Thursday, November 28

Happy Thanksgiving and hope you’ve all been blessed!

We started the morning with oatmeal for breakfast. We’ve had it the past two mornings, which is unusual for us. Last night was a cold night getting down to 43F outside and 62F inside the boat. I had gotten out our 2nd quilt and got into bed when my feet felt a wet spot. WET SPOT! What is that from? Trans out Hobie cat had peed on our bed, so we had to take off the quilt and top,sheet and put a town over the wet spot. Of course Hobie’s owners felt bad about it. So First thing in the morning Phil washed the quilts, sheets and mattress pad at the laundry at Vero Beach City Marina where we have been staying on mooring ball 13 since our arrival (that story coming later, I promise). I got busy cooking the acorn squash in the oven to warm up the boat, my contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner scheduled for 2pm. The oven helped a lot getting the cabin in the upper 60’s before Phil took me in the dinghy to River House just before the bridge for the flea market. I was taking my Hinda 2000i generator covers to sell adding 2 of the Mediterranean Blue and the Cadet Gray to the black, navy and Green covers I already had. Unfortunately I didn’t have any sales this time, but a couple that are interested. People think $60 is a lot, but when you consider the materials and time, I don’t think it is. I reserved a place at the table for Scott and Kitty Kuhner from SV Tamure to sit with us then went back to Changes to finished preparing my side dishes. 135pm we joined many other dinghies on the way and added the acron squash and mashed Potatoes to the rest of the dishes on the table. The place was PACKED! And the tables spilled out on the front porch. Ken could’ve make it on time, so Rich whom we met in st. Augustine joined us, then Ken ate when he arrived.

Right on time dinner started and we had a wonderful time, the food was great and home made for the most part. The CLODs (Cruisers living on Dirt) had prepared the turkeys and hams and there was plenty to go around. They had door prizes and Phil won the last and best one, 7 days free mooring in 2014 at the Vero Beach City Marina! How surprised and thrill he was. He had a grin ear to ear as he was walking back to the table. We were stuffed and didn’t eat more for the rest of the day. Phil and I both agree that we enjoy this location for Thanksgiving more than at St. Marys, GA on our first trip down. It’s smaller and everyone is seated and tables called instead of lining up down the street and first come first served.

Back at the boats, we spent the evening with our buddy boats, Walkabout and Bentana looking at photos on the computer, talking, and then lighting the 2 candles on menorah for the first day of Hanukah, have a few drinks and more talking. It’s so great to be with good cruising friends!!

Friday, November 29

The weather is warmer today and I got ready quickly when Mark and Karen stopped by on the dinghy on their way in to catch the 910am bus. They were glad to have me tag along in the dinghy while Phil stayed on the boat to work on the alternator which hasn’t been charging well lately. Our grandsons Henry and Calvin have requested I knit them hats. Calvin liked the Fish hat I sent and Henry wanted a snowboarding hat that was cool. Well WHAT did that mean? Mark was kind enough when we were on bus 2 to look on ralvery pattern search and pointed out a couple hats that he thought were cool. Thank you technology! I sent email of the patterns to Victoria and she sent back that the Dinosaur hat was in fact Cool! Great!

I was able to find some yarn, and thru FaceTime with Phil, I got his approval on colors I selected. Then I heard from Victoria and sent her a photo of the yarn so the boys could pick out the colors they wanted. I love my iPad!! Now I can get started trying to get them done before we go to the Bahamas.

After a few groceries at Walmart, I waited with Mark for the bus. By this time it’s past 130pm! Once we got back and Phil came to get me, we had lunch and then a couple loads of laundry. We are planning on leaving tomorrow to go via ICW to someplace close to St Lucie Inlet so had to fill the water tank, take the outboard off the dinghy, fill 3 water jerry jugs. I learned that there was a late delivery of the red chafe gear at the Marina office, so Steve from Bentana will bring it back.

We plan to get go Lake Worth, close to West Palm Beach and then go outside if the weather window holds for a day sail to Fort Lauderdale to wait for my new debit card and other mail to arrive before we take the next weather window to the Bahamas. Hopefully in less than 2 weeks, we will be there. Then we want to be in Nassau for Christmas, so if anyone wants to come visit, that would be a good time. Easy in and out and Junkanoo to see too!