Week 15 / Week 9 in Ft. Pierce, with Christmas in NJ & PA

Sunday, 12/25/22 ~ Saturday, 12/31/22

     Christmas morning, we enjoyed breakfast then headed to Chris and Kel’s. Once again Tillie slept most of the way. That also meant that she was full of energy as she entered the high energy home. Their cat, Ryder, kept himself upstairs, avoiding the girls and their cousins, who were full of new present highs. Rubble, the 90-popund Pittie, was enjoying all the company and wanted to play with the new puppy. Tillie got into the play and nipped Rubble, who then proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the day. At one point, Tillie grabbed his tail and was tossed to the side when he wagged it, not paying any attention the puppy attached to him. Chaos continued, presents opened, family dropped in for Christmas wishes and hugs, food, and conversations that covered a multitude of topics. When it was time to leave, the four of us just sat in the quiet of the car and enjoyed a few minutes of silence. Poor Heather is spending the night to have more time with the girls.

     Monday, I was able to meet up with my friend, Carolyn, in Lambertville, NJ. It is just above Washington’s Crossing in Trenton. The town was very busy, being the day after Christmas. The Lambertville Inn Restaurant had no seating without a reservation. Instead, we scouted the bar area for about 30 minutes or so, and was able to find a bar table. a perfect place to sit and eat. The food here is delicious and the service pretty good for a holiday. Apparently, a number of servers and a bartender opted to call out sick, but we were taken well care of. All too soon we needed to say our good-byes. I parked by the river and noticed the water was moving rather swiftly. It wasn’t until I got back to the house that I learned they had to cancel the Christmas Day Re-enactment of the Washington’s Christmas Crossing the Delaware River due to high water and swift currents.

 

 

     Tuesday, Greg, Jenn and Pete opted to head over to Top Golf Driving Range, which has balls with trackers that enable it to show up on screens. They figured it would be great to do something different. Apparently so did a whole lot of others. The wait for 4 plus hours. Needless to say, they returned home once they realized that everyone was off for Christmas week and looking for something to do!

     We once again got up at the ungodly hour of 2 AM on Wednesday morning to head back to Florida. Traffic, though heavy, moved well until we entered South Carolina. There was a flipped truck on the exit ramp north bound, heading towards the west. Traffic heading South had 6 miles of rubber-neckers. Somehow that stop and go continue through most of the state. We didn’t time it, but I believe that craziness cost us a good 2 hours that added onto the 17-hour trip. Once again, Tillie was great.

     Boy, did our bed feel wonderful! Tillie also took pity on us and slept through the night until 7:30. Something she never did before.

 
This morning we were able to see how the birds decorated our canvas while we were away!

 

December 30th Sunset 

     Howie and Ann invited us to once again ring in the New Year with them. This year’s theme was a New Year in Havana. We headed over to the club for a yummy assortment of appetizers, a main course of Chilean Bass with Miso sauce, Roasted Duck, Veal and Maine Lobster. Of course, there were also the tasty sides as well as delicious and varied desserts. The band and dancers were also designed with the Cuban theme in mind. Many of the members also dressed the part. It was an enjoyable evening, but Ann’s hip surgery was still uncomfortable. We headed back to their home to ring in 2023! We stayed overnight and returned home in the morning.

 A colorful and enjoyable New Year's Eve ~

 

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~   K & P

Week 14 / Week 8 in Ft. Pierce, with Christmas in NJ and PA

Sunday, 12/18/22 ~ Saturday, 12/24/22

The morning fog ~

     We really enjoy our friends here on I-Dock. We had another Taco Tuesday, that morphed into a BBQ Ribs evening. There was some great salads and munchies to accompany 3 different types of ribs. There was also a birthday cake for Charlie, along with the appropriate song.

 

 

 

     Gifts were wrapped, and the clothes washed, packed and the car loaded. We were up at 2 AM Friday morning and were under way for our Christmas visit with the kids and grandkids. It is so hard getting up at that ungodly hour, but it is worth it to miss all the traffic spots at Jacksonville, Savanna, Charleston, Richmond, Washington, DC and Baltimore. Surprisingly, traffic was a bit heavier than usual, but moved. We had to stop more than normal to let Tillie stretch and take care of business. As we traveled north, we watched the temperatures fall throughout the day and the winds start to howl. When we left at 2:30 AM, the temp in Fort Pierce was 73 and the winds still. By the time we arrived at Jenn and Greg’s in NJ around 9 PM, the temperature was 15 with a windchill of -14 degrees. BURR!!! Thank heavens for car heater, heavy coats and audio books! They make the 18 hour drive bearable. We were tired, and glad to stationary for a while.
 

   The cold remained in place both her in the Northeast as well as in Florida. Fort Pierce welcomed Christmas with “Falling Iguanas” (they die in the cold) and temps in the low 30’s. Everyone on the dock remained below with the heat on and lots of warm clothes and blankets for the better part of a week.

