Number forty-two.

Cheryl: This has been a remarkable couple weeks for us. We’ve spent so much time with family and friends. Not only have we been visited by old friends (Deb & Steve in New Smyrna) but we’re actually meeting up again with Loopers we’ve met along the way (Bobbin’ Along, Barefoot Get Away). Today we got a text from a couple campers (Rica & Julian) who we met in Bahia Honda. They saw MoonShine docked at the marina as they were crossing the bridge and reached out to us. Just prior to leaving New Smryna, we met the folks on Marisol who winter in the Keys and summer in the Chesapeake. We hope to hook back up with them when we get north. It really is true that doing the Loop is a social event and it is all about the people you meet along the way. I can’t wait to see more old friends and meet more new friends as we continue north. Come see us! Sharing this adventure is what its all about.

Butch: Will you look at this! Post number 42. A number of some significance, 42. Some of you will remember “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” which came out in what, 1979 or so. (Back when I was barely aware of what being a human being meant.) For those who have forgotten the story, the question, “what is the meaning of life”, was posed to the supercomputer “Deep Thought”, which worked on the problem for 7.5 million years. It finally answered the question with “42”. Which, deconstructed, means, “Life is what you make of it.” Now ain’t that the truth. Life is what you make of it. That’s what this trip, and all the other adventures I’ve been lucky enough to have, are all about.

St Augustine! We’ve been told that this is one of those “must stops” on the Loop, and boy, they were right. It’s a great stop, with the downtown just across the street, trolleys and trams to ride, parks, beaches, a lighthouse, and more history than I can absorb. This marina is located at the oldest seaport in America, and of course St Augustine is the oldest city in America, established in 1565. Everything here is old, as you’ll see in the photos below. So I fit right in, what with a birthday coming up that everyone seems to consider somewhat of a milestone. Hey, I’m just happy my birthday count is still going up. When I complained to my doctor about my accumulating aches and pains, he told me I was getting older and to get used to it (not kidding here) and then he gave me my medical chart, which, in the interest of openness, I’ve posted here:

He wouldn’t tell me just what “near” means, leaving me as uninformed as I’ve always been.

This update is mostly pictures, we head home soon for a couple of days so I wanted to fire an update off and clear out our photo collection before we get back to the boat and start this crazy experience up again. We will be out of Florida soon after we get back to the boat, crossing into Georgia, that will be an entirely new experience. This will be our first trip home; we’re both looking forward to seeing everyone we miss and getting a few things taken care of. There is one thing I am really looking forward to when we get back. Fast food! I haven’t had a Subway sandwich or a Five Guys burger since November.

One of the nicer marinas we’ve been in. The bridge of Lions is just to the right, old St Augustine downtown is in the background. We stayed here an extra day to dodge some high winds, which Cheryl remarked is the first time on this trip we’ve changed our plans for the weather.

One of the first places we explored was a trip on our scooters over to Anastasia Island and the beach.

We did manage to see one more launch, daytime this time. Pretty amazing, to see something going into space.

Some sights from around St Augustine, there is so much here that is interesting you could take a thousand photos and not capture it all. This is St Georges St, the fort, and Flagler College, a huge and impressive building built by the railroad tycoon.

I said things were old around here? This tree is between six hundred and fifty and seven hundred years old. Think about that for a minute. That means it started growing around the year 1350. Wow!

The oldest school house.

And a building that used to house the oldest pharmacy in the land. No, I never worked here. I may have a birthday coming up but I’m not that old!

The shops around here are a little typical of tourist towns, full of kitschy stuff that I just barely manage to resist buying, like these pirate skulls which come in dozens of styles. I think they’d look great scattered all over the house, but Cheryl reminded me that maybe not. The tyrannosaurus skull is too big for my living room, darn it.

We had guests again for a day trip up the coast, Cheryl’s cousin Janae and husband Rick. Was fun to have them along, and now they know a little bit about what we’re doing.

Just another gorgeous sunset.

Cheryl, the maestro of all things social, organized a Looper docktails one evening. It may have been the coldest docktails we’ve attended, but a good time was had by all! Represented here is the entire spectrum, from Gold Loopers to Loopers who had just started three days before! We had in attendance: ElevenX, Carnival of Sorts, Thunderbolt, Braveheart, Muddy Paws, Wine’d Down, Bobbin’ Along, Soggy Dollar, Barefoot GetAway, Ocean Lady, Mary Elizabeth, and of course, MoonShine.

“So long, and thanks for all the fish.“