Sailing to the Florida Keys VIII

December 7, 2011

Leaving Matanza Inn Mooring Field
Destination:  Moss Marina

Today we got up early, well, not that early..! LOL!  But, it was before 10 am so that was early for us!  J We got up early because we wanted to get into Moss Marina, docked and plugged into their electrical tower to get these batteries charged up!! 

Sailing to the Florida Keys VII

December 6, 2011

Leaving St. James City
Destination:  Ft. Myers Beach

This morning we took our time getting ready to head out to Ft. Myers Beach.  We weren’t in too much of a hurry because it wasn’t going to be a long sail.  We had estimated that it would take us roughly 3-4 hours to travel the 10 nautical miles to Ft. Myers Beach.

Sailing to the Florida Keys VI

December 5, 2011

Leaving Punta Blanca Island, Cayo Costa
Boca Grande
Destination:  St. James City

Yay!  We were able to sleep in this morning before beginning our sail to St. James City.  Today’s estimated nautical mileage was 16 miles.  We left at 11 am instead of 10 am like we’d planned but that didn’t affect us since we were not able to sail most of the way.  We had to motor sail because the winds were not favoring us! L Plus we had to go through some pretty tight channels.

Sailing to the Florida Keys V

December 4, 2011

Leaving:  6:30 am
Destination:  Boca Grande / Cayo Costa Coastal Key
Nautical Miles:  29
Estimated Time:
10 hours at 3 Knots
7 hours at 4 Knots
6 hours at 5 Knots

Well, this morning we woke up at 5:45 am wanting to get an extra early start on our long day of sailing.  Keith and I were ready pretty quick but Maxi had other ideas.  We took him out to do his business knowing all too well that it would be a long sailing trip for all of us, but he did not want to cooperate!  We walked him a good half hour and all he did was number 1.  Of course, at first he looked at us as if we were crazy wanting him to get up so early and expect him to go potty…LOL!! 

Sailing to the Florida Keys IV

December 3, 2011
Venice, Florida
Crow’s Nest Marina

This morning we went ahead and came into the Crow’s Nest to pay for a slip for the day.  It’s a really small marina with just a handful of slips and most of those slips are pretty tight and narrow. 

Sailing to the Florida Keys III

December 2, 2011
Leaving Longboat Pass
Destination:  Venice
25 Nautical Miles
Estimated Time: 6 hours

We left Longboat Pass at about 10:00 am, headed for Venice, Florida.  Again we had to go through the Longboat Pass Bridge, asking the Bridge Tender to open the bridge for us.  We headed south on the Gulf.  At first, when we headed out it wasn’t so bad, the winds were coming from NE and sailing wasn’t so bad. 

Sailing to the Florida Keys II

DeSoto Beach

Thursday, December 1, 2011

We left DeSoto at noon on Thursday.  Since it was going to be a 5-6 hour sail from DeSoto to Longboat Pass we wanted to get an early start on our day but with the dinghy not working we got started a bit late!  Sailing from DeSoto to Longboat Pass was not too bad.  Again it was chilly but the sun was out and the winds were at our favor…which was nice. 

Sailing to the Florida Keys

Wednesday
November 30, 2011
Leaving Regatta Pointe Marina
Destination:  DeSoto

We finally left Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto, Florida!!  It was a bit sad leaving, at least for me.  I guess it’s because I am a woman and I tend to want to “nest” wherever I go.  Keith is the one that gets itchy feet if he is in one place too long!  So glad he stayed put in Phoenix long enough for me to have met him!! LOL

From Maximus to Maximus Sea Dog

Regatta Pointe Marina
Palmetto, Florida
New Horizons
October 21, 2011

I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full. ~~Arthur Ashe

The Adventure Continues

Regatta Pointe Marina
Palmetto Florida
New Horizons
October 20, 2011

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Movie Night

New Horizons
Palmetto, FL
Regatta Pointe Marina
September 19, 2011

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. ~Thomas Jefferson

 
We’ve been here on our sailboat, New Horizons, now for 3 months!  It’s hard to believe it’s that long yet short at the same time!  We have gained some experience with our boat.  We are getting use to everything about her…what not to do, what to do, etc. 

Learning To Sail Part 4 Continued

Palmetto, Florida
Regatta Pointe Marina
New Horizons

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover!  ~~Mark Twain

Learning to Sail Part 4 Continued….

Learning To Sail Part 4

Palmetto, Florida

Regatta Pointe Marina

New Horizons

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover!  ~~Mark Twain

Continued…..

Learning to Sail Part 4

Learning To Sail Part 3

Palmetto, Florida

Regatta Pointe Marina

New Horizons

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover!  ~~Mark Twain

Continued…..

