Downs and Ups

 

 

 

This is a view from the county park at the end of the island alongside Folly Beach Inlet to the ocean. 

 

And below is a view back to our marina from that park.  You can see Tumbleweed Too, the boat farthest to the left.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walk this beach about every day.  Sometimes Tom goes with me.  We find several large horseshoe crabs  as you see above.

We've been having very high tides.    The ocean comes up to all the wooden stairs to the beach each morning and again each night.   Our floating dock rises so high you can't see the oysters growing on the poles the docks float around.

 

 

On one of our trips doing errands we drove into Charleston, hoping to have lunch.  Streets were blocked off for a parade and we couldn't find a place to park.  We did get to drive over these stone roads that are paved with rocks that were the ballast for early sailing ships coming here.

 

 

 

 

This picture shows how the dinghy was torn around the transom when the neighboring boater rammed into it.  The picture below shows where he put his boat after the incident until he obtained insurance and is allowed back into the marina.   He now has his boat her in the marina and  has visited with Tom personally to make a plan how to pay for the damage.

 

 

We came out of a neat Sunday brunch place and saw people gathered outside at the place below having at the oysters while a band was playing alongside!   We wished we were still  hungry so we could have joined them.  Looked like fun.

 

 

Now, see our somber expressions on Thanksgiving Day as we sat down to the meal we'd prepared.   Tom had roasted a chicken and made some mashed potatoes.  I came up with the dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans and gravy.   A lovely meal, considering . . . .  

 

 
 
 
But we have not been happy the last week or so.  The new transmission was supposed to be delivered on November 25 and it's not here yet on Sunday, December 8th.  Lost in the shuffle between Florida and here after being shipped by boat from Italy.  It "should" be here by Monday or Tuesday. 

Tom has been particularly unhappy, feeling that we can't trust the boat not to have problems so that our focus is always on them, not our journey.  "I'm not cut out for this," he said.  For a few days there, we were looking into selling her and doing something else.

 

But a few sunny days and visits with several people around us have reminded us that it could really be fun to have the boat in clear blue warm waters in the winter - as opposed to other places we could be.   So now we're back on track to continue South.  When we get into Florida, we can decide which way to go.   For now, we will focus on just getting us and the boat there.