Happy New Year, Friends & Family!!
01 January 2011 | Naples, Florida
Sunny, mid-70s, SE 15-20K
Hi folks!
While in Fort Myers Beach, we were tickled with an impromptu visit from Ford Jones, of Virginia. While on a business trip to Florida's east coast, he wrapped things up & drove across the state to see us! We dined aboard Ruby Slipper on local shrimp & tuna. Ford spent the night with us & slipped away in the early a.m. for a flight home. He is a one-of-a kind human being, who was instrumental in Bill & I meeting for the first time! He & his wife, Barb, will always mean the world to us! Next stop: North - St. Petersburg! We ventured this far north to see some dear friends! We had a delightful visit with Bill's almost-brother Jim Moloney & his lovely wife, Kathy (also son, Patrick; uber-girlfriend, Caroline; grandkids Luke & Grace). Jim & Kathy are from Frederick, Md. & flew in to see their daughter, Andrea. WE were the fortunate beneficiaries of that visit. Thanks, Jim & Kathy for making us feel so special in your lives! We also managed to see our good cruiser friends, J & Marci Kolb, residents of St. Pete. They had just driven in (thru the snow) from holiday visits up north. We had coffee & pastry together & most importantly, were able to get/give hugs. We'll see them again in the spring when they venture north to direct Annapolis Boat Show Ops. It was a whirlwind trip "up north" with some delightful anchorages in between. Top on our list is Cayo Costa State Park, north of Captiva Island. We stayed there for 5 days heading north and then stayed their for New Yeasr's Eve while heading south. That special evening we enjoyed a bottle of Veuve Clicquot from or Annapolis friend, Anne Harrington. Yummo! And we drank our New Years Eve toasts in special glasses made by dear pal, Erin Harrington. Now, we're anchored amidst multi-million dollar homes in Naples. Next stop, Everglade City, then Little Shark River & finally to Boot Key, Marathon in the Florida Keys. We hope to stay there several weeks & enjoy a visit with our gal pal, Deb Smith & maybe even see my sister Benita & our niece, Katana as they make their January pilgramage to South Beach. So much fun instore!! In the meantime, if you don't hear from us it's just because we will be in the middle of the Everglades with no connectivity. Stand by for photos as I've been having a hard time uploading new ones. Much love to you all in this sure-to-be-spectacular New Year!