JAX, DC, St. Petersburg

Greetings from sunny St. Pete.

We did go to Jacksonville back then, for the Power Squadron Annual Meeting.  Spent 5 days with friends.  I worked (played, really, it is a fun thing for me) in the Ship’s Store, and Fred did his meeting thing.  A good time was had by all.  But no pictures, for some reason.

Saturday afternoon Fred drove me to the JAX airport and while he returned for the USPS Saturday banquet, I flew to Washington, DC.  Daughter Jenny, recently relocated in Burke, VA—only 20 minutes from Reagan airport --- and her son, Matt were there to meet me.  I love it when a plan comes together!

Sunday morning was gorgeous in VA, and as we listened to the weather reports, we decided to go to the inauguration a day early.  What a great idea that was! Instead of fighting for a spot on mass transit, we parked on the street very close to the Washington Monument! It was shirtsleeve weather and there was a light breeze as we walked the Mall from the Monument to the Capitol.  The news folks were setting up their huge screens and other equipment, the porta potties were present, the ground cover was in place to protect the grass, flags and seats all set up at the Capitol, and NO crowds.  Did I mention that the vendors were early also, so we didn’t miss out on souvenir buttons!  

We walked and laughed and photographed and had a wonderful time, and then went to a fabulous diner that only serves food grown locally!  Dee-lish.

Next morning we watched the festivities on TV and were ever so happy not to be bundled in heavy jackets, scarves, hats and mittens, and squished among the 700,000 or so folks who braved the cold.  Felt sad for the President as his ears got redder and redder as the cold day wore on!  Did I mention that it was cold! OK, not below zero cold, but hey. We were much warmer than the folks who waited 'till Monday to go!

Tuesday and Wednesday flew by.  Time with the kids (all grown up) and grandchildren is always a joy. As a special treat it snowed on Thursday morning.  School had a 2- hour delay and Casey, Rebecca and I got to take Ruby out to run and play in the snow!  Doesn’t get much better than that.   VA snow melts quickly, and it was nearly gone when I pointed my camera out the window as the plane headed south at noon.

Fred had driven back to St. Pete, and was at the Tampa airport, as planned.   Hooray.

He also found a new dinghy.  It is a used aluminum boat that will be lighter and more spacious than the Apex that is currently sitting atop YA.  It was a Ferryboat tender, and has the name of the Ferry proudly displayed on its side.  That will go away.  The boat’s name is Chuck.

On Saturday I visited the weekly winter St. Pete Market.  One block away from the marina!  It’s huge and has everything you could want, and then some!  The guacamole was to die for, fresh organic veggies, gluten free bread and crafts, crafts, crafts.  Very fun.

This weekend we’ll fly off to Newburgh to see the nice man who did a root canal on one of Fred’s teeth---it hasn’t behaved as expected, so needs another look.  We'll drive our own car back to Florida so that we can have un-rented wheels while here for the next couple of months.

So when we return, we’ll talk again!   In the meantime, be well and remember to breathe!