We arrived via RV to Lamb's Yacht Center in Jacksonville. Our home, Day Dreams, looked welcoming as she floated in her temporary summer location. There had been hurricane prep for Dorian but it missed JAX yet devastated the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Day Dreams weathered the season well. We took a few days to unload the RV, taking everything off because our plan is to sell it now. I was able to donate some of our unneeded items to the Bahamas, there was a boat @ Ortega Landings that took supplies over. We are done seeing all the National Parks by RV. We have visited a total of 45 National Parks in the US & 13 National & Provincial Parks in Canada. We really enjoyed the adventure.
Our first weekend back, we went out to dinner with Wendi, Tadd & Sam-they all are great & doing well. Wendi's still working from home, Tadd's still @ Fanatics and Sam is in her Senior year of High School & ranks in the top 5 of her class.
While @ Lamb's, we completed chores & continued to organize our "stuff". Doug was away a night when he took the RV back to Coach House to fix a trim piece on the slide out that had come loose. We also did some fun things like biking to the SunRay movie theater in 5 Points to watch Downtown Abbey, the movie. I often biked to Starbuck's, Publix & CVS.
Doug had an annual eye exam by Dr Fulghum, across the street from Ortega Landing. His vision continues to change so he had new lenses placed in his sunglasses. He also had additional tests run. Everything looks OK. Doug started on Medicare Sept 1. He will begin to draw his small pensions now that he has turned 65. Later in the month, more Doctor visits: Doug to his Electrophysiologist Cardiologist-we have ER drugs to use if Doug has another episode of A-Fib. Both of us saw our Dermatologist, Doug had a sarcoma removed by MOHS on his shin. We both had physicals through Baptist Primary Care on Roosevelt for a first time & last time-our physicals were a joke but the bloodwork came out fine for both of us.
We rented an SUV & took an overnight to "The Villages" an over 55 community in central Florida which gets a lot of publicity, some good (lots of fun & entertainment), some bad (highest STD rate in Florida). We needed to check it out for ourselves so we stayed in their hotel: The Waterfront Inn, situated on an inland lake, near one of their Town Centers. The community is very large and very active. There are hundreds of clubs & classes offered, mostly no extra charge because it is included in the monthly HOA. Currently, there are 3 Town Centers scattered over many square miles and they are in the process of building another one, expanding across a major highway. The Town Centers offer live music 365 days a year and have stages with stadium seating. Encircling the stages are shops, bars & restaurants. The whole area is a mix between an adult Disney Park and the movies Truman and Step Ford Wives. The majority are Republicans, but there is a small Democratic club. There are a ton of pools, golf courses and recreation centers. The population did not seem elderly, as far as what we experienced. We had taken our bikes, so we biked on the Golf cart path, over 20 miles and didn't see it all. Most of the community drives golf carts.
On September 30, we moved Day Dreams from Lambs down the Ortega River to The Marina @ Ortega Landing, our home away from home. For the next 2 months, we docked on A Dock, slip 20. We have decided we like this slip on A a lot, there is a good breeze, nice view & its close to the pool, clubhouse & bathrooms. Bruce is still the Harbor Master & Cam the Manager. We were reconnected with some of our friends: Lena & Larry on Hobo, Cindy & Pete on Journey, Bette & Al on PlaneToSea, Diana & TJ on Dream Chaser, Kate & Bill on Grace, John on Sojourn & Julie & Tom on Sum Escape. Many Krogens are passing through, so social events are almost constant, which drove Doug to say at one point, "I've had enough socializing for awhile".
We had committed to finally joining Wendi, Tadd & Samantha on a cruise. We left October 11 from Canaveral for a 3 nighter, The Smith's are so nonchalant, because they go on cruises all the time, they were not in a rush to get to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal so they actually had us stop for lunch (I would have left a bit earlier, so we could eat & drink on the cruise ship). Then we encountered 2 traffic accidents & the second one actually delayed us long enough that we were one of the last to board the cruise ship. Most of the check in staff & all the photographers were gone. It was only because they had heard that the accident was stopping traffic that they let us board. I personally do not like cutting things that close-causes unnecessary stress!
We boarded The Mariner of the Sea. Our cabin was on the 12th floor, Room 816 and we had a full length window, ocean view. Wendi had talked us into purchasing the drink package so we were all ready behind in our daily consumption to make it worth its while. We all met at a small bar off the Promenade, Samantha had brought her friend Hannah along. The ship is very pretty, clean & well card for. My headache started after my 4th drink-I'm such a light weight now adays! We stayed up till midnight to take part in the music, dancing & balloon drop in the Promenade.
