Visits from Home!

It all started almost 17 years ago when we relocated from Myrtle Beach and moved to Charleston.  We had just built our plant for the business in Ravenel and found a house close by on 8 1/2 acres.  Rob didn't waste any time and went right to making changes to the landscape of our new property.

That's when our neighbors, James and Gloria Lewis, came by.  Being out in the country, neighbors aren't that close by, but the Lewis's 25 acres bordered ours and our houses were actually quite close together.  James saw us out there working and came over to offer a hand.  Next thing we know, he's got his bush hog and is out clearing brush!  We became immediate friends.





Fast forward - WAY forward - to this weekend and we find James and Gloria deciding to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with us here in St. Augustine.  They arrived around 1 on Friday and we met at the local Mexican place (keeping in tradition with the many lunches at Senor Tequila back home we shared).  At first they had not decided to spend more than one night but quickly changed their minds and their reservations and we had the whole weekend to work with.
The great thing about being with friends away from home is that you really get to know them.  We stayed busy the whole weekend exploring this great city.  We did everything from ride the carousel (I've been wanting to since we were here in spring), tour the winery, "gauk" at the Flagler Hotel that houses the Flagler College students, and visit countless watering holes along the way.  We poked through the country's oldest drug store with the bottles of arsenic and lead tinctures and thoroughly wandered the weekend's Art and Craft Festival.  We listened to numerous bands, ate lots of good food and tried a few new drinks and, all in all, got to know each other better than ever before.

To add to the fun, after the Lewis's left Sunday morning, friends from last year aboard Windward found their way to the mooring next to ours after their adventures offshore and we spent a delightful evening together catching up on this past year's happenings and the upcoming plans.  Ian and Lynn were able to help us put some details together for our son Matt's upcoming visit with us in Nassau, something that is immeasurably helpful.  They are traveling with two other boats and we all went for a walk through town enjoying the holiday lights.

Truly the best part about cruising are the friends you make and the visits from family and friends - keep it comin'!

Little Galley, Big Cookin'

It wouldn't be right if I didn't report on our Thanksgiving day.  Although it started out a bit weary, with the waves kicked up and the weather turned sour again, I managed to pull through the blues (of course, calls from my kids certainly did help!) and we packed up and braved the dinghy ride to take a walk through town.

St. Augustine was hopping.  The stores were open and people were everywhere!  We found a couple shops we hadn't searched through before and even found a Christmas present treasure or two.  Exercise and a change of scenery is a good fix for "what ails you" and it did just that for us.  We spent a couple hours wandering in and out of the streets around town and worked up at least a bit of an appetite before heading back to the boat.


Now we haven't done much talking about the logistics of boat life.  If you haven't visited Moonshadow, it might be hard to imagine the cooking setting we have aboard.  My "kitchen" consists of about 18" of counter space, a double sink, a cutting board area and a three burner small propane stove.  I have 2 refrigeration compartments that are like box freezers - they're deep with 2 shelves.  If you need something on the bottom, you first have to remove EVERYTHING on the top.

So I have to say that turning out a full Thanksgiving meal was quite an accomplishment even if I do say so myself!  Our dinner consisted of a chicken stuffed with a butternut squash/apple stuffing, sweet potato casserole topped with Rob's requested marshmallows, roasted brussel sprouts with shallots,  freshly made cranberry ginger compote, our traditional cranberry fluff salad and a warm wheat baguette.  Finally, as would be expected at any feast of it's sort, we had pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of cinnamon.  How'd I do?!

It was a really wonderful meal and it all managed to come to the table hot and fresh.  After a picture or two, we filled plates and took them up to the cockpit where the enclosure was cozily being warmed by the sun despite the conditions outside.  So after a slow start, we managed to pull off what ended up being another memorable day.  

Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of our family and friends a beautiful, cozy and joy-filled day.
May you have close friends nearby and a holiday to remember.
Know that I'm wishing you were ALL here with us!
XOXO  Hugs to all!

Thanksgiving morn aboard Moonshdow.  

Passing Days

I was feeling kind of guilty just writing about our day to day, not so unusual adventures.  I mean, even I thought that we'd have a lot more to report from day to day and I found myself wondering why we left as early as we did.  With the weather being so dreary, it's been really hard to connect with other cruising boats in the area, people tend to huddle and stay close when being outside is no fun.

