It seems to be time for counting up, our blessings and other mathematical accountings. We are very fortunate to have good health so far, the time to travel and see the East Coast up-close-and-personal, and to have good support back “home”. Justin is doing a good job watching our house, raking leaves, and providing tech support over the phone. Tammy has sent us some great music on CDs that entertain us and is planning on connecting with us in Florida next month. Pete calls a lot and fills us in on the Patriots’ exploits and other news.
Our numbers so far, in miles traveled, are about 1150. We have been gone for 6 weeks. We have put 180 hours, approximately, on the engine. If we cover about the same distance as our trip three years ago, which was 4400 miles, then we are one-quarter of the way, not counting stops for R & R.
Our time in Charleston was fun, staying at a marina there for a night, and connecting up with friends Roy and Bertha who arrived there a day before us on their boat. They had a visitor from Vermont, a niece who flew in for a week to sail with them and we all hung out together. Just before leaving, the sports field next to the marina was the staging area for a jazz procession, New Orleans style, honoring a local man who was important in the music scene and who had died recently. A large number of people turned out and the jazz that the musicians played while processing to a church for the funeral was wonderful.
We also stayed at a marina in Hilton Head Island; up to now we had anchored every night except in Charleston and HHI (and the free dock in Elizabeth City). The dockmaster loaned us an extra bike and we rode in a circle from the west side of the island, to the beach on the east, then down to the south and over a bridge and back, about 15 miles counting a few side trips. The marina property has a pub,” Up the Creek” and we were regular patrons for two days. And we got to talk with the crew of a 1919 wooden 60 ft. ferry that travels regularly to Daufuskie Island (home to some of the South Carolina Gullah people).
We’ve been in Georgia for the past 4 days, today on the border with Florida. In the area we traveled through, Georgia has lots of marshland, sea islands, and wildlife. We continue to see eagles almost every day, porpoises, osprey, blue herons, pelicans, egrets and today we are near Cumberland Island where there are wild horses grazing on grasses growing along the high tide line. We stopped at the National Park Service Monument Fort Frederica two nights ago and we were told that if the battle that took place there in the early 1700s had not gone well for the British we might all be speaking Spanish right now!
We will be having Thanksgiving in St. Mary’s, Georgia, two miles from Cumberland Island and three miles from Fernandina Beach, Florida (by boat). Some of the townspeople prepare turkey for any boaters in the area, and the boaters bring dishes they have prepared, all coordinated by a volunteer committee. There may be 150 people there. We hope our family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we’ll be back in touch in December.
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