Best Life

 After a slow start we were finally off the dock and headed to our first stop.  A relaxed ride, we enjoyed the hot, humid and very bright day.  It was such a relief to finally be moving.  Waving  goodbye felt amazing (though I will miss the afternoons on the lanai).   A few other boats, a sand bar beach and even a couple of dolphins.   After tying onto a mooring ball we took the dinghy down and circled for a bit. Since the engine smoked a bit initially we will continue to keep a close eye on it.  The anemometer was spinning but not being displayed on our dash.  (A very quick fix - turn off and back on!)  There were no problems grabbing the mooring ball and the dinghy purred beautifully.  Overall, a very successful day.  The mooring field is perfect - quiet, great sunset and a gentle spin with the tide. The plan - head out the inlet tomorrow and raise the sails.  

 It is feeling a little surreal.  After weeks of waiting and planning and re-planning, we are scheduled for departure at 9am!  I am starting to believe it is going to happen this time.  We are not going far but the engine will be tested and our rusty boat skills should be revived.   We did a last trip to the market for coffee and specific creamer, delivered Marc his boxes from RI and returned the rental car.  The thunderstorms blew through all afternoon in spurts so I was able to get the exterior of the boat washed (always great when the downpour rinses everything!).   And I had time to bake a coffee cake (better this time with half the topping!).  Drinks on the patio with our hosts followed by grilled chicken - thank you Dave and Carol!  Your patience and friendship have been important to us as we stalled on our journey.  You guys have managed to make us feel welcome when we were feeling burdensome.  Definitely one of the...

 Cloudy and windy, it was a cooler today.  Okay by me.  Carol graciously took me to the area's famer's market where I loaded up on fresh fruit and veggies (hopefully I guessed the right amount).  Well stocked and reasonable prices - priceless. Thank you Richard and Sally for dinner.  Mulligan's in Vero Beach was really nice.  The food, the conversation, the laughs - priceless. After dinner Paul and I strolled through downtown Vero Beach.  A delightful area with plenty of uniqueness and minimal crowds this early in the season.                                                  Look who was hiding in the beach grass! The plan - wrap it all up tomorrow for early Monday departure.  

 When I was looking for a place to spend the afternoon, I researched beaches in the area,  And with a name like Bathtub Beach - I of course had to check it out.   Dozens of jellyfish, thousands of shells and coral rocks - a great beach to explore and walk.  Super windy, but warm and only a few people - perfect. The only "blip" in our day - our security camera informed us of an intruder.  our 'neighbor" Michael boarded the boat to borrow a screwdriver.  Lesson learned - we need an SD card so we can "talk" to the "intruder".  Amazon has already delivered it to Marc's.  (Crazy right?) Funny how when we awoke this morning, we had no idea where the day would take us.  Thank you Carol and Dave for a home cooked meal and welcoming us into your home.  We have been  hesitant/reluctant since we have no experience being "tenants".  

 Another absolutely beautiful day here in South Florida.  Social hour on the lanai with our hosts and their neighbors.  Homemade pizza and pizza dough (my starter has many uses).  It doesn't get much better than this.  Unfortunately, the weather is due to change.  High winds, rain and small craft advisories.  Which means we will remain in the dock for the weekend.  Ugh!  But not ugh.  How can I complain when departure is so much closer than it has been since January.   Of course as soon as the predictions clear, we are gone!

 Weeks of hanging around looking for things to do, new adventures, projects and now that we have a departure date we (and by we I mean Paul) has been working nonstop today.  Changing a frayed hose in the port bilge.  Cleaning out the 2 sea strainers (smelly!).  Changing out the first fuel filter (the second looks good).  Changing out the port fuel injectors.   I, in the meantime, started another batch of bread, worked on Brianna's adventure book for March, did a little cleaning and started a great book.    Trips to AutoZone and Home Depot where I have no desire to walk the aisles any more.  The weather was awesome.  Mid to high 70s with little humidity and only a few clouds.                                               My view of the perfect blue sky through the salon hatch. The plan - a few la...

 Goodbye Daytona, we had a good time but time to go! Hello Quiet Time, it's been a long time coming. We unpacked bags that have traveled all over Florida with us.  Then we headed to the supermarket.  (Walmart in Stuart is a tad classier than Walmart in Daytona.)  Our freezer, fridge, portable freezer and pantry are full.  (Hopefully I have chosen well.)  Our timing was pretty good since the thunderstorm began just as we finished unpacking food.   It is strange knowing we are finally moved onto the boat until July.  Sitting watching Netflix in between watching the lightening, is exactly where I want to be.  The AC runs great, tacos for dinner were yummy and we still have tomorrow to pick up everything we forgot today (I don't even know what that is yet!).   The plan - leave Friday morning, head for a mooring field while we check all boat systems.   Beautiful sunset despite the pouring rain and thunder and lightening.

 Back in Daytona the sun was shining and the high for the day was 82.  A great last day.  With the bedrooms floors being sanded we ran errands trying to escape the noise. Meet "Misery".  She is the vacuum attached to the sander to minimize the dust.  The men using her do not like her.  She is bulky and loud and hot.  (But she gets the job done!) And then we went to lunch on Beach Street with friends.  I am still "playing" with my new Gopro and the different features.  Despite what you see, we really are good at bike riding.  We stick to back roads when able and typically we are on the correct side of the road.  The traffic today was minimal since Bike Week and Spring Break have ended and tourists are scarce.  I will miss riding (but not enough to delay departure). The plan - in the morning we pack for the last time, rent a car for the drive back to Stuart, buy the right amount of food for exactly the right amount of time out of...

 Happy 7th birthday to Brianna!  You are such a huge light in my life (and a light to many, many others).  You're gigantic smile, twinkling eyes (yes it is corny but true!), super engaging giggle, sassy attitude and endless energy are some of the reasons I love you to the moon and back!                                                            Reading your annual photo book containing all                                                    the memories you have accumulated through the year!                                         ...

Jack and Ximena just left after hours of work.  Every time we started the engines, there seemed to be new leaks.  Dinner at almost 9pm tastes very, very yummy!  Chicken wings and corn I put in the oven at 630p is cooked to perfection.    Everything is temporary.  There is always someone worse off.  As I struggle with our what seems like constant delays and setbacks, I need to remember that, although I am not exactly where I want to be, I am not in a "bad" place.  The sun is shining, it is warm with a gentle breeze and I am not working.   By the time we arrive in the Bahamas and get settled on anchor or at a marina, this hopefully will seem like a distant annoyance.  That the islands we will explore and the people we meet will have made it all worthwhile.   I need to remember how, when the kids were young, for many years and many parties, we had rain and cold.  We adapted and made it work.  Then one day the s...

 A bright beginning since we had breakfast with Marc.  Always good to see him and catch up on his crazy (but well managed) life.  It was chilly but the sun was shining bright and it promised to warm up. We futzed and puttered around the boat doing little chores.  I organized my spices (how I wound up with 4 garlic powders I have no idea!).  Did a quick cleaning of the cabinets that I rarely use and found things I forgot I had - ice cube trays that are obsolete now that I have an icemaker, French press no longer needed since we have enough power for a drip pot and way too many tupperware containers. Trips to Harbor Freight (we now have a wet/dry vac on board), Boat Owner's Warehouse (nuts and bolts) and gas station (extra diesel).   Meanwhile Jack was unable to come work.  He apparently came back from a delivery late but promises to be here in the morning.  I am straining trying not to lose my patience.   Paul installed a security ca...