The bed in our stateroom was situated perfectly, that in the morning, I could lay in bed on my side & look out the window & see the pretty azure water & watch other cruise ships coming & going out of Nassau. We weren't going to get off the ship while in Nassau but then we decided to help the Bahamian people by buying something local. The Abaco Islands were devastated from the last hurricane. We visited the Straw Market & Doug bought a new shower bag & I bought some small change purses & both times we gave them more money than they had asked. It was a very relaxing day, we explored around the ship, napped & read. We found the Smith's suite & had a tour of their "large multi room suite" with aft balcony. We attended the funny & entertaining Love & Marriage Game Show with Wendi & Tadd. Then all of us met for a nice dinner in the dining room. After dinner, we walked to the Evening Music & Dance Show in the Theater.
Cocoa Cay part of the Berry Island Chain is Royal Caribbean's private island. Luckily, this island suffered little damage from Hurricane Dorian so the cruise line had quickly repaired the damage and recently reopened the island to its guests. Cocoa Cay is very pretty with long stretches of white sand beaches & an awesome water park. We had purchased the Water Park excursion along with the Smith's so we headed directly to the large slides upon disembarking the ship. We rode all 5 slides, which was no small feat. These were not for the faint of heart. After getting our full of waterslides, we moved to the swim up pool bar which was packed with some young heavy drinkers! A note: This 3 day RC cruise was not filled with elderly folks, there were many young, vibrant, fun adults of drinking age onboard.
The next week after returning from the cruise, I flew to Las Vegas to enjoy some girl time with Michelle & Janet. We stayed in the Bellagio & this was my lucky trip. I won a lot, first on Digital Blackjack & then on Lord of the Rings slots. Watched the Cirque du Soleil Beatles Love Show, which was very good! The weather was really nice & I actually swam in the pool.
Tricia & David on Lauryl Anne arrived after an all nighter from up north. We enjoyed their visit of a couple of days, biking, swimming & we even found a bar with Trivia. Speaking of our Kadey Krogen family, I think this is a record of how many were here together: Hobo, Waterford, Sea Dweller, Rachel, Confetti, Acadia, Way to Go, Sabrina, Magnolia & Rose Marie. We enjoyed cocktail hours, campfires, potlucks & even volunteer time. Confetti, Vicki & Mack arranged for some of us to prepare & serve a lunch @ a local homeless shelter: Salzbacher Center downtown JAX. Rachel & George treated Waterford, Sea Dweller & us to a very special wine tasting at the Club House followed by lovely native flute playing by Ellen.
Our socializing continued: my brother Bob & Karen were staying at Wendi's so they picked us up one afternoon & we went to lunch in Avondale. Joe Cleveland & Cliff from Lathrop picked us up while they were checking on a construction job in JAX & we went to dinner at a nearby brewery. As Bette & Al's guests for Brunch @ the Florida Yacht Club, we were delighted with the feast & company. We went to the movies, to pizza Wednesdays @ Moon River & enjoyed delicious dinners on board our friends boats. We even took a short cruise on our friend's multi million dollar yacht! We are grateful for our friends, our home & our health. I love my life!
I was able to enjoy some more girl time between Bette & Jacque on shopping trips and then Bette & Debra invited me to join them for dinner & a Symphony. Dinner was delicious @ the Omni and the music was delightful @ the Times Union Center.
The Marina @Ortega Landing is such a warm, vibrant social place. We took part in jam sessions @ the fire pit, potlucks, clubhouse parties & concerts on site. The pool was a nice way to relax after a morning of chores.
One weekend, we biked to Springfield, a JAX suburb for PorchFest which was such fun: Beautiful refurbished Historical homes with big front porches were filled with varying types of musicians playing at scheduled times throughout the weekend. There was a stage set up in the neighboring park and food trucks & beer tents scattered among the closed streets. We stood on the road and listened to talented musicians. It was very well attended and we hope to do it again next year.
