we go together like donuts and peanut butter

I said I'd try not to go another week without posting... oh well.

I'm posting from Thunderbolt Marina in Savannah. The last thing I told you was that we were in Charleston again. We stayed at the Charleston City Mega Dock and were among GREAT company. 

Check out our neighbors:

Themis

Magic

(Some dumb name) but isn't she BEAUTIFUL!?!

Primacy- another Outer Reef, but not present at the rendezvous

From Charleston, we traveled south to Beaufort (BYOO-fort), SC.  Barry and Alice had some visiting to do, as well as some grocery shopping in the marina's courtesy car, so Grace and I went window shopping. And, amazingly, it was happy hour by the time we finished!

I had a Carolina Lemonade (sweet tea vodka, oh em gee! and lemonade.) I'm a believer.

 

This boat was at the base of the dock. Barry said, "If ever a boat LOOKED like it's name..."

This was our sunrise the morning we left Beaufort for Savannah. Wow.

We got to Savannah around noon yesterday, ate some lunch and then Barry and I washed down the boat. Alice got some incriminating pictures- me singing and dancing while working.

Dad, I think I was humming along to the Rockford Files theme song in this one! Haha

Thunderbolt is the marina- you may remember from the last time we were here- that brings fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the morning. We love this place.

Tonight we are planning to eat supper with Barry's sister Ardra at Vinnie Van GoGo's- they have the best pizza! I'm gonna try to remember to get a picture (of us all at supper, not of the pizza). 

I hope everyone is having a great week!

p.s. Congratulations to Roomie AND to Ryan Allred on new opportunities!! Yay you!!

"As long as the dock can hold itself together..."

Those would be the Captain's words. Not mine.
Although I may have laughed.
The dock does look a bit loved. weathered. I don't know... what's the correct adjective here?


Today was a beautiful day on the ICW:



Tomorrow we are headed to Savannah- you can count on more pictures!

Love and hugs :)

"where the Ashley River and the Cooper River meet to form the Atlantic..."

Howdy, friends! I named this post while we were in Charleston... so, yeah, it made sense then.
anywho, first order of business...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ASHLEY CHESTER!! WOOO-HOOOO!!
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BECKY HOLT!! WOOO-HOOOO TO YOU TOO!!
and
HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO PATRICK LANDERS!!!

I think that covers them all, but yell at me if I forgot you.


The last time I posted, we were in Oriental. We left there around 10ish on Thursday morning for Beaufort, NC.
From Beaufort, we went to Santee Bay, just south of Georgetown, and anchored out.
oh, by the way, I have some really great pictures, but I'm not on my computer, so you'll have to wait to see them. Apologies.
Saturday, we made it to Charleston around lunchtime. After lunch, the boat got a bath- now she sparkles!! and last night we watched a movie called "An Unfinished Life"- starring Robert Redford (he's SO dreamy!), J-Lo, and Morgan Freeman... AND that really cute guy from "Sweet Home Alabama..."- Josh Lucas? idk, correct me if I'm wrong.
Sunday I slept in a little and then took the marina's shuttle into town with a new sailor friend! we got breakfast, then walked around town. the weather was just beautiful- perfect for walking around in the sunshine!
From Charleston, we went to Beaufort, SC. (BYOO-FORT)
I did a little window shopping, had some really good ice cream, then sat in the park overlooking the water and read some of my book (The Sun Also Rises, in case you were wondering...)
We left Beaufort this morning and now we're in Savannah. The sunrise this morning was FANTASTIC and some dolphins visited us on our trip. good day.
We'll be here til Thursday morning, then we're headed to Jekyll Island. :)

Thanks for reading, sorry there are no visual aids.
Hugs all around!

p.s. we'll be home in 4 days. eeek!

Rabid Grasshoppers

Good morning!

...and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Todd Lampke!!! The big 2-0! Yikes!

We're in Oriental, NC. The sailing capital of NC, apparently.

It's been too long since I posted last. I left you in Williamsburg. I spent the day browsing the bookstore, eating lunch at The Cheese Shop, window shopping, and even chatted with some strangers- it was a good day!

