Stuart Visit

 Yep, we're still here in Fort Myers.  Like I said before, if you're going to be laid up somewhere, this is a pretty sweet place to be.  We've got lots of friends here, there is always something going on, the weather has been good - vacillating between cold fronts (sweater weather) and heat waves (sitting in front of a fan).

Jeff's still pretty sore but he's moving around more and we're getting a few things done.

Grant, Cindy, Susan, Jeff

Grant turns the big six-Oh

We drove to Stuart on the East Coast to visit with friends Grant and Cindy (M/V As the Crow Flies) to help Grant celebrate his 60th birthday.  They had just received very bad news regarding their engine.  This, after just pouring a whole bunch of money into their boat for new tanks and various other repairs.  They were all provisioned and set to cross to the Bahamas with us when a little anti-freeze leak, on investigation, morphed into a whole other problem, requiring a new engine rebuild.  YIKES!!

We had intended to cross to the Bahamas with Grant and Cindy in early December but between Jeff's injuries and Grant and Cindy's mechanical problems, all plans have been rewritten.

This bad engine news arrived the day before Grant's 60th so that put a damper on the celebrations. There was no way we were going to let Grant celebrate his 60th without us.  It didn't take them long to shake it off and get with the birthday programme though. Things grew back into perspective and a great night was enjoyed, with lots of laughs and good cheer.

Mechanical problems and travel logistics will be sorted out.  The priorities of friendship, health and living life to the fullest quickly became the focus.