First of all, we're going north to visit family for a few days. We're going to get off the airplane unshowered, unshaved, ragged, and tired. (Sorry Mother...) but there is a good reason for our unkempt appearance...
Last night we took some of our fridge items to the local General Store in St. Mary's, they were kind enough to hold some unopened food so that we didn't have to toss it...coming back from there we were starving and a bit cranky that we had cut ourselves short on dinner food (short-sighted packing...), but anyway, we were filling water jugs and discussing hot dogs and whatever else for supper...
I'm mid-way through a jug, take a peek around,
"Heather! It's Gartenhaus!"
"The same one?" she asks
"How many trawlers named Gartenhaus can there be? And I see Mary!"
We turned off the water and made a beeline across the dock.
It is always such a pleasure to see old friends in different ports.
We met Don & Mary originally in Titusville riding out Hurricane Wilma. They are our grandparents age, have been cruising for 15 years...we made fast friends. Heather and Don share the same birthday so we had celebrated Feb. b'days in Nov. with them last year. We had spent a lot of time chatting them up in T-ville.
After exchanging hello's and the niceties, Mary invites us to dinner. Wow!
A fisherman had given them some Mahi and Yellowtail in the Keys. They pulled out the fry-baby, made some beer-batter for the fish...made some tater tots, mac & cheese, salad... they treated us like kings! We swapped stories of the past year since we had seen each other, talked about their cat, our cats, life aboard, ordeals and adventures... even swapped stories of throwing wristwatches overboard when they quit working because they are unnecessary...we had a magnificent time! We were preparing to leave the dock and cut the 30Amp umbilical cord when we saw them last... they were thrilled that we had been out cruising for the past 9 months (so many people get stuck at the dock)
We talked into the night, left smiling ear to ear, encouraged and almost giddy. They are some of the most positive, encouraging people we know and we can only hope to see them again down the waterway.
Cruisers never say goodbye...only see ya' later!
We're at the airport waiting for a flight, it's not even daybreak yet and I'm not about to proof this... | 