When the weather brings you more howling winds and rain (and definitely cold(er) temperatures than we've been experiencing for the last few months), what does one do, other than look upward and groan ?

Why look upward and smile of course !

We're grateful to be safe and sound.
We're grateful to be here in this very protected area.
We're grateful for our heater, to keep us warm.
We're grateful to be at this wonderful club with its many, many amenities.

Check out the comfort of the River Dunes Library,
the encyclopaedia dates to 1845 !



and no library would be complete without a chess set,



or a set of skulls, pirates be warned (and trick'n'treaters welcomed !)



We're grateful for the extra steps that River Dunes staff is taking to make all our stay a happy one.

We're greatful to be surrounded by some familiar faces and meeting the many new-to-us faces, sharing stories, laughs and lots of personal advice floating around.

We bumped into Kerri and Ian (and Macara) from Knot Yet and spent a really wonderful evening chatting over sundowners (more like let's hide in the warmth of your heated cabin, while our teeth stop chattering, and learn the difference between Wiarton and Toronto, and where yours truly learned that the ony difference between Beaufort, NC AND Beaufort, SC is the "accent"), followed by a great dinner that the River Dunes Clubhouse put on for the cruisers who wanted to eat ashore.

The next evening was spent chatting with Lynn and Lee of Serendipity, over some Butternut Squash Soup, Parmesan Cheese biscuits and very excellent salad.

And in between all that Dave changed the oil.



We chatted some more. We went for a walk.



And bumped into more fellow cruisers. And chatted some more.
We went to the gym for another workout. And chatted some more.

We stopped for a moment to watch the news
and take in the sadness of the sights and sounds
of the havoc and devastation that Sandy has wrought
on the different areas up the coast,
and the very, very sad sight and story, of the Bounty.

We appreciated the many, many words of kindness from our family and friends "back home", as well as those we've met on these waterways, who wrote and worried about us (as we worry about them).

And as it's always been said, and we very well know,



there is light in, and after, the darkness.

And as the rain stopped the skies began to clear,
and we could start to see patches of light,
of clear blue skies,

and as the howling winds abated,
our ears were once again able to appreciate the sudden stillenss and calmness,
and the sounds of the water lapping against our hull,



We weathered out another storm,
and we looked upward and smiled,
and thanked the stars for all that was,
and for all of the above.

Banyan, and her crew, they be safe and sound.