calories!

Friday, Larry talked by phone to the electrician. He thinks it the batteries; second one to think so. Walked over the bridge into Beaufort for lunch at one of our favorites, Plum’s. Went shopping for a tank top but bought two dresses instead. Walked back and settled in. Nice walk.

Saturday, storm Claudette not coming here-we are out of the cone but expect storms. Walked to town again, after workout and yoga. Lunch at Q. Barbecue joint. Larry couldn’t figure out what a Q-ban sandwich is….LOL. Sat on the swings by the water-could sit there all day. Walked back.Glad we went-no rain.

Departed Titusville around 0820. Hot and muggy. 92% humidity at 6:30 am. 93% now…Yikes. Next came the Haulover Canal; a favorite of mine. It’s a narrow cut through a preserve. A skate jumped right next to me. So glad that I didn’t drop the camera. A manatee swimming in circles; an alligator who quickly dove into the brackish, dark water. Saw a strange-to-me jellyfish: orange,maroon and white, with, apparently, no tentacles. Dolphins everywhere……

Anchor down in Daytona (mm 832). Had to use the generator to cook and charge phone/iPad….not good…

Monday, up and moving by 8am. Bounced all night….nasty, even bounced off walls as I got up in the middle of the night to use the facilities. Arrived at Marineland Marina (mm 796). Worked on cleaning up the exterior of the boat. For that year+, could not access the sides of the boat (pier’s too short and boats packed too closely together.) Wow, sitting did a number on her. Will have to have teak stripped. It’s peeling. I can scrub off chunks of varnish.

Had a great sunset! I even caught a heron posing in front of it.

Tuesday, departed Marineland at 0750. Once again, hot and sticky…..it’s Florida. Arrived at Camachee Marina (mm775) early afternoon. Ok, we tied up portside to today, so I got to clean the other side of the boat. We had a new battery installed to see if it would help our electrical problem. This one, a small one, was not changed out in 2018.

Uber eats delivered Mexican for dinner.

Wednesday, stayed put. Walked over the bridge and the underpass….nice walk. Then borrowed the marina car to go into St Augustine. I bought some Sumbrella fabric for my shed awnings at home. The fellow who cares for our yard sent me a photo….the old ones on there are ripped and stained. We also had to do some food shopping. At night, Larry got to watch the Bruins get eliminated from the playoffs (aww!), and I worked on artwork.

Thursday, departed Camachee at 0800. Going to be another hot one. (Duh!) Near the St John’s River, many dolphins swam with us; then a beautiful roseate spoonbill flew by, very close to the boat.

Spent quite a while booking doctor appointments for us in August. Booked 15 appointments and still not done. Not easy, due to COVID. Seems everyone is making appointments now.

For a flash today, saw 8.3 knots….go Panda Bear! Off Amelia Island, the chart read 13-14 feet…the reality was less than 3 feet. Stuck, but we plowed our way off. A sailboat, not quite as lucky. We couldn’t have pulled him off…..he couldn’t plow ….New moon, approaching low tide in 1.5 hours and then thunder and lightning….triple fun! Arrived at Fernandina Harbor Marina (mm716) around 3:45. Still, weather alerts for storms. Ate dinner and walked around town. Too crowded for my liking considering COVID…nope…nope…nope…even though we are fully vaccinated. Great sunset with very dramatic clouds.

Friday, departed Fernandina around 0850, having slept in. Breezy, with some west in it so it feels a little drier. Crossed into GA. Not stopping at Cumberland Island, an awesome stop…..bummer. Arrived in Jekyll Harbor Marina (mm 685) by 2:30. Settled in then borrowed a golf cart from the marina for a tour of the island. Dinner on board.

Saturday, bad weather. Not moving today. Around 2:00, Larry wanted to go to the restaurant on the premises for oysters. As we waited on the restaurant’s porch, a squal blew through. Driving rain and a bolt of lightning that struck a field within 100 yds of us! There was a collective “wow”. A man said he didn’t make “one Mississippi”. The

now-abandoned porch was drenched and chairs turned over….we weren’t comfortable eating inside, way too crowed. So, we took the oysters for Larry and pecan pie for me back to the boat. Eat on our back porch as another squall blew through.