That night we had supper at the marina's restaurant. I had trout. just fabulous. We left Saturday mornin for Coinjock, NC and saw THIS: b-e-a-YOU-tiful!

The trip to Coinjock was an eventful one.
We stopped in Portsmouth for fuel, which took about an hour.
Then we had to wait TWO HOURS for the Gilmerton Bridge. It was the weekend, they were doing construction, blah blah blah.
Then we went through the Great Bridge locks and bridge.
THEN, about 30 miles north of Coinjock, we lost engine controls.
Like... the boat wouldn't GO.

Barry asked me to drop the anchor. If there's a question that will get me out of my seat and on my feet faster, I don't know what it is.

I dropped the anchor, Barry notified the barge coming down the waterway that yes, we were anchored, and sorry but no, we can't move.
Then he fixed the engine controls, I pulled in the anchor, and we went on our merry way!

I think this is a good time to thank God for a Captain that knows what he's doing. :)

We left Coinjock Sunday morning and headed for Pungo Creek- the same place we anchored on the way up. We found our spot and camped out for the night. During supper, we watched a storm approaching on the radar. It broke up and almost completely missed us- we got just a light rain, very little wind :)

Yesterday morning, we pulled up the anchor- and a TON of mud! Gross! I took a picture... ...this time wasn't quite as bad as the 1st time we anchored there (I've become fairly handy with a water hose!) but you get the gist...

We got into Oriental Marina yesterday around noon. Had lunch, I finished up some chores, and then went to the pool. We had supper at the restaurant approximatley 20 feet off our bow. There was no need to get moving this morning- we're headed to Beaufort (that's BOW- like you wear in your hair) today and it should only take about 3 hours to get there. We're planning on leaving around 10:30ish.

I'm excited about Beaufort- it's a neat little town. The schedule says we're laying over there- which we may, unless the weather is ideal for traveling outside tomorrow- Barry would like to get in some ocean time...

Thanks for following us! Hugs all around! :)

p.s. we'll be home in 11 days. But don't tell Alice- she gets cranky.

what you've missed...

Happy Birthday, Daddy!! (yesterday)

I've found a great little coffee shop in Portsmouth VA- really good coffee, awesome muffin, and holy cannoli! Jonny Diaz just started playing...

"Sha la la la la- LA- la!"

I love this place.

Alrighty, I'm gonna try my darndest not to leave anything out-

The last time I posted, we were in Beaufort, NC. From there, we went to Pungo Creek and anchored out for the night.
We decided to have supper on the boat- ooh! and we saw a BEAUTIFUL sunset!

Tuesday morning, we left Pungo Creek (after getting creek mud ALL over the bow of the boat- seriously, I had to change my clothes... nasty stuff) and headed for Coinjock. We got in and settled just before a mega-STORM found us. Check out these awesome pictures... (those little yellow things would be lightning... and once again, you can see that the boat is smack in the middle of all the pretty colors!)


(this one is from inside the pilothouse- no way I was going out in that. But check out the patterns the wind was making on the water- it was really cool to watch!)

Yesterday morning, we made our way here to Portsmouth. On the way, we saw 6 or 7 deer and an EAGLE! (sorry, no pictures- I was eating breakfast. priorites, folks.)

To get to Portsmouth, we had to go under the Great Bridge Bridge and Locks- luckily, we had quality entertainment. We followed two boats (who shall remain nameless) for, I don't know, maybe 20 miles?

To put it mildly, these guys were having some issues- we came to the conclusion it was that they hadn't briefed themselves on this particular section of the waterway. That sounds diplomatic enough, right?

I didn't get any pictures of the lock- we were pretty busy enjoying the show...

Once we got to Portsmouth, we re-fueled- using the slowest fuel pumps in the history of the world...
Here's a shot of me- working hard.
After re-fueling, we gave the boat a good wash down- now she sparkles!!
Yesterday was only the 3rd day on the trip so far that it hasn't rained. Perhaps today will be day #4? Fingers crossed!

