Carleigh

2009-06-23T13:35:00.004-04:00

My pictures are not coming out in the order I wanted them to, so just read the captions and enjoy!!!! A beautiful sunset in Warderick Wells... spotting a shark off the transom...

since the damage on the dinghy, Rach and I swam to shore for a kayack...

At McDuff's...

Rachel met the owner of "Maratine", Tiger and his captain, Reggie. Tiger also owns Kalick, the Bahamian beer company.

First thing to learn coming to the Bahamas is how to blow the conch. Rachel took to it with gusto!!!

The customs won't let Rachel walk out with her luggage until she told them where she was going to be. I wnet back in with her and gave them our boat name and let them know we were just cruising 'their beautiful waters'. They liked that and off we went.

In May, my college roommate, Rachel, came in for a visit. She and her husband live in Napa, CA. She called me one day and said, "I NEED A VACATION!!! Can I come down to visit you in the Bahamas??!!" Well, she had a terrific time. Clay and I picked her up in Nassau, she and I went provision shopping and off we were to our favorite spots to show Rach. The first day out the seas were horrible. Lots of wind and rain. Clay asked if we wanted to go back to Nassau, but we said we would tough it out. The first night we anchored out at Highborne Cay, then cruised on down to Normans to have our evening meal at McDuff's. We hadn't been there yet on this cruise and the additions to the place from our previous trips were a real surprise. The food was still great and Rachel enjoyed meeting other cruisers. The next day we headed out for Warderick Wells. That day of cruising was great, until we got settled on the mooring ball and noticed the dinghy was way to full of water. It seems by dragging it behind us, the transom wall cracked and was taking on water. After some scrambling, we got the motor off and emptied the boat as much we could. We were in a dilemma, that's our get around boat!!! Lucky for us someone heard of our situation and the nice man off of September Song came over and he and Clay together were able to fix the leak, meanwhile, Rach and I swam to shore and picked up a kyack to get around with. We took the kayack out to some real nice snorkel areas. We anchored out to more evenings before heading over to Compass Cay. That will be my next post.

Enjoy and have a very blessed day...The Happy Cruisers

Happy Father's Day, dedicated to my Dad!!!

2009-06-19T10:08:00.004-04:00

This will be the first year I am not able to go pick out that special card for my dad. Always a funny and then the more touching one where I would enclose a tissue for his tears. My dad was the best!!! He lived a long and full life filled with many memories for us to remember. One of my favorite Father's day is when we had made a road trip to Canada. I bought him a present before the trip, but forgot to get any wrapping materials. On that Father's Day Sunday morning, I got all the comics from the paper and wrapped his present using them and crewing gum for the tape. He was so proud of my endeavors. Another one was when we were young, my older brothers told me to go wake up daddy by tickling his feet, (me not knowing at the time his feet where very ticklish) so like the innocent little sister, I went to wake him up by tickling his feet. To my much surprise, I was kicked in the mouth!!! My brothers got a 'kick' out of that as well as my dad!! I have several wonderful memories of my daddy and his father's days. This one is bitter sweet, I know he is sleeping without any pain and for that I am happy, but I miss him very much. We would always get ready for the Indy 500, by getting out the line up from the paper and write our predictions on the columns. Then watch the race, take notes, cross off the racers who crashed and keeping up with our favorites position. It was a blast! Every beginning of the football season, it was the same. An avid Cowboy fan, although his first love was the Redskins, (boo, hiss, boo, hiss), but I could forgive him because he drove a taxi cab in the Washington DC area, we were never lacking in conversation and opinions. He was the BEST!!!

So, daddy this is for you... God saw you getting tired,

and a cure was not to be.

So He put his arms around you

and whispered, "Come with Me."

With tearful eyes we watched you

slowly fade away.

Although we loved you dearly,

we would not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

your hard-working hands put to rest,

God broke our hearts to prove to us

He ONLY takes the BEST!!

I love you daddy, and Happy Father's Day.

2009-06-09T14:51:00.009-04:00

Sharon and Wayne enjoying the closing ceremonies... Spectators everywhere..

Penny enjoying herself...

The famous Nassau marching band...

They were really entertaining...

I would like to thank Penny for sharing her videos

with me. Mine didn't turn out so good. This will be more pictures of the Regatta and the closing ceremonies. It was truly a wonderful experience. I've also included pictures other cruisers shared with me. It was really a let down after it was all over. We made more new friends thoughout the week. The cruisers had a farwell beach potluck, then we all went our seperate ways. Bob and Penny were heading back North to the USA, along with Wayne and Sharon. Lou, Allison and Caroline off of Aly Cat were going further south, while Clay and I headed back to Nassau to pick up my girlfriend from Napa, CA.

Hope ya'll enjoy the pictures. Greg, now that you have found my blogspot, maybe this will intice you and Patti to set sails next year for the Bahamas. Some of my pictures did not post, so I will go ahead and get the blog posted and hopefully try again tomorrow.

Good night from George Town.

The George Town family Regatta!

2009-06-09T10:04:00.006-04:00

The GT family regatta was everything it was cranked up to be and then some. We had 4 days of great racing. They say the GT regatta is the best. The boats have hailed from Exuma, Ragged Island, Eleuthuera, Andros and the Abacos to race in this regatta. This is the 56th race. Regattas play a very vital part int the cultural heritage of the Bahamians. Bringing them together in a tradition of boat buildings, sailing and sportsmanship in a spirit of camaraderie and friendly rivalry. This year the cruisers got involved too. We sponsored a locals boat named "Two Friends". Once the community learned Penny was an artist, she had her work cut out for her. I made the stencils of the boat name and Penny traced them onto the boats. Not only did she do "Two Friends", but they sweet talked her into doing 2 other boats, "Lady Sonia" and "Bull Reg". They are owned by a local named Buzzie, who also owns Porgy's Bar & Grill.

After a long day of painting, it's off to Porgy's we go for some fun.

Bob & Penny dancing... to the tunes of Rake-N-Shake...

Class A, Lady Sonia with Penny...

Penny showing off her free hand lettering...

the race...

even the late Anna Nicole Smith's boat was racing...(This one is for you Laura Beth!!)

the boats coming in on the big barge from all the different Islands...

Two Friends waiting for the race to begin...

boats coming off the barge...

the little town of GT turned into another town within itself. Shacks like this were set up to serve drinks, food, drinks and more food. Fabulous!!!

