Kennedy Space Center

• We stayed on the anchor at a place called Dragon Point. The next day we headed to the friendly Titusville Municipal Marina which is under construction, no sleeping late here. We rented a car and went to the Kennedy Space Center. The center is on Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, 140,000 acres.
• We enjoyed listening to inspiring stories of the NASA's journey. If I was a little girl I would want to be an astronaut. We roamed through trails of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions and saw the actual rockets. I was amazed that we were allowed to get so close to the launch pads. The center had an air conditioned bus that took you from place to place, you could stay at any sight as long as you wanted.
• In the Imax theaters they had 3-D glasses and you were transformed from movie watcher to moonwalker. Tom Hanks produced and narrated the movie. I love it when the rocket takes off, it's like a great roller coaster ride. When sparks fly through the air you duck or put up your hands to prevent getting hit by rock of debris.
• The next film was narrated by Tom Cruise. Again you had your glasses. This one was all about weightlessness. Watching and getting the feeling you were just floating around in the space station, it was awesome.
• We went on a shuttle launch. You are given a locker to put any loose items in; your glasses, change and jewelry. If you have had any recent surgery or injury you cannot participate. You are strapped into a seat and get the full sights, sounds and feeling of a vertical launch. The extreme shaking, motion and vibrations can effect you. One lady felt motion sick and as my kids would say....what big chunks she blew. It was a thrilling experience. You have to take the time and stop here one day yourself.
• The international space station, sending people to the moon maybe someday I will get there. We were lucky enough to see an actual launch, a communication satellite.

Vero Beach

• Since I was a little girl I can remember Indian River Oranges. Now I know where Indian River is and where those oranges came from. Vero Beach is a great stopover when heading north. It's an affluent resort town.
• We stayed at the municipal marina. The marina is in a park like setting and you can walk to the ocean front with dozens of restaurants. Every two hours a bus was available to drive you to town. The bus was free, but donations were accepted. We took the bus, we have found that the best way to see an area is to take local transportation. We needed some supplies from West Marine. At night we had a mile or so hike to Mulligans Restaurant and enjoyed our 1st Maine lobster. I didn't share, I ate the whole thing. The walk home was much needed.
• The next day there was a Walk for Life, Birthright. We walked the 5 miles and now have another tee-shirt.

Surprise

We called Ruth and Dennis to let them know we were back in the states. To our surprise, they drove 3 hours from Fort Myers to Hutchinson Island to spend the afternoon with us. We had so much to talk about. They have their boat up for sale so we can rule out spending time in the Bahamas with them. They are keeping Tango, Mike's boating buddy.

Hutchinson Island

• Our first greeting after entering the St. Lucie River was a parade of dolphins. They loved our wake. They leaped and danced for us; made us squeal with delight.
• Just one mile from the St. Lucie Inlet, we docked at the Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort. Coffee and paper in the morning, beautiful pool and laundry was free. In the Bahamas I paid $6.00 every time I did a load of wash.
• The fist night at the marina they had an end of winter party. We had hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. As Mike always said, the best beer is a cold free one and there was plenty of everything.
• We gave Pete and Peg G. a call with the hope we could get together. Early the next morning they were there. They were very gracious in offering us their car to use. Instead we sat back and let them drive us around. First stop was to check in with customs. You have a 24-hour number to call as soon as you arrive back in the states. The officer then gives you an arrival number and you are instructed to present yourself and your crew for a face to face inspection. We had to go to Fort Pierce Airport, Pete drove us and on the way gave us a tour of Jensen Beach and Hutchinson Island. We expected a big hassle with customs, we were in and out in 10 minutes.
• We headed to a restaurant for lunch, (favorite pastime) at this point we called Marianne and Joe G. to meet us. We sat at the bar, waiting for Marianne and Joe, it was hot so the drinks went down easy. I impressed Peg, I kept up with everyone. We had a nice lunch and went back to Joe and Marianne's condo. What a beautiful home they have, the location is ideal.
• Time to leave and we went to Pete and Peg's. I could not get over the front doors to their condo, they are massive. I love the open and airy Florida living. I could not stop looking out from their balcony, the ocean is just never ending. No wonder Peg loves it so much.
• We went to the public grocery store and had a ball getting all the stuff we could not get in the Bahamas. Important stuff, like large stuffed garlic olives and mallomars.

