Land Travel West - Phase Four

Sorry about the blog hiatus.  Since our return to Florida, we have been quite busy working on Hold Fast.   Let me catch you up on the last phase of our trip out west.  It was a compound visit covering three different residences.

First stop was with Myron’s cousin Nicole and her hubby Charlie, along with their kids Elizabeth and Jimmy.  They live in Fallbrook, which is in the foothills north and east of San Diego.  We did not have much time together so we had to jam in all the talking we could manage.  The subject was primarily scripture, our favorite – and no one put any limitations on the matter.  What a joy!   Charlie smoked some pork and we feasted on pulled pork sandwiches.  We thought our stay in San Diego would be a cool down after Phoenix and Lemoore.  Instead, we ran into record heat.  Thank goodness there ways to keep the kids active and cool!

Myron’s buddy, Cory, gathered us up to spend some time with him in Mira Mesa, which is in the valley north and east of San Diego.  It was a little cooler there, but still too warm to do some of the outdoor activities Cory had planned.  No worries.  We soaked in the air conditioning at the movie theater, went down to the harbor to enjoy the onshore breeze and see our old haunts, and took in a nice Chinese meal with Cory’s mom.  We also managed to attend service at Mission Valley Christian Fellowship with Pastor Leo Giovinetti.  We had never attended before, we knew no one, but felt right at home.  Neat church!  Suddenly our time with Cory was over, and all without pictures.  Cory drove us over to my cousin Doug’s house in Escondido. 

The visit blessings were multiplied because my Aunt Ann was there for her summer stay with Doug and his wife Sandy.  Also my cousin Lyn and her husband Ron showed up during our stay and one night Michael, Doug's son, joined us.  We called it our mini reunion. 

We caught up by sharing pictures of our travels on the big screen TV.  (It seems every one loves the swimming pigs from Big Majors Spot.)  Sandy helps out at a local organic farm so we ate well, until we blew the healthy run with signature Tri-tip BBQ sandwiches from Mike's BBQ.  Doug recently acquired an arc welder and wanted him and Sandy to get some training from Myron.  Sandy dawned her new blue flame welding helmet and set to the task.

Doug, Myron and I caught Escondido’s Friday American Classic cruising night.  Actually the cars are parked for better viewing and view them we did.  My high school dream car was a Carroll Shelby AC Cobra.  Since I was keeper of the camera, there were plenty of AC Cobra shots.  When I looked into a parked GT 350, I saw Carroll Shelby’s signature on the dash – seriously cool!  I leave you with some pictures of that walk among the classics (see more pictures on our Picasa site).

Love to all,

Dena

Land Travel West - Phase Three

We were blessed during our stay in central California, because it was not as hot as it could have been.  Indeed, it was still warm, but the evenings and mornings were surprisingly cool, keeping sleep within reach.  We took comfort in knowing that Jacksonville was much hotter and more humid.  (My condolences to our buds in Jacksonville.)

We stayed at Myron’s mom’s house.  She had a vision of remodeling up one of the rooms in the house and our visit gave her the reason and the timeline to do it.  Friends and family members lent a hand removing carpet, installing the wood floor and putting on the new paint.  The room was very impressive upon our arrival.

Myron spent time helping his mother with projects around the house and farm.  We would work until it was pretty warm and then we would come in the house for a late lunch, ice cream and a movie.   I got used to the routine and it made me sad to leave it. 

One of Myron’s projects was to put a security screen on the front door.  Once installed, ‘Hunter’ the dog, a greyhound/Russian wolfhound mix (ie very tall and long) could no longer let himself in or out so he came into our room to request door service.  In a sleep stupor I made a hasty agreement with Myron that if he let Hunter out, I would let Hunter back in when he was done with his one or two hour romp.  Within a few days it became apparent I got the worse end of the arrangement.  If one of the farmers with adjoining acreage was irrigating, Hunter would invariably find these muddy spots.  At 5 or 6 am, when Hunter wanted back in, clad in PJs, I would take a bowl of water and a rag to the front porch and clean Hunter up before letting him in the house.  Once in the house, Hunter wanted to play.  In this mode, Hunter can be an unmanageable amount of leg, tail and nose.  I would whisper commands in a futile attempt to keep him quiet and not wake everyone in the house.   I am glad none of this was digitally captured!

Outside this routine, we also managed a day trip to the mountains to retrieve the tent trailer, squeezed in some family visits and also did another little reunion at ‘Ed’s Drive In’ in Craig and Ciana’s backyard.