I've only seen a couple blocks, but so far Portsmouth seems like a pretty cool place!
I hope everyone's Thursday is going well! Ta ta for now!

Adventures on the ICW!

Here are the pictures of the menacing-looking weather that I promised you:
pretty, right?

This morning, we left Wrightsville Beach a little later than usual because we had to plan around bridge openings. (That's just one of the downfalls of traveling inside... there are very few bridges in the ocean!) Just north of Wrightsville Beach, if you remember from last year, is where we get to see all the yard art! What a fun day!

Sea Beast (made of aluminum foil, perhaps?):

Giraffe (my favorite):

Hippo:

and Swan:

Then, we got to see the coolest house EVER!!!
It's like Barbie's dream house, only it has a Pirate lookout!

We are in Beaufort tonight... luckily, the weather isn't as bad as we thought it might be... lots of green on the radar, but nothing major :)

I won't post anything tomorrow- we're anchoring out in Pungo Creek, in Belhaven, NC!

Hope everyone had a great weekend- Thanks for reading!

a straw fedora.

Tuesday, September 8:

Last night, we got to see Fireworks! for Labor Day! That was very cool… and we didn’t even have to leave the boat.

This morning, we left at our usual time, headed for Beaufort (that’s Byoo-fort. South Carolina). We got to see more dolphins! (I decided I’m not taking any more pictures of dolphins. Let’s face it: I’m not all that great at it.)

Once we got to Beaufort, I rinsed off the boat, then headed into town while Barry and Alice went to visit Barry’s parents. Beaufort is a cute little town… mostly I window-shopped, but I did find a new cross for my cross wall!

We had dinner on the boat: hamburgers, mmmmm!

Tomorrow, we’re headed to Savannah! Weeee!


9/9/09- How cool is that?

We saw DOLPHINS! I know what you’re thinking- we’ve seen them before. We have, but holy cow, there were TONS of them today! They were welcoming us into the Savannah River, we think.

Tonight (and tomorrow night- yay!), we’re staying at Thunderbolt Marine. A short drive from Savannah.

After we got here, got some stuff done, and got cleaned up, Barry got us a rental car so we could go into town. But first we had to go to WalMart. Always an adventure. Today especially! On our way in, we saw… wait for it… PAULA DEEN!!!!!… wanna know what my opening line was?
“um…hi?” to which she responded with “Hey Ya’ll!” haha! Best day ever!!! I couldn’t quit laughing. I have no idea why she was there, but she was wearing a WalMart employee nametag that said “Paula Deen” (her bodyguards- 6 of them, if you were wondering- were also wearing Walmart employee name tags. So weird.)

From there, we drove into Savannah (past The Lady and Sons restaurant!!!) to Vinnie VanGoGo’s for awesome pizza…

Today was great- a little bit of rain, but overall, great weather… not too hot!

Tomorrow is a layover day… yay! Oh, and they’re gonna bring us KRISPYKREME
DONUTS in the morning! We’re never leaving.


9/10/09

Today is a layover day in Savannah. Awesome.
After donuts (with peanut butter for some… ew.), we waxed some of the boat… there is a whole lot of fiberglass.

Then, Barry and I took the car into town. I love Savannah. We went down to Factor’s Walk. I got a cool hat. And a praline. From there, we drove out to Tybee Island to explore. It’s a pretty neat-o little town. We walked out on a boardwalk to see what the ocean looked like- not bad… tomorrow should be cake.

Then we went back into town- I walked down Broughton St, found some cool stores, sat for a little while in one of the squares (don’t know which one… it was on Congress and Bull… very pretty.) because the weather was so great.

Tomorrow, we’re headed to Golden Isles. We stayed there on the way up… it was our very 1st port… stop me before I get all nostalgic and weepy.
But seriously, I guess I need to come to grips with the fact that this trip is almost over. I’ll have to rejoin society on dry land. :D

Catch you tomorrow… Thanks for readin! I appreciate it!

