Happy New Year!

We have had a very eventful December and January leaving “Somewhere” at Bay Point Marina in Panama City, Florida on the 11^th of December. We drove to Tampa and flew to San Francisco to arrive in time to attend a surprise birthday celebration which Rob had planned for Julie at their home in San Rafael. While there we were able to attend a sing along at Delaney’s school and attend the classroom Christmas parties for both Jack and Ryann. (Ryann’s class also celebrated her Christmas birthday). We had a fabulous visit with them, enjoying great family time.
All too soon it was time to return home to Shallotte. We were able to see many of our friends during our short stay. We packed our cold weather clothes and were off to Moscow to visit Troy, Sherry, Taylor and Reece. The snow added to the magical quality as we toured this fascinating city. A few of the sites were the Kremlin, Red Square, Victory Park, and the excellent school Taylor and Reece attend. We also attended the Bolshoy Opera and sampled delicious Russian food. It had been far too long since our last visit with them and we enjoyed every minute. Being able to celebrate the New Year and the Russian Orthodox Christmas (January 7^th) with them was an added bonus. Our two weeks went by much too quickly and it was time to return to Shallotte to leave the cold weather clothes and pick up our dive gear. We enjoyed the opportunity to see a few more friends while there as well. We returned to “Somewhere” in Panama City and got her ready to continue our great adventure. Happy to be once again on the water we departed Bay Point Marina on January 20^th and headed for Port St. Joe. It was a beautiful trip not far offshore from the white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle. The weather deteriorated shortly after our arrival with strong winds and heavy rains arriving on the 21^st. We are enjoying this charming town with its warm, friendly people as we wait for the seas to calm so that we can continue on to Apalachicola where we will wait for a “weather window” which will allow us the opportunity to cross the “Big Bend of Florida” to Crystal River.