So as the days passed, I had to keep reminding myself that these days are in fact exactly what I need to learn about life's journey.  I have been being sure to take advantage of and appreciate small treats that we find along the way.  Things like a magnificent sunset or the sparkling lights of the city from our position on the water.  Finding a painting in a store here that grabs me unlike any I've seen in years.  The sun peaking through the clouds, even if it's for just a short time.  Stopping for a coffee at a sunny outdoor cafe.

We have had a couple of real treasure in the past few days, the first being an event celebrating the 450th anniversary of St. Augustine.  Did you know that St. Augustine is the oldest city in the USA?  It's been continually occupied since 1565!   They have begun a four year celebration of the anniversary this year and there are a lot of fun, informative and creative events planned.

We caught one of the first ones which was a "MYTH BUSTER" night of St. Augustine history where local re-enactors participated in a Hollywood Squares game with history trivia.  The mayor was the game show host and the contestants were from the audience.  The costumes were authentic and well done and the actors were spot on!  It was absolutely hilarious with the mayor being quite a character - a natural it appeared for the role of MC.

Later that night I talked Rob into taking me dancing.  I had found a local bar that had a swing dance lesson and dancing so we headed out and after walking further than either of us expected, found a funny, local bar (Mardi Gras Sports Bar) with the local "Arthur Murray" dance crowd dancing their hearts out.  We seem to have found our own dance style in the past few years and got in a couple of good dances, a totally unexpected change of pace and a great night.

Yesterday dawned sunny and beautiful and we spent it almost entirely preparing for today's holiday.  We went to a craft store for a few supplies for me, did an errand or two for Rob's preparation for the boat yard next week, hit the grocery store for our Thanksgiving chicken and the fixings, and then home to warm the boat up as the wind picked back up again.

I've been reminded all week that Thanksgiving isn't just for one day a year - it's one day that serves as a reminder that EVERY day is for being thankful!

Chance Encounters

One of the more surprising elements of cruising is how many times you run into people you know - even in the strangest places.  The winds were so high when we woke up again that I somewhat expected not to leave the boat at all.  I put myself to work on a Christmas project (it's a secret!) and was happily making progress when Rob announced he was ready to go ashore.  In that there WAS a farmers market I had set my eyes on, I donned my "foulies" and we made our way in the wind and waves.

The farmers market was a good walk away and the exercise felt good.  It was a simple and quiet market, probably due to the poor weather, but still diverse and quite good.  Raw milk, grass fed meats, several specialty bakeries and numerous produce vendors made for a selection of nice things to take back home.

We walked a different direction and found some new areas of the town and even a shortcut of two.  While walking, we received a call from a Charleston harbor friend, Banff Luther, who happened to be passing through St. Augustine on his newly purchased liveaboard catamaran he just brought back from the Virgin Islands.  He was on his way up the ICW and wanted to say hi although didn't expect to stop.

On our walk back to the marina, the strangest thing happened.  The sun peeked through the clouds and gave us our first glimpse of sunlight in 5 days!  And then it found an actual opening in the clouds and showered us with even a little warmth.  And then the clouds starting moving off to "one side" for a full on show of a sunny day . . . when the wind died down to, well, NOTHING!   You have no idea how welcome every step of this process was!  Like a gulp of air after holding your breath underwater!!!  I swear the angels sang!

We proceeded back to the marina, and went to the dockmasters office to acquire some info incoming sailing friends had requested when the radio piped up as Banff hailed the marina to do a stop by for some engine oil.  We saw him just off the marina and went out to catch his lines.  He had not intended to stop at all although he needed to wait out the bridge opening for 15 minutes so we were able to catch a quick tour of  "OM" and sent him back on his way up the ICW toward Charleston.

With the sun out, we quickly grabbed all of the sea water soaked cushions still waiting attention after our sail down and brought them ashore for a thorough fresh water soaking.  One at a time we lugged the full sized cushions in our dinghy - salty on the way in and dripping wet on the way back.  But, aaahhh, a step in the right direction!

On our last "soaking" run we received a phone call from Paula Byers and family.  She, her daughter, grandson and her brother Eddie,(my favorite Special Olympics athlete buddy in Charleston) were at the fort here and thought they saw our boat on the water, thinking they'd give us a call.  Now that was certainly unexpected!  We lugged the final cushion to the boat and met up with our chance guests for a beer (okay, I think the cider is addictive!) and an app before they headed to a family reunion further on down the road.

Returning to the boat, we were disappointed to watch the clouds filling in and the wind pick back up to a good scream.  Somehow the whole scene was easier to take after a day filled with surprise sunshine and friends.