This is one event everyone should put on their "Bucket List."

More later...

Easter Sunrise and Brunch

2009-06-09T08:58:00.004-04:00

We were very blessed to enjoy an Easter Sunrise service on the beach. What a great way to remember our Creators Resurrection.
Then later that day, we had brunch aboard Pretty Penny,
our friends we made in Nassau and had Christmas dinner with. Besides Bob and Penny, Wayne and Sharon from My Sharona and their friends all joined in. The pictures did not come out in the order of our day, but I'm sure you can figure it out anyway.We enjoyed another sunset after a lovely Easter.

Traditional conch blowing to end another perfect day...

The brunch spread...

The whole gang...

The ladies in their Easter dresses...

The beautiful sunrise...

What a day!!!

Life is good!

Clay & Rita-Kay

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!! Especially mine!!!

2009-05-10T11:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Mothers Day, mom!!! You are a very special mom indeed, who has always been there for me. Hope your day is as beautiful as you are, just keep on being that shinning star!!! Here are some special moments for my mom. My son, Casey, her "Crackerjack", spend some quality time together on my parents 60th Anniversary.

Here they are celebrating and sharing the cake...

3 of the 4 sibilings celebrating with them, my brother, Lee Scott, mom, me, dad and my sister, Laura Beth...

Mom is with one of her many nephews, my cousin, Scott...

and here we are all joined with my at my dad's funeral.

We have all shared memories of all kinds, some sad, most happy and several inbetween, but mom has survived them all. Thanks mom for all you do and all you have done. You are the

"BEST!!!"

Blogspot is up and running!!!!!

2009-05-04T09:53:00.007-04:00

After spending 3 months in George Town, with crummy internet service, but great entertainment, I am finally able to post our adventures. We were able to enjoy the 5th Annual Bahamian Music Festival. It was a 3 day affair with plenty of music, from local musicians to the famous Bahamian muscicians. Pictured below is Lester with one of the best taxi servies around!!!!!!!!!! His call number is Taxi 12 (after the great Roger Staubaugh). He also owns a resturant and bar at the Fish Fry. During the day time plenty of fun around the Regatta Park,

but I will tell the story according to the pictures. Below is the Grand Marshall of the Junkanoo Rush on the opening evening of the Festival. He said I looked better in the hat than he did so he gave it to me!!!

Here is a member of the Junkanoo playing the barrel drum.

Niki, off of "Nice Butt" being interviewed...

the Blues Couple...

the Blues Sisters Brenda off of Brendaries and Niki off of Nice Butt...

the Exuma dancing man. He is at every event and dances all day. Incrediable!!!!!!

Maypole Plaiting...( remember this mom ?)

local dance schools show off their struts...

and Stevie S singing his Bahamian tunes!!!! He is one of my favorites!!!!!!!!!, and it was so much fun to see and hear him perform....

and this is one of the local groups that I did not get their name. (Casey, do you recognize their shirts?)

After the show, (which lasted to 2AM and yes Clay and I stayed for the whole thing!), they had a wonderful fireworks display. It was a great 3 days with plenty of memories made.
All is well on the waterfront and now that I am in a good hotspot I'll be posting more later.

Until then....

The Happy Cruisers

Regatta Activies

2009-03-14T12:36:00.005-04:00

Okay, here are some of the regatta pictures. First we have the cruisers vs the Bahamians. the cruisers were called the pinkies...
Below is a picture of the Grand Stand announcement booth...
and the Bahamians were called the Baracudas...The cruisers won, but I think the game was fixed!
Next we have the no talent talent show...
with the Blues Brothers...
and Walter from "Brandaris" warming up for the conch concert. I couldn't get Clay to participate.
This is Brenda, Walter's wife. We've bonded by hitching around the island together.
Even some belly dancers were in the talent show. Which I thought had a great performance.
Next is Micky and Lillian off their sailboat, "Carpe Diem". They hail from the Philly area thank goodness are not Eagle fans!!! We got along great. They too, decided to become live aboards.
And of course, I have to give you an update on my herbs. They are still alive and I use them alot in cooking. I got cilantro and sage. From the sprouting seminar, I decided the best way to grow sprouts on board is to buy them in the grocery store!
And finally, my fellow classmate from OD Wyatt, Patricia (Pat) Graham. She graduated in 1970 and I graduated in 1974, so we did know alot of the same people. (you too, Chuck!)
I've had such good luck posting this blog, that I'll close for now. (Don't want to push my luck) Catch us later and I'll have some pictures of the Regatta racing and music festival to post.
Life is Good, cruising is Better, The Happy Cruisers

Pictures around GT

2009-03-09T12:45:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the Sprouting Seminar. As you can tell more than sprouting was going on. It was also a contest for the best home grown items. They had a lovely display. Since most boaters anchor out, it takes a dinghy ride into town. You cross under the bridge from Elizabeth Harbour to Victoria Lake. The bridge is a famous photo shot

and featured in several boating magazines. Click on the pictures to enlarge them if interested, but I would suggest clicking on the boats in the Harbour.

Enjoy the pictures and I'll work on posting more at a later date. the wifi signal goes in and out so much it gets alittle frustrating posting them.

Until next time,

The Happy Cruisers

Back in George Town

2009-03-08T14:12:00.002-04:00

Clay and I arrived back in GT in time for Valentines. Since this is the snowbirds cruisers paradise alot goes on. We dropped the hook just as the sun was going down over Elizabeth Harbour. If my pictures get posted, I took one just so you can see how many boats come down. Usually it is close to 400, but this year the total at one point was 260. (Make that 261), we wanted to join in all the craziness that goes on. So, first on the agenda was the Valentines dance at Chat-n-Chill on Volleyball Beach. Karen and Ron from "Sea Dancer" hosted the event. They had a geat sound system set up and played some great tunes. We were suprised to meet up with our good friends we were docked next to in Georgia a year ago. Phil and Margaret off of "Sunshine" They were just guppies when we first met them, but now they are groupers!!! It was a real treat for us to catch up on all the cruising stories. Another surprise was meeting Patricia, a fellow highschool classmate. We had too much fun playing the " do you remember so and so " game. She and her husband Doug are from Glen Rose TX. We also met up with the Christmas gang from Nassau. Margaret and I went to a Sprouting Seminar, (how to grow sprouts on your boat) which was interesting. So far my little herbs are doing great. Shadow had to check them out after we brought them on board, she approved. Chris Parker is the weather guru for cruisers and we were lucky enough from him to come to GT for a seminar. The cruisers regatta will be this month and the activities have already started. Saturday night was the Red Hot kick off with a pet parade, the no talent talent show and just a great gathering of cruisers. (and no, I didn't make Shadow suffer thru a parade). The actual race will begin this coming wkend along with the local Heritage Music Festival, then next month, it will be the family island reagatta. I'll keep you posted on that. Let us hear from you too!!!!! As always, we are the Happy Cruisers!!!!

