Sunday last day in J-Ville Florida.

FINALLY made it out for a sea trial with the green crew.

I am very pleased to say that everyone did very well with it.

This is a tough thing though. They are trying to learn a whole new language about sailing, with new terms, and lots of procedures. I am very rusty in my skills, and am trying to get back up to speed myself.

When you add the problem of two "very large" adults who are hard to get around in a small space, the heat, and the fact that for the most part none of them have ANY boating experience to speak of....well I think they did great.

Britney has called "dibs" on that spot way out on the bow, and seems to enjoy the quiet as we are moving thru the water.

Nick is doing well with trying to stay focused with all this new information flowing in, and while his stomach is a little uneasy, he seems to be learning ways to deal with that too.

Miss Bonnie is watching everyone flying around, listening to all the new weird terms, and being very concerned about where "all this junk" is going to go?"

I have to be careful and remind myself that she has the Cancer, and even in her good weeks the chemo makes here tired. It's hot, and a lot of activity, and she has been being a real champ.

When I am giving directions, especially on the boat, I speak loud, and get a little stern, so it can easily be misconstrued for being mad, when I am not. It think it is a leftover from the Marine Corps, and most folks don't know how to take it. To some folks it sounds like yelling, but I am really just trying to make myself clear....."crystal clear".

So far the plan is to actually depart Jacksonville FL today, probably sometime in mid afternoon.

We will try to leave in time to take advantage of the outgoing tide in the St. Johns River where we are berthed, and ride it out towards the ocean, where we will go south on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) towards St. Augustine FL.

The is an Air Show scheduled for for over around Amelia Island FL for around 1630 (4:30pm), and I would like to be out there in time to see it but my guess is it will be a miracle if we make it out there by dark....lol

I had thought about seeing the local huge fireworks display, but then The Crew informed me that I was running a day ahead of time in my brain and seeing the J-Ville fireworks would involve staying another day.

So the sun is coming up, and it's time for me to get rolling on some things I need to do before the Crew wakes up.

I do want to say that while there has been a lot of work to do, and money has been spent, this boat so far has exceeded ALL my expectations. It sails like a champ, is very stable, seems pretty fast even when I am not trying to squeeze every bit of speed out of her I can get, and it's a pretty boat as well.

Because I did not have the time to bring all my sign stuff with me, I have not painted the name on the boat.

Miss Bonnie insisted we could not travel without a name, so I finally relented and went down to the local "Signs this very freakin second" stick on sign shop", and was going to order some vinyl letters from a local place. This was ALL very much against my ego to pay some other Dude over a hundred scoots for some stick on crap, but I was trying to be sensible. After all I can only be some many things at one time.

Evidently the "stick on, crap sign business" is good enough around here that the local "Sign Guys" do NOT need to work Saturdays, so I was rescued from the prospect of doing all that.

I just don't think I can deal with someone else's plastic on my boat. I'll deal with it after I get it back to NC.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! While this holiday has so much to do with our history if rebellion, and revolution, I think it would be a great time fr us ALL to take a look at things that are going on around us in our country, and ask some very serious questions about if we are conducting ourselves in a manner of "the loyal opposition" and just how damaging all this divisiveness in our country is. I think of folks that call themselves Christians but have no charity or compassion. Call themselves Patriots, but then put profit over people and ship much needed jobs overseas.

I see trouble on the horizon, and it's not from China (although they do scare me) or Muslims, or the Russians......it's from US....the Citizens of the U.S. who are becoming so polarized that I am afraid we have become our own worst enemy.

Greed, self centeredness, and concentration of wealth in the hands of too few may well be our downfall. It's a historical thing that has repeated several times throughout history.

We have a lot of questions to answer and it's not about President Obama, it's about each and every one of us, our values, and if we are on the SAME TEAM or not?

Am I REALLY "my Brothers keeper", am I REALLY following the instruction to "Love One another"? Is this one nation or not?

I am a Veteran, and some days I hear a LOT of stuff that I just don't understand. They say "this is what we fought for". Well a lot of what I see and hear these days is NOT what I signed up to Honor, Protect, and Defend.

We have met the enemy......and unfortunately.....he really IS US.