Stuart, Florida (Long-Time Chrysanthemum Capital of the World)

So, in answer to the anchoring or marina question, we do a little of everything; mostly anchoring, then marinas, and then buoys (tomorrow will be our first if we can get one).

So, we anchored out for two nights when we first got to Stuart, but then brought the boat in to the marina for three nights because we were hoping friends would stop by to visit and we were happily treated to several of those visits, so it was absolutely worth it.

Plus, nothing is better than being able to ESCAPE when one needs to, just getting away for the afternoon can save one's sanity.  Retail therapy is awesome at those times, seriously.

Our first escape was with our dear friend Joan, who was great about letting us have packages delivered to her home in Jensen Beach.  She arrived at the marina office looking for Gary and as soon as she said his name, he walked in the door.  Perfect because there were lots of boxes and it took both of them to carry them all.

Joan and me sitting together at the
memorial park dedicated to Reed
near their home

She could only visit a little while that first day but it was so good to see her.  One of the things I love about Joan is her sense of humor; you just never know what's going to come out of her mouth--we laughed a lot!  We've  known each other for at least 20 years.  I met her when I started working for GEICO at the Maryland office.  And of course, through her, I met her husband Reed, whom we so sadly lost to cancer earlier this year.  

Pretending to be Joan for a few minutes

We made plans to get together the next morning.  She would be doing some volunteering at a local mall for the Salvation Army and we'd go with her and do some shopping for the guys, who both needed shorts and pants.  Joan (and Reed) have done volunteer work for so many years and their names are synonymous with the giving spirit.  I'm proud to know them, not only because I love them, but because of how much they give to the community.

Saw this guy at Joan's new house;
we loved the play with OCD. 

It felt weird to walk into the mall.  It hadn't been that terribly long, but everything seemed too loud and too bright, BUT there were Annie's Pretzels and Chick-Fil-A fries, so it wasn't too bad.  I also got a chance to sit with Joan at the Angel Tree table to help a little with her work for the morning.  After the mall experience, we went to visit her new and old homes (lots of real estate transactions going on) and then she suggested a place in Jensen Beach for lunch called "Crawdaddy's." 

Delicious and we had music to boot.  We got a big bowl of crawfish as an appetizer; I only had a few bites because I used to have a pet crawfish when I was a kid.  Well, I did until it crawled under the shed, never to be seen again. 

Because we ended up sitting right next to the band area, Dennis the musician said he would not play too loud.  He did covers, but did a good job at them and played a good selection.  When he played Joan and Reed's song (just a strange coincidence), we all got a little weepy.

Joan and I have a date for Tuesday night to do "The Taste of Jensen Beach," at which restaurateurs have tables outside their places with selections of their best dishes.  That will be fun and delicious; I can't wait!

We've been around the town a couple of times.  Today, after a great visit this morning with our friend (and Elliott's orthodontist) Mary and some of her friends, I got the fridge started on defrosting and since I had time until I could repack it, I sauntered into town. Spent money (but no regrets) on myself at The Gauze Shop (you know, a couple of flowy things that are bound to get tangled in the shrouds), and had a lovely pizza lunch with tiramisu boxed up for very conspicuous consumption later.  (Is it later yet?)

When I finally made it back to the boat, Gary suggested we join the local community at an outdoor viewing of "Frozen."  My first reaction was a little chilly (ha), but we finally settled on going since neither of us had seen the film, so I packed a blanket for sitting, an extra sweatshirt, and some warm socks because it really can get cold when the sun takes a hike at sundown.

Waiting for "Frozen" to start.

We walked and walked and finally made it to Memorial Park, where the event was being held.  Girls were everywhere (there had been a princess parade earlier), and the movie started.  Elliott said he did not want to stay and could he go buy a pizza or something; okay, slide him a twenty just so he wouldn't whine.

He came back and said it would be an hour but that he was willing to wait way over there (away from the movie) and bring it back; we said okay.

The movie wasn't terrible, typical Disney fodder, but the singing voices, wow, wow, wow!  And it was terribly cute when a lot of the young audience joined in singing the songs.

Afterwards, we found Elliott at the Italian restaurant, Papi's, with a whole family around him listening to his stories of cruising; this kid.  Came back to the boat to find that the defrosting of the fridge and subsequent cleaning out left it a little bare.

Thankfully, the Farmer's Market is in the morning by the river walk and I hear very good things about it.  Fresh fruits would be heavenly!  And we can stay in our slip until the afternoon, when we hope another guest arrives!