Grand Bahama Island

• We were at Old Bahama Bay Marina the very 1st night we came to the Bahamas. Here it is our last night and we are back. It's kindof a "gotcha." There's no other place to stay in this area, it's the only real shelter. We were lucky to get a slip. We could hear other boats calling on the radio looking for a safe haven for the night and being turned away. I called several days before and was put on a waiting list, it all depends on how many boats can get out.
• We had a very nice dinner with 2 other couples. The plan was to leave early in the morning so we already paid. Once you leave, you have trouble coming back, they can't tell you if there is a slip available until late in the day. When we woke up another storm was raging. Should we go or not. Since we paid last night, they did not have a slip for us. It would depend on how many other boats left. The rain stopped. One of the other couples left. Their boat was a good 10 feet bigger than ours. We waited to hear from them. They called us on the VHF radio and said it wasn't too bad. Do they mean it or does misery enjoy company? We left with TK III, safety in numbers. On the radar we were picking up rain showers, but they were always ahead of us. The first six miles was a little rough, than it calmed down, the ride to St. Lucie was a breeze. We said goodbye to Ron and Sue, "See you next fall."

Time to head back to the States

• We have been living in our second home for 11 months now. We explored islands above and below the sea. It has been an adventure so different from the hustle and bustle of our normal life. Now it's time to head back to reality, start heading home. More than 75% of our trip is done.
• As I think back, we did not have a boring day, we were busy all the time. That's why I did not write in my blog.
• As usual we had to wait for the right weather conditions before we could start our journey back. We were ready a full week before we could start to head for the West End. It was a little windy when we decided to leave, not bad. The ocean was rough so we decided not to go through the Whale Cay Passage, which takes you out into the ocean. We would go through "Don't Rock" rock and Sand Bank Cay. The problem here is it gets very low. We went through at high tide and had never hit less than 6 or 7 feet. We had a smooth ride to Great Sale where we anchored early in the afternoon. We got off the boat and went to shore to explore, again getting many shells to make frames and stuff with the kids. The cay is just a stop area. It is uninhabited and stretches for 5 miles north and south. This cay was once home to a US missile tracking station, the ruins can still be found. We had cocktails aboard TK III and to bed early.
• There were around 7 boats anchored. At 7:30 the 1st boat left heading to West End. All of a sudden a squall came up, there is shattering thunder and shocks of lighting with winds whipping at 40 mph and the rain was like someone spraying a hose full force on us, the sky is black. The waves had the boat rocking up and down. Our anchor started to drag . We were getting too close to TK III. Mike started the boat and I went up top to pull up the anchor. When we put an anchor out Mike puts a snubber line out. You put this line on to take some of the strain off the winch. As I untied the snubber line, I held it in my hands, and started to pull up the anchor line. Well, I screwed up, the middle of the line got caught in the anchor chain and started to suck the snubber line into the well. The whole thing jammed. It froze, I could do nothing. Meanwhile, we are getting closer to the TK III, maybe 25 feet. We were going over his anchor line, if we hit it both our boats would be up on the coral and rocks. What a mess. If we go on shore we can kiss the boat goodbye. The water is pouring off me, I look like a drowned rat. I had to go into the cabin to reset the knife switch. Duh, I forgot how to do it. We only had a problem like this once before about a year ago. I go in to take the wheel while Mike tries to get the anchor up. He keeps telling me not to run over our anchor chain, I keep putting it in neutral, I also have to make sure I do not back over the other boat. My heart is pumping I can't tell what is sweat and what is rain. Mike starts pulling the line in by hand, a wave hits and he has to let go. He starts pulling it in again. Mike is giving me some signals. It's raining so hard I can not see him on the front of the boat. TK III pulls up his anchor, all he wants to do is get away from us. Can't say I blame him. Even though the storm is still raging, Mike gets the anchor chain up and tells me to just go go go. Get out of harm's way. While I was driving, Mike fixed the winch. We are heading for West End. Anything to get away from the rocks. The storm leaves just a quickly as it came.

