back "home" in S. Florida! ....... from P

I am recovering nicely from climatic whiplash. A two-day overnight sail trip with Karen and David (K's incredibly gracious sister and b-in-law) definitely helped me get readjusted to life in the tropics. After flying into Miami on Tuesday, the four of us sailed on Wednesday to Boca Chita island, returning to Black Point Marina yesterday. David continued to help us get reacquainted by taking us back out to the everglades today. It is near the end of the "dry season" in the glades, so the gators, turtles, snakes and birds are all concentrated around the water holes. It is impossible to describe the natural beauty of the everglades. The best part: no bugs this time of year. Wow. A few of days ago I was sitting with dad in a nursing facility where it was 35 degrees outside, and hospital smell on the inside. Today I was walking among alligators and Gumbo-Limbo trees in the 76 degree sunshine. Whiplash indeed!





Karen on the helm to Boca Chita

Gator Hole!

Snowy Egret. These were poached almost to extinction for their plumes used on ladies' hats! They look better on the bird.

Next on our agenda will be a slow sail up to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up HA (youngest daughter) and her cousin MJ who will be flying in to sail with us during spring break. Our slip rental agreement with marina here lasts another week so we will probably hang around Miami for a few more days and then mosey up to Ft. Lauderdale. Our new plan is to play with HA and MJ for a week, then K and I will set sail back down to the south Keys, then on to the Dry Tortugas. I am so glad to be back "home."

to the next adventure............from K

P & I are blessed to have a group of friends that we good-naturedly call the "handhuggers." The name started because of the men's natural aversion to hug each other, but over the years, I notice that familiarity breeds affection. Our group of families have been meeting monthly for more than 16 years, sharing meals, prayer, births, illnesses, and embarrassing secrets. Each fall, we stay at cabins up at Crabtree Falls and spend hours hiking, eating, and chatting around a bonfire. We take turns preparing inspirational discussions, encouraging one another to strengthen our marriages and just dare to be better people. I don't think we set out to become life-long friends, but now we know so much about each other, we have no choice. And that's a good thing.

So, as soon as I was back in town from visiting my parents for a week, Dick and Bebe invited the group over for dinner and stories. Even after meeting such wonderful strangers in our travels this past year, I must say that being with old friends is best: the hugs when you enter the house, the familiar smell of Bebe's burritos, Renee's gourmet salad, Ken's dry humor and the four conversations going on at once. I love hearing updates on their kids, even if the news isn't always good. I marvelled at their interested questions - they read our blog more carefully than I read the newspaper. Even though Bob and Sue are in the Windy City now, we felt their presence. What great friends!

We head back to Miami on Tuesday for the last leg of our trip. I'm excited to get back to Senara, knowing that P & I have a few more adventures and lessons to learn. But, my mother has always said that the best part of going anywhere is going home. And I think come May, I'll be as excited to return home - and friends - as I was to set out on my current adventure.

grow up ............... from P

In hindsight I probably sounded like a 12 year old when I said it. In the midst of all the confusion surrounding my dad's being moved from ICU to "step down" to regular hospital care and now to a nursing/rehab facility, combined with the emotions and expectations regarding which of us kids are going to sit with him and attend to his needs (and a bit of sleep deprivation added into the mix for good measure), I let it slip. I said "I am tired of all this, I just want to get back on the boat and be gone." Childish, yes. But it was a true gut reaction. I have forgiven myself for saying it, and I am now getting ready to again "buck up" and go back to the hated nursing facility for a day of needles and bed pans. I feel nauseous just walking in there. But dad needs a lot of attention right now, and I need to remember my priorities.

just rememberin' ....... from P

OK, enough of this real life stuff. I am ready to re-board and get underway. As I sit here in the hospital room and prepare for another night of dozing in this hard chair, and helping with the "pee bottle" my mind drifts back to my other, temporary life aboard Senara. Was that real? Was I dreaming? I found a few pics to help me remember (and look forward again) to life in the keys.

the best laid plans of mice and men.. from P

Let's play Jeopardy! The clue... "I don't know, we have to make decisions day-to-day." The correct answer... "What are your plans for the rest of the trip?"