Learning to Sail Part 3

Learning To Sail Part 2

Palmetto, Florida

Regatta Pointe Marina

New Horizons

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover!  ~~Mark Twain

Continued…..

Learning to Sail

Learning To Sail

Palmetto, Florida

Regatta Pointe Marina

New Horizons

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Twenty Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover!  ~~Mark Twain

Well, we won’t be in the category of those disappointed twenty years from now, that’s for sure!! LOL

Life Is Good!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Regatta Pointe Marina

Palmetto, Florida

Life is good!!

It seems like forever that I’ve woken up in the morning and looked forward to the day..to whatever life had in store for me.  For so long I use to hate going to bed because I new that a new day was just around the corner.  My life was so governed by the clock…I knew I had to go to bed by 10 pm if I was to be able to get up at 5 am to get ready to go to work.  I planned my life around the clock…and if anything, anything went wrong my life would crumble!  I would get cranky and would be in a bad mood the rest of the day!!  Not a way to live life, right?

First Storm

Friday, July 8, 2011
Palmetto, Florida
Regatta Pointe Marina

Well, we are experiencing our first storm!!  We have been watching the weather news station and they say we are having a "Tropical Low".  A tropical low is rain and wind that is not quite a tropical storm, once a tropical storm it can turn into a hurricane. 

Life on the Boat

Friday, July 08, 2011

Palmetto, Florida

Regatta Pointe Marina

Wow! What an adventure..!  I don’t think that any of the plans we made at the beginning of this journey has turned out exactly as we’d planned.  Some plans that we’d made have turned out better then we thought and others well, let’s just say that next time, we’ll be better prepared, if there is a next time, LOL!!

Maximus

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Well, I decided that we should dedicate at least one blog to our lil Maximus!!  He is after all a huge part of our lives.  He has brought us so much joy, love and yes…Fun!  He makes us laugh when we don’t feel like laughing…he makes us get up and take him out for walks when we don’t feel like it too!!  He is also a good alarm clock!!  He thinks that just because it’s light out…everyone should wake up!! 

All ABOARD!!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Well family and friends, we did it!! 

We made it to Florida, we found a sailboat that we both liked and we’ve paid for it!! Tomorrow we get the final paperwork and the Keys!! Yayyyy..! 

My Grandson

Hello!! I wanted to give you all an update on my Grandson, Reyes, and post the most recent pictures of him!  He is growing by leaps and bounds...gaining weight and doing well!! 

The Sailboat

GOOD News!!  We put in an offer for the S2 that we liked!!  The owner came back with a counter offer...we gave him ANOTHER counter offer and he accepted!! 

Sailboat Search

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

In my previous post, I wrote that we’d made it to Florida safe and sound. We stayed in Panama City, Florida.  We went ahead and got a hotel room for the night and began to look at boats that were for sale in the area.  We only found one, a 37 foot Irwin Ketch.  Keith and I went to look at it.  It looked like a really nice boat on the outside…I did not go aboard it to see.  But what I could see from the outside it looked like a really nice boat.  I liked the way it looked and well, Keith really liked the boat, although it had some “soft” spots.  He said that those soft spots wouldn’t really affect the boat or our sailing.  Since this was the only sailboat we found in Panama City, we decided to head south.  We decided on making our home base Sarasota, Florida and look to the north and south for sailboats. 

We Made It To Florida

Well, we made it to FLORIDA! Hurrayyyy! Finally!

In the spirit of keeping this blog real and honest, I’ve got to say what we’ve really been through and feeling.  I’ve tried to keep my postings light and fun but, it has not all been that way.

Keith and I both have gone through a lot of emotions in the last couple of days.  We’ve at times felt defeated, dejected and we really have been second guessing ourselves.  Asking whether or not we have made the right decision for us, for Maxi and our children.  Keith has wondered if he has let his son down.  I’ve asked myself if I’ve left my daughter at a time when she really needs me with her, and my son who is a recent ASU graduate, working at a hospital and planning on pursuing a medical degree who still needs my support. 

Third Day on the Road

Third Day on the Road
Saturday, June 11, 2011

Well we made it out of Junction, Texas. We stayed in a Motel 6 last night. Again, it was a long day out on the road. All three of us are doing good, except for getting a bit road weary, Maxi more then Keith or I. He didn’t want to eat or drink at all, all day, which was really getting me nervous and anxious.

Our plan was to camp on the beach, south of Port Arthur…which we thought was a decent sized town.  Well, we found out that Port Arthur is not a town! It is just miles and miles of oil refineries! We were getting low on gas and were not sure if we would make it to Sea Rim State Park where we would be camping on the beach. So we decided to turn around the way we came in search of a gas station.