We were in Florida, in the Hollywood marina when COVID hit…and we could not leave spring of 2020 as planned. I have a then-95 year old mom, who lives alone in our condo, in Miami Beach. The net result was that Larry was isolating on the boat (71, at the time) and mom at the condo. I had everything delivered to the marina or to the condo. I took over mom’s caretaker’s role (but continued to pay her). Mom was way more self sufficient than she is now so the woman’s role was not as involved as it is now and we are blessed to have her. So…..back to COVID: We were totally isolating except for our 4 times a week 4 mile walks which would begin prior to sun up. This was to avoid bumping into people and to avoid the heat. The a/c on the boat was on from April to November 2020, without being turned off, except for our walks. I cooked more than in my previous almost 40 years of marriage. Poor Larry didn’t have a real pizza for over 15 months. My grilled flatbreads just didn’t cut it. And, our marriage survived isolating on a 36 foot boat for almost a year and a half.

Back to the present. June, 2021. We are fully vaccinated. Mom is set up with her caretaker. On June 2nd, we departed the marina. Always tough getting in and out of the marina slips-very narrow- not much room to maneuver. As usual, Larry aced it!. Setting out from mile marker

(mm) 1070. Beautiful day. Felt good to move the boat. Larry saw the first skate jump, around Pompano. We anchored at Lake Worth/West Palm (mm1015). Of course…. The strut that facilitated opening and closing of the hatch up to pilothouse deck broke. That is going to make the trip home hard on my shoulders. It is a heavy hatch.

Then, the electrical/battery issues began too. The joys of boating….

Next day, Thursday, we traveled to Vero. Breezy with threatening skies. We stayed at Vero Loggerhead Marina (mm 949), one of our favorites. Settled in for the evening. It rained harder than we had heard in years.

Friday, Ubered to buy a strut for the hatch. Found one, not as good and it cost way less than the Uber ride. Later, we walked to Davila’s for Italian take out, and to Publix. First visit to an actual supermarket in 14 months. (We had used Instacart while in Hollywood.) Felt surreal to enter the produce department. I finally got to select my own veggies and fruits. We, of course, got carried away shopping and poor Larry was loaded down for the mile plus walk back. Once inside the gated community, a golf cart offered us a ride back to the boat, cutting the return trip in half. Larry took him up on his offer. I decided to walk. It’s a very nice walk. Really enjoyed our Italian lunch that afternoon. First time we ate in a restaurant in over a year.

Saturday, we fueled up when the marina opened and headed out. We turned onto the ICW at 8:52. Not bad, considering that the marina opened at 8am and there was one boat before us. Nice folks at this marina. Beautiful morning; however, hot and sticky. Doesn’t even feel as if I showered. Once we were on the ICW, a little blue and yellow plane started flying around us, sometimes very low. What a treat. Then we were surrounded by a jet ski club. Larry counted at least 41. We are headed for Cape Canaveral area. There is a rocket launch tonight. Made it to the Titusville Marina, mm 8780. I set the alarm for 12:25am and got up. Larry had been stationed at Patrick AFB, just up the street, so a rocket launch was nothing special. I got up and enjoyed it….orangish rocket and white boosters….clouds actually added to the launch. The noise and the rumble were almost better than the visual…..it was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, sending up a Sirius satellite.

So ends our week.

Sunday, still at St Augustine. Walked to breakfast at Kookaburra. They serve Aussie breakfast pies and good coffee. We snatched a table outside (1of 2). Lovely….food and weather both great. Kookaburra is an Australian bird-great name for the place, and a little gold mine. Breakfast places downtown are not numerous. We then shopped….Larry went back to the boat to watch football while I continued Christmas shopping….then the drizzle started….so I ended my shopping event and walked back to the boat. Happy surprise! Larry had brought back pizza from my favorite place, Pizza Time, a absolute must, anytime we are in St Augustine….by boat or car….some nice folks who also own a Krogen came to visit while we were out….sorry we missed them. One down side of St Augustine marina: Larry had to go wash the upper decks again…..tons of bird poop.

Monday, cast off by 7:25. Beautiful day but a loooong day. We finally anchored in Mosquito Lagoon, AICW mile marker 861, in the dark. 83 miles. We do not run in the dark on the ICW, but sometimes anchorages are few and far between. This is a lovely spot, very open, no trees, nothing but a great big bay, only good for anchoring when there is no wind. We could only see one other lonely anchor light a ways away, a sailing catamaran. Larry looked extremely tired. We had a lovely, peaceful night.

