Jax Beach to St. Simons Island to Blairsville....

Although there are no pics of the trip as of yet, Meandering Joy made it to St. Simons Island.  When the crew arrived, they cleaned the boat, obtained a rental car and explored the Island.  Early Tuesday, Steve and the crew headed back home.

Steve and I are very grateful to the wonderful crew that helped him move MJ.

We were home for just a few days when we headed off to Nottely Lake in Blairsville.  Joe & Suzy Brown met us there for a few days of good food and catching up.  We were joined on Sunday by Katy, Charlie, Lainey, Ed, Sam, Jessie, and Matt. We were missing Caroline who had to work her last weekend at Furman.

Enjoying the Spring Strawberries....

Daytona to Jax Beach

It is impossible to go through St. Augustine without seeing Pirates or Pirate ships.  Luckily--Charles is prepared to take on any pirate trying to overtake Meandering Joy.

Its too bad Charles isn't having any fun on this voyage!


The captain and crew made it through St. Augustine just fine and finally docked at Beach Marine in Jacksonville Beach.

Joy

Melbourne to Daytona at Anchor

Steve and the crew haven't given me many details for this trip.  Simply stated they left Melbourne and anchored near Daytona.  It must have been an uneventful day---

Robbie had duty in the Galley....

Charles takes some time to read.

Appetizers on the cockpit.

I can't wait to hear what Charles has to say about this trip!


Joy

Stuart to Melbourne

Meandering Joy and Drifter crossed wakes once again.  Back in April we caught sight of Drifter as we were headed to Venice and on to Captiva.  This time however, both Flemings ended up Melbourne Harbor Marina.   It is always fun to meet up with other Fleming owners to compare trips and experiences.   Everyone enjoyed dinner together a the nearby Irish pub. Steve had the best BLT ever. 

Joy

Clewiston to Stuart

Meandering Joy left Clewiston Thursday morning with a plan of arriving in Stuart.  Spencer needed to find a rental car or flight to Alabama.  He had plans to go to a concert with his daughter.  There was no prospect of car rental or flight anywhere else along the ICW so he needed to make it to Stuart--a larger town.  They made it and docked at the Loggerhead Marina in Stuart. 

Looks like thy found extracurricular activities

Another good day!

Captiva to Clewiston

Meandering Joy left Captiva with sights set on arriving in Clewiston by nightfall.    Clewiston sits on the outskirts of Lake Okeechobee which boasts excellent fishing.  This city known as America's Sweetest Town (because of its relationship with the sugar industry) is 60 miles east of Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico and 60 miles West of Palm Beach on the Atlantic.

The guys made great time today and enjoyed going through several locks.  There are five locks along the canal. They went through three today, WP. Franklin, Ortona and Moore Haven.  Once they cross Lake Okeechobee there will be two more  St. Lucie and Port Mayaca before arriving in Stuart.  






Once in Clewiston, Meandering Joy docked at Roland Martin Marina.   Roland Martin's is home to the Original Big Bass Guide Service on Lake Okeechobee.  

Looks like they had a great day!

Joy

That Big Red Round Barn

We have been looking for mattresses for a bedroom we are adding to our basement.  A neighbor told me the prices at Round Barn Mattress are the best.  Always looking to save a buck, I convinced Steve to take a trip with me to this historic building.  Built in 1913, the barn was used by a dairy farmer.  A silo runs in the center of the structure which today houses the office.  On July 7, 1996,the round barn and surrounding farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Round Barn is located just outside of Jefferson, Georgia heading toward Apple Valley.  I have passed this barn many times on our trips from Lawrenceville to Commerce to visit my Grandparents.  For many years I have wanted to visit this unique structure--I finally got my wish.

Joy

Just My Imagination

Is it just my imagination or is that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in Monroe, Georgia?  No it is not my imagination.  That really is Mick and Keith--or is it?  One of our favorite activities in Monroe is the First Friday Concerts they schedule May through September.  While home recently we went to hear the Jagged Stones.  The Jagged Stones are a tribute band to the famous Rolling Stones.  The lead singer has all of the moves and mannerisms down for the famous Mick Jagger.  The band has alot of fun on stage and is happy to interact with the audience at this small town venue on the court house steps. 

While the music is entertaining, Steve and I enjoy seeing friends from Monroe.  Since we are aboard Meandering Joy sometimes more than we are at home, we don't have much opportunity to catch up with old friends. Strolling along the the tree lined Broad Street visiting with friends is much like strolling along the docks of our favorite marina...


I took a few shots with my phone--not so great, but you get the picture.

Mick--Sideview

Scary Halloween type picture at the courthouse

That's Keith all aglow

 

 

 

 

 

Pomp & Circumstance

Finally the hour has arrived!

At 7:30 they march into the stadium began--they all were seated at 8:00.  Furman has a tradition of having the class celebrating it's 50th reunion leads the way for the graduating class.  A nice tradition of connecting the future to the past.  There is a similar program at George Walton Academy where the girls attended high school in which each senior pairs with a first grader.  

There she is--not looking to happy to graduate

Not so sure about this...

Looks pretty happy  now!

Steve's very happy!

Best of Friends--Melman, Caroline & Faris

It will be fun and interesting to see where the next chapter takes Caroline!