Dedicated to Dr. Scott, his patients & Clay's former pt.

2009-01-29T17:37:00.009-05:00

It has come to my attention that Dr. Scott Morse, the doctor who bought out Clay's practice, enjoys sharing our blog to his patients and Clay's former patients. So, I thought I would dedicate this blog to you. Here are some pictures of the dentist you trusted to do your dental work. The pictures are taken all throughout the Bahamas. Looking out from Boo Boo Hill in the Exumas, dancing in Marsh Harbour at the Jib room, trying to blow the conch, a tradition down here at sunset to let everyone know you have cheated death one more day and had a safe cruise, learning how to dance to the Rak-N-Shake music, chilling at Grabbers in the Abacos and playing Toss the Ring on the Hook . I'm sure I have posted some of these pictures before, but I thought I would put them all together for you. The pictures at the top are of the Bahamas Independence Day celebration in George Town. They celebrate over here just the way we do in the States. Lots of food, native dishes of course, dancing, regattas and lots of dancing. Now that the football season is over, we will be heading back to George Town. We are anxious to join in the cruisers activities. We hear that it is really populated with cruises and they have planned activities like beach volleyball, softball, conch blowing contest just to name a few. After watching Clay learn how to blow the conch, do you think I should enter him in the contest?

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'll try and do better at keeping up with the Blog, but I do know from experience that hotspots in George Town are hard to come by. Even though I did not get any pictures, I must add that Clay and I were treated on a 160 ft Motor Yacht to watch the Super Bowl. It was a blast, the little Marina we enjoying staying at in Nassau invited all the all the cruisers (total of 2 boats) to come watch the game. I took some snacks and they provided more food from Outback Steak House. I always get nervous watching a big game with a group of people, but to my surprise, everyone there really wanted to watch the game . We had a wonderful time. The yacht is something else, complete with a huge screening room, jacuzzi and even an elevator. This is one Super Bowl we won't forget.

Check back later, hopfully, I have more pictures of our cruise to George Town.

As always, The Happy Cruisers!

Pictures from Annie & Randy's house

2009-01-26T11:48:00.001-05:00

2009-01-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

These are the pictures that were attached to the "New Friends" post. Hope you enjoy them.

Pictures of cruises using the Internet

2009-01-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

New Friends

2009-01-24T11:42:00.004-05:00

I'm having trouble posting pictures and writing on the same blog. So bare with me as I try and figure out this problem. Anyway, these are pictures of the Optometrist, Randy and his wife Annie.

The weather has been really, really nice and Clay and I have enjoyed walking all around Nassau. The other day we just got on one of the buses and rode all thru town without getting off. The bus driver kept looking at us like we were really strange until I told him what we were doing. Today we are leaving the Marina and getting on the hook, but will stay in the area. There is suppose to be a Nassau Regatta next weekend so we are looking forward to that.
One of the challenges of anchoring out is dropping the hook close to a hotspot. I've included some pictures of other boaters who took advantage of the hotspot. Green Parrott is a restuarant that is just a dinghy ride away from your anchored boat. So all you have to do is dry pack your computer and dinghy in, hook up and you are set to go. Clay discovered another way for phone communications. It's called Majic Jack and it goes thru your computer to a hand held phone., the connection has been great so far, and it is a lot less expensive than our Bahamian phone and more clear than Skype. It's really fun watching all the boaters and their different ways of long distance communications. Oh, I can't leave out "Dick the Dog". He's aboard the Ark Angel sailboat anchored out and his owner bring him in every morning. He's been wearing sunglass for the past 8 years. He's a riot and a cutie to watch.
Today, Monday Jan 26, is just another day in paradise and we plan on getting on daily walk in. I'm hoping to find a windowsill herb garden. I'll keep you posted on that since I have don't have a green thumb, but how bad can you screw up natural herbs!!!
Have a great day!

