A beautiful rainbow from the porch of our home. So grateful for the rain!

We just returned home from the 30th reunion of Jack's Air Force Reserve Squadron - the Makos. Jack was an original Mako flying F-4 Phantoms then F-16 Falcons. It was held at the Ritz Carlton, Key Biscayne. Boy, did we put on the ritz! We enjoyed long walks on the beach, great food and renewing old friendships. (There was some celebratory drinking, too!) Someone commented that at the 40th we would be having wheel chair races! I don't think so!

It feels very strange to have a for sale sign in front of our home........

Today is July 12, 2008 and it is Dakota Kate's first birthday! Happy Birthday, Blackie! My how she has grown!!

Happy 62nd birthday, Jack! When do the Social Security checks start? I had a dinner party. Jack's Mom was here and our friends Donald and Alina Davis and Bob and Sherry Livingston.

Oh, and the beagles - a picture of Victor on the back of our couch included - King Victor we call him!!

This ends the journey and my cruising blog for 2008. I had fun sharing our adventure with you and hope you enjoyed a vicarious sail and cruise! We are back safely at 100 Vilabella enjoying all the fresh water we want, AC, a bed shaped like a rectangle instead of a V and using the computer without going for a dinghy ride! We are grateful for safe passages, fair winds and calm seas (when we had them!) and new friends and old. Freyja rests quietly at her dock awaiting the next adventure. (October and Fantasy Fest in Key West, maybe?). She served us well. Dakota is NOT resting quietly. She continues to be a bundle of puppy energy. The Bahamians gave her a new name - Blackie! She answers to both names now. We like it that she has a Bahamian name! Thanks for reading my blog!

The journey home begins across that dangerous Yellow Bank - without incident, but - in 25 knots of wind! That wasn't in the forecast - or on my wish list! And I did forget to mention that when we left Norman's for Highborne we looked back and the dinghy was gone!!! Now that was scary. Backtracked and found it with the help of the catamaran Solstice! If the dinghy isn't up on the arch she is double tied now!! Another peaceful night off Rose Island and up early to head to the Berry's. The wind was blowing 15 knots. It was a beam reach in 2 foot seas and with all three sails up we often saw 7 knots! We moored off the Berry Islands Club on Frazier's Hog Cay. Ran into friends from Norman's here on their boat, Gypsy Palace. Mark and Sallie spent the winter working at the Beach Club at Norman's and are now headed back to Florida like us. 50 knot squalls predicted for a few days so we stayed put - read, sewed, hiked and visited the club for Kaliks and dinner. And free Wi-Fi! Able to speak to several friends and family on Skype. Great shelling and sea glass here, as well. When the weather report was clear we headed out to cross the Great Bahama Bank again - this time going the other way!! Anchored on the banks the first night - swam and took Dakota about in the kayak for fun and exercise! Picnic on the deck! And headed out early the next morning for Cat Cay. Anchored safely off the beach there by 1500 for more beach time for Dakota, shells and sea glass for me. We were heading out into the Gulf Stream by 0630 but unable to sail. The wind strong at 15 knots but directly behind us. Freyja sails well down wind but not in the stream where the waves at 4-6' pitch and roll us. Long, long day of motor sailing, especially the last couple of hours. Glad to finally see Cape Florida Lighthouse and anchor off the Key Biscayne Yacht Club (Nixon's old hangout). Up early the next day for the sail down Biscayne Bay to the Keys, A beautiful beam reach again in 12 knots or so, today seeing 7 knots again in the puffs! A rain squall in Card Sound and then our anchorage off Key Largo by 4. Home tomorrow! An osprey nest on ICW marker 52A tells us we are close to Snake Creek and home! And that's a sunrsie not a sunset off KBYC!