Joy

Anchoring behind Captiva

Meandering Joy made it to Captiva on the first day of the trip to St. Simons Island.  She traveled in the Gulf with winds of up to 25 knots and seas of 2-3 feet.  Captain Steve reports that he has gotten used to the winds but still doesn't enjoy traveling on windy days.  After anchoring behind Captiva Island, the guys took the dinghy to Jensen's marina.  From Jensen's they walked to the Mucky Duck for dinner. 

Graduation is just a few hours away-- let's eat again & again...

Caroline does not want to leave Greenville and Furman University.  I have been afraid that she will decided not to graduate and stay another year. Saturday begins with lunch at noon on campus for students and family.  After lunch, we returned to Caroline's apartment for more packing.  She and Steve loaded the trailer while I cleaned her kitchen.  Katy and Lainey made everyone laugh with their comments.  Caroline's friends had brought over breakfast with mimosa's.  Katy and Lainey made some more for everyone to enjoy with the remains of the champagne bottle.  

Once the trailer was loaded, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap, while Caroline went to visit friends one last time.  We were to meet Caroline and Connor and Lannon at  The Cazbah for appetizers/early dinner.  We were going to try to get downtown early to visit the boutiques, but we didn't quite make it.  The skies opened up to release  the rain that had been threatening for hours about 4:45.  We headed into the restaurant to wait for Caroline's arrival at 5:00.  

The Cazbah is a Tapas bar for a for creative, sophisticated, high-energy diners (so says their advertisment).  We believe we fit the bill.  After ordering the warm spinach artichoke dip in a bread bowl, we watched all the people with umbrellas passing by--thankful to be inside.  


Caroline arrive with Lannon and Connor.  She was wearing a beautiful lei made from orchids shipped from Hawaii.  Her sorority sisters gave one to each of the seniors.  

I remembered to get some pictures of the food this time--yes I am a foodie--it drives Steve nuts that I photograph food

Lobster Cigars

 

 

 

 

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

Free Range Chicken Enchiladas

Caroline and her friends left at 6:00 to head over to the graduation ceremony. We walked around Greenville for a few more minutes, went into Mast General Store.  Katy had to leave before the ceremony because she had to work on Sunday.  We hugged her goodbye and drove on over to campus.  More tomorrow....

Joy

St. Pete to St. Simons- Day One

Steve left St. Petersburg, FL today to move the boat to St. Simons, GA.  As I have mentioned before, our insurance company prefers we have the boat above the hurricane Line by June 1. They don't just prefer, they insist, unless we want to pay more for our insurance.  We don't--so we move.  The hurricane line is at Brunswick, Georgia.   I am not making this trip with Steve, because we thought I would stay and help Caroline move back home after graduation.  Alas--she has found a place to stay free of charge until the end of May when she will come home to be in a wedding--so I could have gone.  Steve found three willing souls to go with him on this trip--Robby Paul, Charles Sanders and Spencer McCrosky. 

They all arrived at the house yesterday morning.  I gave them all my rules about the boat--mainly--get her to St. Simons safely or don't come back.  I gave the cooking instructions to Robby because he seems to be the only one with kitchen skills.  I don't want to sell Charles short--he may have some cooking skills, I just don't know.   Spencer and Steve know how to find a restaurant when hungry but that's about it.

The plan was to leave Isla Del Sol this morning and head out into the Gulf of Mexico, make it to Captiva Island and go inside to the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway).  If I remember correctly this is an 80 mile trip--should take about 8 hours.  Last night when I spoke with Steve, he was concerned that the winds were about 22 knots and it might not be a good day to go out.  I cautioned him not to do anything risky just because he had the boys with him.  

I received this picture early this morning--looks like they are doing well this morning!

Joy

Friday Night before Graduation

Friday, May 9, we all headed to Greenville to celebrate Caroline's graduation.  We were also enlisted to help her load up all her belongings and bring them back to Cross Lane Road.  Steve and I headed up with an enclosed, lockable trailer attached to the truck.  When we arrived around 2:00 we found that she had already packed many things.  After working for about an hour, the rain began and we stopped.  Caroline headed over to graduation practice before joining us for dinner at American Grocery in downtown Greenville. 

If you haven't been to Greenville, it is worth a trip.  Friday's are always fun on Main Street.  The streets were closed to traffic for an art show on the Friday we arrived.  On the first Friday of the month, there are bands playing along the street.  The river runs near Main Street and provides a park area for visitors. Dinner at American Grocery is definitely a SPLURGE affair--but Caroline will only graduate once from Furman. 

Dinner was delicious--no pictures because I was distracted trying to follow the conversations of all of the girls and repeating things for Steve who was having some serious hearing problems all evening.  Steve and Lainey had the Grilled Red Royal Shrimp, chorizo, fava beans, asparagus, grilled escarole, gnocchi alla romana.  Katy and I had

Sunburst Trout, pommes darphin, asparagus, Lusty Monk mustard aioli, on a bed of arugala. Caroline had Confit of Local Rabbit, horseradish gnocchi, wild mushrooms, arugula, sauce moutarde. 

Greenville is definitely the place to take a walk after eating all that delicious food.

Favorite of the weekend!

We closed out the night with a trip to Spill the Beans  for ice cream.  

Joy