Isaac

        Interesting, we have lived in Key Largo for almost 10 years. We have dodged a direct hit from hurricanes for the majority of those years. Now, when we are trying to sell the house and in need of a new roof - TS or Hurricane Isaac comes calling!  Here we sit in an almost empty house with about three days ahead of rain and wind. We have been having distant cousins of Isaac (feeder bands) come calling since Friday and he isn't even due here until Sunday!!  And now...instead of having the yard sale we had planned for this weekend, Darrell is making jokes about having a hurricane sale instead!

        TS Isaac did not allow another sale but we have been able to empty the house anyway. How do we accumulate so much STUFF?!?!?  

        Ever feel like a yo-yo?  The closing on this house makes me feel like one!  The roofers showed up right after the storm was past and got the roof done in 2 days - plenty of time to close on Friday. We scurried and made multiple trips to Salvation Army to get things gone. Habitat for Humanity is getting some of it on Friday. NOW, today, we learned the bank was not ready for closing on Friday!

        Regardless, I am flying back to the boat and the dog on Sunday. We are still not 100% sure whether Darrell needs to stay back or go!!!  I am looking forward to diving Saturday with my second favorite dive buddy, Rachel. And of course, we are squeezing in last minute plans with our dear friends here as much as we can. 

    

Key Largo

        Wait!  You're kidding, right, it took only 3 hours to fly the distance we took almost 5 months to cover. Yes, folks, we are back in Key Largo for a bit. Come see us!!!

        Got back to learn that the house needs a new roof and the small sailboat we have on a trailer in the drive has become a water collector - and this area has been getting rains with "record setting" rainfalls recently. Gonna be a fun few weeks!  But hey, we are getting to visit with our very good friends and go eat at some of the places we have missed. 

        Bittersweet going through mementos once again to pack, sell, or trash! It really makes one evaluate what is important to them in life. A lot of it is just "stuff" that only means something to us!  Really, in the end, the friendships are the most valuable things we take with us - everywhere we go.  But all of this is a bigger emotional roller coaster ride than I thought I was in for!

Safe from Ernesto

        Happy Birthday, Darrell!  I can't believe that you are celebrating another birthday, ALREADY!  Yes, we have been together for sixteen years now.  Unbelievable how much fun my life has been for the last sixteen years!!  Just look at where we are!

Roxy standing on a rock so she can see fish better!

Celtic Rover

Wayward Wind

Wayward Wind and Celtic Rover sailing from Carriacou to Grenada

Steel Drum Band at Prickly Bay Marina in Grenada

        We fly out on Thursday for Key Largo.  We are going to be selling, trashing, and/or storing the remainder of our "stuff" that has been at the house on Marina.  We are even considering and probably will sell our car (unless my dad wants it back).  It will feel good to get all that sorted out.  We are having fun dreaming about who we need to see while we are there, where we will go eat that we have been missing, and what we plan to try and pack to bring back with us.  It will be nice to have cell phone coverage for a while.  I am even planning a dive trip with my friend Rachel.
        Come see us if you want anything we have had stored there in Key Largo!

Windward Islands – Grenada

      WELL, we never made it back to Carriacou.  The predicted weather is for a possible tropical storm or worse.  I swear, we can’t win!!!!  We went north to get away from hurricanes last year and Irene joined us – this year, we went south to avoid them and here comes Ernesto (if it becomes a named storm).  I don’t know how much of the regatta got cancelled or postponed but we opted not to sail back over there – it is about 30 or 40 miles.

    Instead, we stayed at Grenada and have done some exploring and shopping.  We got to see a lot of the southern part of the island when we were looking for marinas and anchorages for Alibi.  We need a fairly secure place to leave her while we are in Key Largo.  We also hiked what was SUPPOSED to be 2.5 miles out to the airport to get our tickets (somebody doesn’t know how to measure).  Anyway, the trip is on – whether we close the deal on the house or not, we will have the house ready for the next deal.

    Once again, we have completely stripped the deck of the boat for a possible storm.  We would have done this even if the weekend didn’t have 30-40 knot predicted winds with the TD-5.  We have friends from Celtic Rover watching our boat and our dog for us.  In exchange, we are bringing some things back from the states and doing some fiberglass work on their boat. 

    News FLASH!  It is now Tropical Storm Ernesto as of 5PM Thursday.  We have internet here – if it doesn’t get knocked out and we will post a SPOT message after the storm passes in the event that internet/electricity take a hit.  Watch for facebook or check your e-mail if you are one of our “people”.  Stay Tuned…….