We have abruptly interrupted our trip for a different kind of adventure. As I write this, I am sitting in the family waiting area at Sentara Hospital near home. I have been here for two days. My elderly father had a hip repair surgery performed a few days ago, and the shock to his system almost killed him. After three nights of emergency ICU care, he has now been moved into the "step down" unit and is slowly getting stronger. K is flying in today, and I am sure she will be headed to her parents' home to again help care for her dad for a while also. Senara is safely secured in a boat slip in southern Florida for a few weeks. We plan to fly back to Florida on the 24th and resume the sail, contingent on healthy parents of course. On the positive side, we get to see family, catch up with friends, catch up on mail, and take care of some (lots of) deferred maintenance around the house! I thought I would be glad to come home for a while, but I must confess - I feel like a visitor.

Another plan change (as of today anyway): We will likely not sail over to the Bahamas this trip. We love the keys, and we are just now getting familiar enough with the inlets, reef locations, marinas, provisioning stops, good happy hours, etc. so that we can now really enjoy all the natural beauty - and explore with confidence. We want/need another month there. We also want to sail out to the Marquesas and the Dry Tortugas (40 miles and 75 miles west of KW respectively). Serious adventure and primitive conditions! As an additional benefit, staying within U.S. territory allows us to communicate with home much easier, and get home more quickly if circumstances again dictate.

I have come to view our trip as a metaphor for our lives - conditions change by the hour, we have to be ready to change course quickly, always have a bail-out plan, and sometimes just hunker down. Nice surprises are all around us, and we always learn something when we push our personal limits. So our plans at this point are to adjust our sails, tack into the headers, and ride the lifts.

Pennekamp...................from K

Okay, I admit it. I was nervous about sailing in the predicted 25 kt winds the following day. We took all the precautions: reefed the sails and discussed bailout options. And like most things we fear the most, it never happened. There was NO wind and we ended up motoring the 50+ miles up to Pennekamp.
Pennekamp is a park and huge underwater sanctuary on Key Largo. As a child, my family would camp there in our 8-man Sears tent. It was here that I learned the life lesson to never touch wet canvas - because it will leak. Years later, when I was pregnant with E, Pat & I took my nephew John there on New Years Day to enjoy the protected beaches. Over the years, Pennekamp has not changed much - miraculously. It is also probably the best deal in the Keys for getting a slip - only $30/night. You just have to have a shallow draft to get in and out.
As soon as we docked, we met new "old" friends. Seeing Bennetts Creek, Va on our transom, a family in their dinghy motored over and the dad enthusiastically yelled he used to live down the street from our creek. Of course, we invited the family aboard and had a lovely evening sharing P-town and sailing stories. Like several boaters we've met, this couple is home-schooling their two children aged 5 and 7 and traveling the islands. They set out from NC in December in a large catamaran and are experiencing much of the same excitement and frustrations as we have. We became such quick friends that the following evening, they let P & I entertain the kids on our boat while they went out to celebrate Sheila's b-day. P & I had a blast relearning how to play UNO and teaching them our kid's old favorite card games. We look forward to sailing with our own grandchildren one day (not too soon, girls!). We so enjoy our fellow sailors - and future sailors.

The morning after.......from K

After our life-affirming night of high winds, P & I moved onto the fuel dock of the Marathon Marina - the only space available. Tying up to the dock felt like a welcoming hug from my mother - warm and safe. We had a one-manatee welcoming committee. This mammoth-sized sea cow was sucking the concrete wall on our bow. He didn't mind that we invaded his space so P rewarded him with some fresh water from our hose. Manatees love to suck fresh water. Just watching his playful lumbering lowered my blood pressure.

Our intention was to get some sleep, but P & I quickly realized that we had too much nervous energy to rest. The familiar routine of doing laundry - scrounging quarters, bleaching t-shirts, etc. - gives me a sense of control. P set out cleaning - and drying out - the boat. By late afternoon, we had changed the oil in the dinghy motor, air-dried our storm gear and found some solace in our organization.

We met an adorable family from Alaska whose boat was also tied up on the fuel dock. They had a similar experience the night before, but unlike us, they had to wait most of the night for the towboat to arrive. In fact, the towboat captain told them that he wouldn't have arrived until morning except that one of his calls (us!!) had been able to get off the shelf with the help of a fellow-sailor. Angel Don was looking out for more than just us that night! Once again, this is a great story about not knowing how many lives you touch when you do a good deed.

Our evening ended with a fabulous dinner with our good friends, Vicky & Sam, who are vacationing in Florida and the keys. It was so wonderful being with familiar friends after a night like last night - good to laugh with each other and at ourselves. P & I take credit for introducing V & S several years ago. They're both avid sailors and we thought it would be a great match - we were right. Sailing connects people in such interesting ways.