I regret that I was not more active with the camera – but I can share this snapshot of a kitty that hit the motherload when she found her way into the dog food can:

From Travel West

Before we knew it, it was time for our last phase of the trip.  More on that soon.

Love to all,

Dena

Land Travel West - Phase Two

ARIZONA

Not only was it difficult to leave family in New Mexico, but there was some trepidation about leaving the cool weather.  Regardless, we strengthened our resolve and boarded SWA for a visit with so many loved ones in Phoenix, Arizona…in July.  Thankfully, God gave man the intelligence to make air conditioners.  We were pleasantly surprised that temperatures stayed below 110 degrees during our visit.

 Jen and Jody were kind enough to let us stay at their home, and their teenage daughter, Kylie, gave up her room and moved in with her 9 year old sister, Ashlynn.  Their dog, Dax, and their cats, Lyric and Melody, put up with us as well.  What a sweet and generous family, especially since we would sometimes not get home from visiting with other families until 11 pm.  They called us party animals.  Truth is, we were just trying to jam in as much family time as possible.

From Travel West

We got to see Irene, Julie, almost all the Mailo’s and relatives, the Benners, John and his momma, the Ojamerayes and relatives, Tony and Mary and the boys.  Plus we squeezed in several doctor visits.  Dr. Sam was pleased with our test results, except a few aspects, which we concluded were a direct result of our New Mexico overdose adventure on chili rellenos.

We were all over that valley, from Cave Creek to east Scottsdale to Apache Junction to the west side.  We got to attend church where Jody leads the music worship.  Kylie and Ashlynn also introduced us to Kinect games by X-Box.  What a blast!  I think Ashlynn was a little shaken when ‘grandma’ (me) jumped in to do cheering routines next to her.  I still claim there will be no permanent psychological damage.

The only downside to the visit was a severe lack of photographical evidence.  Grant’s hair did not even fit in the picture.  He plans to cut it when he nears the time of his interviews and college graduation.  I hope I have convinced him to donate those impressive locks, it seems long enough and would out produce at least eight of us normal women!

From Travel West

Jen, Jody and Ashlynn were great sports and got up at 4:30 am to see us off to the airport, Kylie was at an all night youth lockout.  It was hard to believe it was already time to head for central California.

Love to all,

Dena

Land Travel West - Phase One

Visiting family in New Mexico was Phase One of our travels out west.  It is a rare occasion that my sisters and I are all in the same place.  My nephews were there too, what a blessing.  I relish the memories of our giggle episodes.  Big meals were had, lots of apricot pies were made and pounds were gained.   

We were glad to be able to help out dad with a few items around the property, including repairing the culvert from the flash flood damage.

The cool mountain weather was an incredible relief.  The temperature on several evenings made it essential to wear long pants and a sweat shirt.  We slept under three blankets to wake up to 53 degree mornings, a far cry from Jacksonville weather!  On our walks we occasionally would see deer, mostly bucks, including a six point.  At night, the deer would come up to the house to eat apricots and the elk would raid the rain cistern off the back porch.

One of our goals in New Mexico, in addition to visiting family and helping out dad, was to eat as many chili rellenos as possible, good chili rellenos that is.  Mission accomplished!  Another goal was to climb Nogal Peak.  Unfortunately, the trail head was closed due to the Little Bear Fire and it never did re-open during our stay.   God made up for it with sunsets!



And then suddenly, our time in New Mexico was over and it was time to catch our flight to Phoenix.  More on that soon.

Love to all,

Dena

Catching Up

When we get back at OYCM, it is as if we never left. Shari, Paul and Fred were a great help, as always, letting us run errands. What a blessing to see some of our Jacksonville friends and get a couple of Thursday nights in at Moon River Pizza. And I must mention, for the first time I had several manatee sightings along the Ortega River banks – yes, after several years in Florida – I finally see them!

We helped in some dock clean up after Tropical Storm Debby gave us heavy rains. One night the river was flowing particularly strong and the next calm day the resulting debris was cleaned away from the boats and put on to the docks.

From journals

From journals

I sent an email to inform family that TS Debby was not an issue for Hold Fast, only to get return communication that family is doing fine after the Little Bear Fire and a flash flood. I had no idea about my sister’s evacuation and my father’s preparation for one. Below is a picture a passerby took of my grandmother’s house during the flash flood:

From journals

My sister’s husband helped dad remove cottonwood trees that had jammed into the culvert during the flash flood. We praise God that our family members are well, that their houses are safe, and we request your prayers for those that lost their homes.

