Boyz in the Hood

Here are the "boys" peering out of the cockpit of Claude's boat, Merope. We had such fun last night at a local bar/restaurant called "The Riverfront Cafe". We took Doug out in the afternoon (via dinghy) to watch the Packers and the Lions play, and then returned a bit later in the evening to watch the Patriots/Steelers game. After the game, a band consisting of two guys, started to play. The guitar player resembled local rock legend and sprinkler king Tim Preston. The other guy was a large gentleman wearing bib overalls and a rasta beret, playing a washtub string bass. For real. He had a metal washtub on the floor, to which a single "string" or metal cable, was attached at one end. The other end was attached to what looked like a cut-off broom handle. The sound it made was unbelievably fun and amazingly in tune or on key. I could not help but dance, and Wayne and I had a great time doing our crazy jitterbug/swing/free form dance styling. Not ready for "Dancing with the Stars" but a good time. Everyone was having such fun! I even got Doug to take a turn on the floor with me. We hope this will not aggravate his back, but at the time he thought it was well worth it. Just as we were about to call it a night, Sue and Brian from Sogno appeared. We had originally spied them in the swamps of Georgia - Kilkenny to be exact. We hooked up in Fernandina at the Palace one night, and were pleased to see them again here in Vero Beach. It was Brian's birthday, which gave us a good reason to stay for a little while. More fun, more boat discussions, but no more beer as we are learning to pace ourselves. As a result, this morning was not nearly as painful as usual after a fun night out.

The best news yesterday was the sighting of our friends aboard Grayling. They're here! They had actually gone a bit further than Fernandina Beach (not the original plan) and then spent 5 days in Titusville trying to catch the space shuttle launch. It never went, but neither did they. Little Celeste popped right up into the cockpit to greet us, and a happy reunion took place. She is excited to be somewhere she can walk to the beach. We warned her about the red tide, giving me an opportunity to "google" it and a learning occasion for all. Hopefully the red tide will have abated today. The foot gave me no trouble dancing last night, so Wayne and I are about to test drive it on a gentle jog. My sanity may be restored yet.

Claude is waiting for the arrival of parts today, and we intend to take off tomorrow. In a couple or three days we expect to be in Lantana Beach, and in Miami within the week. It will be good to STOP for a little while. We are enjoying making new friends, reuniting with others we have seen along the way, and discovering new towns and anchorages. Vero Beach has been particularly user-friendly, but our ultimate destination is still some distance away.

The internet surely keeps us connected in ways one would never dream of ten years ago. This has it's good and less than perfect aspects. We loving hearing from people at home and knowing about friends and family. Last night, however, I committed myself to an action I thought i was done with - the editing of college papers. My daughter Catherine is slogging through finals at the University of Michigan. Dumb me, I reminded her that I had a degree in political science and I think I even offered to help edit her final paper. It took about 2 hours this morning to read, edit, and re-send this paper back to her. I have encouraged her to take science instead ( anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry). This is a good possibility as she is considering declaring as a pre-med major. Hopefully that will launch her into a wonderful career field and eliminate the need for editing of papers!

Boat life is a great metaphor for humankind. Boaters are committed to a lifestyle which encourages, and almost requires maximum cooperation. If you are having a problem of any kind, there is always someone around who offers to help in any way. Yesterday the free bus service was not running, and Wayne needed to go to the Napa store to get oil and filters for the maintenance he is doing today. A nice guy that was just hanging around at the dock said, "I'll run you there". This nice young man lives in Vero and slips his sailboat at the municipal marina. He was just out for a little Sunday on the boat, when he offered to take the time out to give Wayne a ride to the store. Claude is forever helping us with our mechanical issues, while we are always happy to run to the grocery store for him. People from all over the US and Canada meet and make friends. This morning, little Celeste met another little girl who speaks nothing but French. What a great way for the two of them to learn about eachother's language and culture. The basic culture of a live-aboard child is the same no matter where they come from. From frustration with home-schooling to the boredom of being boat-bound kids are endlessly creating things to do. Similarly, those of us who have succumbed to the temptation that this kind of voyage offers have the opportunity to endlessly re-create ourselves based upon the locale and the collection of boaters present. That said, the basic tenets never change: we all have to respond to the challenges of weather and wind - and it is in our best collective interest to look out for eachother. If only we could apply this model worldwide, we might be able to solve some of our most basic problems.