I Wasn't Made For Winter - Let's Go South

Beaufort    

When we left Beaufort on Tuesday morning, Crossroads was secured with every dock line and fender available. Our arrival in Richmond was planned for the warmest part of the day, but the snow was still there to greet us. A thin layer of powder covered the sheet of ice that was our driveway. We carefully brought our bags up the hill and unpacked as the house warmed. The deck and back yard get more sunshine, but were also still covered with snow.    

When we awoke Wednesday morning, we noticed that our rental had slid down the driveway. Oh, yes, welcome to winter in Virginia. At least we had unlimited water. Long hot showers and laundry were high on both of our lists. News then came that the Richmond area was under a boil advisory. With nowhere to go and nowhere to be, we settled in for the long haul. Both puzzles we received for Christmas were assembled and I watched Wicked more times than I can remember. I had grand plans to get up leaves and do some yard work. Thwarted, I will have to wait for spring for that cleanup. Friday evening we finally had reason to leave the house. We loaded up gifts and headed to my mom's house to celebrate our belated Christmas. When everything was combined it was apparent that it was going to be a long night.  

It was a good evening catching up with my brother-in-law Robbie, my sister Lisa, and my mom. By the time we got home, new snowfall had already covered the cul-de-sac. Saturday morning revealed a fresh blanket of white. 

The deck cap rail showed and additional three inches had fallen. The major excitement was watching the rental slide down the driveway ... again. Photos taken at 2:30, 4:30, and 5:30 tell the story. Once we got off our driveway, the roads were clear for another trip to my mom's. As we were packing up this morning, the weather report confirmed why we must head south. Sheets were changed, floors vacuumed, a final load of dishes washed and put away, water was turned off, and our bags were packed. 

News from our home marina arrived, noting that the creek had frozen over. Longing for any sign of color or hint of spring, I finally ventured out to the backyard. The camellias were blooming, but the birdbath was frozen over, and the rhododendrons were looking pitiful. The ring will be left for the peony to grow through before we get home.  

Overall, the backyard didn't look bad. It just looks incredibly better in the spring.  

The last cold weather task was to scrape the ice from the windshield. We pulled out of the driveway at 10:00 as Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train fittingly played on the radio. We made a final quick stop at mom's before hitting 95 South. It was an easy trip back to Beaufort. I have come close to completing my primary task of purging photos from my phone. It has been fun walking down memory lane while trying to free up some memory so I can install the new software update. We stopped at Walmart for the usual perishables -- milk, bread, deli meat, fruit, and veggies. The full moon was rising over the Town Creek Marina office as we brought two full dock carts to Crossroads. She was in perfect shape and seemed to make it through the blow without issue. As I packed away our purchases, I watched through our starboard window as the sky turned orange. 

The sunset was simple and dramatic at the same time. The reflection in the pilot house window offered an interesting perspective. The orange glow of another beautiful Beaufort sunset remained for quite a while. It was nice to visit home, but its also nice to be back onboard. Now to check the weather and plan our escape from Beaufort to points further south.