Sisters, Sisters!

November 11-15, 2016
Hammock Beach at Palm Coast, FL

We’d been waiting for this a long time. Eleven years ago, my three sisters and I went to New York City on our first Sisters Trip. It was so much fun we said we should do it again. Soon! We had no idea it would take more than a decade—or how our lives would change between then and now. Finally we made it happen in Palm Coast, Florida, staying at the condo building next to the marina where Pelican is docked.

L to R: Jeanne, Joanie, Joyce, and Jan

Yacht Harbor Village, next to the marina

The pool at the condo

Even though the weather didn’t offer up iconic warmth and sunshine, making us reach for our jackets, we were able to do everything we wanted: sightseeing, walking the beach, seeing the super-moon rise over the ocean, soaking in the hot tub, eating out, shopping.

At Flagler College in St. Augustine

In the rotunda of Flagler College

Soaking in the rays and wind at the beach

Rest from sightseeing

We even bought the matching T shirts.

These three were there from the moment I first became aware. They helped me learn how to share, how to love, how to be part of a family. They got me into and out of trouble. They were fiercely loyal growing up and have been strongly supportive ever since. It was a gift to reconnect with my dear sisters and enjoy concentrated time for deeper conversation, sharing each other’s hearts, praying about each other’s burdens.

In honor of our mom, who was an expert seamstress and taught us all to sew, this quote describes our sisters’ bond:

“We are more than just acquaintances...

it’s as if we are cut from the same fabric. 

Even though we appear to be sewn 

in a different pattern, 

we have a common thread that won’t be broken—by people or years or distance.”

Splashed and Settled

November 4-10, 2016
St. Marys, GA to Palm Coast, FL
And we’re off…it’s another new snowbird season on Pelican. On October 6 when Hurricane Matthew blew through, we wondered if that would be the case this year.

Last-minute touch-up

Ready to splash

View of the beautiful Georgia marsh

“The storm” is still a frequent topic of conversation here. Our boatyard was spared by the timing of the hurricane. It hit at low tide, and just two feet of water flooded the yard. At high tide, with the seven-foot tidal range in southern Georgia, the storm surge would have floated all the boats off their jack stands.

Once we splashed and moved south, storm damage was unmistakable. The fearsome force of the surge snapped docks like popsicle sticks and tossed boats like toys. Fernandina Beach Marina, a favorite of many boaters on the northern edge of Florida, is closed indefinitely. St. Augustine was hard hit. Dozens of boats were carried into the marsh and stranded, while others fared worse or sank. Marinas that are up and running are filled to capacity.

Stranded

Not the prettiest or quietest anchorage ever

Happy to be under way

We’d made reservations last spring at Hammock Beach Marina in Palm Coast or we might have been turned away. Our project this fall is to have a new Bimini made with a frame that will accommodate solar panels, giving us the luxury of more electrical power at anchor. We’ll settle in here while the work is done.

The Marina at Hammock Beach Resort

Settled in for a while