The whole package

Our dock neighbor Mike worked hard last week to get his boat ready for travel. His wife Beverly was visiting with their kids and grandkids, and he had quite a list of "blue" jobs (see footnote). It was hotter than dammit, the list was long, and he labored mightily. After a long day of wrestling with anchor chain (which is heavy and dirty and clumsy), he was ready for a swim. He threw on his swimsuit and headed for the pool to rest and cool off with an adult beverage.

When he walked up the dock he was spotted by Melinda, who thought he'd lost his mind (or at the very least his mirrors). She asked if he was setting a new trend of wrong-side-out swimsuits, but he had NO CLUE it was!! He either worked way too hard that day, needs wife Beverly at all times, or was totally numb from the waist down. Thankfully Melinda had the presence of mind to take a picture so he could be remembered in perpetuity for his bold fashion statement. The average person would think discomfort would have tipped him off, but Mike is far from average. Welcome back, Beverly....he needs you!!


footnote: "Blue" jobs, as defined by Beverly, are those jobs for which men are much better qualified. Or women really don't want to do. "Pink" jobs are the same for women. Women get to decide which jobs are which. I fully intend to plagiarize this theory from now on.

Congratulations Brittany!

Our new daughter-in-law Brittany graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Saturday, August 7. We're very happy and proud of her; she excelled in her studies and was on award-winning project teams. She worked at Green Spaces at the same time, cared for granddog Samson and grandcat Bella, and kept a smile on her new husband's face. Several jobs well done!

Move over Cousin Eddie

Because Jaybird's got a new arrrrrrveeeeeeeee. We've talked over the years about getting a motor home in the future (based on the rumored progression from sail to trawler to motor home to nursing home), researched them online periodically and talked to some friends who had RVs. In the past few weeks, we visited a few dealerships (one with a 126-acre spread!) and checked out different styles and sizes just for fun. As luck would have it, we found The One. The owner accepted our first offer (that's a trend with us; it happened with Serendipity as well) and we're now the proud owners of a 2004 Tioga motor home. We'll have to name it Serendipity II so the blog can continue as both a sailing and a driving saga. We surprised ourselves, but are excited about some new adventures on wheels, especially when we're not cruising during storm season (like right now).

Our youngest son Jesse and his new bride Brittany plan to hike the Appalachian Trail beginning next spring (it will take about 6 months to complete it), so we hope to be the recon/reprovision/refresh vehicle for part of that, as well as hiking some of it with them. Our daughter Julie is bursting with ideas for Christmas gifts, like a dickey and some white bucks for Cousin Eddie (a.k.a. Jaybird).

After a toast and sendoff at Twin Dolphin (thanks to Tuck and Kathy for the beverage), we took our shakedown cruise to the Keys two days after taking possession of the RV. We had to go to Marathon, because the Admiral really needed a haircut and likes Jersey Girl there. The Captain had balked at driving 7 hours for a haircut, but since the A/C went out on Serendipity and he had a new toy to drive, he took the unit out of the boat and we drove it to Stuart for repair. We spent our first RV night in Port St. Lucie, waiting to pick up the A/C the next morning. Our second and third nights were spent in Marathon, at Grassy Key. We were on the water, and could watch the frantic activity of open lobster season. We visited Dockside to confirm reservations for early 2011, had lunch at the Hurricane, got haircuts, and enjoyed gorgeous sunsets. The Captain couldn't resist setting up his outdoor nest, and to make the Cousin Eddie picture complete, put a Christmas tablecloth on the picnic table and hooked up the flatscreen. Roughing it smoothly.

We left Marathon to head back to Bradenton, but decided to meander rather than go straight back. We stayed in Naples at what was advertised as a "tropical setting on a creek." Don't believe everything you read. The next night, however, was beautiful. We stayed at Periwinkle Park on Sanibel Island, and had a short walk to the beach for shelling, people watching, and strolling. The RV park also had quite a few tropical birds, a pair of black swans, and some ring-tailed lemur! The birds chattered, talked, whistled, laughed, and displayed their plumage. The lemur stared mostly, but when the Admiral talked to one of them and took pictures, he rubbed his rear end on the cage. Surely that's a sign of love and friendship in Madagascar.

On our way out, we drove all over Sanibel and Captiva, enjoying the beaches, cottages and castles, and had a great lunch at Doc Ford's. Usually we test every one of Murphy's laws, but not a thing went wrong on the shakedown trip. All systems work, everything was comfortable, and we had a ball. It's nice to be back in Bradenton, but it's also fun to start planning some road trips. The Captain was accused of being a CLOD (cruiser living on dirt), but we're really just enhancing our fun options. Now it's time to reinstall A/C in Serendipity; we survived over a week of heat thanks to the loan of a portable A/C unit from Lyle and Mickie (s/v Disappearing Blues).

Is there life in a marina?

We're really still alive, just busying about Bradenton while preparing to travel south again after Christmas. There's a new bill before Congress to open Cuba for travel by U.S. citizens, so the Captain is delirious with joy. We brought the car back after the wedding reception, and for the first time since we started cruising we can go anywhere we want (on land) without walking, biking, hitchhiking, imposing on others, or using public transit. Those of you who know the Captain know that he loves grocery stores, so a good bit of our time has been spent visiting Publix, Sweetbay, WalMart, and of course Total Wine. Even though we thoroughly enjoy cruising and managed well without a car, it's fun to be able to explore a little further while we're here. We've checked out beaches, small towns, state parks, and out-of-the-way eateries.

We joined dock neighbors Harry and Melinda (s/v Sea Schell) and their daughter Jenny for a Seven Seas Cruiser's Association breakfast. They did a presentation on their cruise in the Caribbean, along with great anecdotes and beautiful pictures. After the breakfast we went to a demonstration by the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where we all set off flares and extinguished a fire. It was good information, since none of us had ever set off a flare (and some of us had never used a fire extinguisher). After the demo, we headed for Tampa to enjoy the Tall Ships, sightseeing, and lunch.

We're also trying to regain some muscle tone after our months of debauchery in Marathon. We're walking several miles each morning, varying our routes to include the bridge over Manatee River, the riverwalk along the river, the brick streets through town, and into Palmetto. We also paddle about in the pool most afternoons, maintaining our reputations as ne'er-do-wells. The marina has begun a water pilates class, which is a hit with the ladies (and we're trying to get the men to participate). There was a gorgeous fireworks display on the 4th, along with a potluck dinner poolside. The marina sponsors a slip-holders reception each month at Mattison's, and they also contributed burgers and dogs to a potluck by the pool. The tiki bar was open at the pool as well. No one objected to having beverages served in or near the water, as the heat is blistering these days.

We spent a day on the beach with dock neighbors Tuck and Kathy (s/v Mariah), along with William and Judy. We walked, swam, lolled about till we got too hot and hungry, then retired to Tuck and Kathy's favorite pub.

There's been yet another Mayberry birthday, so the hat is alive and well (and much appreciated by everyone who saw Kathryn wearing it at Mattison's). The newest addition is Billy Bob teeth, in honor of Kathryn's root canal on her birthday.

The Captain has now turned 62, so for those of you who contribute to Social Security, we truly appreciate it. Since he's been so gently used by the Admiral, he's holding up pretty well for an old geezer.