Tuesday, up and going at 7:10. Flat, no wind, 64 degrees, and a hell of a fog bank ahead of us. Burnt off so no issue for us. Crossed the Haulover Cut…..lots of birds, dolphins, a couple of manatees….sat near the bow and got some great shots….anchor down 4:15, Rocky Point Anchorage, AICW mile marker 925….another nice anchorage….peaceful, birds, distant civilization….miles ticking up, getting there…..

Wednesday, ready at 7:00 but fogged in…..reminded us of Maine! Fellow boaters were also commenting about Maine on the radio….Finally anchor up,at 9:00, in the fog. Surreal! A dolphin surfaced right next to me, on port side, and I jumped. Then a great blue heron flew across our bow….again surreal ( and extremely cool)….Fog finally lifted around 10:30…..Arrived at Vero Beach Suntex by 12:45 (AICW mile marker 947). Weather was holding….rain expected….so we walked for lunch and a Publix run. It takes about an hour round trip of walking, felt good to walk, and a pleasant walk in a gated community, with ponds, golf course, quiet….Ran into some folks from Hollywood marina that transferred up here for work. Nice surprise.

Thursday, rain and wind-lots of both. Sat all day. Found a leak in the galley But with such much rain and wind, I wasn’t shocked.

Friday, cast off by 6:50. Everything soaked-plants do not need watering….anchor down Lake Worth, AICW mile marker 1014, 4:10. Uneventful…..sometimes, that is perfect!

Saturday, anchor up at 6:50. Very pretty out. Small craft warnings. We hate traveling in Southern Florida on the ICW, on a weekend….We stopped for fuel, some moron from Fort Lauderdale hits our boat and doesn’t even acknowledge. Ignorant…..little twerp with heavy, bearded friend, Chewbacca. It was just cosmetic damage, scrubbed out, but it was the ignorant sense of false entitlement that bugged me. Then we went by Fort Lauderdale as they were getting ready for their Christmas parade….it was crazy. Then, a cruise ship was exiting the docks at Port Everglades, so we had to stop, as it made its way out. Once by, the Coast Guard boat went ahead and we followed. I look right, there is another coming ! With a bow wave….it was underway…..we made it by easy. Still, concerning…..we get to the other side, boats were still stopped…..we just followed the Coast Guard…..GOOD GOD, when will this day end! Anchor down at 5:40, North Lake, AICW Mile marker 1072. Larry doing some engine prep work….tomorrow we dock until May.

Note: Ex day, Sunday, arrived at our marina at 8:30. George, our friend was there to catch out lines. Larry finished his engine decommissioning (as I call it). Then we sprang into action: walked 1.5 miles, caught 2 buses, made it to Miami Beach, saw mom, got our Florida car going, got my hair cut and drove back…..ok, it’s over until May 2020…..

Sunday, storm coming in… still in Beaufort. Around noon, it blew, rain, thunder…..we were clean by 3:00. I got stuff done on the boat today. We looked ahead, it’s going to be an aggressive schedule for this coming week. We had leftovers from Thanksgiving. Larry got to watch 2 football games. Temperature dropped back down to the 40’s.

Monday, WNW15-25…..another day here. We even had white caps in the channel and it was bouncy on board. We walked to Huddle House for breakfast. Only have had breakfast there twice (including today). Coffee good. Stuffed all day. We borrowed the car for a last minute run to West Marina and Publix. And I needed to find a mailbox to pay some bills.

Then………just rested….we got a push ahead of us….

Tuesday: what a way to start my day! Had to throw out the pork roast I had made overnight. I had left the absorption pad and it ruptured in the crockpot. Not worth the risk of upset stomachs while out in Georgia. We were up at 5:00. 36 degrees. Underway by 7:00. Now 35 degrees, feels like 25! Crossed into Georgia. Anchor down in Birthday Creek (AICW mile marker 612) around 5:00. Dinner and in bed by 7PM. Good day, 75 miles.

Wednesday, cold. Anchor up at 6:50, first light. 39 degrees…got our polar fleece blankets I made last year for the pilothouse. I used mine. We went by the car carrier that ran aground and capsized a while ago….still there…. I got some good pictures….guess all the automobile cargo slid to one side. Quite a sight. Anchor down off Jekyll Island (AICW mile marker 685). 73 miles by 4:20. Another good travel day.