Love to all,
Dena

In Slip at OYCM

As we worked our way south on the ICW from Fernandina Beach, we heard Odyssey on the radio. We hailed them and, sure enough, it was our new friends Paul and Sue on their trawler (we met them through Barb and Barry). They were watching our blog and had hoped to surprise us at Cumberland Island. They must have learned a few covert activities from Paul and Shari. We decided to meet at Ft. George and have dinner together. Yes, they are trawler friends, and some trawler people make very good cruising friends. We had a wonderful dinner aboard Odyssey and finished it off with chocolate ice cream!!

Ft. George turned out to be a narrow anchorage, coupled with thunderstorms. It was not a peaceful night and Ft. George will not be a choice of ours in the future. We pulled up anchor as soon as we had enough water to get across the shoal at the entrance - then we headed south again on the ICW. The weather called for 5 - 10 knots, but we saw much more than that and it was a rowdy ride up the St. Johns River. Paul and Shari met us on their whaler, Gretel, and Shari got soaked trying to get aboard Hold Fast underway. They brought more wonderful food to sustain us through the ride.

There were many friendly and familiar faces ready to give a hand putting Hold Fast into her slip. We are back in C97, our original slip here at the marina. We have come full circle since we first left here a year ago.

We look forward to catching up with all our Jacksonville friends and church families and are also looking forward to seeing family out west. We have internet!! Drop us an email if we have not had contact yet. We do not want to miss out on seeing anyone.

Love to all,
Dena


Posted via wifi.
{GMST}30|16.500|N|081|42.952|W|IN SLIP C97|OYCM{GEND}

Back at Fernandina Beach

What a great stay at Cumberland Island! At slack tide this morning, we moved back to Fernandina Harbor Marina to fuel up and take a mooring for the night. We also did a little walking around and grocery shopping. To our surprise and delight, Joint Venture was still here taking in the sights.

To take advantage of this temporary benefit of wifi, here are a couple of recent pictures for your view pleasure:

Snorkeling Fowl Cay in the Abacos with Barb and Barry on their 17' whaler. This was the second good snorkel of the day.

Dolphins at play on Hold Fast's bow on the west side of the Gulf Stream.

Paul and Shari on 'Quick Trip' as we escort them from Cumberland Island toward Fernandina Beach.

The grass is always greener...

Scratching that itch:

Momma and foal, about a week old.

A foal less than 24 hours old.

Inside Mrs. Carnagies office house ('tabby house'):


Love to all,
Dena


Posted via wifi.
{GMST}30|40.183|N|081|28.165|W|Moored|Fernandina Beach{GEND}

Anchored at Cumberland Island

This evening I purposely soaked in the beauty of Cumberland Island. As the sun was setting and the moon on the rise, deer were walking near shore where the ponies had previously been grazing. The breeze was over 20 knots today and calmed down tonight. Our view of the Cumberland Island shoreline is peaceful. We are anchored further north than our previous stops. When looking west from this position, we have a view of Kings Bay, the submarine base.
Yesterday, when Hold Fast was still on the mooring at Fernandina Beach, we headed in for lunch at a highly reviewed and affordable restaurant [Karibrew]. As we were pulling up to the dinghy dock, we spied the adventuresome Auto-Paul and Shari attempting a covert mission out to Hold Fast. It was a pleasant surprise and a very nice welcome back to the states! After lunch, Paul and Myron prepared their dinghy (Quick Trip) and Shari and I did a little grocery shopping. I am always glad to have fresh tomatoes and onions for salsa. Hold Fast towed both dinghies out to Cumberland Island. We continued our visit at anchor here and munched on fantastic snacks that Shari brought. It was not as heart wrenching to see them depart because we will see them again in a few days - hopefully for Thursday night pizza!
Cumberland Island had been evacuated due to tropical storm Beryl and was only reopened to visitors today. We got in a good walk, saw the ponies and their colts up close, and visited with the park rangers, one of whom opened the Carnegie office building (taffy house) and showed us around. After our walk we had lunch with Dennis and Annaka aboard 'Bodyguard,' a steel boat about 39'. Dennis and Annaka are from the Netherlands and made the boat themselves. We did not expect to see them again after they departed Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas - so it was another pleasant surprise.
We were half expecting to see Brad and Sabrina on Joint Venture today, and half expecting them to head offshore again and sail north. The wind forecast must have been favorable because they are nowhere in sight. If so, we wish them well on their adventures and hope to see them again in the fall.
Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham Radio.
{GMST}30|46.138|N|081|28.268|W|Anchored|Cumberland Island{GEND}