Greetings

2009-01-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and that this year has started out as a good one. Clay and I did. We had a wonderful Christmas in Nassau. A total of 4 couples had Christmas dinner on board "Pretty Penny". She's 50 ft long with a 24ft beam, power cat. Bob and Penny prepared the turkey, stuffing and dressing, while the rest of us made side dishes and desserts. We had a feast. They were using a confection oven for the turkey. Bob had to measure the oven, then take the tape measure to the store to measure a turkey so it would fit. He said the store clerks had never seen or heard of such a thing, usually people by the turkey by the pound per person. Everything was delicious. Christmas Eve we were invited on Sea Fox for a nice little gathering. Sea Fox belongs to Ed & Dee and their boat is a 40ft sailboat. Clay and I had our picture taken on their boat with their tree. The other pictures I posted are of Fran & Laurie, Bob & Penny (with the hats on),and Dee & Ed. Christmas night is when one of the Junkanoo parade's take place. This is called Boxing Day, and it is not the kind of boxing we think of. This tradition took place following Christmas Day, when the British boxed up food and presents to give to the slaves and servants. Then the slaves and servants were so excited they stared dancing in the streets. From there each year it seemed to get alittled more elaborate by adding costumes and from then on it got fancier and fancier as you can tell by the photos. All costumes are hand made and they begin making a year advance. They are judged both front and back and all the intricate detailing they add. They are several group that compete along with several families to make up a group. It is all very colorful and fun to watch. I'm not sure how many bands marched, but the music was great. The parade began at midnight and went to noon. they had to march the route 2 times to be eligible for the prize. So, Ed & Dee, Fran & Laurie another couple and ourselves got up a 4AM to go watch the parade. As we wandered around we all got separated from each other and Clay and I ended up in the VIP section. I was able to meet and take the picture of the Prime Minister (the President of the Bahamas), Hubert Ingram (photo by himself), then I met the Speaker of the House and had my picture taken with him. Clay sat next to a sweet little 'ol lady who had lived here for 40 years and she was giving him a history lesson of the parade and on the Bahamas. All in all it was a great experience. We are hanging around Nassau until the Super Bowl is over, then resume our cruising and meet up with our new friends heading South. Clay and I are truly blessed to be able cruise enjoy life and meet such wonderful people. Last night we were invited to some new friends house here in Nassau for dinner and to watch the Championship games. Randy is an Optometrist and his wife Annie also works in the office. They have lived here and had his practice for over 22 years. Their house is lovely, located on the Northwest end of Paradise Island overlooking the Nassau harbour on one side and the ocean on the other side. They don't have any children, but they made of for them in pets. 3 dogs and 1 parrot.
We were down in Andros from Oct. to the first part of December. Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and the most uninhabited. It is known for the best bone fishing in the world and several beautiful dive areas. We were docked at the Lighthouse Marina on Fresh Creek. We met alot of very nice and helpful locals and cruisers alike. There is a base located on the island called ALTEC. We were invited on base by the boaters docked next to us. They live on base, have their boat at the Marina, and have a house in Virginia. Very interesting people. He works at the base as a helicopter pilot. So, he and his wife took us on a tour of the base and "his" helicopter. Once a year in the fall the base has an Art Fair, where the locals come and sell their works like hand made baskets, wood carvings home made Christmas ornaments and alot of other stuff, baked goods and the list goes on. Clay and I did quite abit of our Christmas shopping there and had a blast. ALTEC is an American Navel base where they build and test torpedo's. Also on the island is the Androsia fabric factory where they make and sew all kinds of things. The fabric design is made by the ancient art of batik, every yard is waxed with a design, hand-dyed in big bathtubs then hung out to dry in the backyard of the factory, then it is cut into different types of clothing, tablecloths, napkins, bags, oven mitts, bibs and many other items and sewn right there. The company was started as a cottage industry in 1973. They will custom make something for you or groups and corporations. All the colors are so bright and cheerful. You just can't go to the factory outlet store and buy 1 item (at least I can't!!) They also use the fabric to weave into the handmade baskets.
For Thanksgiving we went over to Cargill Creek, another creek on the island of Andros. The owners of that Marina are from Texas and we had an absolutely wonderful time with them. It's not really a marina, but a dive and bonfishing resort. While we were there, they had several groups come in for both diving and fishing. We had a delicious American Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and even a Cowboys victory!!! We stayed there for a week, did some snorlking and enjoyed meeting new friends.
Well, I hope this has caught us up to date on our travels. I'll try and get back into the swing of things and post more often. I just had the wind knocked out of me since my dad's passing. He was my inspirition.
Life is Good, cruising is Better!!!

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year from the Bahamas

2008-12-31T14:32:00.003-05:00

We survived the hurricanes!!

2008-09-21T09:17:00.008-04:00

I know it has been awhile since I posted., but we have been moving around alot and not always in a hotspot. We feel we were better off in the Bahamas during these last rounds of hurricanes. Fay came through while we were in Nassau, and as you can see Carleigh didn't fair very well (just kidding). That picture is just of a boat anchored out in the Nassau channel. We just experienced strong winds and rain. After she blew through, we cruised on over to the Berry Islands and anchored out in Little Harbour. The Berry Islands are a cluster of 30 islands and lots to explore. Little Harbour is home to the Darville family, matriarch Flo, her son Chester and his son. Flo has the only restuarant on the Island and you need to radio ahead to place your order for food. She is a lovely lady and great cook. Chester is a character! He came out to the boat just after Clay and I put the hook down and showed us how he wanted us to anchor. Always new methods to learn, but he had us stern and bow anchored down tight in case Hannah blew in. We had put up the dinghy before leaving Nassau, Clay and I wanted to go into Flo's to eat, but didn't feel like getting the dinghy and motor down from the top of the boat. Chester said 'no problem mon', I'll just get it down for you. Normally we have to hook it up to a hand pulley davit, lower the dinghy first then hook up the motor and lower it. Once again, Chester had his own way, he just lifted up the dinghy and flipped her over into the water without getting one single drop of water in the dinghy!!! At least he put a rope on the motor before lowering it. So we went into Flo's for dinner and a wonderful visit in our dinghy then motored around the harbour. The next day, Chester came over on his way to Chub Cay and asked us to watch the place for him, that he was going to Chub for supplies and fuel and would be back in several hours. As it turned out, he came back the next morning, meanwhile, 2 guys dingyed over to Flo's and were snooping around, I told Clay he better go check on them so he wouldn't get fired the first day on the job. They were looking for a cold beverage and food. Clay invited them back to our boat!!!!, and we couldn't get rid of them!!! Finally after they ate all the food, drank our drinks and the bugs got too unbearable, they left. After Chester came back, we headed over to Great Harbour, another island in the Berry's. We had planned on staying a few days, but Mother Nature changed all that!!! Stay tune, I'll catch you up on that at a later date.
I included some pictures of our friends I mentioned in the previous post. Clay is standing with Chris (the Olympic athlete), Tanya and Walker at TPA Marina in Nassau and a conch!.
As always,

The Happy Cruisers!!!
Life is real Good!!!

Pictures from George Town

2008-08-20T17:00:00.006-04:00

This are just a few pictures from the July 10th Independence Day. And a few from snorkeling in Fowl Cay in George Town. Like I said they aren't that great. The one with Clay in front of Chat n Chill is a neat spot across Elizabeth Harbour. It is a beautiful volleyball beach and just a great place to hang out. They have all sorts of activities planned there for the boaters. It really gets jammin' during the winter months. We are still in Nassau and just as soon as I can get the pictures downloaded from the new camera, I'll post them. One is going to be of our personal taxi driver. He and Clay bonded as they both discovered they have track in common. Chris qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but due to the USA and Bahamas boycott, did not go. They both ran the 400m, Chris in 45sec. and Clay in 50 sec., but that was in Clay's High School days. Anyway, it's been fun having him for our driver. He's taken us around to several new places here in Nassau. Our friends here at the Marina are saying we are becoming true Bahamians. We are having so much fun. Life is GOOD, cruising is better!!!
The Happy Cruisers

