Monday, March 9:
I got up early and headed into the office. I have client meetings. Once I got home, I started some last minute laundry. My mom was having issues with her computer, so my sister came down and we were both trying to fix it. We gave up and called my nephew Caleb who came over and tried many things to try and fix it. The firewall kept denying access to sites she uses. We finally realized the issue was with the external Wi-Fi adapter she was using. We unplugged that, directly connected her computer to the router, then she was good to go! I finally finished my laundry, took my shower then went to bed. Wes had a quieter day on the boat . He helped Merl and Tima with some projects around the house and had a nice visit.
Tuesday, March 10:
I got up and did my bible study (Wes also did his from the boat). Then I grabbed all my stuff and my sister took me to my niece's house so I could spend a little time with the twins. Then my sister took me to the airport to head back to the boat. I did some work calls from their airport, then flew back to Punta Gorda. Merl and Wes pulled up just as I was walking outside the airport. The timing couldn't have been better. We made a couple quick stops then back to Merl and Tima's for a quick visit. Then we went back to the boat where we had sandwiches for dinner then off to bed shortly thereafter.
Wednesday, March 11:
I got up and started working. Wes ran to get some spark plugs for the dinghy which ended up taking much longer than planned as the scooter dead on his way back and he had to walk the last 3 miles. We had a Walmart delivery to replenish our beer supply. When I was done with work, we went over to Merl and Tima's for happy hour followed by dinner. It was delicious, but the best part was the company! We had a great visit. We loaded up and went back to the boat, where we relaxed for a little bit then went to bed.
Thursday, March 12:
I got up at 0300, got ready then Wes took me over to the park where my Uber picked me up at 0400 to take me to the airport. I flew to Atlanta for a work meeting, then went back to the airport to fly back. Wes had breakfast with Audrey (Merl's neighbor) then got our propane tanks filled. Then he and Merle visited with Pete and Cheryl for a bit. Then they went back to Merle's where Wes helped him with a ceiling fan. I got an Uber back to Merl and Tima's and joined the gang for the end of happy hour. We visited for a bit, then we went back to the boat, Wes grilled some brats for dinner. We watched a little TV then off to bed as we were both beat!!
Friday, March 13:
Wes got up and started getting things ready to travel. I was a little slower getting up. I started working, then we pulled the anchor around 0915. Then we went down the canal that Merl and Tima are on and blew the horns as our farewell. Many of those that we visited with during the happy hours were outside to send us off and pictures were taken by all. It was a nice sendoff. Then we headed out the channel and out to the Caloosahatchee River and started heading east. The Franklin lock was getting maintenance done, so we weren't sure if we would be able to get through, but they were done when we arrived, so we got through without a wait and continued up river. We arrived at La Belle around 1600. I finished some work, then we visited with Scott on Lemonade for a bit before dinner. Brian and Vickie on Ella J, us and Scott all went to Forrey Grill. They had a fantastic salad bar. We all ate more than we should then went back to the marina. Brian and Vickie had some boat work to do. Scott came over and we visited some more, until we all decided to call it a night and go to bed.
Saturday, March 14:
Wes got up at his normal time and started doing computer work. I was lazy and caught up on some much needed sleep. I got up around 0830 and started cleaning. I stripped the beds and Wes gathered the laundry and he started working on the laundry while I cleaned the boat. She needed a good deep clean. It took all morning and a good part of the afternoon. We made our grocery list and Scott and Wes went to Walmart to provision. I continued working on the laundry and also took my shower. When they returned, we put everything away. John and Kim Chant (Gold Loopers previously on Wild Goose) we nearby, so they drove over for a visit. Scott joined us and we all sat and talked smart for a bit. Then we had a nice steak dinner with all the fixings. Then we played some LCR, but really we mostly visited! It was a great time! John and Kim left around 2200 to head back to their hotel. Scott stayed and we continued enjoying some beverages and talking smart. We finally called it a night around 0100. That darn fun wheel is hard to get off of sometimes.
Sunday, March 15:
We weren't moving very fast the next morning. Wes got up around 0700 and went down into the engine room to fix a loose wire on the temp gauge. I was a little slower getting out of bed. I got up around 0745 and we started getting ready to shove off. Scott came by to see us off. As we were about to leave, we noticed a gater hanging around the back of our boat. We dropped the lines around 0830. It was a beautiful, peaceful morning. We did get waked a bit by a boat that flew by us. Never seems to amaze me how rude some people are. We made it through the first lock without any issues. We had a little wait for the railroad bridge to lift, then went through the next lock easily. The last lock before getting into Rolland Martin was wide open so we didn't have any issues there. 😂 We arrived at Rolland Martin around 1400. It was raining quite hard when we arrived. We contemplated tying up outside the channel and wait out the storm, but it was only getting worse, so we decided to go in. There are days when you watch the show and some days you are the show. We were the show that afternoon as the deckhands were struggling to get the boat tied up. Once we got tied up and power connected, we went up to the Tiki Bar to have a drink with John and Kim (they were part of the audience watching us dock). Serenity (Gary and Julie) were also there, so we invited them to join us. Then we all decided to go to the boat for more drinks and some appetizers. We had a nice visit. Serenity went back to their boat, then the four of us went back to the Tiki Bar for dinner. Then back to the boat to play some more LCR, some more beverages and lots of laughs!! We called it a night around looper midnight (2100). Wes did some route planning. I went down to bed and then Wes joined me shortly thereafter.
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