Thursday, anchor up at 6:50….high 40’s….sun finally up around 7:15. Larry pointed out a ship, a big fishing boat, that was washed ashore in our 2000 trip. Now only an antenna shows….tons of porpoises….around northern Cumberland Island. Five heading at us at one point-in formation….Anchor down at 5:30, at the Tolomato River, behind Pine Island (AICW mile marker 765). It’s part of the Guana River Wildlife Management Area. Another good run.

Friday, glorious morning ! Anchor up at 8:00. 46 degrees but sunny. Short run today. We were tied up at St Augustine Municipal Marina. Timed it for slack tide. Current can be pretty mean here! Boat chores and hung out until 4:00. Then we went for a walk, toured, shopped, ate pizza at Pizza Time. It is supposed to be the second best in the US! Really good. Love St Augustine at Christmas time. I want to spend a couple of days here. Interesting thing happened today. An Hispanic rapper offered Larry money to allow he and his wife to be videoed on the bow of Panda Bear. Young couple, of course we said yes and only asked them to email us a copy of the video….no money of course.

Saturday: went to the St Augustine Christmas Parade…. right near the marina. Then we went for a long walk to the Sailor’s Exchange, lunch at the Metro Diner, picked up a few things at Winn Dixie. At 6:30, we walked to the fort and in town for the Colonial Nightwatch Parade. Then we just hung out in the commons for awhile. Tons of lights, people…. good time to start the holiday season. We walked 6.6 miles today…..

What a good week. We made major progress, back on schedule and got to visit St Augustine during Christmas! Can’t ask for much more…..

Sunday, walked into Beaufort. Cold, little windy walking over Lady’s Island bridge. Lots of tourists in town and a small waterway cruise ship. Did a little shopping and sat on the swing seats along the waterway. Very pleasant in the sun. Enjoying the peace and quiet. We walked about 4 miles today.

Monday, we walked to Publix, and on the return trip, I stayed behind to go antiquing. Found a good base for a small Christmas tree I am weaving for the boat.

Tuesday, walked to Beaufort again. I shopped. We sat on “my swings” again….enjoying the sun. We got some barbecue and I made some rice and a salad….easy day.

Wednesday, up early and took the courtesy car to Walmart. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I wanted to get errands done early before it becomes a zoo. I got my laundry done because we plan on leaving Friday. I had to take the car again to Publix for last minute item and picked up some stuff for the marina gathering tomorrow. These folks are very nice, everyone invited to participate-transients too. We went to the Fillin Station for dinner. A favorite for Larry. Wednesday night menu, a burger, a hotdog, beans, cole slaw, potato salad. All for $4! Tip and drinks separate…..nice sitting there, outside, watching the lights across the waterway and listening to music.

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving. I cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot. Came out really good. I freaked last night: it was Cajun marinated…..I thought it was going to be horrid. I had to change recipe on the fly. Just added 12 ounces of beer to the crock pot. We ate dinner on board and then went to the marina festivities for dessert. We sat outside because it was crowded inside and it was a beautiful day. Back on board for football. Good day, lots for which to be thankful ….

Friday, decided we are staying until Monday! Storm on Sunday and we won’t make Brunswick for Larry to watch Patriots game. We really only lose one day in the big picture. Today, Jake the cat jumped on our boat….we heard him on the upper deck. Lizzie too was looking up….then his sister fell in the water and was crying out for help. She was stuck in the flotation underneath the dock. A woman just reached in and brought her up. That was one upset cat. She walked away, up a ramp, and across another still complaining. Larry wanted to hose her to remove the salt water but she wasn’t going to cooperate. I think she was embarrassed! Later her dad did bathe her. We saw her the next day and she was fluffy. We walked to the Mexican restaurant for lunch, ran an errand, and walked back. Sunny and nice.

Saturday, walked to the hardware store. Needed felts for our saloon chairs. They are scratching the sole. Then we walked to Beaufort. I wanted to pick up some yarn for my next weaving project. Lunch at Plums. I had my usual Biarritz sandwich plus the fall sangria. Best sangria ever! Larry had the oyster po’boy. We both had the hot bacon salad dressing….and I got to sit and swing again before walking back. Beautiful sunset tonight. Then, the marina lit up with Christmas lights! Some boats really got fancy. Mary dressed up the marina. Great job.

So ends another week……..no forward progress but a good time!