Still Exploring

2008-08-19T13:44:00.002-04:00

Last I posted, we were in George Town and what a wonderful place that is. We celebrated with the Bahamians their 35th Independence Day. They really put on the celebration!!! In Rolletown, they had several Regattas going on. A Regatta is when sail boats go out and race different courses to show how well they can maneuver. They are made up of age groups and boat size. Their sails are very pretty and colorful. Sorry, I don't have any pictures to show. We met a very nice lady named Margaret in town and caught up with her at the celebration. She is suppose to email some of her picts but I haven't received them as of yet. Margaret became Clay's new Bahamian girlfriend and they danced the night away! Several vendors were out with their specialty dishes, conch salad, lobster salad, crab and rice, macaroni and cheese, all fresh and the list goes on. They had a wild fireworks show, bands playing and a Junkanoo parade. The Junkanoo parade is the ultimate Bahamian event to see. They dress up in bright, shiny costumes and dance to their funky music playing all kinds of homemade instruments. Very colorful, loud and FUN!!!
From George Town we cruised on down to Long Island. Docked at the Marina called Stella Maris. On the cruise down, we went through the same waters as Christopher Columbus did in 1492. Pretty cool when you think about it. How we are able to use all the boats instruments today as compared to them using nothing. There is a nice monument up on a rock upon entering where he first reached land at the North end of Long Island. Long Island is 80 miles in lenght and 4 miles in width. Clay and I rented a car and drove to the South end, where we stopped for some lunch at Parrots of the Caribbean. (A take off name to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean), since it was filmed in Salt Pond which is 3/4 of the way down Long Island. After spending a much relaxed time in the Marina, when headed on down the Island in the boat to see it by water, anchoring out along the way. There we discovered a very nice anchorage in Salt Pond where we stayed for several days and on Aug. 1, (the day lobster season begins for the fishermen) we witnessed all the boats taking off. It was like watching the beginning of the Indy 500!! After seeing and shopping all we could we headed out for new waters. We cruised in the same waters where Pirates was filmed, but didn't see any Pirates, anchored out in Conception, a well known area for great snorkeling and diving. Clay and I saw our first shark, not the harmless nurse sharks we swam with, and then came nose to nose and side by side with 2 barracudas! I couldn't get in the dinghy fast enough. At least I didn't drop the camera and took a few pictures. On a more pleasant dive, we saw a peaceful, beautiful turtle with blue markings rested on the bottom of the waters. We stayed real still just admiring it and just as soon as we started to swim off he quickly took off in another direction. They can sense when they think they are being hunted. Turtle soup and other turtle organs are a delicacy over here. (YUCK!) We moved on over to Santa Maria anchorage, named for Columbus and checked out their little paradise Island. The beaches are beautiful and because the island is so small, very quiet. This part of the cruise has all been new waters for us and it is so exciting cruising them and learning the history. From here we headed on back to Nassau. Football season is about to begin and we need to get our boat up to snuff so we can either watch or listen to the Cowboys and hopefully BOTH!!!! Nassau is just a good location to get all kinds of provisions, mail out stuff, receive our mail, etc. So we are here for a couple of weeks to catch the Cowboy games, watch the Olympics and then we are both ready to get out in the open waters and cruise. I did get a new camera, so I'll be back to posting more picts. I have a few, but they aren't the greatest that I'll try to post. Hope all is well with whoever enjoys reading our blog and stay turned for more exploring from Carleigh.
As always, we are the
HAPPY Crusiers!!

Pictures

2008-07-04T14:14:00.004-04:00

In the Exumas! Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T12:39:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile since I have posted anything, so I'll try and do some catching up. We have been in the Exumas for nearly 2 months and have been having a wonderful cruise. The Exuma Land and Sea Park is one of a kind so far in the Bahamas. They have several moorings set along for our convenience. Clay and I have been doing alot of snorkeling in these spots. We been to Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay, Compass Cay, Black Point, Farmers Cay, Bells Island, Little Halls Pond, Cave Cay and now we are in George Town.
We swam with the nurse sharks, saw Johnny Depp, his wife/girlfriend, Island, and boat, and Faith Hill's Island. Run into more Texans. Steve Cone (from Texas) owns Cave Cay and the Marina. He's been working on it for 14 years. Clay knows his cousin from Arlington, TX.
George Town is a very nice laid back Bahamian community with just about everything you need. The people here are super friendly. You can anchor out if you want to or come into the Exuma Docking Services. We've done both. The town itself is quite small so you can walk to all the local places. The Straw Market here is much smaller than Nassau's which I like better and the vendors are not pushy!!!! They have an unusual Restaurant row here and they call it the Fish Fry. There are about 7-8 different little shack/restaurants you can choose from, but on down the road apiece we choose the Coconut Cove Restaurant over looking Elizabeth Harbour and had a terrific pizza!!!
My digital camera crashed, got a new underwater digital camera here, so we are going out to take some pictures and see how it works. Stay tuned for pictures,
As always,
The Happy Cruisers

How to make a Fish Taco

2008-06-13T13:01:00.002-04:00

This little post might come in handy for some. It's short, sweet and to the point!
To make a good Bahamian fish taco, go trolling in deep waters. Catch your own fish, fillet it, cook it and eat it!!!!. When you start running out of your on food on board, it's time to get out the rod and reel. Not only did we catch this mackerel, but we also caught a baracuda!!! He was 3ft long but we let him go. They have 2 or 3 in Wardwick Wells that are pets and harmless and he reminded me of them and I didn't want him for dinner. Like I said, I'm keeping this post short, but check back soon as I will have more pictures to post. Life is good, cruising is GREAT!!!!
As always,
The Happy Cruisers!

yea pictures!!!

2008-06-03T12:04:00.002-04:00

I finally got the pictures up. Noah is celebrating his 2nd birthday with his new pair of crocs, Jacob, (my new first mate) enjoying the boat ride and Ashton seems to be enjoying it as well. The view of the sandy beach was our backyard view in Allen's Cay, (I'll take that more than a pool and hot tub in my backyard anyday!), and then the relaxing view in Sampson Cay.
We are still in Staniel Cay enjoying the people and quiet atmosphere. Clay and I went for our daily walk around town and maybe go back out to Thunderball Cave for more snorkling. We have a string ray swimming around our boat and I've been trying to snag a picture of him. Maybe today will be the day.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, would love to hear some comments via email.
Until later...
The happy cruisers!!

Nassau

2008-05-28T23:31:00.007-04:00

Well, here we are in Nassau with my lovely niece, her husband Alan and their 3 children, Jacob, Noah (birthday boy) and baby Ashton. I got Amy Beth into the Bahamian shopping mode, by taking the baby stroller with us to grocery shop. People did stare and wonder where the babies were!!! We took them out for a boat ride and Jacob became my certified First Mate. Everyone did fine on the ride, no sea sickness! Jacob even helped preparing hard boiled eggs. While we were cruising I asked him what he was thinking abour and his reply was, "My dad needs a boat" Looks like Alan and Amy Beth need to invest in a boat and then they can call it, "My Three Sons."

