Ready to Go ... Once More

 Jacksonville 

Over the past few days, we did our best to check off some final boat projects in the chilly temps. A local Coast Guard Auxiliary member came over and did our annual safety inspection. Barry bundled up and did some work on the flybridge. I finished my latest book while laying in the sun, albeit in the pilot house. Our last major task was replacing the filters in the watermaker and making a few adjustments to the plumbing. Barry spent an afternoon scrunched in the engine room while I was in charge of handing down the required tools. On Tuesday evening eight of us walked to dinner and later participated in trivia night. I was able to watch Virginia beat Florida State while we put in a Top-5 trivia performance.

Wednesday was our day to explore. We picked up the rental car and headed to the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. A half-dozen trails snaked their way through 13 different ecosystems, including hammocks, forests, marshes, and seeps. The understory featured a colorful and diverse mix of bright green ferns and palms. The vivid reds of the Christmas lichen and Christmas berry popped in the muted light of the heavily overcast day. Saucer-sized fungi grew alongside moss on downed trees. We found the burn zone to be very interesting. The park managers conduct controlled burns to cut down the accumulation of detritus and encourage new growth.

The soothing flow of Jones Creek could be heard along with woodpeckers and other birds chirping. The trail traveled along the banks and crossed over the water. The Robert E. Lee Natural Bridge was available for the more adventurous. We stuck to crossing on the boardwalk. The forested areas included bald cypress at the water's edge and more subspecies of oaks than I ever knew existed. The Live Oak Trail led us back to the parking lot and among several giant 100 year old namesake specimens. We wished we could have stayed a bit longer, but left to grab some lunch before our next stop.

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary provides a forever home to endangered big cats. The animals either come from zoos that can no longer care for them or from private collections. The lions and tigers are all behind double fencing so getting good photos is difficult, but the experience was amazing. Volunteers provide daily tours and help to maintain the grounds. We left just as the rain began to fall and headed to our final stop of the day.

In ideal weather, we would have loved to have walked the four-mile Dune Ridge Trail in Little Talbot State Park. With weather conditions quickly deteriorating, we just did a short walk along the Atlantic Ocean. The beach was hard-packed with many scallop shells buried in the sand. We seemed to be the only fools braving the 60 degree (and falling), 30 knot, rainy day -- we had the beach to ourselves, save one gentleman surf fishing. Erosion is a big issue here. Two boardwalks had been damaged and were closed to visitors. These two driftwood trees remained rooted against the encroaching surf. We headed back to the marina as both a heavy rain and darkness fell. Before returning the rental car on Thursday, we made what we figure to be our last big provisioning run. Time to stock up on heavy items and brands that we're picky about.

Back onboard, we FaceTimed Terri and Jeff from Change of Pace. Not much of a cinematic experience, we settled onto our respective settees and agreed it would be good enough to see half of each person. They are in Stuart, FL, where it is warm. We compared notes on cruising the Exumas and look forward to seeing them again soon in the clear blue Bahamian waters. Today was spent knocking out little things -- removing our window screens, packing the commissary, cleaning out the fridge, filling up water tanks, re-stowing all things moveable, and attending my final yoga class. The yoga has been a great plus and made my stay here so much more enjoyable. In the end though, we have had too many cold and gray days and its time to get moving ... once more.

We plan to leave tomorrow (Saturday) morning around 7:30 and work our way down the Intracoastal Waterway to St. Augustine. Right now the weather is not conducive to an off-shore run, so we'll just knock out as many miles as we can.

Beware of Falling Iguanas

 Jacksonville 

The word for the week was COLD. As the temperature plummeted, warnings started popping up on our phones. Freeze warnings were dismissed as something we were attempting to avoid in Virginia. If we didn't pay attention to them, maybe it wouldn't feel so awful. The National Weather Service warnings for Falling Iguanas, however, piqued our interest. We awoke Wednesday morning to a windchill of 27 degrees, an interior temperature of 57 (we had forgotten to turn on the heat), and news reports of iguanas indeed falling from the trees further south. I was very thankful that I had kept one fleece sweatshirt onboard "just in case." Note to self: Jacksonville is not far enough south.

Heavy cloud cover obscured the sun and dropped occasional rain showers. Without a car, we stayed onboard and completed a few projects, read (me), and took advantage of a strong wifi signal to stream Netflix (Barry). By Thursday afternoon, the sun and patches of blue sky appeared making for a nice sunset. Friday broke sunny and bright and I anxiously set out to stretch my legs. Nothing like the sight of azaleas and bougainvillea to lift the spirits. Spanish moss is present in almost every single tree and hangs from power lines in large clumps. I could examine the epiphyte's up close in this small sample found at eye level.

While I was out exploring the neighborhood, Barry was walking the docks. He met Neptune, a friendly German Shepherd puppy, and later brought him over to Crossroads for a visit. I walked across the Ortega Bridge, taking in the view of the Jacksonville skyline while pausing for a bridge opening. On the other side of the Ortega River, the walk around the Sadler Point neighborhood was spectacular. Gorgeous homes and immaculate landscaping both took a backseat to the amazing live oaks present in each and every yard. And, yes, I finally was able to shed the fleece for my Friday afternoon yoga session. By far, my favorite marina amenity has been the yoga which offers a nice social outlet as well as the physical challenge.

This week will be our final one in Jacksonville. We have a couple more items to check off the list and a few more sights to see, but its definitely time to head further south so we can finally turn east.