Second Day On The Road

Second Day on the road

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday morning we left Las Cruces, NM and got on the road once again.  We left at 10 am bound for Junction, TX.  It was a very long day!  We did not make it into Junction till about 10:00 pm local time.  We lost two hours in the time difference.  Besides it being a long day, it was uneventful…nothing exciting to write about.  We were not really in a hurry to get in since we would not be setting up camp.  We decided to camp out one night and the next to stay in a motel.  So, we checked in to a Motel 6.  This Motel 6 was pretty nice…better then some of the Motel 6’s that we stayed in last year when we went to Wisconsin for Johnathan and Jessica’s wedding.  When we got into our room, Maximus was thrilled!  Poor Kid, I am sure he was tired of just riding in the truck all day like we were.  All we did was take a shower, do some online updates and hit the sack!!

First Day On The Road

First Day On The Road Benson, AZ to Las Cruces, NM

June 9, 2011

Well our first day on the road came to an end on a high note.  We left Benson, Thursday, June 9^th, at about 2 pm.  We had an uneventful drive..it didn’t get interesting until we got to the camp ground Keith had mapped for us.  We made it right before sundown….as we drove into the campground there was a sign  that said the camp ground was open from 7 am to sunset.  We went in and chose a camp site and began unloading the tent from the roof rack of the truck. No problem…everything was going smooth, until, KABOOM! I fell! L  I hurt my left leg AND my back!  I am a trooper…so I got up, dusted myself off and continued helping set up the tent. By the time we finished setting up the tent, it was just after sunset.   That done we decided to go get something to either make for dinner or buy it. We’d seen a sign for RADIUM SPRINGS a town just a mile from our camp and decided to go there in search of food. 

Blog Update

There has been some confusion from some of our readers concerning some features on this blog. 

First was concerning the ability to add comments.  You are able to add comments to all articles posted on this blog, but you have to go to the complete article page to get to the comments section.  You can read the full post by clicking on the "Read More" link or by clicking on the article title.  Once at the complete post page, you can go down to the bottom of the article and find the comments block.  Type in a comment and select how you identify yourself, either with you existing google account or you can simply type in a name.
We stongly encourge and look forward to your comments.

Secondly, I thought that simply by clicking the "Follow" button that you would get e-mail update on the blog.  I was wrong.  The follow button only lets us know that you are reading our blog.  So, I have added a new link that will send you an e-mail each time new content is posted on the blog.  Simply click the link "GET E-MAIL UPDATES HERE" to the right and you can provide an e-mail address where you would like to recieve your update.  We still encourge you to use the "Follow" button, if you haven't already so we can see who is reading our blog, but please sign up for the e-mail updates for your convience so you won't have to continually check the blog to see if we have posted something new.

Thanks a lot for your interest and if you have any other issues with the blog, please let us know so we can address them.

Keith

Good-Bye Benson

Our stay in Benson has come to the end.  Our projects that we had planned have happened.  Events that we were waiting for like the graduation of my son and the birth of my first grandchild have come and gone….Mom’s (Joy) garden has been completed, the yard sale that we planned has also come and gone.  It seems like a long time ago that we were all working on getting the garden built…but it hasn’t been that long.  We sure did have fun…it was hard work, no denying that! All that shoveling sand and dirt…Keith cutting lumber and hammering nails….and me ALL that painting..phew!! Long sweaty hours, but worth it!! Even Mom got out there and helped to shovel dirt and sand!! She did great!

My Son Daniel's Graduation

It was really nice of baby Reyes to come out on, Thursday, May 12, 2011, at 9:21 pm, because the next day, Friday, May 13, 2011, my son Daniel was scheduled to graduate from ASU with his Bachelor’s in Kinesiology!!

We didn’t leave the hospital till about 1 am on Friday.  We had to get up early…to get to downtown Phoenix for the graduation.  I was a bundle of nerves!!

Baby Reyes, My Grandson!!!

Last week, Wednesday, May 11, 2011, we were outside working on the garden, when I got a call from my daughter.  Bad news, they were admitting her into St. Josephs’ Hospital to induce her.  Her blood pressure was high and her fluid retention was compromising her lungs, heart and kidney’s.  I got the call around 4 pm and by 4:22 pm we were on the freeway.  I was in such a panic that I don’t remember what I’d packed.  By 6:30 pm we were back in Phoenix.  By 7 pm I was walking into my daughter’s room,   where thankfully I also found my two wonderful sisters, Liz and Missy along with our great mom, Vicky.  They had been there with my daughter since they admitted her.  They kept her laughing and talking so that she wouldn’t be afraid.  Thank you! Thank you! Mom and sisters!!

