Log 115; Day 322; April 8, 2009; Marina Bay Marina, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Log 115
Day 322
Tuesday, April 8, 2009
7:10 AM EST
Location: Marina Bay Marina, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Weather: 58 with light north winds...it will be about 74 and sunny today

Side note: Deb’s camera is broken (again) so no pictures for a couple of days.

It got a little cool last night...down to 55 degrees. I had to use the heater on the back deck this morning. The sun is not quite up yet (sunrise is 7:05 this morning), but it’s light out, and not a cloud in the sky. It should be a beautiful day.

We got back from Illinois yesterday about 3:30 pm, and after a stop at Publix for some groceries, we were at the boat by 4:30. It’s great to be back “home”. The services for Mom went as well as those things can go...they were very respectful, and simple. Just the way she would have wanted it. This captain’s log is not a place for this kind of thing, but a few words about Mom are in order. Like most funerals, kind words are said about those departed, and this was no different. Mom touched a lot of people. We knew that; but maybe were not aware of how her attitude was so infectious to others. In the words of others...”she always had a smile on her face”...”she used to get her hair done at my hair salon on Fridays, it was my favorite day of the week, because I knew Geneva was coming in”...”Geneva not only lit up a room, she lit up the town”. Enough said.

The marina where we are at now (Marina Bay Marina) is very nice. There are probably at least 200 slips, and many of the boats range from 70 to 125 feet. When we docked here, we did not have any time for exploring, but I told Deb last night, that we need to take a dock walk...this place is awesome. Along with the big boats, it has beautiful condos, a large swimming pool, and a great restaurant. The bad news is, it is fairly remote, so if you were going to be here very long, you would want a car. The good news we still have our rental car, and will not take it back until Saturday, so we are in good shape.

The plan (at this point) is to stay here until next Monday, and then head north. Deb’s sister (Mary) and brother in law (Donnie) are here on spring break, so we hope to get together with them for a couple of days, before they leave on Friday. We could leave at that point, but we are in no hurry, and this is not a place to travel on the weekends, if you don’t have to. The boat traffic is the most I have ever seen, and for some reason these folks down here do not really care about the “rules of the road”. Coming so close to you, that you could reach out and touch them; cutting you off; and making large wakes, are just normal. In the dinghy it’s fun...in the big boat, it’s a real pain. We don’t need to go...so we won’t.

Today...as soon as it warms up a little, I need to wash the boat. It’s not that dirty, but it has not been washed for a couple of weeks, and the salt in the air just makes everything feel gritty. We also plan to hook up with Deb’s sister. Maybe a trip to the beach...or a dinghy ride on the New River. Should be a great day.

FYI...we love living on a boat!!!

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob