Post #48: We made it!

Friday to Wednesday, November 20 - 25, 2020

Over 1,614 miles at about 6 miles per hour, living on the boat for 61 days, moving it for 48 of those days and we made it to Cocoa Village Marina in Cocoa, Florida on the day we said we’d get here! And it rally felt great to look back at the last bridge we would have to go under or go through for six long weeks.  Huzzah!

We made a reservation at Cocoa Village Marina from Thanksgiving to after New Year’s with the intention of renting a car and driving back to DC to spend the whole holiday season with our children and grandchildren. But due to the Covid surge, we thought it most prudent to stay here and not travel.  I know that many of you had to make similar heart-wrenching decisions.  We’ll all just have to make up for it next year!

We’ve spent the last few days cleaning the boat, restocking groceries, doing laundry, etc., all the exciting stuff. It’s been pretty rainy and windy but we are not complaining as the temperature has been in the mid-70s.  We are transitioning from thinking about Onward as a vehicle to get us to the next destination to now living aboard in one place.  She is truly our Tiny House.

We’ve explored Historic Cocoa Village, just two blocks away from the marina.  It’s a compact, funky, artsy, fun kind of town with dozens of restaurants, shops, live theatre (!), a lovely municipal park at the water’s edge, and masks are required so it feels so much safer than St. Augustine.

The park benches and even the electrical transformers have been decorated:

Even though it’s just the two of us for Thanksgiving, we planned a traditional menu so it would feel  more festive.  I needed to find a pie pan since I hadn’t packed one, thinking we’d be in DC.  This precipitated a walk to the nearby hardware store, S.F. Travis and Company—and a step back in history. Owned and operated by the same family in the same location since 1885, it’s been described as “a museum that actually sells tools and hardware.”  If you need something, they have it.  If you don’t need something, they have it, too. And there’s no extra charge for dust.  We could have spent hours in there!

They also had all sorts of old fishing, hunting, and space-related photos around the store, including this one, which I believe is actually legit.  It certainly was taken long before PhotoShop existed:

Back on the boat, I realized I didn’t pack a rolling pin, either.  David improvised by soaking and peeling the label off a wine bottle. It worked quite well!

Tomorrow we’ll roast our turkey breast and mash some potatoes.  And watch those marvelous Rockettes!

A friend sent us this message and I’d like to share it with you, “Wishing you a meaningful Thanksgiving, some delicious family favorites and the ability to connect, in some way, with those that bring joy to your life.”  Happy Thanksgiving!