Some of you may wonder what we do to keep ourselves occupied while we wait for the right crossing weather. First, we have a supply of books to read. Most marinas have "boaters' exchange libraries" which have paperbacks others have read and left behind. So, you can take a book and leave those you have already read. Some boaters put into the books where they got them and it is amazing the travels of some of the books. We also have our Sudoku to maintain our mental sharpness. Patty and I enjoy cards, but we get quite competitive at times. Then if you travel with another boat, as we are, we will occasionally get together in the evenings . Last night was team cribbage, men vs. women. Guess who won?
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As a result of our map-less adventure to Ft. Pierce the other day, we learned our lesson. Today, we decided to find our way to CVS to buy Mother's Day cards. So, yesterday we went online to find the closest location which was on US 1, which happens to be the busiest 6 lane highway I can remember. It also has no bike lane. We then map quested the location, using back roads from the marina. Instead of 3 miles, the route became 6 miles as we wound our way along the river front and very nice cottages and homes. We got on the bikes provided by the marina and headed out. The map worked and we reached our destination in a timely manner, did our transactions, and noticed a Starbucks next door. We couldn't pass that up. All in all, our little trip took a couple of hours and we got some exercise, and some calories, at the same time.
Yesterday was a rest up day form our excursion north and caught up on some laundry. We talked with our fiends Glyn and Chris who called from England and then talked with another couple who are also waiting in Marathon to cross over to the Exumas. We suggested we could change our plans and just meet in Miami instead of going to the Bahamas. They indicated that they would think about it. Rumor has it that the weather for crossing won't improve until the end of next week.
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Now, I remember why I am not a regular bus rider. Because we are still in Stuart waiting for the right weather to cross over to the Bahamas, we decided to take the bus to Ft. Pierce, which is only 30 miles north of us. My first mistake was to assume it would be an express or limited stop bus. Boy, was I wrong!! We left from Stuart and after an hour and a half, we still were in route. We must have stopped at every Walmart, Kmart, convenience store and intersection. We even stopped at the Social Security Office. Our next mistake was not to get off at the right stop. Who needs a map, anyway. So, we stayed on until the most northerly stop and then walked a mile back on the route to the downtown/waterfront area. If you can remember, Ft. Pierce was devastated in the 2004 hurricanes, but has been completely rebuilt and is terrific. We had lunch on the water and then decided to head back, only we didn't know where to go. Our traveling companions, Bob and Mary stopped in the city offices for directions. The staff took pity on us and we ended up getting a ride from the street supervisor to the bus stop. Incidentally, he reminded us that this bus stop location is known for its street gangs, drugs, and prostitution. He suggested that we wait in the fire station across the street. The trip back south took only an hour. It's amazing how time flies when you are having fun. I wonder what we are going to do Thursday? Laundry, perhaps?
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Have enjoyed your site...
While in Stuart, you should check out Aqutech marine consignments. Just in there today. They have alot of sailing gear and other boat stuff. I love to go in and just browse. They are on the corner of Salerno Road and Dixie (aka A1A). Good luck on your trip.
Hope you have weather soon, and are headed east. We are on Fearless Spirit this week, and making plans to make this more permanent. Love you guys. PS: Is that the photo we took of you headed to the Keys in 2004?
Yesterday was another typically exciting day with a walk to Publix for some treats and a stop at Windy's for a frosty. We're now talking about taking a bus up to Ft. Pierce tomorrow, as we are still waiting for the right weather to cross to the Bahamas. Last night we finally got some rain to help wash off the boat. We also took advantage of skype yesterday with a long video call with some of Patty's family in Minneapolis and then Austin in Cairo. You can see how I earned that moment's rest on the bench.
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While we wait for appropriate weather, we spent Sunday in Stuart. We first went into a Farmers' Market in the morning, wandering around the tents of produce, pictures, clothes, teddy bears, etc. After lunch on the boat, we went to a "rock concert" in a park on the St. Lucie River. The sun was in and out, the breeze was up and the musicians sang for four hours, although we lasted only two! Lots of Led Zepplin from a lead singer, two guitarists and a drummer. On the way back to the boat, we stopped off at a local pub for a beer and watched some of the Heritage golf tournament. The evening was quiet, including a throttling of David by Patty in a game of Scrabble. We'll be in Stuart for several more days...
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Sounds like your doing well. Let's hope we all have an uneventful crossing!
as expected, we're still in Stuart and will be for five more days or so, most likely. we have consistent NE 15-20k and that means we're here. today, we'll just hang out in town, hopefully not eating yet another ice cream cone. we're contemplating a bike ride through neighborhoods across the river, but weather may delay that plan, too. tomorrow is a farmer's market followed by a jazz concert on the river, so that's our plan for Sunday. tonight we're planning to play dice games with our buddy boat. boat chores continue as we brought some ants from Rivertown Marina and they like it inside!
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Still waiting for baby. Love, Barb