     We enjoyed relaxing and spending time with Greg and Jenn. Greg treated us to great breakfast and delicious coffee on the mornings when Jenn taught classes. Of their 3 cats, the two younger ones, Nala and JoJo, hid the whole time we are there. Buns, literally #1 Cat, always wants to meet her guests. Tillie was no exception. Of course, Tillie wanted to play. Buns simply let her approach to about 18 inches, then gently hissed and swatted the air close to Tillie. For the rest of our visit, Tillie honored Buns’ 18-inch force field!

 

 

 Tillie and Buns made their peace and helped Jenn and Greg relax after a busy Christmas!

 
~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~   K & P

Week 13 / Week 7 in Ft. Pierce

Sunday, 12/11/22 ~ Saturday, 12/17/22
 

   Tillie is settling in well with life on a boat. We are trying to train her to use the artificial turf in the cockpit. It has been a long time since we had a puppy. We kind of forgot all the time, training, energy, and lack of sleep that comes with that cute furball! We know all this will be a dim memory once she is trained. (Please be soon!!!)

     We are using a vet near the marina, and they are wonderful. Tillie has been given a clean bill of health and started her puppy shots. We have been cautioned not to take her in areas visited by dogs for her first 4 months. Apparently, Parvo Virus is rampant in areas that do not freeze. The virus can live in the soil for more than 6 months, and be distributed by dogs who are vaccinated, but step in the soil and carry the virus to other areas. The scary part is that the virus is 90% fatal for puppies who lack the immunity from the 3 vaccines. It will be hard keeping her isolated, especially when there are lots of places to walk with her, but we will.

     With no other option, we took Tillie with us to my appointment in Miami. Pete stayed with her as I went in to meet with the cardiologist. I’m still doing well. Tillie had no problem with traveling or waiting in the car. We keep our fingers crossed that she will be the same while underway. She did not express any concern when we started the engine aboard PEKABU and went over for a pump out. The only precaution we took is attaching a line from the padlock used for our lifelines to her to keep her in the cockpit. Since she is getting bigger, she is trying to climb onto the seats. I guess we will be using this lifeline for her more often.

     I-Dock celebrated Taco Tuesday! Everyone volunteered to bring something and we enjoyed not only delicious chips and guacamole, everything for tacos, but also a delicious cake that Melissa picked up. We get to use the great folding chairs that Pete found, The Helinox Sunset Chairs. They are extremely comfortable, high-backed, and fold into a small round pouch that is about 18” long and about 8” around, with a carrying strap. They might be pricey, but it is great for a boat or RV where real estate is precious. These are the first chairs we have place aboard that are being faithfully used and enjoyed.

 
 

 

Sue Ann & Ray, Dave, Diane & Dave, Melissa & Mike, , Elisha & Charlie, 

Barbara & Mike, Pete and I

Good food, great friends, wonderful memories!

     The annual boat parade ended here at the marina on Saturday. There were quite a few small boats, a couple of large fishing boats, some large pleasure boats and a tug all decked out with lights, music, and folks having fun. 

 

 

. . .  and the Winner!

     The Parade was definately enjoyable. I can't imagine what amount of work went into preping for the parade, especially on the winning boat, where the lights and sound system were memorable!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~   K & P

Week 12 / Week 6 in Ft. Pierce (and New Jersey)

Sunday, 12/4/22 – Saturday, 12/10/22

     I was supposed to fly home on the 6th, but needless to say, I too, developed Covid (after having the booster about 5 weeks prior.) It was essentially a cold, but I couldn’t take my flight. (By the way, Flight Insurance doesn’t cover for Covid-missed flight!) Pete was able to adjust his schedule. He drove up Sunday, handle a day full of conference calls Monday, and work on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he picked me up and we drove back to Florida. It felt wonderful to be home. Pete was very tired between work and driving. I was exhausted and feeling under the weather for a few more days, but enjoyed catching up, at a distance, with dock mates.

     We missed the Christmas Parade on Saturday here in Fort Pierce, but the miss was worth it. We miss Bailey terribly and it was harder for Pete, as he was her “therapy person.” Plus, having the boat to himself when I was away, was lonely. Pete started searching for a dog that doesn’t shed. We had a lot of long-distance discussions and lots of e-mails with attachments while discussing our options. After extensive research, we decided to adopt our newest crew member. Meet Tillie, our 8-week-old, Mini Bernedoodle. We picked her up over in Punta Gorda, on the West Coast of Florida. She was even more adorable in-person! We were amazed how well she did for the 2-hour drive back to the marina. Needless to say, Pet Smart did very well by us prepping for our new puppy and the “oh, we forgot….”

 
Tillie at 8 weeks

She is currently, the talk of the marina. . . that new, cute puppy!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~   K & P

Week 11 / Week 5 in Ft. Pierce (and New Jersey)

Sunday, 11/27/22 – Saturday, 12/3/22

     I woke up to a bang 5 AM Monday morning. My sister fell and broke her right ankle. She spent the next 2.5 days in the Emergency room, along with an over crowed ER full of Covid, and other respiratory problems. It was a nightmare. I stayed with her during the day and at night, home with Mom. Deb was finally transferred to rehab, which hasn’t been much better.

 

  

     The cold temps have arrived.  While heading to the car one morning on the eay to the hospital, I noticed the frost decorated some of the fallen leaves. It was about the only high spot this week.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~   K & P