Homeward Bound.

Howdy gang!

Today is the 3rd of September. We are in Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Hold on. You're not caught up on yesterday yet. After I rinsed down the boat, I went to the Piggly Wiggly! Apparently, in Beaufort, they'll just give a car to anyone with a cell phone number- "Just in case you're not back in time, we wanna make sure you're ok." seriously. that's what they said.

Then we had swordfish for dinner on the boat. way good.

ok, back to Wrightsville Beach. on the way here, we saw some pretty cool stuff.
get this: when we got to Camp LeJuene, we had to wait for them to clear us past, then we had to "proceed at our best speed." They were doing artillery exersizes. way flippin cool! all kinds of explosion noises. here's a picture of the Safety Patrol.

Then I took an accidental nap. Those are the best.

I woke up in time to see the pinkest house you ever did see:

On the way up, you may remember the yard art we got to see- well, today we got to see it again! and these pictures are even better that the 1st ones... if I do say so myself...
1st up, swan:

hippo:

giraffe:


Queen of the Sea (that's what we came up with- what else could she be?):how awesome is she?!

They have a courtesy car here as well. The plan is to go to dinner and perhaps a grocery store that may have the stuff I couldn't find at the Piggly wiggly yesterday.
I think that's all. Thanks for readin!
hugs!

Counting down from 10...

Wednesday, September 2nd:

Happy Birthday, Alex!

We're in Beaufort, NC. To catch you up, yesterday we were in Ocracoke still. layover day. They're the best. Alice and I walked down the main road where all the little shops are, couldn't get a very good view of the Ocracoke lighthouse, but Barry was able to get a picture:

Later, I walked to the Ocracoke Coffee Co.- a very cool coffee shop with free wireless. (and yet I'm still behind on these things... I don't know how this happens!)


We left early this morning and got knocked around for a good while until we got to the Neuse River. You remember the Neuse River- it was where we saw that awesome green and pink house... well, lo and behold, it was still there! ...but the matching boat was gone.If you missed out on the pictures including the boat, take a look at a previous post entitled "anchorless"- you're in for a treat.

We're in Beaufort. I said that already, just tryin to catch you up. We got in earlier than expected- had the boat rinsed off by 2. The weather is awesome, pleasant even.

Lookin forward to seein yard art tomorrow... if you missed out on the pictures from the trip up, they're on the post "thrustless".

Happy Wednesday!
:D

anchorless.

Today is Friday, July 24.



Last night (Thursday) we stayed in Beaufort, NC. We had an awesome dinner at the Beaufort Grocery Co.

Today was full of adventures. While riding up through the Intracoastal, we were able to add a crazy house to the collection: ...notice, if you will, the matching boat in the lift…

A little while later, we heard some splashing on the starboard side and looked and there were TWO dolphins, just chillin with us! They played in our wake for probably 20 minutes. It was way cool.








The plan for today was to anchor out instead of docking at a marina. When we got to where we were planning on anchoring, we ran into “Copeing,” a fellow Outer Reef 65.

We chatted with him for a while, but turns out we had to roll with some punches. As you know, we have no thrusters. Which apparently means we have an inoperable anchor as well. So, we headed back about 5 miles to River Forest Marina in Belhaven, NC. a.k.a. The Middle of Nowhere.


We were offered a golf cart by the dock master so that we could head into town to find a grocery store. Before we left, he was nice enough to give us directions and tell us that, “there’s just one little thing wrong with it… it has no brakes.” But that’s ok, he tells us, if we need to stop, we can just throw it into reverse and stomp on the break til it stops. Needless to say, it was an awesome adventure. It was hard to stop (obviously) and even harder to steer.
Oh, and we never found the grocery store.

We had dinner onboard- pork chops and couscous! (and apple sauce, of course!) and there was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL sunset. I took a picture, but it turned out pretty bad, just suffice it to say it was PINK. Very cool.

Tomorrow night, we’re headed to Coinjock, NC.

Thanks for reading! :D

p.s. 10 points if you know what a coinjock is!