I'm happy to report that at last inspection on Wednesday we had a functioning freezer! Steve and Jim finished putting it all together late on Wednesday and by the time we left the boat Wednesday evening, we had some cold happening in that box.

I busied myself roasting spiced almonds and making fudge to deliver to cruising friends in the area, tried to get some good pictures of the pelicans on the fish dock, and managed to get most of our things packed to fly home. Those pelicans are so picturesque but I keep missing the best shots. When I came out of the washroom in the morning, there were three lined up with perfect silhouettes on the rail, but I was carrying towels and shower bag instead of a camera. We've seen them hitching rides on the fishing boats as they go in and out of the harbour, but by the time I run for my camera, the boat has always moved too far away. I saw a boat yesterday with a pelican perched on the outboard motor as it put-putted along!

Steve, Sandi, Jim and I all got ourselves cleaned up and went out to dinner at Bonito's on Centre Street for superb seafood. We hadn't been there before, but it is on our must -go list from here on. The tuna, scallops, kobe steak with half a lobster and grouper that we each tucked into were perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. Our shared starters of oysters and calamari were also right up there with the best we've had. (Blair and Mary -we SO wish you were there too!!)

Sandra and Steve got up at 3:30 am to drive us to the Jacksonville airport on Thursday morning ( now that's friendship!), and by noon hour, Mary Beth was picking us up in Halifax. The flights connected like clockwork and luggage came too, but the switch to cold weather was dramatic. We were enjoying humid weather in shorts and sandals on Tuesday. Wednesday was cooler but I was still in capri's and sandals. On Thursday, Halifax was experiencing the coldest day so far this winter -13 C (about 9 F!!) and with the wind chill it felt even colder.

Nonetheless, we are both delighted to be home for the holidays and are looking forward to enjoying the company of our family. Our boys fly in from Ottawa on Christmas Eve so we'll all be together here, while Madcap sits safely in Fernandina Beach. Once we get back there on Dec 30th, we'll reprovision, celebrate New Year and make our way further south. Who knows where - although Bahamas are the next goal - and who knows when - although soon is the preferred time!

In the cruising world as in the rest of life - it really is the journey, and not the destination that matters. Our journey is rewarding, exciting, challenging and worth every bit of effort, time and money we put into it. We keep being reminded that "smooth", "as planned", "without incident" are not necessarily the best ways to experience what life has to offer!