All is Calm….

Many Moons is anchored out tonight in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway (OWW) after traveling 58 miles, as father and son prepare to celebrate Christmas together in southern Florida. All is calm, and probably bright, since the moon is at 80%. For this we are grateful, after our last posting about high winds!

It was not calm when Jeff left his Fort Myers anchorage in the dinghy two days ago to pick up his son Josh, with luggage, from shore. The “old-school” dinghy is adorable but small, and tippy in high waves. (We tried to go ashore in rocky seas back in August and gave up. We once managed to put two bikes in the dinghy with us but that was flat water. It was still tricky. And hilarious.)

Jeff and Josh celebrated a safe “landing” by staying in a Fort Myers marina the first night, then on to the free city dock at LaBelle. In their first two days together, they’ve gone through two locks and a curious hand-operated swing bridge. On Christmas Eve, they will travel further east in what’s called the “rim route” of the OWW, towards the Atlantic.

And so Many Moons continues on The Great Loop without me as I travel to Montana for Mom’s 100th Christmas Birthday. Just imagine – a centenarian on Christmas! She had to endure a childhood of birthdays swallowed by Christmas, and we are determined that this one will be especially memorable. In January, I will join my good friend Susan for her 60th birthday “event” in Cozumel, where we will celebrate under water. We’re both avid divers and love all water sports, whether on or in or under it. (Susan got me into water skiing and taught me to drive the ski boat, which turned out to be pretty good training for a single-engine trawler. We also swim, sail, and kayak together.) I’ll strive to keep this blog updated on Many Moons’ progress as my own travel, and Jeff’s photography, allows.

Merry Christmas to all!