1/19/16   Tuesday    Leaving Stuart, FL    Arrived at Port Mayaca Locks


Cold again today...54 on the boat this morning and a STIFF northerly wind...not breeze...WIND. We went into the dock to sell the extra bicycle. Success! I got my last shower for a couple of days, finished my book, Open House (not recommended) so I could leave it behind.

Leaving home...our water home port for the past 3 weeks. Hard to believe we were there so long but when we discovered that Indiantown had no room we stayed in Sunset Bay to do the maintenance. Made some new friends and even those we didn't really befriend, we enjoyed long, one-time conversations. I learned to play a new kind of dominos. We got some advice from others who've crossed Lake Okeechobee, and generally enjoyed the ambience of the place where people return every year, some for 4 months of winter.

So I had many of the same feelings I remember when I would fly out of NC after visiting there. A sadness, sometimes fear, the possibility of not seeing people/place again and wanting to deepen relationships. The sadness of choosing to leave, different from the sadness of being left. Accepting the responsibility of leaving. Hurts my heart even while I'm comfortable (?)/confident of the rightness of my choice. Honestly, writing about this I feel my shoulders pulling in to protect my heart. Sigh.

These photos of our neighborhood these past 3 weeks

Now that we're traveling again, there is more to see.

Egrets and fish pole holders. There were more egrets before I got my camera out

A canal neighborhood along the way

And another lock! One of 5 we'll pass going cross country to Ft. Myers.

Getting Locked in again

Begin the flood

Half flood

Letting us out and on our way

Some beautiful, some modest homes along the waterway. This one has great landscaping.

We knew we wouldn't get into the lake today and the wind is too high to allow safe passage. So we've stopped just before the Port Mayaca Lock which empties into the lake. We spent hours - well at least 1 hour - trying to tie up to a dolphin for the night. Finally, got the bow attached by my hanging out over the bowsprit and attached the stern by David taking a row in the dinghy.

David captures a dolphin!

Now David is cooking. I'm writing. We're both hoping to see the alligator reported to call this area home. And we're hoping to stay warm tonight.