Wow, another year has gone by. A good year for us. Everyone is happy and healthy. Jenny is expecting her first child (my first grandchild) in March, a girl. Lots of pink crocheting and knitting planned for this winter. Because of the impending birth we are staying in Florida this year, and only for 2 months. That way we will be back in time to greet Miss Fawcett and, if necessary, we can get back early by catching a plane. Not so easy to do in the Bahamas, especially if you are stuck out in the out islands with bad weather.
I have to say that I am hugely relieved that we will stay in Florida, but already missing the beauty of the Bahamas. It is so much easier to do just about anything here; get a phone, get internet, buy groceries and supplies, go out to restaurants, see a movie. But then that incredible turquoise water of the Bahamas. The glorious beaches, the sun, the ocean life. Sigh. But Florida has some amazing sights of its own to offer as well. In all my travels, the best bird watching I have seen is in Florida. The camera will be active for sure.
Our drive down was uneventful this year. We left on January 1, which turns out to be a good idea. Short line ups at the border, all the stores open and empty. We were able to get our phone and internet set up easily.
It was great to see Jim and Roz. They are well and the boat looked beautiful, freshly painted, the teak refinished, everything clean, fresh flowers on the table. Home sweet home. They look after her so well, better than we would.
Our first evening here, Jim and Roz and Miss Eloise, his mum, whose dock we are tied up to, treated us to a Georgia shrimps boil. These are river shrimps from the Crooked River, caught by a friend of Jim’s. Apparently this is the only way to get these shrimps (they always call them shrimps with an s). The heads are cut off and they are boiled for 2 minutes only. Delicious. Served with collard greens and grits. There was shredded cheddar and butter for the grits and spiced vinegar for the collard greens. Excellent meal, and all new to us.
We will be staying here for a few days, getting the boat in shape, and seeing the local sites. That will be nice too, this year, no rushing to get to the Bahamas. Even Tom seems relaxed and content to dawdle. Not like him at all!