And it's goodbye again....

After a great stay at Twin Dolphin, it's time to move again. The boat is (pretty close to) ready, mostly put back together, and totally covered in green outfits. We've been leaving for over a week, so the marina residents are probably taking up a collection to finally get us out of town. It's hard leaving our friends (and critters) here, but we hope they'll all visit us in Marathon and that we'll run into them along the way somewhere. This is one awesome marina, and C Dock RULES!

We had to pry the lines loose, since it's been 7 months since we've moved. After trying to remember how we actually moved Serendipity, Lyle assisted by towing our dinghy out into Manatee River for us so we could make our exit from the slip. We're sure our dock neighbors were anxious to get us on our way, but it was hard to say our goodbyes and we have so many memories of our stay here. The staff at Twin Dolphin makes so many efforts for the residents, it feels like family and home.

We'll also miss our friends at Mattison's, where we spent a fair amount of time having fun and enjoying both the ambiance and the great eats (not to mention the happy hours). The great staff (Red and Jeff and Erin and Kelly and Greg, among others) was fun to get to know, and they're so hard-working and efficient it's amazing they even have time to be so friendly.


















We're glad William and Judy talked us into coming to and staying in Bradenton. This is the neatest place, with a small-town feel but big-town amenities. We'll miss the great waterfront area, the farmer's market, the downtown festivities and activities, and the fun places to visit. But surely we'll be back at some point.
















One last wave to Lyle and Twin Dolphin and Mattisons!

The Captain gives birth

We tried a Maryland stuffed ham on our first journey, in one of our favorite places (Solomon's Island). We bought it in a deli and meant to take it back to the boat for lunch. After one sample in the dinghy, all we took to the boat was an empty container. We got the recipe at the Welcome Center and it has been guarded more carefully than our wedding pictures. It's complicated and time-consuming, with a corning process for the ham, pampering and rubbing, soaking and soothing, rest periods, then finally the chopping and stuffing session. Jay mentioned it to Greg, the chef at Mattisons, and they decided to give it a try.

The original plan was before or during the holidays, but with some ham mixups and Christmas in Tennessee, the delivery was finally scheduled for January and labor was induced. It took quite a few trips to and from Mattisons, and a few false starts, but the ham debuted this week. Jay will miss the fun in the kitchen, and of course we'll miss all the good food they produce. The ham was outstanding!

Bustin' moves and casting off

We enjoyed a goodbye cookout with Todd and Allyson (with Sarah, Gracie and Nathan), Jim and Kathryn (with James and Max) and William and Judy. These lucky sisters live near each other and their husbands work together, and their get-togethers are always fun and busy with kids and dogs and cats and laughter all around.



We all were encouraged (coerced) to dance with the Wii, and the results were enlightening and hilarious. The kids were the winners, but the grannies and grandaddies held their own (controllers). There's a video of the Captain that will have to go viral when the Admiral can download it.

After a great evening, we retired so William and Judy could begin their journey south the next morning. Since Serendipity still had jobs to finish (still don't know why they're not all done!!), we'll be a few days behind them. All lines were finally pried from the dock and Optimystique headed out on a cool but sunny Sunday. It looks pretty empty in the slip beside us, but we're almost ready!

You've got a Freund

There were so many boat projects to get ready to head south again, some new electronics to install, and some troubles that popped up without our permission. And some were totally out of our realm of expertise. Enter Freundship Marine....ta da!!! Jim and Todd and Robert have worked on our boat before, and we're never disappointed. If they don't have it or can't order it, they'll just design and make it. We truly appreciate all their hard work, especially late at night and on the weekends. They're the very best when it comes to marine work, and so far there doesn't seem to be anything they can't do!

We'll miss them for all their hard work, but mostly because they're such great guys and good friends.

Rapunzel, rapunzel

The Admiral has been confined to the tower over the Twin Dolphin offices for crimes as yet undetermined. The Captain KNOWS she hates to sew, so why on earth did he buy her a sewing machine (now named Chucky after the sinister doll in a horror flick)? And purchase fabric and supplies and such? Then set up a room for her to sew in forEVER? There will be outfits for everything on the boat, awnings over every part of the boat, screens over and around everything on the boat, and possibly a shroud for the Captain (surprise, surprise). At any rate, it's much easier to sew and measure and cut fabric in a big room with a long table than to set up shop in the dinette of the boat. And the view from the windows of the sewing turret is spectacular. The Manatee River, the bridge over the river, the pool and palm trees of Twin Dolphin.....can't beat it! Sooooo, the sewing is almost done for now (dinghy chaps and front awning postponed till Marathon), and we thank Mike for generously loaning us the tower.

