Family and friends...

We left Sirène safe and sound in North Carolina while we traveled to share the upcoming holidays with family and friends. We started with a road trip to Baltimore to meet our new granddaughter Vivienne, which was delightful. She's a real charmer, and her parents are naturals as is evident by what a happy and relaxed baby she is.

We had been looking forward to having a car to do Christmas shopping and maintenance items like a haircut and pedicure, and meeting friends for lunch...none of which we could do right away because our cars weren't working, a problem with my battery, and Bob's car is leaking brake fluid, so that needed a repair garage visit. Apparently cars don't like to sit idle for too long, but luckily these were easy fixes, and all the chores got done. We got the chance to spend some wonderful time with kids and grandkids, some friends, and our church family so it was all worth it.

I can't speak for Bob but as much as I was thrilled to be home with our loved ones, I also missed life aboard the boat. I guess I have become more acclimated to the slow-paced, quieter life than I realized. The Christmas holidays are always fun, and while I  enjoyed getting caught up with family, especially the young ones, it was an adjustment.  The kids are great and a true joy to be with especially at that time of year and nothing is better than experiencing Christmas morning through a youngster's eyes. We hope your Christmas was as filled with wonder and joy as ours was.

We are back on the boat, and the feelings are reversed... we are wishing we were home playing with, and reading stories to little ones and getting wrapped up in the craziness that is family home life instead of readjusting to the quietness of life aboard.

We will take a couple of days to provision and plan, before getting underway and continuing on our journey south.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year !