Mar 20, 2013 - Heading Home, Part One

With the car safely back in Maryland, it was time to begin the trek north in the boat. Mid morning on 21 March we cleared the dock at Ortega and motored down the St Johns to the ICW. It was an overcast and windy day so the internal route was in order. Just before stopping we hailed Willi at Consolidated Petroleum in Fernandina for some fuel and a place to overnight on his dock. In rough weather this would not be an ideal place, but the wind died down and all we had to contend with was an extreme tide shift and fast current. Nice long spring...

Mar 9, 2013 - Visitors and a New Arrival

Our neighbors from Solomons, Marianne Varley and Amy Mchenry came for the last week of February to sample life on the boat and the Florida sun. Amy stayed with the Esaus on Cheers and Marianne got the top bunk on Chapter III. Their visit meant lots of barbecue and other dining experiences for the six of us. On 27 February the gang headed over to the Jacksonville beaches for lunch at the old Sea Turtle and new Oceans One on the Atlantic. We spent the night at the BOQ in Mayport and walked the beaches. Which incidentally, were undergoing a...

Feb 20, 2013 - The Return to Ortega

After the battery incident, we were reminded once again that boating is serious business. And, the constants that we take for granted ashore, don't always hold true in your own little mobile system on the water. The next day, we decided to go pier side at Reynolds Yacht Center in Green Cove Springs. This place is sited on a former naval station and has high fixed piers with bits and bollards for battleships. Our purpose in the stop was to rent a car and retrieve our wheels from Sanford. But first, getting safely alongside in a wind was...

Feb 15, 2013 - Time to Move

Our month-long stay at Sanford was coming to an end. It had been a period of pretty good weather and lots of variety in our activity. Valentines Day involved a road trip and overnight stay with Jim and Jo Roorbach in The Villages, just south west from us. Jo is a gourmet cook and she had prepared a seven course meal for ten. Lots of good wine, story swapping with old and new friends and a wonderful meal. We left early on Friday just as Jim, who faced a knee replacement in days, was heading out for his last round of golf in a long time. The...

Feb 4, 2013 - Our Stay in Sunny Sanford

Over the last few weeks the character of Sanford has begun to sink into our consciousness. At first the place seems like many towns off the beaten path today, rich in history but down on their current luck. The difference here is that the town is trying very hard to capture past prosperity by deploying a broad spectrum of artistic, cultural and social events. Some believe it is the effect of the Orlando-Disney environment, others may attribute the progressive nature to a few civic minded or otherwise financially endowed citizens. Whatever...

Jan 17, 2013 - Arrival Sanford

Perhaps more needs to be said about the last day of the journey that covered from Hontoon Landing to Lake Monroe, the site of Sanford and our stay for the next month. The leg includes Blue Springs, a fresh water spring of near constant seventy degree water. It is this popular water hole that the manatee of the upper St Johns find very attractive when the water temperatures drop below a certain point. On the particular day and time that we passed, the early morning air and water temperature was well into their comfort zone, after several...

Jan 16, 2013 - Up the St Johns

We departed Ortega before noon on a bright and sunny Sunday after three days of marina sponsored potlucks, dinners and breakfasts; and, yes some football. It seems strange to be heading south to the headwaters of a river, but that is just what makes the St Johns so special. It is actually a river of connected lakes fed by numerous springs and soggy marshes that fill with the rains and seep slowly northward to the ocean inlet at Mayport. We have heard that this trip will be a journey back in time. Our first night was spent on the long...

Mar 26, 2012 - Sanford,FL

The Millennium Luxury Coach factory is a very amazing place. It is fascinating to see how these coaches are built from a bus shell from Prevost to a finished home on wheels. It is a very complicated and extensive conversion. The planning and detail is unimaginable. Each coach is a unique work of art. Take the time to visit their website to see the fruits of their labor-www.millenniumluxurycoaches.com

Jun 21, 2011 - Auto Train - Sanford, FL

We had a hot breakfast at the hotel and arrived at the Auto Train station around 11am. Turns out the gate doesn't open until 11:30 so we had a bit of a wait. The car was assigned a number, videoed, and drove into one of the many waiting container cars. You load your car with all your stuff and it all gets loaded. The train leaves Sanford and goes directly to Lorton, VA (just south west of DC). It leaves at 4PM and arrives at 9AM the next day. I'm killing time until 2:30pm when the passengers get loaded. They have free Wifi so I'm using the...

Jun 20, 2011 - Home - JAX to Sanford

Since we are taking the Auto Train out of Sanford, FL, we are leaving tonight and staying at a hotel in Sanford. This is just to but sure we don't miss the train as it is the only one we can get reservations on this week. The Auto Train is something new Margaret read about so we are giving it a try. We left the house at 9PM at checked into the Comfort Inn around 11PM. We got upgraded to a King suite and enjoyed the extra room.

Jan 7, 2010 - Sanford Florida

The Florida welcome center had orange and grapefruit juice for us. What a treat! We headed to Sanford, Florida and the home of our friend Harriet. It's so great to have so many friends and family in Florida. We visited with Harriet and exchanged belated Christmas presents. She made a sumptuous dinner for us on Thursday (Tom the cook appreciates this treat). On Friday, we walked to the oldest cyprus tree (The Senator) which is over 3500 years old and then visited the Seminole County Museum. We had dinner at an Italian family restaurant that...

Apr 29, 2009 - Millenium Factory

Still working on our coach-needs a new front air conditioning compressor-Florida heat is tough on AC's! Having a great time watching and working with the mechanics on our coach. They are truly masters. I learn how to use many of the features I had not yet learned. It is a techie's dream to master these coaches. Ours is a 2001 and just breaking 75000 miles-nothing for these coaches which are built to run a million miles--I'll never see that! One meets owners from all over the US and from all walks of life-entertainers,race car...