Bon Voyage

You cannot have too many going away parties. The family party was the first party. We all gathered at a Lake City vacation house, had a great time over two days and had a great turkey dinner on Sunday. Bev and I have some great friends who offered to organize a few “small” gatherings before I set sail. Paulette suggested that we meet Dave and her at Wedgewood Cove for supper and when we got there we found that it was surprise Bon Voyage roast. We had some great laughs (thanks Paulette) and great food. I received some very interesting gifts and some very useful ones too (especially a great light weight shirt from Formans, Andersons, and Beeses). Neil came up with two great books on sailing singlehandedly which will be very valuable. A few days later our friends Cindy, Mike, Kristin, and Carey suggested we slip up to Minneapolis to eat. We went to a great Brazilian restaurant (Fofo De Chao) and feasted on traditional Brazilian food. The waitress asked if we were celebrating anything special and then came back with a plate of Key Lime pie. Life just gets better and better. We have one more gathering with my old Riverland department friends and then I’m ready to go.
A common question usually directed at me is “what does Bev think of your trip?” I usually reply with an attempt at humor but I should give Bev the credit she is due. As I have dreamed and we have planned over the last couple years she has been my loyal supporter and advocate. I wavered a few times wondering if the endeavor was the right thing to do and she put me back on track. She has pointed out how important a person’s dreams are and that we all have a limited amount of time to do some things. Sailing is quite physical and if you have big dreams you better do it when you are able. So Thank You Bev, you have made this trip possible.
I fly out Tuesday, Oct 19th for West Palm Beach. Summer Snow should arrive there via Cross Country Boat Transport on the 20th and be in the water by the 21st.