We are in Fort Pierce until tonight

We are at Harbor Town Marina, Fort Pierce, FL and will give a picture tour.  However, had to include Mazu who loves the snow in Maine.

We have traveled back and forth to New England for appointments, parties, and events through November and December.

On Shawnee the ladder is completed and fits perfectly.  The worker, Wallabee's Fabrication, Danny, finished it off perfectly.  A precise job and he did it on time, in budget, and it works!  Great welder.

We did get out of the slip and motored to the pump out dock.   Someday we'll go for a sail.

Lights around a boat and around my neck for a potluck dinner event.

 Below deck on Shawnee.

We visited Heathcote Botanical Gardens Light Night.  No Christmas trees or palm trees are lighted or decorated.

(My MAC computer is slowing down significantly so I think it's time for a new one after 5 and a half years.  I lose my CD port to modernity but rarely use it anyway.  The slow down is effecting my creative writing... good excuse.)

Onto the Harbor Town Marina tour.  Why we stay here is for: the price, convenience, and the facilities that we have not found in other places and access to many state beaches.  We learned yesterday that Harbor Town Marina is going to upgrade the place with a new pool, tear down the outside pavilion and increase the rates.  They are full and doing well.  We are on a dock with 4 other Island Packets, some of which are waiting for a weather window to sail to the Bahamas.


This is the horseshoe field that will be replaced with a new swimming pool because the old one is falling into the ocean due to drainage problems.

 

The pool is a great thing to have in "our" backyard.  Doesn't look like it's having any problems.

 The full bike rack

The outdoor pavilion where there are always people doing projects.  Also where they have monthly potluck dinners.  I'd love a ping pong table.

The wonderful covered walkway that leads to the boaters lounge, fitness center, laundry, restrooms, showers, office, boat broker.

The fitness center

New clean laundry. $3 per load.

The boaters' lounge - computer, TV, jigsaw puzzle

 

Nothing fancy.  There are maybe 15% of the boats have live-a boards or seasonal live-a boards.

         

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I visited the The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach to hear a speaker on landscape design recently.  There's a 200 person waiting list to join this organization.  Very tony crowd. Excellent events around the four arts, music, plays, dance, art and more.

Here's pictures of their beautiful gardens.

Event pavilion

 Churchill and FDR statue

Now off to the beach with Mazu before packing up for a late flight out of West Palm Beach for Logan.  Next blog only after we actually sail.

Merry Christmas,  Happy New Year!

 

Fort Pierce, Maybe here to stay.

We are back and forth to New England a couple of times this month.  Thanksgiving was great with the kids - 5 grands make a circus.  Really fun with house hide and seek, exploring the woods, swinging,  pillow forts, art projects, RISK - the game, and general constant activity.  It was also Violet's fifth birthday.  We all cooked - turkey and stuffing by Drew and me,  Sarah contributed a fine apple pie, I made pumpkin pudding, and Dillon and AJ made all the sides.   Several ate none of the prepared meal - 2 bowls of yogurt instead.  One group toast was said, and I was a happy Grammy.

Me and CC dosing off after dinner.


We came back Tuesday after Monday volunteer organization meetings, MD appointments on Monday, work for Drew.  Boat looks great.
 We picked up the stern ladder at the fabrication place.  Lo and behold it works perfectly. 
 The ladder no longer hits the dinghy when we let it down to use it.  See, the ladder ends above the yellow dinghy.  When the dinghy is not there the ladder has another set of steps to swing down into the water for a swim ladder.

 Since the ladder was moved up the steel tube had to be cut out so the hinge swings the ladder up and the ladder fits on the stern cockpit between the lifelines.

 Back to the fabricator to finish off the rough places and we'll put it back on,  hang the motor onto the dinghy and be pretty much ready.
Yes, ready...

Every morning starts with a check of the inside/outside thermometer in the bedroom/forecabin.  (Took picture before I was even up.)

Sun all around us, blue skies, puffy white clouds, but over just our heads a grey bottom cloud with steady, yet on-and-off rain this morning.  We are opening and closing the hatches trying to get the nice 70 degree air, but then running to close up when the rain starts. 

Drew replaced a fan in the salon.  He'll also replace 3 more age-old fans that are vibrating.  These are solid state.  Should work better and quieter.

As we took our morning walk (walking Mazu) along the outer dock where the big boats tie up we saw a catamaran with this poster on the boom.  It would be fun to talk with these doctors.  The banner says seamercy.org  A group of doctors who go to the islands to give free medical care.

Currently reading:  The Rothchilds - actually just finished, 
Column of Fire (Kingsbridge series) historical fiction in 1558 by Ken Follett,   
After This by Alice Hoffman
Next on blog:  Tour of the Harbor Town Marina where we are staying,
  pictures of garden at Palm Beach 4 Arts Center where I listened to lecture by Jorge     Sanchez, landscape gardener.