Exile

EXILE is preparing to head out once again.... finally! After spending 7 months in St. Augustine
taking care of medical issues and having repairs done after a lightning strike took out many of the electronics on several of the boats here in the marina (ours included), we are READY! We were able to visit with kids and grandkids more than we had anticipated, which made our stay so very enjoyable. My son Brian flew in one night in August from NY and completely surprised me. How Jeff kept that secret I'll never know! We flew to Maine again on September 16th, the day after my final radiation treatment. It was absolutely beautiful there from mid September to mid October. The leaves were gorgeous!

We drove back in October and visited with family and friends all the way down the coast. Jeff had a couple of jobs to tend to along the way - which helps with our ability to continue doing what we love. First stop was Newburyport, MA, where he had a teaching engagement. Nice place to have to linger a while. From there we visited with my mom and brother's family in Old Saybrook, got to meet my nephew's new baby Kylie, then back to Wallingford to meet up with my sister. Having the opportunity to visit family is always great! While in CT, we purchased a new dinghy (much needed) from Defender then continued on to Long Island to visit my son and his girlfriend for a few days. During that trip we took a drive through the Hamptons, ate lunch in Sag Harbor and drove past my grandparents old home in Freeport. Pretty cool. The propeller company my grandfather managed was still there. Note the company tagline on the building!

Next was Baltimore for another business stop for Jeff. From there we headed inland to Roanoke to spend a couple of nights with our friends Patty and Jack. We ate at a local restaurant and visited the "famous" Black Dog Salvage. Neat place to wander around. What a great view Patty and Jack have from their Virginia home. They were kind enough to take us on a tour of Roanoke, which we greatly appreciated.

From there we were headed back to FL and were onboard again on Nov. 2nd after spending a night at my mother in law's in Atlantic Beach, about an hour north of St. Augustine.

Fast forward past all the boat cleaning (oh those birds!!!), electronics troubleshooting & repairs, haulout and Dr. appointments to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Brian and Ama flew down and stayed in my good friends Robin & Bob's condo where we were able to all get together and have a wonderful Christmas day and dinner. The oven on our boat would never have been able to cook anything larger than a small chicken! Becky, Brandon and Brooke drove down for the day, then Becky and Brooke returned the next day to spend time with "Uncle Brian and Auntie Ama" on the beach.

Merry Christmas!

Brooke loves her Pop

RJ, Raymond and Rose enjoying Christmas aboard

"Cruising" across to Kingfish for lunch

Ama and Brian

On New Year's Eve we left the marina and anchored out near downtown St. Augustine with a few other boating friends to watch the fireworks. Fortunately they were set off at 9pm! Ahhh, we're not getting any younger. The next morning we welcomed in the new year with Bloody Mary's aboard our friend's boat before the weather turned chilly and rainy. We decided to head back to the slip.

After putting away our Christmas decorations we are about to embark on a voyage to South Florida and the Bahamas toward the end of this month. Jeff is in Dallas working this week and next, so I'll head to South Florida to visit with my mom for a week, then begin our provisioning before we head out. EXILE will be on the move once again! Happy 2016 to all!

Maine in the summer is all about making the most of each day. The following pictures are most of what we enjoy so much about it up here. There are so many beautiful gardens, lots of lobster buoys on the water, fishermen fishing, sailors sailing and just plain "ahhh" moments. We spend as much time as possible with our northern friends because as you know, the summers are short up here.

All aboard Daddy's Angels! We're headed out to find an island for our 4th of July picnic with friends.

Beach chairs, check. Coolers, check. Food,check. Dog, check. This lobster boat is ready to get underway!

And we're off!

Bye, bye downtown Stonington

Happy Independence Day

We've found our island. Now to tote everything to shore...

Emma and Hannah are happy

Some passers-by

A fisherman hauling traps. The seagulls love the discarded bait.

All set up

Get that fire going!

Scott and Emma enjoying some picnic treats

Another lobsterman hauling traps

Kevin and Sharlene headed back to Burnt Cove

We haven't stopped for a minute. Island friends coming and going all the time and we had our great friends John and Cherre spend five days up here with us. We managed to fit in as much as possible during their stay and by the time they left we were all thoroughly exhausted!

Boating, Lobstering (thank you Kevin), Clamming, Fishermans Day, Sunday picnic (thanks Sharon and Blaine), Chiminea fires on the deck, Nervous Nellies Jams and Jellies and lots of good memories. Oh - and a whoopie pie for Cherre's birthday!