Drummers drumming, lords leaping

William and Judy took us to Siesta Key for a great sunset ceremony one Sunday evening. It's a weekly event, with drummers and dancers and hoopers and frolicking and romping and such. The Drum Circle consists of anyone who shows up with a drum, and they play together....loooooooong songs. While they play, the audience (which consists of whoever is there) participates if they choose. There were small children dancing and chasing one another, adults dancing and chasing one another, and people with hula hoops (try doing THAT if you haven't in a few years) of all ages. At the beginning of the ceremony, a small mound was built up in the sand with flowers on top and a garland all around. The centerpiece suffered some when it was remodeled by some children, but served as an altar of sorts to honor the sunset. It is a gorgeous beach, and the sunset was spectacular. The most interesting view, however, was the people.

So many lunches, so little time.......

How we ever found time to work is beyond us, but we sure enjoy NOT working (at a paying job, that is). Paul and Gail and Pat and Kat forced us to join them for lunch at Mattison's so we could catch up on our respective Christmases and hear all about Pat and Kat's new (HUGE) boat. Haven't seen it yet, but it sounds like a great way to camp (with washer/dryer, dishwasher, icemaker, several staterooms and heads, etc.). We feel really sorry for them, but tried hard to sound enthusiastic......and not green. Hopefully we'll all catch up on the water next time instead of in a restaurant.

Florida invaded by Volunteers!

Our good friends Bob and Mary visited their condo in Indian Rocks early in January, and we had a good time visiting with them there. The second week of their visit, good friends Dan and Lucretia (also from Tennessee and our home marina) came to visit as well. They came to Twin Dolphin for a catch-up session and a great lunch at Rod and Reel. William and Judy joined us, since they're old friends of them too. It wasn't exactly toasty Florida weather, but a great time was had by all. And it's always nice to spend time with people who actually speak without an accent!

Too young to go

Sadly, our friend Micki passed away over the Christmas holidays. It was a shock to everyone who knew her, and she will be missed. We had some good times with Lyle (Wild) and Micki, and will remember her as a warm-hearted, generous, fun-loving, puppy-loving, good-cooking, cute and marvelous chick. Our hearts go out to her family in Nashville (she leaves behind 4 children and grandchildren) and her husband Lyle.

Lyle had a celebration of her life at the marina two weeks ago, and Mike added a plaque bearing her name to the memory bell which honors former marina residents who have left us for calmer shores.

And Happy New Year!!

After a good visit in Tennessee with family and friends, we rented a car and headed back to the boat. It was good to be back, though of course we miss the family. The weather was warm enough on the first day back to sit by the pool (but the wind was a bit nipply). It takes a while to get everything put away and visit the grocery store and get all systems running again, but it sure is nice to hit this great v-berth mattress again! And it doesn't take long to get used to NOT wearing a coat.

There was a New Year's celebration downtown, and even a ball drop at midnight, but we went first to visit with Greg and Lori and Dan and Tara and had such a great celebration on their boat that we forgot to leave. They'd moved the boat across the marina to back up to Mattisons, so we had a live band performing for the party. Good company and great refreshments, and we even stayed up past midnight! Rumor has it that the cops were called to a party on the same dock, but we didn't have on handcuffs when we woke up so we're pretty sure we weren't involved.
































The weather has been less than tropical for the past week, but there's snow again in Tennessee, so we're not complaining. Now back to work on the boat to get ready to head south.......

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas in Bradenton is beautiful, because the streets, sidewalks, and particularly the area around the waterfront (lucky us....our marina!!) have great light displays. It's a good place to get in the spirit, but the family Christmas is in Tennessee.

We went to Gatlinburg to visit with Mike, our marina manager, and his daughter Lauren, who had flown up for a ski trip before Christmas. It was fun to revisit our old haunts (we both worked in Gatlinburg before college, and Jay and our sons taught skiing and snowboarding there for several years) and have a great dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The mountains were beautiful, and the lights through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg were impressive. We took the opportunity to display the Twin Dolphin burgee in a new location (and a much colder one than it's used to).

We had the opportunity to visit with lots of friends before the serious cooking began for Christmas. We spent an evening with Windy and Linda and Bryce and Sue in Kingston, catching up and reliving (embellishing) our boat stories from the past.















We had a special welcoming sign at Bryce and Sue's, and also a warm welcome from their menagerie.












We stopped at Lee and Ann's for an overnight while we were in Kingston, and enjoyed their castle once again. We also went to a party at Sid and Donna's, and were thrilled when we walked in and saw a room full of friends from our old marina, Blue Springs. It was fun to catch up and see friends we'd missed.

Even with the bad weather, the family made it to the farm, and we had a gorgeous white Christmas. As pretty as it is in the warmer climates, there's nothing like snow on Christmas (and snow cream, and snowmen, and cold feet and noses and cute girl cousins together). Santa found us, even though not everyone had been good all year......




















































Surprisingly, the Captain had an assortment of Cousin Eddie Wear in his stocking. It was hard for Santa to find all the special accessories, but the look was pretty comparable (and thank you, Brittany, for letting the old fart wear your soft new robe). We took the RV to Tennessee to store for the winter, and also used it as an annex while on the farm (it served double duty -- extra sleeping space for the family and a hideout for the Captain's brown water sessions). It was bittersweet to park it, even though the reason was so we could leave to cruise again in January.