When I last wrote on the blog, we were packed and
ready to head north for Christmas with family and friends. Since our return, I have not gotten back into
the writing craze. My excuse, I guess,
is having too much fun. But today is the
day to bring everyone up to date on our December and January activities.
Considering the mid-west has had horrible weather
this year, our trip to and from Florida to Indiana to Iowa was excellent. No snow, wind or horrific cold temperatures. We arrived in Schererville, IN on Dec. 13th
and spent the rest of the month moving to and from Melissa, Jon and Andrew’s
homes. (My Dad always said, “Company and
fish are just alike. After three days
they both stink!”) Gee, I hope that
wasn’t their thoughts J
We were able to do our Christmas shopping, attend Ava’s choir concert,
celebrate Melissa’s birthday, and spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas day
with our children and grandchildren. It
really doesn’t get any better than that.
Also, tucked into those weeks, we were able to have dinner and
conversation with lots of dear, dear friends in the area.
On Dec. 26th, we headed for Iowa to visit
my brothers and their families, Steve’s Mom and his sister’s family. My brothers and I had a neighbor couple whom
we have known our whole lives. Wilmer is
gone now, but Betty resides in a nursing facility. So, all of us were able to spend an afternoon
with her, which was special to all of us. (We call her our second Mom!)
The awful cold spell moved into Iowa on the last
days of December, so we packed it up and moved it out! We left and the thermometer read -6 degrees
and was going down from there! As I mentioned, the two day drive to Florida was
long but uneventful. We arrived back at
Bradenton, FL to nice warm temps. Steve’s
Christmas present was awaiting him.
Before leaving, we had met and secured a company to clean, polish and
buff the whole outside of our boat. In
addition, they stripped, sanded and finished the wood on the entire boat with
four coats of Cetol. Do I have a happy
husband…Merry Christmas Dear!!!! For
non-boaters, this would be a huge amount of work, so to leave and come back to
a finished product is amazing. We have
found that salt water is VERY hard on any surface and especially a boat.
We enjoyed the first two weeks in Bradenton in preparation for our sail down the west coast of Florida. January 6th, I celebrated my birthday with a lovely dinner with my husband. The “weather God’s” must of wanted me to remember celebrating my day up north, because the winds began to blow and the temps dropped to freezing. Once again, rather unusual for Florida, but it happens. Since then, the whole state has been experiencing below normal temperatures and it doesn’t seem to improve! You know my old theory, take lemons and make lemonade. As I told a friend this AM, I am getting tired of lemonade and need to move on to a new tropical drink! Sailing life is tough, folks.
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One Year Older Isn't Too Bad |
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Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit in Bradenton |
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Lunch at Fav's |
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David & Jane from Texas Stopped for a Visit |
As I write, we have moved farther south and are
currently in Charlotte Harbor. In my
next blog writing, I will bring you up to date on our adventures from Bradenton
to Charlotte Harbor. I promise to be a
bit more prompt from now on.
Have a great day from sunny, but very cool, Florida!