Sayonara Solomons!

The heat has broken!! With highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s, it’s time to head south. We’re making our way back to Oriental for a month-long family and friends fix. Then, we are Florida-bound. Really.  We really, really are.

We’ve spent the last couple of days preparing for the trip. It’s funny how motivating the thought of being on the water 5 or so days can be.

Charts studied and waypoints programmed.

GPS antenna mounted on stern rail. Our chartplotter is mounted down below and sometimes loses its GPS signal.

Diver hired to clean the bottom of the boat.

Propane tanks full. Water tanks topped off. Generators fired up.

Residual jellyfish guts flushed from strainer and bilge.

Clothes are washed. Sheets are clean and joy, joy back on the V-berth.

Meals are planned. Groceries are purchased. I even bought some ground coffee because the pump on the Keurig has been making weird noises. We have a percolator but we haven’t used it yet. I am waiting for Steve to brew a pot of coffee and he is waiting for me to brew one. My guess is we will be both be trying to brew one when the Keurig finally goes kaput.

Car gassed and returned to Young Son. We like having a car. We know we need to get over like having a car but if one is available, we are taking advantage of it.

Last yoga class attended. I wish I could say that I have an at-home practice, but I can’t. I do a couple of sun salutations every once in a while but I’m a yoga studio kind of girl.

We enjoyed our stay in Solomons. It was especially nice visiting with Young Son. Since he’s the only one of our kids who doesn’t live in NC, we don’t normally get to see him that often.

We met lots of nice people. Dockmaster John takes pride in his docks and looks out for his slip holders. Cindy and Glenn are on their house boat a lot. A granddaughter who visits often and their sweet dog Scrappy are sure-fire cures for a little homesickness.

Then, there’s Jake, the almost-retired navy pilot, who is throwing off his bow lines on November 4 and has a 5-year plan to cross two oceans.

And, we can’t forget Ken, the 78-year-old forever bachelor who has cruised on his boat since retiring at age 42. He’s an engineer who obviously did very well in Detroit back in their car-making days. Ken has been in Solomons for the past two years. He says he missed snow but now he doesn’t. He’s heading to Florida in November.

We’re underway by 9:00. Hope to have anchor down in Little Bay by 5:00.

Sayonara Solomons! We’re off to see more of this watery world!