Auction

• A large crowd of people gathered in the pavilion at the Abaco Beach Resort for the annual Abaco Pathfinders fund raising auction. The goal of this auction is to provide academic and vocational scholarships to as many deserving young Abaconians as possible.
• It all starts with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and then a roast beef buffet dinner. As we always say at SHYC - fill their bellies with cocktails and they will buy more.
• There were 164 items in silent auctions ranging from grocery store gift certificates to dinners and fishing trips. Mike really wanted the fishing trip, he kept bidding up but when he walked away they closed the bid and he lost.
• The regular auction raised $140,000. Some of the items were airline and ferry tickets, handcrafted pieces and artwork, one week stays at places like Aspen, Colorado, Paris and Canyon Ranch. The auction also included a 33 foot Pearson sail boat and a 22 foot Rosborough Sea Skiff. It was something else.

Company

• John and Cathie came to visit us while we were in the Bahamas. Our friend Manard welcomed them and did Cathie in with his special Goombay Smash.
• Our first adventure was to take the boat to Elbow Cay, where we took a mooring for an overnight stay. Our adventure took them through Hope Town. It's fun to see the reaction of our friends to these little towns. There's the post office, police station and clinic all in the same building; a public dock and several restaurants. We had dinner at the Edge. We have learned to take on the Bahamian attitude. There's always tomorrow. Nothing needs to be done right away. It took us a while to slow down, if you want something done today, plan on having it completed by next week. The Bahamian people should be able to grow very old, they do not let any stress get to them. So we relaxed and just enjoyed a nice slow dinner.
• The next day we went for breakfast at Captain Jack's, this place always makes me think of Billy Joel, you know, "Capt. Jack will get you high tonight." I wonder if Billy was ever at this Capt. Jack's.
• We let the mooring go and are on our way to Tahiti Beach. The white sand and blue water are just picture perfect. We cleaned the bottom of the boat and then just enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of this island paradise.
• We took them to Mermaid Beach and did some snorkeling. John loved it; Cathie swallowed a little too much water and decided to just relax on the beach.
• St Patrick's Day was on Monday. We made corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes. We met about 100 people at the tent and enjoyed a traditional Irish feast.

Conch Contest

• Since we got to the Bahamas, Mike has been fascinated with the conch shell. You're only allowed to take dead shells, in other words nothing can be living in the shell. The search was on. No matter where we went on the water Mike would look for shells.
• Each shell he found was set aside for our grandchildren. He spent weeks making lamps and horns. They really came out nice.
• The club had a beach party. We were in charge of a game. We did the one where you had to put the golf ball almost up your butt, walk twenty-five feet and drop the ball into a bucket. I still remember Bill S. getting to the bucket, going to drop the ball and realizing he had already lost the ball. The next game was a play on the 1x6 board with the sneakers screwed to it. Five people had to be coordinated enough to walk together to the finish line.
• The most fun of the night for me was watching Mike enter the conch blowing contest. There were at least 20 people in it. They were judged on the beauty of their conch. How loud they could blow, what length of time you could blow and if you could play a tune. There were two prizes. One for the best and one for the person who needed more practice. Mike won, needing a lot more practice. Maybe next year.

Sock Hop

• When we were kids and dating, sock hops were held in the gym every other Friday night. The Bayview Avenue gym became a dance floor. You were not allowed to wear shoes on the gym floor, hence, sock hop. Now I feel old. We started dancing together back in 1959. Where did the years go, almost 50 years ago.
• The RMHYC had their sock hop in the big tent at boat harbour. Once again the decorating committee did a spectacular job. Most everyone was dressed in what we wore way back then. Poodle skirts and the guys in Tee shirts with the sleeves rolled up. I was a pink lady, just jeans with a pink shirt that said "pink lady." Of course I had a hicky on my neck and Mike's ring on a chain, we were going steady.
• The music did not stop. We danced until our feet hurt. We were picked to be in the twist contest, didn't win, but sure did try.

