Happy 2011!

Happy New Year dear friends and family!  I type this from my "office" on Master Plan and it's a beautiful day here in the 70's.  It was quite cold just after Christmas, but starting on Tuesday, it warmed up and we've had sunshine and warm temps all week and the next 10 days looks to be about the same.  How fabulous!

We are still in Stuart at Sunset Bay Marina.  As I've mentioned before, we were told we could not stay here when we initially arrived, but a few days ago, they told us that they would find room for us - so we have stayed here so we don't lose our space and so we're not "out of sight, out of mind."  We just love this marina and after doing some exploring and talking with a lot of people, it's obvious that this is the best marina in Stuart.  The staff are super friendly and accommodating and the facilities are great too.  It's also just a 10-minute walk along this pretty boardwalk on the water to downtown Stuart, which is so charming filled with lots of cute restaurants and shops.  We also are walking distance to a great grocery store and other conveniences.  They have bikes here at the marina that you can just take when you need them, but we're still contemplating buying bikes at Walmart to have on hand. 

Earlier this week, we brought our dinghy motor to a nearby mechanic who fixed it up beautifully - there were carburetor issues caused by the ethanol in the gasoline - so he cleaned it up and the dinghy is running perfectly once again!  For the rest of the week, we did other errands and explored the area and just plain relaxed - it was great!  It has been a very quiet week on the work front, so I've caught up on some sleep and I've also gotten back into reading - I just finished The Help and now am in the middle of Olive Kitteridge.  One of my New Year's resolutions is to read more and watch less TV.  So I'm off to a good start! 

Our friends Don and Sue are still here, but sadly, they are leaving tomorrow.  We've had a lot of fun with them and rung in 2011 with them too!  There is a very nice restaurant here at the marina and they have a huge NYE celebration with a great band, etc.  What's nice is that they're very inclusive so you can go to their bar and enjoy the band without needing a reservation - so we did a potluck HD cocktail hour with other boaters, then enjoyed the rest of the evening outdoors listening to the band.  Very fun! 

Our friends Rick & Linda (and Kirby the Wonder Dog) are headed this way - so we think we'll see them this coming week.  They were at the dock in front of us when we were in Charleston - we are really looking forward to seeing them again.

As I type this, Paul is working hard polishing the boat and I - well, I am hardly working.  Figured it's time I updated the blog (have been very remiss - sorry), then plan to get back to reading.  Another tough day . . .

Enjoy some photos -

Amy Roskilly visited us the day after Christmas with her Mom, her sister, brother-in-law, and niece - it was a great visit!

Cool - a vertical picture that is actually vertical!  I have no idea how I did this, but am psyched it worked!  I love this picture of me and Amy with our "action hair" on MP - it was a WINDY day!

Here we are on Christmas Day at the beach in Stuart with Don & Sue - a great day.

Here is my sweet captain taking the dinghy for a run after the motor got fixed - YAHOO!

This is the main street in downtown Stuart - really great area!

A cool fountain in one of Stuart's many rotaries - you can see the stores and shops in the background.

Sunset Bay Marina - "C" Dock where we are currently residing.  You can see MP's bow sticking out almost smack in the middle of the photo.

The captain strutting down the dock to the boat . . .

This is the marina office and facility - so lovely!  If you follow the boardwalk, the restaurant is on the right - the building looks very similar to the main marina office. 

So - we look forward to a great year ahead on Master Plan and sharing fun times with our dear family and friends, old and new!  We'll be in touch again soon - HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Lots of love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:
"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." – Benjamin Franklin