ANOTHER ADVENTURE

Last year, Dale gave me a book called SWEPT: Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre Deroche.  He said I would probably like it.  I started to read it, but never finished.  True story of a young woman that meets a guy,  and he is preparing to sail around the world.  Their relationship escalates, and she is invited to go with him.  She drops everything and goes.  While reading this, I thought HOW COOL!

It was a Tuesday.  I was at my boat, fixing a late lunch, when a man named Richard stopped by. He said he had been instructed to come introduce himself.  The conversation quickly turned to his friend, Bill.  Richard said Bill was looking for someone to go to the movies with.  Richard asked if I was “looking”.  I came back with a quick NO.  Actually, I indeed had been on a couple of dating sites “looking”, but had deleted my profiles a couple months prior to this conversation.  As Richard was leaving, he asked if he could tell Bill to come over and introduce himself.  I sighed, and said, “If he wants to wander over some time, that would be okay.”  Within 15 minutes, Bill was at my boat.

Over the next couple of months, Bill and I shared meals, watched movies, played cards and talked.  He told me of his plan to sail his boat around the world. His nephew is going along, and Bill has invited me to join them. How could I say no?

 Remember: BOLD AND COURAGEOUS!

Has God been preparing me for this adventure?  Maybe.  Do you believe in omens?

1. I have already sold most of my possessions.
2. I have lived aboard for a couple of months already.
3. The book, given to me by my "ex".
4. Last summer I built all new canvas for a boat named s/v Leslie C (I saw it as SEA.)
5. In the past year, I have met five guys with names that started with "C". (My joke was that the "C" is following me... get it... following seas.  Okay, it's a nautical term.)
6. In my work, I have met many cruisers and learned a little about the lifestyle, and love it.
7. Both my children are grown and have, just this year, moved off to carve out a life of their own.

I will use my blog to document our travels. My followers can live vicarious through my posts.  It will be quite an adventure. Who says dreams don’t come true? 

86 Degrees & Sunny

That was the weather in Key West in December. 

My daughter, Amy, lives in Key West and got married on Friday, December 7, 2012. I flew out there a few days early to visit and help her with a few details of the wedding. 

This was my first visit to Key West.  The weather was awesome, I loved it.  Their home is spacious and comfortable. My first night there, Amy, Bill (her fiancé) and I went out for dinner.  After dinner, Bill went to the airport to pick up Richie, a close friend of Bill’s that would perform the wedding ceremony.  Amy and I walked to the Schooner’s Warf and had a beer while we waited on Bill and Richie to arrive.  While sitting there next to the boardwalk, we witnessed three drunks that fell.  It was quite entertaining.

Aiden and Roman Pop

On Thursday evening, the wedding party gathered at Amy & Bill’s home for a delicious meal. After the adult beverages were uncorked, Bill proceeded to tell stories of his college days.  His mother learned more that night than she really wanted to about those days. It was a fun evening.

Friday, the day of the wedding.  Bill and Aiden, their four-year-old son, spent the morning together getting ready for the ceremony later that afternoon.  A photographer was going to follow the boys around and capture the moments.  The photographer, Dave, told Aiden to not say cheese when he took his picture.  Aiden replied, “Can I say provolone?” Dave loved it!

The private ceremony was held at Mallory Square with a few friends and family. Afterwards, we proceeded to the ice cream parlor because ice cream was promised to Aiden. Later, Aiden and Rocket, the newest addition to the family, were escorted home with the babysitter.  The wedding party then had a wonderful dinner at Bagatelle.  I ate swordfish for the first time.  It was delicious.

It's not official until you change your relationship status on Facebook! :-)

After dinner, we made our way down Duval Street, where we were stopped for a photo from a tourist. Not just the bride and groom, but the whole wedding party.  I'm sure this man later wondered why he had a picture of these people.  He didn't appear to be drunk though.

Bill's friend was playing at the Lazy Gecko.  When we walked in, the whole place applauded the bride and groom.  It was a great night.

Bill is a wonderful man, and the perfect man for my daughter. Every parent wants their child to find that perfect mate. Amy and Bill found each other, and I am so happy for them. The love they have for each other is so obvious. 

Below are some pictures of my week in Key West.

This is Bill's mother and her husband in the background.

Aiden, Bill and Rocket

Aiden is quite a character.  If you ask him his name, he will tell you Peter Parker.  He loves the Spiderman movie, and pretends to be both Spiderman AND Peter Parker.

Guess who he is now!

Notice the date painted on the hood.  Bill will have no excuse if he forgets their anniversary!

So pretty.

The morning after.  He liked his suit so much, he wore it for 2 more days.  He dressed himself this morning.  He looks like he just drug in from an all-nighter.

 His name is Liam, but is called Rocket.  You guessed it, big brother named him before he was born... Baby Rocket.  After he was born, the "Baby" was dropped and is now just Rocket. A few refuse to call him Rocket, instead, they call him Liam.  How boring!

iDuck is Home

Today was the day that I brought iDuck to Waterford to use as my dinghy. One of her duties will be to provide a platform for me to stand while I repair the hull of The Flatulence. But today, she was a fun sail in the marina. It’s been a year and a half since this little duck got to swim, and she is so happy now.

Sailing in this Waterford Harbor is not easy. There are two-story homes and condos on all sides of the marina. The wind, although it was blowing good today, was blocked by the buildings.  It was fun anyway. I sailed all the way to pier 1 and then back to my pier. iDuck always gets looks and a thumbs-up. There were several that stopped to watch me sail, and I’m sure I will hear comments later.

iDuck has a bright yellow balanced lug sail.  If any of you see me on the water, give me a holler and a wave.  I might not be able to wave back, because she requires both hands, one for the tiller and one for the sheet.  I’m sure she will be out and about on Clear Lake a lot.