At the Beach on Cumberland Island

I don't know how Elaine managed to get this shot. These three little guys were racing along the water's edge.

 This dude was taking more time along the water. I suppose he has a more discriminating palate!

We found very few shells this time on the beach, but it is always a treat to see these amazing sand dunes.

Charleston with Gail and Jim

 Elaine has known Gail since she was in grade school. Jim and Gail have been our friends for nearly three decades. We all have just the best time together. In fact, Elaine and I look forward to our visit with them weeks before we arrive. We're never disappointed with the time we spend with them and we love staying in their beautiful home. The weather was perfect and our time together passed much to quickly! Thank you!!!

 We even taught Jumbee a new trick. He has discovered how to drink water from a glass, especially from Elaine's glass. Gail and Jim are real pleased with Jumbee's new skill set!!

 

 Whenever we're in Charleston one of the highlights of our visit is going to the MaceBrown Museum of Natural History. Dr. James Carew (Jim) is curator of this museum. When the museum gets these fossils they start out looking like the photo above: a pile of dirt with fossils to slowly uncover.

 Eventually the bits and pieces begin to take shape.

 In the end, with tons of work you end up with the entire animal. This beauty is a whale ancestor.

This animal is even closer to becoming a modern day whale.

 As you can see from the photo they eventually lose the legs and tail becomes more of a tail flipper.

Some of these ancient animals are very beautiful.

Others are extremely terrifying. I never tire of looking at these animals from our very distant past.

We spent the next day walking along the marshes. These live oak trees often grow limbs right to the ground, root and keep going. The limb heading over the bank stretched out 25 feet over the marsh.

The same day we also walked Folly Beach. We found lovely shells, but I still haven't found another shark's tooth.

 The following evening we went to see the Charleston Stingrays play hockey.

It was a really close game that finally ended in a shoot-out.

We had such an incredible visit. Can't wait to come back next Spring!

Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

Gail & Jim's Back Yard

What a lovely place to recharge your batteries

                                                                 Ginger in bloom

                                                              French Tarragon

                                                               Persian Limes

Kumquat Tree

Tangerine Tree

Fair winds & Smooth sailing,

Elaine & Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

We arrived at our present anchorage on San Domingo Creek today about 15:00. Just before sunset we were rewarded with this beautiful double rainbow.

Fair winds & Smooth sailing,

Elaine & Lawrence  S/V elle & I

We've been in Miami for a week. We made it! How about that!
Fair  winds & smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence S/V  Elle & I

Close!!

We're very near to completing all our provisioning and getting the house rent-ready. I have 4 more work days and hopefully Elle & I will be in the water by June 1. We're just that close.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I

Floating in June

Yep, that's the goal. I've got 28 more days till I retire, and 30 more till we launch the boat weather permitting. I'm so excited I just can't hide it!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I

Inverter Cables

I stopped at Carr Hardware and got 10 plastic cable carriers. I'll put one every foot on each cable using self-tapping tech screws. The screws don't sink real deep, so that's why I'm using so many carriers. Hopefully it will be pretty straight forward. It's supposed to rain this weekend, but we'll have to wait and see.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

7 to 13

Weeks that is. Elaine is leaving work at Williams College in 7 weeks, while I will be leaving Tierney Properties, Inc. in 13 weeks. Still so much to do, but less than yesterday.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I

16 Tons and what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt! Sooo, I guess I'll stay away from mining. I am getting days older 'cause my 62nd. Birthday (can you say Officially retired!) is just a few days away. In 16 tons, I mean 16 weeks TPI and I will part company. Elaine will be leaving Williams College on the 20th. of April. We're still packing up the house, and sorting out boat stuff. Still so much to do, but less than a few days ago!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

2012

O.K. We are into the year of our Lord Two Thousand Twelve. This week 2012 means even more to Elaine and I. I have 20 weeks left till I retire, and Elaine has 12 weeks to go. 20/12. Yippee!!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

Christmas Pirate's Booty

What a haul this Christmas! We received so many great things for the boat. I think the sleeper in all these riches is the portable, manual table-top washing machine. If it will do a set of sheets, like it claims, we'll be able to do most of our laundry right on the boat! Susan thanks for the Garmin Chart-plotter. Andrea and Jordan thank you for all the other wonderful things (they gave us the washing machine)! Now all I have to do is install everything or find a place on the boat to store it. Life is good!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I

Merry Christmas!

Very Merry and a Happy, Healthy New Year. We'll see you on the water in our floating home the S/V Elle & I in just 5 months! Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence

Pneumonia, a few months, & retire

For the second time in my life, I got pneumonia. I'm better now, but for a few weeks I was not a happy camper. We have 5 1/2 months till we plan to be living on the boat. First we get to spend Christmas with our son and his family. We still have a lot of packing to do in the house. It's going to get really busy from here till June.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

Inflation and the SSA

Well, gosh, thanks to ever present inflation the SSA is going to allow me to earn around $14600.00 in 2012. So that means I'll be able to work for one additional week in 2012. So that means that my retirement date has changed to Wednesday, May 30, 2012. We can certainly use the extra cash going into retirement, but it gets better. Retirees will also be getting a COL (cost of living) increase in 2012. The first since 2009!! Yippee!!!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V Elle & I

7 & Counting!

Like I wrote before the 25th. of each month is a day I look forward to. Now we are just 7 months away from retirement. I'll be applying for SSI next month on the 9th! Yipee!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I

So the 25th of the month is a nice day of the month, don't you think? For me it is really nice because on the 25th of  May in the year of our Lord 2012 I can retire. I actually can retire a little sooner, but I plan to work till then. After that Elle & I's great adventure will begin. I, Lorenzo di Chenzo, cannot wait! See you on the water!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence Leonard  S/V  Elle & I

8 and Counting

We're down to 8 months till our hopeful departure. I'm feeling good about live-aboard life, but Elaine is having second thoughts. I hope once out on the water, she'll find she loves that life. I think the odds are 50/50. We'll both know soon enough.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I    

The INTERVIEW WITH A CRUISER Project: 10 Questions for Reach

One of the best written, most thoughtful of these interviews I've read to date.
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Lawrence  S/V  Elle & I      

The INTERVIEW WITH A CRUISER Project: 10 Questions for Reach: Mark Cole and Michele Kelly began cruising in 2008 aboard Reach, a Manta 40 catamaran hailing from Mystic, Connecticut, USA. They traveled ...

Seymour's Boatyard

Still working on map location. Seymour's Boatyard is where we hope to spend next summer.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.899144,-73.354501&spn=0.004695,0.005429&t=h&z=17


Here's a link to Seymour's websitehttp://www.seymoursboatyard.com/: