Back to the boat

but not for long.  

We spent a week with Tom's sister Pat and her husband Frank in Fort Meyers, Florida.  They had just moved into a large beautiful condominium in Gulf Harbor Yacht and Golf club where they have lived for many years and had plenty of space for us.   We had lots of family time. Below Tom and Frank are together in charge of amusing Tom's great-grand niece Elena.




Many of the days, Tom spent helping his mother move from one apartment to another one, one with a lanai.   But one day, we spent hanging out at the club, sunning and swimming at the pool and walking the trail along an island breakwater in front of the marina.



One day, on the way back from Tom's mother's, we stopped at a nature center  - Six Mile Slough and walked the trail there.    We did see some nature!    A couple of wild boars,

some painted turtles,

some intricate wetlands,

and an ibis.

After the week, we rented a car and drove the 12 hours back to Beaufort and our boat.

Now we are waiting for the mechanic to come and complete a few tasks on the motor and to take the boat on a sea trial to be sure that all is working well.  Our plan now is to put the boat in storage, either here or a little farther south, go back to Arkansas and spend a month visiting, seeing our doctors and dentist, and generally regrouping. 

We plan to take my van or another rv up through the northeast this summer.   Sometime in the fall we plan to go back to the boat and take it south, maybe to Ft. Myers and on down toward the keys.