Warm Wishes

 Jacksonville 

It sure was nice to see the sun today! Another cold front moved through overnight triggering tornadoes nearby and dropping the temperature into the 40s. Thankfully it also blew away the cloud cover. We both packed up all of our cold-weather clothes. We'll need them at home over Christmas and do not want to bring them back with us. Dear Santa, will you please bring some warm weather to northern Florida in January? Two dock carts were packed full and we pushed them to the car. The sun set behind us and cast long shadows on the ground ahead of us. The trunk of the rental car is already full so tomorrow's last-minute bags (and our cactus) will have to ride in the back seat.

Tonight's event at the marina was the Lighted Boat Dock Crawl. My favorite spot was soaking up the warmth around the roaring bonfire. Boats of all shapes, sizes, and styles were decorated. (We did not put lights Crossroads this year, but remembered how good she looked last year.) Equally as festive as the boats was seeing how folks transformed their dock boxes into appetizer stations. There was an amazing assortment of food and beverages along the four docks -- gumbo, cookies, brownies, hummus, cheese, nuts, chips, crackers, sodas, wine, and shots just to name a few.

We will leave in the morning and need most of the day to drive home. I'll take a break from the blog for a while and pick back up in January when we return to Jacksonville. Thanks for following along and warm wishes for a Merry Christmas!

Holiday Treats

Jacksonville 

A heavy rain began around 6:00. The sound of it falling on the cabintop roof made for an early morning. A little cleaning and packing prep passed the time until the office opened and Barry could go pick up may package. I had forgotten to empty a drawer at Aunt B's on Sunday and she shipped the essentials (eye glasses, anti-inflammatories, computer power cable, plus a few other things). The Santa drawing was an added bonus. The rain stopped around 10:00 and we took the opportunity to go for a walk. The yellow hibiscus by the pool reminded us we were in Florida. The wreath on the gate indicated it was indeed the Christmas season. With that in mind we set off for the CVS to pick up a toy for tonight's Toys for Tots drive.

We walked down Herschel Street, past the impressive St. Johns Presbyterian Church sanctuary. One turn led us to CVS where we spent too much time picking out our toy and batteries. On our way back it began to rain again. Thankfully we had both worn our foul weather jackets. While it continued to rain, I finished my photo yearbook (for 2018) before heading up to the clubhouse for the holiday gathering. The inside of the building was decorated just as nicely as the exterior. Boaters were asked to bring a personalized ornament to hang on the community tree. We managed to piece one together with limited resources and Barry found a spot for it. It was a nice evening complete with open bar, live band, and tons of food.

The buffet line and dessert spread were huge. An active-duty Marine arrived to collect the toys that were placed under the tree. We collectively filled four large cardboard bins, plus there were a few bicycles and scooters that wouldn't fit. We got in a quick selfie in front of the fireplace before returning to Crossroads. The temperature remained in the mid-60s all day which was a happy medium where I wouldn't freeze and the snowman on a neighboring bow wouldn't melt. A dense fog has settled in over the marina. Its supposed to rain again overnight, but tomorrow afternoon will be sunny. I can't wait.

Tomorrow will be devoted to serious packing. We get the rental car mid-afternoon and want to get most of our stuff loaded in the car before tomorrow night's Lighted Boat Dock Crawl.