Family, Celebrations, Holidays and Other Happenings

Home for the Holidays

After our arrival in Titusville on November 9th, we settled into our "home port" routine of seeing doctors, visiting family and preparing for the holidays. Bridgette and her boyfriend, Griff, came from Charleston to attend a wedding in Tampa, and added a whirlwind tour from Titusville to Palm Beach Gardens and Satellite Beach to visit grandparents while they were here.

Wedding Guests, Bridgette and Griffin 

Bridgette's childhood friend, Naomi,
on her Wedding Day 

Bridgette and Naomi on Another
Special Day, Long Ago

Within a week we would be joining Bridgette again in Charleston for Thanksgiving, and to help her out during recovery from knee surgery. Before that, though, Steve and I celebrated an early Thanksgiving with both sets of parents in Satellite Beach, with Steve preparing the first of two traditional turkey dinners.

Bridgette's surgery and subsequent post-op recuperation went very well, but I stayed two weeks to help out with cooking, errands, and - most importantly - pup duty. For those of you who know me well, cooking is not my forte and I cooked more in those two weeks than I have in the last year! I was pleasantly surprised with my efforts though, and under Bridgette's direction, I tried new recipes and experimented with new spices.

Once Bridgette was comfortable to drive and could get around on her own, Steve drove back to Charleston to pick me up and we returned to Titusville. We got back just in time for a happy hour with my former group from Siemens and I was quite excited to see everyone, especially since I hadn't seen some of the folks since Steve and I retired two years ago!

Up until early December, we had been moored outside the Titusville Marina, but we were fortunate enough to be able to move to a dock on December 7th and stay there through the holidays.  We typically prefer being moored or on anchor but during times when we have a lot of projects going on or have a lot of guests, being on a dock is much simpler. 

At this point, with December well underway, we spent the next few weeks visiting friends, running errands, and enjoying the Christmas season.  The whole season felt particularly festive to me this year, because both daughters would be joining us for Christmas, and it would be the first time in years that we had our parents and daughters with us to celebrate. I was also very excited to go to a "dress-up" Christmas party - complete with DJ.  We decided to stay at a hotel near the venue so that we could walk to the party and not have to worry about driving home afterward. We stayed and danced at the Balcony (which is on the rooftop of one of the buildings in downtown Orlando) until the wind started knocking over the tall tables, ripping the portable dance surface off of the floor, and causing the beautiful, swagged Christmas lights to whip dangerously overhead. Even so, it was a magical evening, and I was complimented on my dance partner, who was one of the few men joining his wife on the dance floor.

Cinderella and Prince Charming

After the Christmas party, I started counting down the days until our boatload of guests arrived:  Jessie, Will, their dog (Tito), Will's mom (Dana), Bridgette and her dog (Mae). They arrived on Thursday, December 21st and by then Steve had installed our doggie drawbridge. Up until then, Steve had been lifting Jake on and off the boat from the dock (which Jake hates) but trying to do that with three dogs would have been a bit much.  Jake was thrilled to abandon the lifting routine, and immediately started using the drawbridge even though he hadn't used it in the past two years.

Both Mae and Tito also used the drawbridge without much hesitation, which was a big relief to us all. All three dogs also warmed up to one another quickly and handled the tight quarters very well. 

Tito Cuddles Up with Bridgette

Six adults and 3 dogs is the largest group we've had stay overnight on Starry Night but she accommodated the group comfortably. During the few days on the boat before Christmas, Jessie, Will, Dana and I spent some time exploring the Cape Canaveral National Seashore and surrounding area, and Bridgette - who still had limited mobility - and Steve did some shopping and kicking back in one of the local restaurants.

Steve and Bridgette Enjoying
a Pre-Christmas Afternoon

We did have one bit of excitement while the grandpups were visiting. One morning after a dinghy outing to an island across the way from the marina, Mae jumped off of the dinghy and began racing down the dock towards Starry Night (and her mom), trailing her leash behind her. She made the turn onto the doggie drawbridge at a high rate of speed.  At that point, Dana and I watched - in what seemed like slow motion - as Mae's leash caught on to the ramp, and momentum whipped Mae into the water. I quickly made my way onto the dock and grabbed Mae by the collar. Thankfully, she's a good swimmer because she was too heavy for me to lift out of the water, and I was unable to do anything but keep her next to the boat. Jessie and Will arrived shortly and, with Jessie lifting Mae by the scruff of her neck and Will grasping underneath her arms, they managed to hoist Mae back onto the boat no worse for wear.

Christmas Cookies - Bahamas-style

We spent Christmas Eve, as is our tradition, at Steve's parents' house cooking and eating homemade pork cutlets and cioppino, an Italian seafood stew.  

Opening Gifts with Norm and Pat Holland

Christmas Eve in Satellite Beach

On Christmas morning, we piled into two cars and headed to Palm Beach Gardens to celebrate with my parents, Bill and Pat.

Christmas Day in Palm Beach Gardens

Tito and Mae Nap While the Rest of Us Visit

Fair Warning:  "Here Comes Santa Claws"

While we were in south Florida, I was also fortunate to see my former coworkers from UTOS (United Technologies Optical Systems) which was the first company I worked for after college. Many of these people, I had not seen in over twenty years!  I was apparently too busy talking to take pictures of the old gang but did manage to get one of Bridgette and my parents.

Bridgette with her Nana & Pop-pop
at UTOS Annual Reunion

After our reunion lunch, Steve and I returned to Titusville to begin preparation for the upcoming trip to the Bahamas and to finish up various tasks that needed to be done before we could leave, and the rest of our family headed to their respective homes.

With that, the holiday celebrations were officially concluded. The time spent seeing family and friends was exactly as wonderful as I had hoped it would be and left me feeling that my soul had been refreshed. What more could a person ask for?