My Marley Mon needed to get a hair cut, so after lunch at Senor Frogs, we headed over to locals barber shop. Clay wanted to be sure and come out looking like Densel Washington, and his baber told him he would need to use black paint for that!!

After leaving Nassau, we headed further south and anchored in Allen's Cay. What a lovely spot that was. There is a picture of our backyard view. The next day we continued on to Sampson Cay and Staniel Cay. The water here is just breath taking. You can swim with the Nurse Sharks, a tame Baracuda, and go into Thunderball Cave and feed the fish. Thunderball Cay is where they filmed the James Bond movie, "Thunderball" and "Spash" starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hanna. After a full day of snorkling we docked and the Staniel Cay Marina for a lovely dinner of the fresh catch of the day.

The sunsets are still beautiful and plentiful and the waters have been fairly smooth for cruising. As my favorite saying goes, a rough day cruising is better than a good day at work!!!.

Stay tuned, more to come from George Town.

Well some of my pictures are not coming thru, but I'll try again later.
Life is Good, cruising is better!!!!

Leaving Marsh Harbour

2008-05-19T12:50:00.005-04:00

We left Marsh Harbour May 14, saying goodbye to our new friends, Ken & Cathy, sorry I didn't get a picture of Teri & John. We plan on seeing then on our return trip. While cruising, we stopped at Fowl Cay to do some snorkeling. The fish were plentiful and very friendly. We anchored out in Little Harbour to get a good nights rest before crossing over the North East Providence Channel (Atlantic) to Spanish Wells. It was "alittle" bumpy and rough just going out the cut with 6-8 ft. waves. As we got further out the seas flattened out and made for a nice cruise. Shadow will tell you a different story, but she's a cruiser and made it okay. Once we got to Spanish Wells, we called for a pilot to take us thru the Devil's Backbone to Harbour Island on the town of Dunmore famous for their pink sands. His name is Jock and his pilot service is called the Bandit. He gave us quite abit of history on our way over. The reason it is best to have a pilot is the waters are tricky and the reefs are plentiful and not always marked on the charts. He says he makes the trip 5-8 times a day and never gets bored. His history is quite interesting. His ancestors came over from England in 1638. Their ship wrecked just outside Devil's Backbone (which is how it got it's name) and all but 1 survived. They swam ashore and lived in a cave for a year (Preachers Cave) before really getting settled. Life was really rough hard for them in many ways, as you can imagine! The ships name was William. The way his service works is like this, he comes out to your boat, ties up his boat to ours and drives us over. Once we get there he gets back into his little boat and goes back over to his home on Spanish Wells. The trip only takes close to 45 min. And yes, he does charge you for his services, but besides his service we get a history lesson and homemade bread!!! (Tell me one taxi service stateside that gives you homemade bread!!!!) Dunmore is famous for their pink sand beaches. The island itself is really to spread out to site see by foot, so we had to take a taxi to get to the beach. It really is lovely. We only stayed the night due to some problem with the generator that we need to get looked at. Back at Spanish Wells we had some guys come on board and check out the generator. After all the horrible scenarios that could be wrong with it, we were very relieved to find out a wire had broken!!! That was fixed and we will be heading towards Nassau. My niece and her family will be vacationing at the Atlantis. Can't wait to see them all!!!!
Hope ya'll are enjoying the blogspot as much as I enjoying sharing our trip with pictures. Let me hear from ya, as this is our general email to all our friends!!
Life is Good, cruising is better! Until later...
Rita-Kay, Clay and Shadow

Moving On!!

2008-05-11T08:48:00.003-04:00

Clay and I have been in the Abacos for nearly 2 months now and we are ready to head further south to the Exums and Eluthras. We have been very blessed here in the Abacos, meeting new people (cruisers and locals) and developing lasting friendships.
The pictures in yesterdays blog show you how we do our grocery shopping, sail boat races, ranging in ages 7-70, and the Seventh-day Adventist church in Marsh Harbour and of course the beautiful sunsets we get to witness each evening.
For shopping, we get in our dinghy and go to the designated dinghy dock, tie up, walk to the store, buy our groceries in the modern store, load up the backpack, walk back to the dinghy and go back to our boat. Living this life is wonderful because of the daily exercise we get.
The sail boat races are so much fun to watch, from little kids to grandparents. They have the groups set up according to your level of sailing. For the beginners (young and old) there is usually a parent, spouse or someone close in their dinghy to root them on and close by in case something goes wrong. Fortunately, nothing serious happened and the races finished without a hitch.
We have run into alot of Texans lately, some we know and some we don't. Pamela and Raymond were here on their boat from Fort Worth TX. We had met them 6 years ago on our last visit here. She and I graduated from HS the same year, from a different HS. Pamela graduated from Paschal, the same one Clay graduated from and he knew her older sisters and her family lived just around the corner from Clay. Another surprise visit was from one of Clay's old college frat brother, Steve Murrin, aka Cowboy. Clay had not seen him close to 10 years and low and behold they run into each other in the Bahamas. Clay and I were just sitting on the boat anchored out in Man-O-War, when all of a sudden this dinghy pulls up along side our boat and begin to holler something about TX! Clay recognized Steve right away and the partying and visiting began.
Another interesting note is have you ever wondered how these Marina get their fuel for the boats? Look closely at the picture with the gas truck. The truck is put on a barge and it goes from Marina to Marina pumping fuel without leaving the barge. We were at Sea Spray when this barge came in. Sea Spray is an out of the way Cay, tucked way back off the Sea of Abacos, with a very narrow and winding entrance and low tide. It kicked up alot of sand, but didn't run aground (touch bottom).
I guess that's about it from the Abacos. Check back in a couple of weeks. I hope to catch you up with more tales and photos from the Exumas. Until later...
The Happy Cruisers

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!!

2008-05-10T13:14:00.002-04:00

Pictures Finally!

