Visit with Joyce and Tim

We had a great weekend visiting with our good friends, Joyce and Tim Kreth. Friday evening we toasted Crossroads with cosmos. Saturday we ate our way through the open-air market. Yum! Yum! Matzo pie's, they tasted like a cheese potato pancake. We tested the grilled sausages and homemade biscotti. The mayor of St. Pete’s was in the band singing. Pretty Cool.

Later that day we went sailing. The wind and weather were perfect. We ate Cuban sandwiches on the boat while sailing. This was Tim's first time to sail; he was a natural at the helm.

That evening we had cocktails on Crossroads while listening to the St. Pete's symphony. We finished a beautiful day with a great dinner from the famous Columbia restaurant on the pier. Sunday we said our goodbyes.

Monday morning I went for a run and Glenn started his project list. He is replacing one of the water tanks. He has the boat torn apart. Oh well, I guess I will have to get in the hammock. Life is good!

Goodbye Memphis/ Hello St. Pete's

St. Pete Harbor [N27d46:391, W82d37:818]

We said our final goodbyes, cried our final tears and got out of Memphis. Randy helped us pack our truck, and we headed to Gulfport. We spent Friday sorting and packing. As usual Gail took great care of us.

Wilma was heading for Florida and so were we. Boy is our timing off or what! We arrived Sunday morning and unloaded boxes all day. We spent our first night on Crossroads, the evening that Wilma hit southern Florida. It rained all night, we slept like a baby. We are happy to say we have arrived and finally feel like we are on vacation. Thanks to everyone for the care and concern. We could not have done this with out you.

Michele

crossroads - old & new

The crew of Crossroads has had a very busy couple of weeks.We closed on the sale of the Endeavour 40 so we are boat owners again! We also finally managed a trip to New Orleans (with help from Rev Jim, Gail & Jeff) to remove our gear from "old Crossroads" and view the mess left behind by hurricane Katrina. The boat was mostly dry inside and our stuff - even sheets & towells - could be saved. The boat, however was pretty smashed up. I like a good project but I wouldn't want to take on that one. New Orleans looks like a movie set for a post-nuke sience fiction flick. No people, just flooded houses and cars all covered in a layer of dry mud and sand. Really depressing.
Tomorrow we take a rental truck with the last of the boat stuff that has been in storage were in Memphis and head south to Gulfport. There we add the gear that was salvaged from old Crossroads and head to St Pete, FL to try to cram it all into new Crossroads.
Now it's getting real. We are leaving. The partys are done, most of the goodbyes or see-you-soons have been said. Tonight is my last Wednesday night run & P&H for a while.It is time to go crusing.
All this is dependant on the path of hurricane Wilma. Are we 'cane magnets or what? Wilma should come ashore about the time we arrive in the Tampa/St Pete area - hopefully we will not meet.

We are getting closer!

I am reminded of the song On the Road Again, that's what it felt like driving all over Florida in search of our new home. Good news! We have a contract pending survey & sea trial. Monday we will take the boat out for a sail and check it out. The boat is a 40 ft Endeavour located in beautiful St. Petersburg, FL. Check it out at: http://yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?currency=USD&units=Feet&checked_boats=1393570&slim=quick&

Thanks to all our friends and family for being so supportive. These last few weeks have pushed me to the limit several times. Glenn has been extremely patient with my frustration fits. I am putting it mildly by saying that several brokers have gotten on my last nerve!!

A special thanks to Bennie and Vida Smith for providing housing at their beautiful home in Memphis,we renamed their house the "Smith Carlton".

Our parents have been a great source support. A special thanks to my parents for storing our furniture and to Glenn folks for taking such great care of us in Florida.

We hope to fly back to Memphis Thursday, October 13th,regroup and head to New Orleans to say goodbye to our first boat. We are eager to retrieve some gear from the old Crossroads.

Michele