Best Life

 Today's goal - find cheap but usable bicycles that we can take on the boat.  With bikes we can explore so much easier than walking.  And hopefully save on using Uber.   First pawn shop - too much money and too heavy.  If we wind up lifting them on and off the dinghy and up and down dinghy docks - they must be light.  If they wind up rusting due to the salt air (or we accidently drop one in the ocean) we do not want to have spent a lot of money.   The second pawn shop - we scored!  We found two light weight bikes and after Paul wheedled the guy down - less then $60 for both, tax included!  Paul rode one back to the marina while I drove the other stored in the car trunk. They are temporarily bungeed to the starboard side stanchions, out of our way.   Of course we rode up and down Beach Street and The Esplanade.  As much as I enjoy walking - riding is soooo much better! Mass at 4pm, drop off the car and walk back to the...

  Beautiful, though windy, day.  We opened doors and hatches and let the sunshine in!  Temps up to 62 made for comfortable walking.  And the wind ensured no sweat!  Many of the area birds were out sunning (and they do not move when people walk by). While I did laundry, painted and read, Paul completed the high water bilge alarm on the  port side.  He also ran the hose through the hatches and scrubbed both bilges.   A quick trip to the beach before dinner.  Too cold and windy to walk though and with the sun setting momentarily - we headed back to the car.  The plan - complete preparations for Sunday departure. Word of the day - Schmaltzy - excessively sentimental.  Love it!

                                                The sun came out in time to provide us with a pretty sunset. The rain started just after midnight and continued through most of the day.  Damp with temps in the low 50s - it was hard to find motivation.  While I read, napped and painted with watercolors - Paul found the motivation to install a high water alarm on the starboard bilge. The left arrow points to the bilge pump - removing water that finds its way into the area. The right arrow points to the new alarm.  And the sound (when tested) is super annoying!  Set to annoy when the water becomes high enough to push the alarm upward. Chinese chicken wings, Spanish rice and Brussels sprouts - dinner around the world! The plan - find some motivation with the sun predicted for tomorrow.   World Monarch Day.    ...

 We had a change of plans.  Since our next couple anchorages are fair weather anchorages and the forecast has changed yet again, we have decided to stay put for a few more days.   We filled our fuel tank (only 28 gallons!) and emptied our waste tank before moving to our new spot at the marina.  With Daytona Race Week beginning on Monday, the marina has many larger boats coming in.  So we are on a "smaller" dock that is a bit busier (but still has restricted access!). We walked the 2.5 miles back to get the car in shorts and tee shirt.  Our high temp today - 71!!!  We enjoyed every minute - I read in the sun, washed the bird doodoo off the deck and the boat received a good airing out!  Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 58.  Yup, there is a storm coming through again with rain and winds.  So, we wait yet again. Paul fashioned a new "holder" for our fenders.  Because of the type of dock we are attached to, the fenders roll off an...

  Downtown looks deserted but there were quite a few people.  The high today -58 degrees!  After dropping off the car, we walked back to the marina.  Warm enough to shed my coat and work up a sweat.  We stopped at McK's for lunch with friends.  The friends - great to see and catch up.  The food and service - not so great.  But eating outside in the sun - priceless, especially after being cold for many days! I think we have chosen well as tomorrow for a departure date.  Tonight's low temp - 40.  Up almost 10 degrees from last night.  And tomorrow's high temp - 68!  It probably won't feel it on the water but any morning with no ice on the deck and water lines that are not frozen - is a good thing.   A few housekeeping items - I gave Paul a haircut, vacuumed the floors, took hot showers and emptied the trash. The plan - fill our water and fuel tanks, empty our waste tank and head south in the morning.  

A Waning Gibbous moon tonight.  (Full moon last night - 99% tonight.)  The sky is cloudless and the water is calm.  And the low of 33 predicted is technically above freezing!   I have found a thermometer and intend to measure just how cold our bedroom gets.  According to Google, one can see one's breath between 45 and 60 degrees.  We can see our breath in the bedroom and master bathroom - I am guessing we are nearer the 45 degrees! Today we filled our propane and refilled the fridge with fresh produce, bread and milk.  (We also purchased hot chocolate as an alternative hot beverage during these cold nights.) A late day walk when the temp peaked at 52 was perfect.  Almost 3 miles through downtown Daytona and the Riverfront Esplanade. Few people were out and about and there is a definite difference between Floridians (coats, hats, all business) and visitors (short sleeves, frolicking).  We are somewhere in between.  Coats, hat but str...