Monday

Back to the Monday routines, the weather is cloudy with a chance of rain. Matches the moods around the office and we have four more wake ups before the we become happy again.

Here is a wine we enjoyed on Friday evening;



We were given a couple of these from sometime reader Erik's private stash. Apparently, Erik and a few friends in California commissioned a local winemaker to make up a special batch. Erik offered me just one bottle, but I asked for two because I like to be able to look forward to the second bottle.

My experience with newly tasted wines is that I might really enjoy a bottle and forget to write down the name and variety in our wine log. Then, I recycle the bottle and have no record or idea what that great wine was from Friday night. Never. To. Be. Seen. Again.

Frustrating.

So if I have two bottles, we get the log updated and we might be able to remember how and where we got the goodies. Plus, there is the anticipation of saying , "Ooh, we have a bottle of so and so, this is going to be great when our friends come over for dinner!"

Erik might have thought I was being a jerk when I asked for that second bottle but the wine was truly outstanding with our dinner. And we have one more bottle stowed in the wine locker, so Kudo's to Erik's family wine and I pass full thanks and gratitude for the gift we received.

Saturday morning was a bit blurry so we had breakfast and coffee and turned to for some Barco scrubbing and washing the topsides. Afterwards, we fired up the diesels and headed to NAS Jax just to see if it was still there.



Yep. Still there. Called Navy Jax Yacht Club on the VHF and asked for linehandling assistance.

Good ol' Phil came stepping down the dock. Instead of tying up to the dock, we changed our minds and asked if he would join us for a river run.

Phil had a seat and said he was up to a river run so we headed Southward at ten knots. Next thing we knew (about two hours later) we passed under the Shands bridge and decided to take a lunch at the dreaded Crab Shack.

Plenty of room at the dock, so we were moored and ready to eat. Our friend Wyatt came by so the four of us dined well.

Gator relaxing by dock and same gator after sunset, hunting.



It was a beautiful evening and we 'people watched' the locals who promenaded down the dock. There were plenty of No-See-Ums and other bugs, most notably the blind mosquitos. As the evening wore on the temperatures cooled and the bugs (The biting kind) were soon gone and we settled in to conversations related to the Tea Party Protests and the Federal Government in particular.

Midnight on the water came quickly, and Wyatt was sent safely home and we decided to make a night of it down below. The Barco crew secured the flybridge and left the rubble in the sundeck area for pickup in the morning. Only about forty empty beer cans and an empty Jim Beam bottle to account for ourselves.

All wreckage was contained in sundeck area.

Taps came at 0030 and we secured the generator and silently snoozed until the 0800 reveille.

Motors started and the Spousal Unit piloted us off the dock as we made way for home. After securing our lines I went below to make coffee X 2 pots and six waffles for to break the fast. Three hours later we discharged our Shanghaied crew at the base and returned to our home berth in Pirates Cove. We rapidly secured our boat and was out shopping by noon where we bought new clothing and other sundry items.

Let's do it all over again in a few days.