As I noted in earlier posts, we have purposely not planned any long duration trips for the month of August. This was primarily to be able to find time to be with grandkids. Earlier in the summer we enjoyed our time with Charlotte and Mitchell before their departure with the family to live in Florida. Recently we had a great time with Madelaine. This past week Rob and Dawn took her to Richmond VA for her freshmen year of college. And now we found time to have Lauren and Gabrielle on the boat. It is strange that we have to arrange time that meshes with Lauren's work schedule - how funny is that!
We picked the kids up on Friday afternoon. Rob and Dawn were there and just recovering from their long three day trip to Virginia and back.
It is funny to see the kids pushing the loaded carts to the boat. It seems like yesterday that I had to hold their hands while walking on the dock!
And Gabrielle is checking out the scene of Nana storing and the weekend's goodies.
And Lauren has settled in
And then when we took the carts back up we had our annual visit with the Chief. Bree is getting taller each time.
And Lauren is as tall as the Chief, and even got him to assist with a dance move.
And look everyone - even the Chief is happy.
And Saturday morning Bree made waffles with her green waffle maker she brought from home.
Yum - they were excellent. Nana even have real maple syrup.
Gabrielle is driving and did an amazing job. She can handle the boat much better than many others that have driven it. The boat does not respond like a car and there is much more anticipation of movement needed to keep the boat on a straight course. She is a natural! And she is really interested in it - we talked about getting her boating license - but we checked and she will need to wait for a few years more!
And I told Bree that I now didn't have to use the Autopilot when she "drove" the boat. She was mildly shocked when I told her when she was younger and would sit in my lap to drive that I would reach down and turn on the autopilot. I would tell her to steer right or left or go straight and she could move the wheel but while she wasn't really driving it did help build her confidence. And now she is in control!! She did had to laugh and now knows "the rest of the story."
And Lauren enjoyed a turn - but really liked to be chauffeured more than Bree.
Our objective has been reached!! You can see Perelandra on a mooring.
It was a great warm day for a swim. Even Nana indulged - I had to take pictures and hold the seats!!!
The inn and restaurant. You can eat there if like - but we had plenty to sustain us on the boat.
We were thrilled that the girls both brought real books to read. We think that is a important learning tool and fun thing to do that will have great benefits in the future.
A few more shoes than normal!!
View from the boat
And instead of being buried in video games we played real games - including Skippo - that I at least won once!
And here is our future boat captain helping the Admiral cast off the mooring on Sunday morning. Another wonderful day. It has been a glorious summer.
If you look on the map above you can see Burnt Island Light. We stop here for dinghy rides and to walk the island.
And as Lauren says - it is a great place for Photo Ops - and she is right.
And after our walk on the short but beautiful trails we are pleased to find the tire swing is still here!!
We made it to Boothbay
And the bookstore - where Lobby lobster awaited.
And our annual photo at the sign. Boy are they getting big!!
And after hunting we found sticker books!!
And a great way to finish our trip was to have hamburgers on the grill - finished with an ice cream - of course!!!
Here Bree is adding her pin to the visitor map. It is amazing to see where folks have come from.
We will sleep well on the boat in Boothbay tonight and then return to the marina and then home tomorrow.
A marvelous time indeed
So to each, Good Night and May God Bless