Little People!

Well, it's been a few days and we've really had not a lot to report.  The weather is, well, not exactly friendly. We've had high winds for days and days.  Today it all increased to a constant 20-25 mph and it's becoming prohibitive.  Getting from the boat to the dinghy and vice verse is an adventure in itself.  The waves have been as high as 2 feet and you can imagine trying to get into a dinghy while it's jumping around like a bucking bronco!

Our friends from Charleston, Jack and Nicole Midence arrived in St. Augustine yesterday and we connected today to journey to the sailor's mecca, West Marine, together.  Jack and Nicole are quite the sailing couple, living aboard with their 2 year old adorable daughter, Marrietta and their 4 month old son, Jack, who was born on their boat!  And they're braving this crazy weather with the whole family - along with all of the usual paraphernalia of parenting including a big double stroller!

We had a fun walk together, dodging the flood waters in town and otherwise finding our way.  Rob and I had gone to West Marine here a few days ago so we knew the ropes along with a restaurant that was nearby called Falafel Queen.  I think the mention of falafel was what enticed Nicole to pack up the gang for the adventure so when we arrived, that was our first stop.  Once again, we were not disappointed.  The food was delicious and I had a dish made up of fava and garbanzo beans sauted with tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint.  I've never had anything like it before and it was delicious!

Spending a day with little people was a real treat.  Marrietta is a little angel and her baby brother is as sweet as he can be.  Of course a 2 year old moves faster than the eye can see and we spent many moments trying to keep up with her antics.  I had forgotten what having a 2 year old in a retail establishment was like!  Sure does put West Marine visits in a new light!

We did our little shopping stint and headed back to town where we couldn't pass up the chance at the wine tour at the San Sebastian Winery.  After the tour and tasting, we went to the rooftop bar and ordered . . . BEER!  Ha . . . so much for their wine!  They had a duo playing sax and guitar and we enjoyed an hour before the kids decided it was time to move on.  We made it to the next bar and continued our fun with the kids asleep again from the stroll.















Tonight was the Light the Night celebration here where they lit the holiday lights in town so Rob and I grabbed a quick bite aboard and headed back in for the show.  It was really a simple, quaint little ceremony but the lights are always a great way to herald in the holiday season.  Happy Ho Ho Ho to all!

The New Normal

Just a quick update from the mooring . . .

First, let me say that a day should never pass when we remember how lucky we are to have special people in our lives!  As we made our way out into the wet and the wind yesterday, the reminders of wonderful family and friends were everywhere.  I put on my new warm, cozy and perfect headband knit by our son Jacob (a newly acquired talent of his) and slipped into the boat shoes that were a gift from our other son, Matt.  We braved the wind and waves to pick up the package I had been waiting for.  A dear friend we met on last year's voyage, Penny Lloyd Baldridge, had offered to knit me one of the gorgeous Irish cable knit sweaters I watched her work on last year.  We stayed in touch and I sent her yarn a month or so ago and without a measurement, this amazing woman knit me the most beautiful sweater I now own!  It was even more of a treat to get a package away from "home" and I put it on immediately to show off her amazing workmanship.  You truly are AMAZING, Penny!!!
 We had spent the morning finding all of the ways salt water had made it's way INTO the boat during our voyage.  No, that's not supposed to happen!  Moonshadow is an old girl.  We've done countless changes and have worked nonstop to clean her up and "make her new" again but she's still an old girl.  No matter how many places we plug and seal, somehow sea water still finds its way through stanchions and rails and the like.  This trip actually topped any to date.  We're assuming it was all of the work we did on rigging and rails this year that must have shifted the seals but we had a LOT of water come in.  The rug in the main salon was wet.  The cushions in the v-berth are wet.  And salt is NOT an easy thing to rinse out!  So, yes, we have a few more items to add to the "fix it" list to keep us busy.

Later in the day we returned to the boat to grab some laundry and pack up our shower things as well and head back to town.  Marinas normally have "cruisers lounges" with a TV, internet and laundry facilities.  Yesterday, it was definitely the PLACE TO BE.  Everyone came and went, kids did homework, families ordered in Chinese . . . it was fun and social and different.  Windy and wet outside with the dryers humming and people laughing inside.
We finished our loads and just made it to the final lecture by Helen Whitney that covered Mormonism and finally Forgiveness.  From start to finish, we were reminded of the importance of family, friends and relationship and settled into our floating home feeling warm and blessed.