Said a fond farewell to Roger and Will this morning. What a terrific 15 days together — perhaps remarkable given the close quarters aboard Dot.Calm. We learned that we are a pretty compatible group and have had a lot of laughs over the small spaces available to us for making beds, changing clothes or stashing supplies. They’ve returned to the civilization of The Oaks and, I am sure, they are delighted to be back to roomy beds and lots of space. About the same time Roger and Will were departing, Jessica and Jassa left Orlando for Titusville to visit with us on Dot.Calm. A super treat for us. Jassa was excited for his first visit aboard. He said he “thought he died and went to heaven….or maybe I was just hallucinating.” (See his comments below.) Hard to beat that kind of endorsement, don’t you think? Cliff spent the morning getting Dot.Calm’s dinghy to work. The four-stroke engine purred and a little WD-40 loosened up the throttle. (I was to find out how loose later on.) We took Jassa on an exploratory cruise to a small island about 2 1/2 miles out from the harbor entrance. We nearly had it to ourselves. Wading ashore, we all marveled at how warm the water was and how soft the sand. Jassa spotted horseshoe crabs, sea snails, manatees and leaping fish trying to avoid being dolphin dinner. Jassa found an odd spiral-shaped seaweed that I’d never seen before and returned with the remains of a nearly complete horseshoe crab. With Jassa and I in the front of the dinghy for the return trip, Cliff was able to open it up — 30 mph — eliciting more than a few slow down requests especially as we headed into the wakes of other boats. Splash! It’s been fun to get reports from friends who are reading the blog. Even our tax accountant confessed to following along vicariously. Alas, it did not keep him from sending us the news about tax payments that are due.
Hi: This is Jassa. The reason I thought I was hallucinating was because I took a nap. But, yeah, the things Grandma said were true… or Ann or what ever you call her… but remember i call her Grandma, okay. I mean it! Do not mess with a ten year old!
OK, to be honest I really really enjoyed walking all the way around my bed while making it up this morning! It seemed so easy. Oh, and flushing the toilet after each use is not bad either. BUT, we are both experiencing serious symptoms of “Knowles Withdrawal Anxiety”! Somehow it just didn’t seem right this morning sipping our coffee without the two of you nearby. Once again, THANKS SO MUCH, for such a wonderful adventure. Love you both.
Oh the joys of civilization! We are missing you and Will as well. Sipping coffee, watching the world go by as we cruise and planning our on-shore excursions. Cliff was terribly disappointed that the bridge deck was wet this morning and Will wasn’t there to chamois it dry. And, wow, do those dishes pile up! XXOO AK