The airport

• Sitting in the airport waiting room reminded me of the TV show "Wings". The sitting area was shocking orange on the top, like the Home Depot color. The bottom was painted pink. The seats were folding chairs, like the old card table chairs, not made for comfort.
• The same person that sold you the ticket, took the ticket at the other end. She also cleared you for customs and home land security.
• There were 30 or more 10 year old children on a school trip. The public address system announced that their flight was to be delayed due to mechanical problems. They were very well behaved considering they were there for over 3 hours.
• We decided to have some breakfast. It was 8 A.M. so we ordered eggs with bacon or sausage and toast. The coffee was good. The reason I'm mentioning this is to point out what some people eat for breakfast. Pig's feet, steamed bologna, some kind of scary looking fish, chicken souse and grits.
• The plane is a two prop that looks like something the Flintstones would ride in. I still can't figure out how it got off the ground.
• We were back in boat harbour by 11:00 A.M. and in our bathing suits swimming in the pool and having lunch by noon. Hard to believe we were away for 18 days.

Win some lose some

• Because it was a holiday week, we had trouble getting a flight from Nassau to N.Y. The best we could do was Wednesday. We didn't want to stay in Atlantis, it was too expensive. We went to a hotel closer to the airport and in the heart of the action.
• On Monday night we decided to go to the casino for dinner and a little gambling. Mike had a very good night. As you know, there is no place to sit in a casino, I was so tired, sleeping at the slot joker-poker machine. I hated to ask him, but I had to go home. With a little pout, we left. The next day we spent at the pool and beach. At night we went back to the casino. I had tried to get a reservation at the steak restaurant, no go, all booked. We decided to ask if we had any comps from the night before. The hostess looked us up and said yes, she could give us $150. toward dinner. Wonderful, we would like to eat at the steak restaurant. She made all the arrangements. It was great, what could be better than a free steak dinner, wine and all.
• We flew to N.Y. wearing our shorts and sandals, no coats or shoes. It was around 30 degrees. I was so happy that John and Cathie N. brought coats for us when they picked us up.
• We saw lots and family and friends. It was not the way we would have liked to see them. Funerals are never fun.
• Mike and Sean took us to the airport on their way to work. When we got to Nassau we could not get a flight to Marsh Harbour until the next morning. Mike again asked the hostess at the hotel if we had any comps left. She did. Were we surprised when we saw our room. I was just happy staying in it. The oceanfront rooms, overlooking the pool, were from a James Bond movie... Just magnificent. It doesn't get much better than this. Mike played Texas Hold 'em from 6 at night to 4 in the morning. This time he just broke even. We were happy, the stay didn't cost us anything.

When I grow up

• When I grow up, or in my next life, I want to be a dolphin trainer. We went to the dolphin pond and had a great experience playing with them. They actually have personalities. We had an eleven year old boy, Brewer. He entertained us for a good hour. They are like children, they just want to play. We got to pet Brewer, rub his belly, feed him a fish, hug and kiss him. Yes, I kissed him. He could hum a nursery rhyme. (Made me think of Cathy B. and blame it on the Bosanova, indistinct murmur). The instructor told us not to rub him in certain areas, he is a young male and will respond. Brewer danced for us, he jumped into the air and twisted and even walked on the water. I'll never forget this day.
• While on vacation with the kids, Mike's mom passed away. The children left all tan and healthy looking. We will go home in a few days.

Atlantis

• As I mentioned before, we didn't go home for Christmas, which meant we did not see our children since last September. Our whole crew is meeting us in Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas.
• Our plan was to take the boat to Nassau. We made a reservation at the Atlantis Marina and found out it was $4.50 a foot and a minimum of 40 feet; we're only 33 feet. It's been very windy here and the ocean waves are well over 6 feet. We would have to travel 110 miles in the ocean. It would not be a comfortable ride. A few weeks before the trip we decided to fly over and get a room.
• We arrived 2 hours before the kids. We checked in and then checked the kids in. We had asked for rooms together. What a surprise, the rooms were all in a row.
• We had enough time to put on our bathing suits, get breakfast and check out the place. We were sitting in the lobby when their van pulled up. My God, seeing the children brought tears to my eyes. Mike's eyes looked watery also. We grabbed the grandchildren and took them to our room. Once, Karen H. told me you should always jump on the beds when you go to a hotel. So we all started to jump on the beds, singing "5 little monkeys jumping on a bed." We were having a ball until their parents arrived. The kids got the LOOK. My little angels, I hope I think of them as angels at the end of the week.
• We spent the day at the pool, relaxing and catching up with 6 months worth of stories.
• Every morning we would meet at breakfast. The sad thing was that you had to get a lounge chair early. You had to put some stuff on the chair to save it (books, towels or shirts). It was very annoying because people would save chairs and never use them. There should be a rule against saving seats for more than an hour.
• After the second day the kids were told to buddy up and they could go on some rides without us. After all, they knew their way around better than we did. They found the best stuff to do and were busy all the time.
• One slide took you right through the shark tank. You would be sitting in a tube and the speed of the water would push you through. You look up and the sharks are swimming around you. I think they said it was awesome.
• Another slide had you sit and when the light turned green you would push off. You entered a pipe that was dark, you would go about 2 feet and then you would just drop. It seemed like you were free-falling forever. All of a sudden you were in a cave, it would take a few seconds for you to realize that you should stand up. I heard loud screams on the way down and they were mine.
• In another ride you sat in a tube, actually you were laying down, you went through a narrow opening that you could see through. It was like a roller coaster with twists and turns that made you go up on the side of the walls or banks. I loved it and so did everyone else.
• The best was the lazy river. I believe it ran for a mile and took 45 minutes. On the river you would go through rapids that made you scream with delight. You would get hit with waves that made you go high in the air. The waterfalls came and you got soaked. They had a double tube that was great. We took turns taking the little ones in these tubes.

Black and White Dance

• Commodore's Ball...This year the members that organized the ball made it a black and white theme. You were asked to wear anything you wanted as long as it was black and white. Living on the boat, we do not have any dressy outfits (Mike loves it when I call his clothing "outfits"). Some women actually had gowns and the men tuxedos. Others, like us, wore white Capri pants and black shirts or black shorts and white shirts. We looked OK.
• The decorations committee did a wonderful job. They took twigs and sticks, spray painted them red and made them the center piece. They were surrounded by 3 white candles. The napkins were white with black bows as holders.
• A 3 course dinner was served. The DJ was great, we danced to a variety of music. We were one of the last to leave. We had a 7:30 flight in the morning. I was so worried about over-sleeping that I didn't sleep all night.

Dentist

• I had a loose filling and was worried about it falling out. Of course I had my tongue pushing on the filling all day long. I was like a seven year old playing with a loose tooth. This time I wouldn't get a quarter. Actually I think the tooth fairy now leaves a dollar to five dollars. This time I probably would get a toothache.
• I realized I would have to go to the dentist and have this fixed. To tell the truth, I was afraid. After all we are not in the states. I don't know why but I pictured sitting in the dentist chair, the dentist holding a pair of pliers, with his foot against my chest yanking the tooth out. I made an appointment and several times I was going to cancel it.
• To my surprise, she, the dentist had quite a practice. The office was much nicer than the one at home. Much more modern. She did a wonderful job. In fact it's cheaper to have your teeth cleaned in the Bahamas then it is to have a pedicure!

Making Memories

• A few years ago, Walter and Nancy, Al and Wally, Jo and Whitey, Nancy and Gregg and the two of us chartered a boat in the BVI. Every time we pull into a new harbor I think of them. You pull in and all you see are wall to wall boats. You have to ride around until you find a mooring ball not in use, or a place to drop your anchor. It's like driving into the mall parking lot at Christmas time. The difference here is everything is moving.
• It was raining when we pulled in through the narrow opening of Man-O-War Cay and navigation can be tricky because it is shallow. You have to be sure no boat is coming out. We could drop the anchor at no cost but instead we decided to pay for a mooring ball because it was windy and the rain was driving. A mooring is safe, you don't have to worry about your anchor dragging. By the time we were ready to leave the boat it stopped raining, it was hot and we were ready for a swim.
• We took the dinghy to shore, tied her up and headed to the beach. We had our snorkel gear with us and started walking. This cay is not big and, still, we got lost. I'm not sure, but I'd say it's less then the distance from Merrick Rd. to Sunrise Highway in Seaford. We finally met a woman in a golf cart, asked directions, and she offered us a ride to the beach. Good thing because we would have been walking miles in the heat.
• The beach was clean and beautiful. Looking through our masks you can clearly see shells and small fish of different colors especially against the oatmeal colored floor of the sea. It's unbelievable.
• This cay is dry - no liquor, beer or wine. You can't even get a drink at the one restaurant, Hibiscus Cafe. Well, the first person we ran into, I mean he ran into us, was drunk. He looked at us and said, "I hope you realize you can't get a drink here!" He laughed and so did we.
• The warm salt water here causes a lot of growth on the bottom of the boat. Because the water was less than 5 feet, Mike jumped in and started to clean the bottom of the boat. It took a scrub brush and a scraper to get the grass and barnacles off. He only had a few cuts from the sharp edges; he didn't draw any sharks.

