Red Pearl

I must apologize! I have not kept up with our adventures. We last left you at Dania Beach. We have moved North to Merritt Island, FL, home of the Kennedy Space Center, and about 40 minutes from Orlando. We had planned to be at a marina close to Cocoa Village with all kinds of bars, shopping and restaurants. We arrived and got settled into the marina and we were happy to see how nice the facilities were and how close we were to some night life. Our plan was to settle in here for several weeks. As I have said over and over, life on a boat is not conducive to plans! That night, we realized this was the most unprotected marina we had ever stayed in. The waves from the ocean rocked our boat and slapped up against the hull all night long–Neither one of us slept! The next morning we asked if we could be moved behind the sea wall. They could not accommodate us, but they graciously let us out of our reservation and did not even charge us for the 1 night we had stayed.

We relocated to a much more protected, and secluded marina further inland. It isn’t quite as nice, but it is very quiet and costs less money!

Since we have been here, we have had a few visitors. Our friends Jon and Kristina from Lawrence can for a few days. Dave and Mimi from Michigan came through for lunch. And my wandering niece Megan spent a night with us on the boat!

We have had a great time in the area exploring restaurants, beaches, and tourist attractions. As you can see from my pictures, it has been a lot cooler than we anticipated. I did not bring enough sweatshirts and long pants on this adventure, and I certainly did not think I would need my coat as much as I have worn it. We are happy to report the heater on the boat does work!

We spent one Saturday exploring the Kennedy Space Museum. It is very well done with a ton of interesting materials from the history of NASA. I recommend visiting if you have a chance. We have also seen, heard and felt a few launches of rockets from Space X! We were hoping to be around for the Artemis II launch to the moon, but for now it has been postponed.

We have found a nice walking trail at a nearby park, and we work to get our steps in regularly. One morning we saw a guy standing next to the pond. He looked a little out of place, until he pointed out what he was watching… a 7 foot alligator across the pond!! We had seen signs warning us, but did not expect one that big. And NO, we did not get close to it.

One Saturday, we rented a car and went down to Miami to the annual boat show. We saw some amazing boats, including a $7M Catamaran. Fortunately, we ended our day back on the Red Pearl, and agreed, she is perfect for us!

Dea wanted to go to Universal Orlando, but Larry was not interested, so she went on her own while he was working. She opened and closed the park and walked 14 miles.

Finally we got to spend a great weekend in Nashville with Dea’s sister and brother-in-law and mom (Stacy, Keith, and Carol). With warm weather returning, we hope to have more to share soon!