Back in the States

We took a mooring off of Fernandina Harbour Marina two days (or two ‘no sleeps’) and eight hours after slipping the mooring in Man-O-War eastern harbor. I initially told Myron it was 2 days, 6 hours because my mind was too tired to correctly calculate the difference between 6:30 am and 2:30 pm!
We were through the north MOW Cut by about 7 am with light winds to our stern. We ran wing and wing. For a little while we had the engine running at about 1100 RPM to keep proper steerage in the troughs of the waves. As we began to turn west, the winds shifted a little more south which made for a nice broad reach. This allowed us to get all sails out, improved our boat speed and handling and eliminated any need for the engine. Conditions continued to improve. Our speed was around seven knots and we sometimes saw over eight. I was amazed that we were almost abeam Great Sale Cay before nightfall. At sunset we pulled down the mizzen to reduce speed during darkness. This would be one of many sail reductions for the night. As the winds increased we reduced the jib, then we put one reef in the main. Within a few hours we put the second reef in the main. In about another hour we reduced the jib to about 25% and put a third reef in the main. The ride was getting wet. Sometime after 3 am, the winds began to head us. We were in a feeder stream to the Gulf Stream. We wanted and anticipated west winds, but not until we were on the west side of the Gulf Stream about six hours later. As we see often, the forecast was a little off. It appeared tropical depression Beryl was on the move to the northeast earlier than expected, hence our west winds while we were still east of the main Gulf Stream. We sailed as close to the wind as possible, trying as we might to make more west than north while in the Gulf Stream. Brad and Sabrina on Joint Venture made the crossing the same time as we did. They could get XM radio weather and see the squalls. They checked every 30 minutes and would let us know if we were about to be hit with anything that looked ominous. I was in frequent prayer mode over a big squall coming toward us. Later on, Brad told Myron that they saw a very bad squall on XM radio just disappear as it approached us and then reform after it passed us. God is so good (all the time)! He hears our prayers. The nasty weather during darkness due to the surrounding squalls and thunderstorms only lasted about six hours, but it was enough time for us to find new ways and rediscover old ways to get bumped and bruised! Everything always looks better in daylight. The remainder of our journey was quite pleasant. We had to turn on the motor when we lost all winds but at least the seas were flat. We had about a half dozen dolphins ride the bow for at least 20 minutes. Such an experience is a natural healing balm for a bruised and tired body. Dolphins are just plain fun. All in all, the few hours of bad weather was very little compared to all the good.
We chose Fernandina Beach for our arrival so we could check into the U.S. and then head to our favorite Georgia anchoring spot, Cumberland Island. We did not know what to expect for this process. Before we left the Bahamas, I downloaded instructions, phone numbers and check in locations for all of Florida. We have two prepaid cell phones and were not sure how we would get them operational to make our required ‘immediate’ call upon arrival. We charged up the Verizon phone and Myron was able to get service somewhere off of Cape Canaveral. Outside of St. Mary’s inlet, I tried calling the marina to reserve a mooring. I was able to add minutes to the phone and we were set. This was going more smoothly than we anticipated. Once we took the mooring, we called to check into the country. That call was easier than expected and very quickly we had an arrival number. The second call was to the local customs office to arrange presenting ourselves in person. That officer gave us instructions to their office. We had a pleasant walk through town and over to the industrial area. The customs officer was inquisitive but very pleasant. In addition, joy of all joy, the office was air conditioned. Suddenly, we were all done, checked-in and free to roam about the country. Our next plans were to get Thursday pizza at the Moon River pizzeria, but the walk proved too much in the heat after such little sleep. Dinner and sleep aboard on Hold Fast was the mutual consent. There will be enough opportunity for Thursday pizza nights when we are at OYCM.
Soon enough we will head over to our favorite spot on Cumberland Island for a few ‘sleeps’ (overnights), then we will work our way back to OYCM. While we have internet this morning, we are working on summer travel plans out west.
Thank you for your prayers.
Love to all,
Dena

Fernandina

We pulled in to Fernanina about 2:00 this afternoon after 2 days 6 hours of travel.
The plan is to move to Cumberland Island for a few days then over to JAX.
Myron

Posted via wifi.
{GMST}30|40.223|N|081|28.151|W|on a mooring ball|Fernandina Beach{GEND}