Back on the Road, Back in Florida

 Jacksonville 

With our rental Jeep Wrangler loaded full of "stuff," we pulled out of our driveway on Tuesday, January 14. It was a dreary and rainy morning, but we wanted to get an early start. Of course that put us right in the middle of morning rush hour. It took us 30 minutes to go 10 miles and get onto I-95. The traffic thankfully cleared once we passed Main Street Station and the next 601 miles on I-95 passed by quickly. We entered North Carolina and were greeted by clearing skies. When we made our first driver change, I realized we had left our cactus "Home Alone" in its sunny spot on the kitchen table. Not willing to turn around to retrieve our trusty travel companion of the past two years, I made the call to my Mom to arrange an adoption until we return in May. (So far, that seems to be all we've forgotten, so not too bad.) Barry and I worked on two-hour driving shifts and crossed into Florida as the sun began to set. We grabbed dinner before getting back to Ortega Landing Marina. Crossroads was fine and we proceeded to transfer four dock cart loads onboard.

The next few days were spent emptying all those race bags, stowing everything in their proper place, and taking inventories of our freezers and provisions. Barry knocked out several projects including installing a stereo control in the pilothouse and wonderful LED under-cabinet lighting in the galley. We've been treated to colorful sunrises and sunsets. I was excited to learn that yoga classes are held at the clubhouse Tuesday-Friday and have attended two. With daily highs in the upper 70s, I took to Fiberglass Beach and started my first book of the trip. Barry replaced our oil change pump and on Friday we changed the oil in both the main engine and generator. We should be good to go until we get back to Virginia. Our final project for Friday was to fix our paddle wheel that has been inoperable since we ran aground in Wrightsville Beach. Its always scary to have water rushing in from an open hole in the bottom of the boat while the sensor is being swapped for the plug, but in reality its not a lot of water. We cleaned the paddle wheel and repeated the process. I was comfortable enough with the tiny chance of flooding that I caught a picture of the water gushing in. We celebrated being done with major maintenance with a little retail therapy at West Marine and Sam's Club. Romaine lettuce, salmon, yogurt, apples, and Cheerios will keep the crew happy for a while. 

A front moved through Saturday night, bringing rain and colder temperatures. We still ventured out this morning to explore downtown Jacksonville while we have the Jeep. Our first stop was the visitor's center where we picked up a map and walked around a few blocks. The ornate street clock outside Jacob's Jewelers dates to 1901 and has been in this spot since 1927. Several buildings have been painted with interesting murals. A rainy Sunday morning made for a deserted downtown area.

We made a quick stop at Cancer Survivors Park which features scale replicas of Jacksonville's five major bridges spanning a pond shaped like the St. Johns River. We strolled like Godzillas in the miniature landscape before crossing the blue Main Street Bridge to the Southbank Riverwalk.

We stopped at the only restaurant in sight for a quick bite to find that they only had a brunch buffet. We ate more than planned, but still surprised the waitress when we asked for the check. "Already? You've just started," she replied. The sky was menacing as we strolled around Friendship Fountain. This is one of the largest self-contained fountains around, but its undergoing a $6 million renovation. We didn't get much of a show, but when its done it will be a state-of-the-art water and sound show in the style of The Bellagio. We finished our afternoon with a visit to the Museum of Science and History. I enjoyed the touch tank and Barry conquered several of the brain teasers.

Rain fell as we made it back to Crossroads in time to watch the NFL playoffs. We will be in Jacksonville through the end of the month. Lows here this week will be in the 30s and I'm very anxious to get further south and east. I'll post occasionally during this time -- if/when anything exciting happens or we firm up our travel plans. 

Christmas Gifts and Presence

Christmas Break - FL to VA to NC to VA to FL

We had a pretty direct route home. It took only a mile or two to hit I-95 in Jacksonville. Six hundred miles later we were almost home. The car was loaded with cold weather clothes, a few Christmas presents, and our cactus. With a plan to stay home for close to a month, we couldn't leave it on the boat. We arrived at the house and unloaded everything to the downstairs, turned on the heat and hot water heater and then hit the pillow. The following morning we headed to Deltaville to return the rental car and pick up our two vehicles that we left at Stingray Point Marina back in November. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas -- and feel like Christmas too. I had to scape the windshield before I could leave.

I soon got up our tree which was a nice treat. I really missed not having one last year. We caught up with Cindy and Larry for our traditional Christmas dinner. I went to my first UVA basketball game and of course had to get a photo with the national championship trophy. The Hoos lost. More turnovers than field goals made. It was not pretty. Also not pretty were all the leaves down in the yard. It took a few days, but we eventually got them all up.

Christmas morning was spent with immediate family at my parents' house. Then we packed up and headed for Clemmons. What a great day with gifts crafted with love, practical items, and some full of whimsy. We spent time visiting on the front porch and giving some ear scratches and paw rubs. Most of our time was enjoyed around Aunt B's table, whether for meals, games, or our own Candle Tea.

The cousins went to see the final Star Wars on Saturday before we left at 8:00 pm. We stretched our stay as long as possible before heading home. Sunday morning I had an important date with some special folks in Charlottesville. What great fun checking out their presents and building our Oreo cookie house. Thanks to all for letting me play for a few hours. Another UVA game followed. This time a win. Wahoowa.

As is typical in a Richmond winter, the temperature eventually climbed to the mid-70s, giving me the opportunity to clean the leaves out of my azaleas and prune the crape myrtles. That's a little less work I'll have to do in May when we return. My camellias were in full bloom, making it seem close to spring. All too soon though the temperature plummeted and I was back to scraping the windshield. That signaled the time to pack up all the warm weather clothes and head south once again.