We attempted to sell our RV ourselves for the month of October while we were sitting still in JAX. We put a sign in the front window, an add in RV trader & I posted the ad on FaceBook. We only had one serious inquiry and he ended up buying a Coach House RV just like ours except he wanted twin beds. We planned on beginning to cruise the end of November and we knew it wouldn't be practical to keep trying to sell it ourselves so we drove it back to the Coach House Factory, actually our stop was RV World in Nokomis, FL to consign it. We rented a car in JAX, I drove it and Doug drove the RV so we had a car to use after dropping the RV off. We decided to splurge & stay in a nice hotel for the night. Doug reserved a room at the Homewood Suites next to the University Town Center in Sarasota. We shopped at the mall & then dined at Capital Grill which was nice but oh so pricey! The Hotel had a water leak in the kitchen during Happy Hour so the water was turned off for hours and then was very nasty coming out of the spigot-yuck. We stopped to see our good friends Jill & Glen in Flagler on our way home and they served us a yummy lunch as usual!
One of our bike rides, actually returning from Doug's suture removal appointment @ the Dermatologist office, was a painful experience for me. My bike & I fell in the middle of a neighborhood intersection while I was turning to wave a thank you to a car that had stopped for me. The result of that fall was a fractured rib in my upper left chest. I was in pain for a month & badly bruised. After the first month, it only hurt when I laughed or coughed.
We spent Thanksgiving day & night at Wendi & Tadd's along with my brother Bob & Karen. Wendi & Tadd always make us a nice holiday dinner. We are thankful for them.
Al & Bette hosted a Good-bye dinner party for us onboard Plane To Sea with Larry, Lena, TJ & Diana joining us. Thank you, Thank you!
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| This is what happens when Doug is on social overload, lol! |
Left The Marina @ Ortega Landing on a pretty day, early in the morning & set our sights on reaching St Augustine in time for Happy Hour & we did just that. We took a mooring in the south field and used Doug's newly installed electric winch dinghy hoist, up on the bridge, to lower the dinghy and in we went to the city of St Augustine. They are known for their beautiful Christmas light display & it did not disappoint. Our first stop was the Martini Bar overlooking the harbor & ICW.
The next day, we took the shuttle over to the main resort & walked around the pools, golf course & beach. The place looks great. Later, Jill & Glen picked us up & took us back to their home in Flagler, could be the last time we see this house because they are building a new one. We enjoyed a comfortable visit & of course, a superb dinner & dessert. Our friends spoil us!
We continued our cruise south along the ICW, anchoring first @ Rockhouse Bay in view of the Lighthouse. The Krogen, Sea Horse pulled in a bit later & we went over to meet them. On our way south the next morning, we actually were able to watch a SpaceX rocket take off while we were on the ICW near Titusville. We were listening to the NASA countdown on the App & before the countdown was finished, we saw the cloud of exhaust & the flames, not realizing there is a delay in the broadcast. Then we heard the blast, that was delayed by distance. Our second night anchoring was by the Pineda Bridge. We have been entertained by many dolphins along our route. My fractured rib has been causing me discomfort-ugh!
Fort Pierce Marina is a great stop and temporary home to a few of our Krogen friends. We fueled up & then moved into a slip on M Floating Dock section, which is a bit separated from the rest of the Marina but there are nice bathrooms. Mark & Lisa on Tapestry invited us over for cocktails with Miller Time. Afterwards, we walked with Mark & Lisa to a small Italian place on Orange St, one of their favorite local restaurants. The next morning, Deb, Rachel & her 2 daughters came to visit. We all walked through Fort Pierce's Farmers Market which has many variety of vendors. The little girls are adorable: Anneliese & Genevieve kept us entertained. Deb & I went out to lunch, after the girls left, so we could visit some more. That evening, Mike & Maria on their new KK Tuscan Sun (formerly Texas Ranger) invited us over for cocktails and then we rode in their dinghy & met up with the rest of the Krogen family: Tapestry, Miller Time, Blue Goose, C'est La Vie, Change of Pace. We all rafted together to watch the Christmas Boat Parade.
Our cruise through the rest of the Okachobee locks was uneventful and Lake O was so calm it was eerie. There were a few shallow places but the least amount of water we saw under the hull was 2 feet, which was outside Port Mayaca Lock. We docked in Moorehaven as usual and that town is so depressing, even the library. We did have water & electric & they still only charge $1.00/ft. There was only 1 other boat docked with us for the night.
We love anchoring in Pelican Bay next to Cayo Costa State Park. The entrance is shallow & a bit tricky, so we always have to plan for the tide to be near high to get in. The route has changed a bit and we noted it the last time we were in, so we didn't have an issue. After getting settled @ anchor, we took the dinghy & docked at the park dinghy dock, payed our $4.00 park fee & walked to the pretty white sand beach. Fog rolled in, left & then the wind picked up-never fails. Every time we anchor here, we have at least one night of strong wind, this time it was not forecasted at all but it still blew! We were fine!