Joy's Sitting Garden

We have finished building the sitting garden for Joy! Finally!  All I need to do is give a second coat of paint to one of the walls and the painting and construction part of the garden will be complete!  We have shoveled sooooo much sand and dirt, it’s not funny!! I think I’ve built some muscle on my arms from so much shoveling!!  I’ve also gotten  lots of sun…I am very tanned, which I like!!  Joy has been great too! She has shoveled sand and dirt for the garden! She is a very active lady that doesn’t complain and is always willing to lend a hand, no matter what the task!

Life In Benson

Well, now we’ve been in Benson a little more then a week.  The first couple of days were spent unloading the truck and getting settled in.  Benson is a small town with a feel of tranquility, calm and quiet.  No rush hour traffic! Yay! And so far the weather has been great!  In fact, last night it was quite chilly! Today, it is afternoon and it is only 65 degrees!  Niceeee..!

Sunday, April 24, 2011, was Easter Sunday and we had the honor of celebrating it in Joy’s Church, Living Faith Fellowship, which is a small congregation but filled with great believers!  I had not been to a church in quite some time and I’d forgotten how great it is to sing praises to the Lord and sit quietly while the word of God was preached.  It was quite a Blessing to be a part of that, on such a glorious Resurrection Day!  After church we planned on having a BBQ.  We wanted to make Carne Asada, pollo asado, refried beans, pico de gallo and Keith’s specialty, Green Salsa..!  But there is no Carniceria (butcher shop) in Benson, so we made a trip into Tucson to make our meat and chicken purchase..! 

Good-Bye Phoenix, Hello Benson!

Finally! We got the apartment cleaned out, packed the truck up and traveled to Benson!  Although, we have been downsizing all of our furnishings from a three bedroom, house with a pool…to a townhouse, down to a two bedroom apartment, then to a one bedroom apartment we had wayyyy too much “stuff”!  I’ve no idea who brought in most of it..! LOL!

The decision to go ahead and make this first leg of our journey was really hard for us.  My daughter, who is 5 months pregnant was admitted into the hospital to have some lab work done and to check on her kidneys.  We got the news today that, although her kidneys are a bit swollen, there is nothing else wrong with her that having a baby won’t cure.  They have confined her to bed for at least two more months so that the baby can grow and have a better chance of survival.  So in two months, we should be  GRANDPARENTS for the second time..!!!

The weather in Benson is great!  Nice cool breezes and the nights and mornings are actually cool enough to wear a light jacket!

We’ve unloaded the truck and are settling in.  Relaxing from the hectic last couple of days of packing and putting up with the heat in Phoenix! We are taking Maximus on walks and trying to begin learning how to slow down and not be in such a rush.  The latter which has been a challenge for me...but of course, it’s only been two days that we’ve been here in Benson.  I am sure that it won’t take me too long to reprogram my brain to slow down and take it easy!

We are making plans for the upcoming weeks, very exciting plans regarding our short stay here in Benson and our children! 

Stay tuned…   

El

Saying Good-Bye

WOW..! What an emotional couple of days! My last day at work was Friday, April 15, 2011.  I have been on an emotional roller coaster full of excitement about the adventure that is awaiting us! At the same time I am sad about leaving my colleagues and students I worked with for the last couple of years.  We spent so much time together that I considered them almost like family.  Our days were busy but at the same time full of humor and teasing, which made the day and week go much faster! Thank you Deb, Lance, Elizabeth, Jacqueline, Talia and Abel!!  It was a great pleasure getting to know each and everyone of you and working alongside you!

 It has not been too difficult trying to empty out our one bedroom apartment, the hardest part for me was cleaning out my closet! I can not believe all the clothes that I’ve accumulated throughout the years!! I am finding clothes I hadn’t seen in a long time and not because they didn’t fit, it’s just that they were buried deep! I have packed boxes to give to my mother so that she can either give to my aunts who live in Mexico or put up in a yard sale and STILL I have so much to go through!  I never realized how attached I was to my “things”, especially my clothes and shoes and make-up and well, I think you get the picture!

Today was the first Monday, of the rest of my life! Even though we had a super busy weekend with packing and hanging out with friends and family I was able to get up at six am without the help of the DREADED alarm clock.  The one whose snooze button I’ve been beating and cursing at every morning during the work-week!

Elvia

The adventure begins!

Now that Elvia has finished working and my projects are complete, it is time to get this party started.  Please click on "The Plan" above to see where we are headed.  Next stop, Benson AZ!

Expect most of these posts on the home page to be from Elvia, while I'll be completing the links above.  For those of you not familiar with blogs, you can click the "follow" button to the right and you will be alerted by e-mail every time we add a new post.  That way you won't have to keep checking to see if there is anything new.

Please feel free to leave comments and we are glad you have chosen to follow us as we explore "New Horizons"

Keith