After a pleasant drive back from Ocala to Fernandina Beach on Sunday, we've been doing a combination of work and play.

We managed to get new flights home for Christmas (Dec 17 to 30), from Jacksonville since we didn't quite make it to Nassau - so much for optimistic planning! I think another time, I'd make reservations from Fort Lauderdale, since it is easy to get to from the Bahamas and other Florida points. We initially booked so early to take advantage of a West Jet seat sale, but with all our delays, it became an impossible arrangement. It would cost us more to make changes than to cancel those tickets, save the credit for another flight somewhere, and book new ones on United Airlines so that's what we did. West Jet very kindly waived the cancellation fee. I like that airline!

Our condensing unit and freezer box arrived on Monday and Jim and Steve spent several hours removing the old part and installing the new ones. That turned out to be somewhat of an exercise in frustration because despite Jim's and my careful measurements and calculations, we didn't order a long enough tube to run from the unit in the cockpit lazarette to the freezer. So, now we wait for an extension to come by UPS on Wednesday. We were both just sick about it, but it was the result of not understanding just where the line had to run in the new set up (farther than in the old one) and trying hard not to order so much that it had to be all coiled up in the locker. The lesson from that - overestimate, and coil! Steve has been working upside down in our fridge (like many boat models, it is a top loader), and has crunched himself down in the locker to work sideways there. That man deserves a dozen medals. He has done this before, knows what he's doing, and keeps doing it for his friends. Pretty nice!

I've been browsing through the lovely shops along Center Street here, checking out consignment stores and department stores with Sandi. Jim and I both got haircuts - mine at the very convenient and very pleasant Aveda salon half a block from the marina; Jim's at an old fashioned barbershop where he got shorn of most of his hair and had to listen to racist jokes from a man with sharp scissors in his hand and the ability to shear him even more. We've attempted to do some cleaning and tidying of Madcap but it seems to be a losing battle till we have the tool boxes put away and the fridge contents stowed again. We are also currently tripping over purchases made on a wine buying trip to Harris Teeter with Steve. He pointed and we paid! The experience appeared to make us all happy and although our pockets were lighter, they were less so than they'd have been without his advice, and if we were shopping somewhere other than Florida where wine prices are excellent.

Jim has spent many hours trying to get our TracFone working again. After the first few days, the original phone refused to work unless we entered a password that we didn't have. Jim returned that to K-Mart, received a replacement and got our useable minutes restored. The new phone worked for another few days before it told us that it was not in service. We think we are back on "trac" with TracFone, but so far, Jim has spent far more time on service problems than talking on it!

The "Food Report" includes dockside drinks with Karin and Ed "Passages", dinner at Pablo's, a really good Mexican restaurant here where we tried to cheer ourselves up over the fridge affair, lunch with Ken and Connie at T-Ray's - the local diner at the Exxon station on 8th St. where the sign says, "Eat Here and Get Gas." My shrimp was excellent and the burgers got good reviews as well. We have continued to enjoy the comfy bed and fine dining at Steve and Sandra's on a regular basis, and on Sunday night, enjoyed a lovely stroll under spanish moss laden trees and glimpses of starry sky to the view the lights of the Amelia Island Plantation.

Despite our continuing tale of boat woes, we are so very lucky to be among friends in a warm climate, anticipating Christmas with our family.