HOME SWEET BED!

We are now finished travelling northward back to Canada. We enjoyed the towns we visited including a 3 hour visit to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (on Memorial Day of all days). We learned about the 1863 battle there with a CD audio tour that we played while driving to designated spots of interest. This was well worth the visit because as a Canadian, we didn’t learn about this specific battle during the American Civil War. It was a small struggle to actually leave the town because a parade (huge one with horses, marching bands, different divisions of army in their period costumes etc). Most roads were blocked off. We drove down 3 alleys. Every turn was a blockade. Finally a police officer directed us around one just before the parade started. I thought we would be in Gettysburg for another 2 hours watching a parade!! Which would have been fine if we didn’t have more driving to do.

We visited Williamsburg, Virgina and loved it. We had a superb lunch there. The buildings were old and very well maintained.

Amazing how long ago colleges
were established

The Wyndham, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Booked it on Hotwire
BEAUTIFUL

Ottawa is such a beautiful city this time of year. The Rideau Canal is a skating rink in the winter and now it is full of water with flowers planted along the waterway. We look forward to enjoying Ottawa this summer along with our family. Much to celebrate as we await our first grandchild in the Fall. We hope you all have things to celebrate this summer.

Safe travels

WILD SKIES IN NEW BERN

While in New Bern, North Carolina we saw a beautiful sky that it was impossible to keep walking and not take a picture. I thought you all might like to see it.

New Bern was founded with many Swiss immigrants and there are many bear statues all over town. You've been to towns with murals well, this town is known for the dozens of bear statues all over town.

This one is in a park and also in front of the liquor store

I am a big fan of Pepsi-Cola and I was walking in the town of the creation of Pepsi!!! Awesome!

PINEAPPLE PLANTER

Rainy season in Florida means rain fast and furious! Careful driving and for me … careful walking to the marina office. We had flushed all our toilets with fresh water so therefore I needed to walk to the marina office to use the public restrooms there..... I did not realize all the “walking around puddles” that needed to be done in flip flops no less. Needless to say, I may as well have just walked right through the rain puddles because near the end of my journey I needed to get flip flops and feet wet anyway, zero dry spots! Squish, squish on the way back to Coyaba.

We had our kayak on the bow of our catamaran and moved it underneath for the the season, well needless to say a cute frog took up residence and did not appreciate us moving his house. I took a picture of him.

We arrived in Jacksonville for our first night on the road and I found the coolest planter at the entrance of our hotel. I had to take a picture. It is a mini pineapple. Only in Florida (okay, maybe in California too!) but not in Ontario. I loved this plant so much! I wish almost, we could buy a fake one and bring home sometime. 

Isn't this cute? 

We are travelling northward but not on the interstates. We stayed in Charleston, SC last night and tonight we are in New Bern, NC. We were given advise to see Williamsburg, VA on way home so yes, that is tomorrow for lunch. Many historical buildings there and persons that are period dressed. We are “holidaying” our way homeward. It is an American long weekend but does not seem to interfere with us travelling.

Hope all our Canadians enjoyed their long weekend last week.

It takes 18 to 22 months for a pineapple plant to produce a single 4 to 5 pound fruit. About a year later, the plant will produce a second fruit, smaller than the first. Always the symbol of hospitality, the beautiful pineapple was once a rare fruit. So rare in fact, it was called the “fruit of kings.”

HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA!

Hockey is in the blood of most Canadians and suffice it to say not a drop is in mine.... except watching our son play for the last 7 years!! However, our Canadian team the Ottawa Senators is in the Stanley Cup playoffs and I happened to see some playoffs on tv at a pub this week. Being in Florida seeing hockey on any tv is amazing, there is football (no. 1), then baseball, basketball, golf and even swimming!! Anyways, the hockey expert in our family, (my dad on Vancouver Island) says Ottawa really doesn't have a chance! I have to share this with you for the love of the game:

It's game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals and a man in the cheap seats sees an empty one at centre ice. He skulks down and asks if anybody is sitting there. The woman sitting next to it sighs sadly and says, “My husband was supposed to be sitting there. We attended every playoff together since 1987, but he died and this is the first time I've come alone.”

“That's so sad,” said the man. “Maybe you should've brought a friend or a relative this time?”

“I couldn't,” she said. “They all went to the funeral.”

Hope you all have hockey fever up in Canada and our American friends... I hope you got a laugh with this joke too... pretend it was football!!

We are leaving St. Augustine tomorrow for Jacksonville for one night. We are meeting a boating couple we met two years ago for dinner. Then the next day we drive northward along the coast and enjoy scenery and sun for awhile. We have been busy beavers putting Coyaba to “bed” for hurricane season.

ATLAS 5 ROCKET

Stuart, Mother's Day
The sky opened up near sunset time

Moving northward on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) from Stuart to St. Augustine is always pleasant. We waited for a parcel to arrive on Tuesday and headed out right after lunch. Our stops were Vero Beach (a mooring ball), Cocoa Beach (anchored), Daytona Beach (at Halifax Harbor Marina) then finally St. Augustine Marine Center. Our catamaran is hauled out 7am! On Tuesday morning as the tides have to be in our favour. Been a long time since we've set our alarm clock!

Near Cocoa Beach is Cape Canaveral and wouldn't you know it, there was a rocket launch at approximately 5:38pm on Wednesday. We saw it and HEARD it big time. Our boat was vibrating from the noise. They were sending up a GPS satellite on the rocket Atlas 5. The day before on our VHF we heard warnings to stay clear of specific areas.

The first rocket launch from Cape was Bumper 8 on July 24, 1950. On February 6, 1959 the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile was accomplished. NASA's Project Mercury and Gemini space flights were launched from Cape Canaveral, as were all of the Apollo flights and Space Shuttles.

Cape Canaveral was chosen for rocket launches to take advantage of the Earth's rotation. The linear velocity of the Earth's surface is greater towards the equator; the relatively southerly location of the cape allows rockets to take advantage of this by launching eastward, in the same direction as the Earth's rotation. It is also highly desirable to have the downrange area sparsely populated, in case of accidents an ocean is ideal for this.

THANK YOU MOM

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

"Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it's life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

"You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"
- Unknown

SIT OUTSIDE OR TABLE INSIDE?

When you live in Ottawa, Canada (or mostly anywhere in Canada), one gets about 90 days of warm summer weather.... of those days maybe if you're lucky, you get 60 that you can eat out on a patio for lunch. We are here in Stuart, FL and realize that today at lunch we had the opposite “problem”. It was so so hot here that we opted to eat inside the restaurant instead of on the patio!! It was in the 90's F (high 30's C) today with a humidity of over 90%.... but there was a sidewalk sale in historical downtown here and we were going! After a 20 minute walk in these high temps, it was lunch time and a beer was needed. We knew we made the right decision.

Walking around historical Stuart, one sees some wonderful sights!

This house loves dogs as this is their mailbox!

One of a few murals here in Stuart

We are heading to St. Augustine with our car on Monday and leaving the car there. We will rent a car to get back to Stuart. We leave Stuart Tues or Wed on Coyaba heading north on the ICW to St. Augustine. This is a nice trip on the waterway and we do enjoy it. We always see dolphins and other boats heading north. Hurricane season begins June 1 and most insurance companies want your boat out of the water if you are not nearby to move it in case a named storm wants to visit.

There have been over 480 tropical or subtropical cyclones (hurricanes) that have hit Florida since the 1800's.