Cocoa Village Marina, Cocoa, FL - 2/27 – 3/5

We’ve spent a relaxing week in Cocoa and have seen a lot of Marla and Al and Roger and Marcy.  Our Orlando boating friends, Jim and Shaula, met us at the dock as we arrived and
we enjoyed seeing them several times over the weekend.  Their daughter, Lynn, and her husband, Mike, had a chance to visit the boat also and we fixed Sunday breakfast on the boat
for Jim and Shaula.  We always enjoy reminiscing with them about the boating adventures and disasters we shared over our many years together on the water.

Breakfast on Cool Change with Jim and Shaula

Saturday evening was a treat.  We joined a dinner party hosted by Marla and Al at Café  Margaux, sitting outside, right along the Cocoa Village Mardi Gras parade route.  Such a shame we didn’t
have our cameras as Marla and Al were dressed up in high Mardi Gras style and we all were generously draped with Mardi Gras beads by the end of the evening.  On Sunday more celebrations in the Village included Bark in the Park.  A large assortment of dogs, mutts and aristocrats, competed for prizes.  Marla’s and Al's poodles, Chloe and TD, were part of
the crowd of canine characters.

Cafe Margaux

King and Queen of the dogs

This dog was just too funny.  From the rear his skirt twirled as he walked.  He just had an irresistable wiggle.

Al and the ever cooperative TD

Marcy and I heard the author Randy Wayne White speak at the Cocoa Beach Library last Sunday.  He’s a Florida mystery writer, a very entertaining guy on paper as well as in
person.  His stories are based in Florida and mention many areas with which we’re familiar. 
I’ve had several enjoyable opportunities to sew over our week here and Marla came over one day to help with making doll clothes.   Between the efforts of both of us we finished four outfits, enough that Marcy’s granddaughter, Nathalie, and Marla’s granddaughter, Mia, were able
to choose one for their baby dolls.  The others will go to our grandgirls when we visit in March.  Marcy and I had a good time fabric shopping and planning for future projects. Between lunches out, movies (we recommend Adjustment Bureau), sewing,
and visiting it was almost all relaxing and fun.

Wayne got his second Cocoa haircut this week.  It’s a little, well, short, would be a kind
way to describe it.  He says that from the moment the bald barber started to work on him he knew he was in trouble.

There will be a few weeks of bad hair days with this haircut.

 Besides the haircut, Wayne had another exciting event this week.  He was
outside working on the boat deck when his phone started to ring.  I saw Wayne was at one end of the boat but the ring was coming from somewhere else – not inside but nowhere near him.  Was it outside?  It sounded like it was in the water.  We did a quick, frantic search and he
discovered the phone case had come off his belt and was hanging precariously on
the cable rail on the side of the boat.   A slight list would have dumped it in the drink.  It’s warm here but not nearly warm enough to swim after phones.

We hosted our own dinner party Thursday night, inviting Marla and Al and Roger and Marcy to join us for Low Country Boil on the back of the boat.  We had to buy a bigger pot but it was all good – new potatoes, corn, onions, sausage and shrimp all boiled together with seasonings and very delicious.  Now we have another good and easy boat meal for a crowd.  The frozen pina coladas were good too.

We’re finally on our way today moving north again (Saturday).  Our original
plan was to leave yesterday but the wind was really kicking up (20-28 mph) and
there were occasional rain showers off and on.   We finally had to scrap that plan. Today looks good, though, still windy and a little overcast but no
prediction of rain. So far, we've made it up the Indian River, across the Haulover Canal and through aptly named Mosquito Lagoon.  Our boys will remember some wild and crazy shrimping trips to that part of Florida.

We would like to make it to St. Augustine by this evening but that would be a stretch for
us.  120 miles in one day is tough when your speed is 8-10 miles per hour.  We
hear that the redbud trees and the Bradford pear trees are blooming in North
Carolina.  It is absolutely time to get home!!!

This is the chart for St. Augustine.  We made it here today, as planned.  You may remember my earlier attempt to attach us to a bouy here back in November.  The experience went no better today  We plan to layover here for a day and continue the journey home on Monday..