2008-04-21T17:03:00.003-04:00

Pictures around the Bahamas

2008-04-15T16:30:00.003-04:00

Let's see, we left Marsh Harbour and went over to Hope Town and stayed on a Mooring there for 3 days and walked the town over. We climbed our 220 steps (round trip) in the famous Hope Town Lighthouse. If my pictures post, you'll see the different views of the town, Abaco Seas and the Atlantic Ocean. Hope Town is a quaint little town, that has been cleaned up and painted. The natives there are so friendly and welcome you with open arms. We had to go by and see if Vernon was still alive at his bakery and he is, still ornary as ever. Vernon has been operating his bakery close to 50 years. He bakes the best homemade coconut pie and coconut bread along with a variety of other breads and pies. Captain Jack's is still going strong with music and dancing to the wee hours of the morning and great food.

After Hope Town, we took off for Little Harbour which is further down south. It's only a 3 1/2 hour trip, but Clay and I broke it up so we could anchor out in Lubbers Cay. There we took the dinghy over to the beach just to relax and read, then over to Cracker Pete's for lunch. The only way to get there is by dinghy. The food is delicious too. It was Thursday, so the Master's would be on TV, which they had one, so, natually I asked them if they would turn it on so we could watch. Once again, we heard 'sure, no problem mon'. I love the Abacos!!! On Friday, we cruised on down to Little Harbour. This is where it gets real interesting! First, I need_ to tell you Little Harbour lives up to it's name, "Little", it's about this big /_/. That night we had dinner at the only restarant, outside on the sandy beach. We met up with some fellow cruises we met at West End, well, Walt, the captain, was from Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from a local rival highschool. We all talked about familiar areas and events. Then another couple from GA joined us. The wife was from England, but had lived in Arlington, TX from the 70's-90's, same time as Clay had his practice for 30 years. We came back to Marsh Harbour the next day and watched the rest of the Masters. We are in the Conch Inn Marina waiting for the winds to die down. They have been blowing up to 35 mph. Last night we had a wonderful time dinning and dancing at the Abaco Beach and Resort Marina. Browntip was there doing his Rake-N-Shake. Browntip is a real guy that has been around forever. He plays a rake, which is a popular instrument over here. It was good to see him again. I printed the picture I had of him in 2002, and gave it to him. You would have thought I had given him 100.00. He wanted us to be sure and go over to the resort so I could take more pictures of him. I might become his PR gal!!! Anyway, we had a hoot.
All is well on the waters, Life is Good! Until later...
The Happy Cruisers!!!!

Marsh Harbour. Another day in paradise!

2008-04-05T11:09:00.005-04:00

We are now in Marsh Harbour. It is as beautiful as we remember from 6 years ago, but it has grown. I'm having a problem downloading pictures today, so, I'll just catch you up and try again on the pictures. We met up with our friends, Mike and Marta on "Pachis". We met them in West End and they left before we did. Anyway, that's what fun about cruising because you meet such fun and wonderful cruisers and while you are island hopping you are sure to run into them again. It's been alittle cloudy which doesn't make for a pretty day to snorkle, but we will be here long enough for that to change. For all our other cruising friends that have been here before, I'll let you know the additions. A new dinghy dock was added closer to the grocery store. Mangoes has been updated, but our Rake-N-Shake guy, Browntip, still plays there and other locations as well. We will be able to hear him tonight at the Jib Room at Marsh Harbour Marina. The conch vendor is still at his same location and the conch is as good as ever. Ken, I've been having the conch burger and a few for you too!!!. Sue, Clay still likes the hamburger!! Since we have been here the new attraction is the Conch Pearl. They have now discovered them while cleaning the conch, and they are beautiful and not cheap!!! It's like one in every 10,000 conch have a pearl. Some lucky ones have discovered one in their conch salads. So I am eating alot of salads too!!! The pearls have been around clear back to 1839, but no one really paid that much attention to them until the daughter-in-law of Queen Victoria became partial to the pearl. Since she was a trend setter, the pearls became part of the Edwardian Style. That's your lesson for the day.
I'll try again on the pictures so stay tuned, until later...we are still
The Happy Cruisers!!

Cruising the Abacos

2008-03-31T15:14:00.003-04:00

Have ya'll been wondering where we have been? The wireless is sparse over here, but we have found a hotspot. I'll try and catch up, but will let the pictures tell the story. We have been from West End, Bahama, to Green Turtle Cay to Guana Cay and are currently in Man-O-War Cay on a mooring ball. All of our cruising has been in picture perfect weather. Man-O-War Cay is just East of Marsh Harbor. It is an island all of itself. There are 2 grocery stores, and plenty of gift shops with all Bahama made gifts. Albury Brothers are the most popular here, starting around the
1900's building boats. This island was established in 1716. It is Abacos answer to Mayberry RFD town as one of our waiters told us from the only restaurant in town. Clay and I were heading back to the dinghy one evening, when a lady asked us if we would like some fresh wahoo (a wonderful and expensive fish). Her husband had caught so much they didn't have room for all of it. Clay and I gladly took it off her hands. The water here is very blue and clear which has allowed us some light snorkeling. We plan on going out further to see the reefs and more underwater creatures. On our walk thru the town of Man-O-War, Clay and I had to be very careful on the Queens Hwy. As you can see by the picture, the traffic was severe (that's a joke. The only trasportation here are the golf carts and a sprinkle of tiny cars!),but I got a kick out of the sign!
Hope all is well wherever you are. Tonight Clay wants my homemade Oatmeal cookies, so I'd better start baking.
Until next time, life is still good on the waters!

We made it safe & sound!!!!

2008-03-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

We had a perfect crossing. We left West Palm, FL at 6am. The seas were only 2-3 feet and the winds mild, blowing at 10-15. We cruised between 7-8 knots most of the 7 hour trip. Like I said it was the perfect day, until we got about 3 miles out of West End Bahama, our port of entry. Then the winds picked up and the seas became 3-5feet, but we made it in okay and were tied up at the docks by 2pm. Shadow came through the cruise just fine and she didn't even go close to the door while we were getting the boat ready in West Palm. The Marina, Old Bahama Bay, has taken on several additions since we were last here the early years of 2000, but the beaches are still velvety white and the view is spectacular. Hope you enjoy the pictures, the one of Clay & me was taken the day before we left at the Riviera Beach Marina. The other is the Gulf Stream crossing over, Clay tying us up, and the last two are self explanatory. As usual, the people and boaters over here are so very friendly and it is always fun to sit on the docks and listen to their stories. I'll share them later, so tune...
Rita-Kay, Clay & Shadow