Art Festival

• On Friday night the resort had an art show. There's a huge tent and a pavilion, where around 30 local artists displayed their crafts. You could buy books and the authors were there to sign them. One of the writers, Jeep Byers, had a sign up that he had a best seller. The book was about a terrorist in the Abacos. Mike asked him if this "best seller" was in the New York Times; he just smiled.
• There were oil, silk and acrylic paintings, photography, sculptures in wood and one of a kind jewelry. I was tempted several times to purchase "stuff", but what would I do with it? We had intended to go to dinner after the show but since we ate so many crab cakes and such, we couldn't justify spending money on dinner.

Dinghy Rides

• It's always fun to take a dinghy ride. We pack a lunch - God forbid we should go anywhere without snacks and beer. We always take our snorkel gear with us, you never know when that lobster dinner Mike promised me is right under the boat. Did I tell you Mike bought a Hawaiian sling to catch fish and lobster? Mike said he sees lobsters all the time, they're just not big enough. He's waiting for the 10 pounder before he shoots. There are places here that remind me of an english muffin, you know, nooks and crannies to pull into. We went into this creek, eventually it was a dead end. The silence and seclusion is amazing. Mike cut the engine and we just sat there. You can't tell how deep the water is, it's so clear. You think it's shallow. We held hands and jumped in together. It was deep and cold. Now, how to get me back in the boat... Glad there was no one to take my picture.

SeaSpray

• We took a vacation from our trip and went to another marina, SeaSpray, White Sound on Elbow Cay. It's between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Abaco. I believe 28 boats went on the rendezvous.
• The ocean was just breaking, the waves were perfect for jumping over. Only thing was the reef was right there. You could not go in the water; it was actually dangerous. If a wave knocked you over, you landed on coral not sand. There were several surfers; they were wearing helmets, like the ones a person wears when bike riding.
• We took a long walk along the beach and collected great shells. My butt is burnt from bending over and having it face the sun.
• We sat by the Garbonzo Pool Bar, took a swim and had several libations. We had dinner at the Boat House Restaurant. A band played a mixture of music and we danced the night away.
• The next morning a brunch was planned. We were to gather on the dock and each boat was to bring a dish for 10 to 12 people - sound familiar? I made french toast, only a little differently. Down here coconuts are plentiful. The local bakery makes coconut bread, I had it sliced a little thicker. I made the regular mix with eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar. Mike put some coconut rum in it. Oh my God, was that good! Two loaves of bread disappeared quickly. The only problem was that it started to rain cats and dogs. We could not use the restaurant because they were serving breakfast. The couple that arranged the weekend split us into three groups and we went on different boats. We were on a 65 ft. Talk about luxury!
• After eating, we went with another couple to Mass. They had a golf cart; it's still hard to remember to drive on the left side of the street. Mass was held in the library, which is about the size of our dining room at home.
• The whole day was a wash. In the afternoon, the manager, Junior, let us use the restaurant for games. We learned a new card game, "Golf." Nine hands and you have to pay attention. At night we were shuttled to the Hope Town Harbour Lodge. Mike had the best prime rib ever.
• The next day we were in a whole different world. We took a walk passed saltbox cottages with white picket fences. The other extreme was huge mansions with beautiful flower gardens. We went to Tahiti Beach. I was told that this beach is one of the top ten in the world. We headed back to Boat Harbour, which we are now calling "home" and once again enjoyed sitting around the pool.