From Jekyll Island; 2/10/10

How's this scene; neat tropical bird, in a pleasant semi-tropical setting. No snow in sight! Should give you some warm thoughts, eh? Actually they are calling for the possibility of snow here on Friday. Last memorable snow in Jekyll was in '89 or so. So, we'll be trying, again, to head North to PA tomorrow. United cancelled our flight for today on Tuesday; probably just as well. Hopefully, we'll get out tomorrow. So far the status shows as confirmed & good to go. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Let's see; this week has been busy. We had the birthday bike ride; a most memorable experience. I don't think I've ridden a ballon tired, fixed speed, wide handle barred bicycle since I was 12 years old. 'Specially one with an almost flat rear tire. 'Twas not a fast ride. Ginny, of course motored along like it was a mere ride in the park. In spite of all the new and different nerve & muscle responses, it was a pretty neat ride. Parts of it were like riding thru the land of the hobbitts. You've seen the pictures of the Spanish moss in this blog, so you'll easily be able to imagine a tunnel like ride along a twisting trail under the moss draped tree limbs with the sun shining thru the moss and mist. Looking to your left, you can see glimpses of the gold colored marsh grasses. Almost spooky, no noise, just the whir of your tires, the wheez of your breath, and the thump of your heart beat. Sorry, but I forgot the camera on this trip. Not really sure I could have kept the muscle tremors from blurring the picture anyway!

Back at the marina life moved on. There is a marina, or boating people, phenomenon called the "potluck party". Sort of like it sounds, but since we had never been to one, we had no clue. You bring a dish, sometimes an agreed item; your own drinks, which may be shared with permission; and your own silverware, napkins, etc. Some of these party people are so well prepared that they keep a bag handy with all the required goodies. Cook, grab it & go! It was a blast. Great boat, neat people. Usually these functions are held on a dock, or in a picnic area at the marina, or on a beach that you dinghy into. Due the cold and threatening rain, this gathering was held on a boat. Thanks guys.
Today, the 10th was really windy and quite cold. Acclimatization, I guess. Was a 2 heater day in the boat. Part of the day was spent shutting systems down, cleaning things up, generally getting Scooter ready to hang out here while we're gone. Yesterday we moved from the face (outside part) dock to an inside slip. Less rock & roll, which means less worry about damage , and wear & tear on lines & fittings. The prevailing winds seem to be from the NW or W

There is also enough fetch to create some healthy wave action against the boats located on the face dock. You also have large vessels like

good ol' Captain Jerome, cruising by. They don't always observe the NO WAKE signs posted prior to the marina. Anyway, we elected to move the boat inside. Same price & we got the docking practice. Nothing like $ 500,000 of boat 2' away from you to provide inspiration

Hopefully, but with some regret, we'll head to the frozen North tomorrow, returning here the 28th. Then further South. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Turn the heat up please, and be safe!