Crossing Over

2008-03-14T20:42:00.002-04:00

Well, we have had a nice and exciting stay in West Palm. We have been here for a week waiting for the perfect weather window to cross and tomorrow it looks like it is it. We were all planned for Thursday, March 13, but our second mate, Shadow, had different plans. It was 5:30 am Thursday morning when she decided to take a stroll on the docks and then disappear. Clay and I walked and walked all day calling her name and looking for her to no avail. Needless to say I was abit hysterical! We did one more stroll ourselves at 11:30 that night. Got back on the boat, Clay was exhaust, but I stayed up alitle longer when I heard this horrible meow and knew that was Shadow. She was across the dock, under the pier in a drain pipe. Clay ran over to where she was, I dove in with the life ring and we rescued her. Today, Friday, we let her have a lay day. She is in total shock, but slowly coming around. We think we will all be ready tomorrow. My nerves have at least settled down!!! Stay tuned for the latest adventures. I'm too tired to post pictures, but will as soon as we get to the Bahamas.

Still cruising

2008-03-03T21:06:00.003-05:00

We left Fernandina Beach with fond memories. We stayed on the mooring ball til after the front moved through. We felt like we were on a stranded island as well as our friends, Ame & Dan. After 2 days of this, the weather changed for the better and we all went into town. Ame and I shopped, while the boys drank coffee(got cha, you thought I was going to say beer!!)Anyway, we had a great time. Ame & Dan left the next day heading North. We stayed because we were waiting for our mail and a spare raw water pump.

Saturday, March 1, we headed out at 8:45 am. Weather was great. We stayed on the inside (the ICW) to St. Augustine and dropped the hook around 4:15 that afternoon. After a peaceful evening, we got up the next morning for our next push. Got on the outside (the Atlantic Ocean) at the St. Augustine inlet and cruised 7 hours to the Ponce de Leon inlet (see lighthouse photo) in New Smyrna, FL south of Daytona Beach. After cruising around trying to find a spot to anchor out, we ended up docking at "The 'Ol Fishin' Store" I kid you not, it was an experience. It's where the boaters meet the bikers!! It was bike week there. What a hoot these characters were! We all had a good time and finally we turned in around 11pm. The cruise was great on the outside. I even got time in the sun to clean and polish the stanchions (handrails),(if ya'll are going to read my blog, I have to get you boat lingo savvy). We saw several dolphins playing and putting on a show for us. I had to borrow Dan's, picture's his turned out better than mine, thanks Dan.

Monday, March 3, we left the dock at 8:30 am. We stayed on the inside today. The sun was shinning but it wasn't really warm. I stayed inside reading. Then Clay and I studied the charts to plot today's travels. See where we can anchor out. We want to get as many travel hours in before this next front comes in. We got as far as Cocoa beach, south of the NASA Space Center. I didn't take a picture of it because it just looks like a square building on the other side of the ICW. We hope one day we will be in the area to witness a launch. They say it is really cool to watch from the waters. We found a nice anchorage spot, dropped the hook around 4:30. Clay and I had a nice candlelight dinner, flowers included compliments from Clay, on the boat, then called it an evening.

Florida Waters!

2008-02-26T14:18:00.004-05:00

We made it to Florida and anchored out the first night in Fernandina Beach. Our first night Clay treated us with steaks on the grill, while I put together a salad and some couscous. Then sat back and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Life is Good! The next day, Monday, Feb.25th, after listening to the weather, we decided to get on a mooring ball and stay put for a few days. Florida is known for the late afternoon thunderstorms, but the one coming in was more of a front and heavy thunderstorms. That's alright with us, we stocked up on books before taking off and of course I have the Internet to play with. The best part about having the laptop on board is reading your e-mails. The first night here, I got an e-mail reply from some friends we met at the Hinkley boat yard in Georgia. They asked where we were in Fernandina Beach and low and behold they were on a mooring ball in the same anchorage as us!! Life is real Good! So, Monday night we took the dinghy's into town and had a great Mexican dinner and a wonderful visit.
It is now Tuesday and the weather forecast was correct. We are enjoying the rain and I get to catch up on our blogspot. Hope ya'll enjoy the pictures.

Until later,
Rita-Kay, Clay & Shadow (our second-mate)

Why we cruise and special tributes!

2008-02-24T15:06:00.003-05:00

Good bye Georgia flies and sandgnats, hello Florida sunshine!!!

We left Georgia, Sat. Feb. 23, 2008 at 10:45am. Cruising was great and a wonderful reprieve from those pesty flies and sandgnats. We anchored out on our favorite creek, Old Teakettle Creek. Dropped the hook at 5:45pm and had a lovely evening playing cards and enjoying being away from a dock.

Feb. 24

We were so anxious to keep on cruising, that we both got up early and pulled out of our anchorage spot and headed south around 7:30am. We went on the outside from Doboy Sound to St. Mary's River in Fernandina Beach, FL. The cruise was wonderful and the sunshine felt great. I even put on my bathing suit and got alittle sun!

The pictures include one taken in the Atlantic Ocean with nothing surrounding us. That's why we cruise. No road rage here! The others are a tribute to my parents for always showing an interest in our travels and want to keep up with where we are and our good friends, Phil and Margaret on their boat "Sunshine", who took off before us and introduced me to blogging!!! And yes I did include a picture of Clay and me eating our Thanksgiving Dinner at Lady and Son's restaurant in Savannah, GA. For those of you who keep up with cooking networks, this is Paula Dean's restaurant. The food is GREAT!!!

We have now dropped the hook at Fernandina Beach and are settling in for the afternoon and evening.

Playing and testing with the new blog site!!!

2008-02-21T11:20:00.003-05:00

If anyone is reading this you will probably wonder what the heck I am doing. Well, don't feel bad, so am I. Before we take off from Georgia, I'm practicing my skills for our blog. Since I don't have any neat cruising pictures, ya'll get to see pics of my kids and cat, and maybe some of Clay and me. (if I get that brave!) Well, enjoy. I'll post more later as we begin our cruise.

Waiting in Georgia

2008-01-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

Hey all, we are still waiting in GA to do the big crossing over to the Bahamas. We will depart after the Superbowl, even tho the Cowboys are not in it. I really think the
Gaints may have a chance to win, if they get past GB, because they were so close in the last game with the Patriots. Don;t forget Norv Turner who had a great run with the Cowboys and varies head coaching jobs, to sneek up on the Patriots. Ya never know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!