July 1-21, 2020 Marina, etc

July 4
The city fireworks were cancelled this year.  They are usually right across the water from our marina.  This year, we decided to make use of the fire pit and have our own bonfire.  There were still several people in the neighborhood with fireworks, so we enjoyed what we could see from the comfort of our chairs.  

  

July 5 dolphin video
I have given up on trying to get photos of dolphins.  They disappear quickly.  I decided to take this video for several friends that ask for photos. Enjoy!

The clubhouse was closed for any gatherings earlier this month.  A few ladies were doing yoga together in the mornings.  We decided to start walking together.  

we started out "social distancing"

Mary, Catherine, Karen, LeAnn

It was very hot July 14, so we decided to go for a walk on the beach on Jekyll Island.  The beach was great, but crossing the dunes was REALLY HOT.  There was no breeze, and the sand almost burned our toes.

 
A new brewery opened downtown Brunswick.  It was supposed to open at the first of the year.  We were impressed with their brews.  Another Dave from our dock joined us.

 

yes you can drink a beer with a mask, teehee

Many boats make shades to block some of the sun while docked in Georgia.  Dave saw another boat with yard and garden material and thought that would be better than tarp material.  So he ordered the material and went to work.

 

 An ongoing project is replacing the bimini and dodger.  After looking at several other boats, we decided to replace the top of the dodger with a hard top.  Dave found the material he wanted and had it shopped here.  He has been putting off this project during hurricane season with the rains and winds.  

A local bar downtown started having open mic on Tuesdays.  Pete sang several songs 2 weeks on a row.  I used my phone to record him. 

Here is a traditional Irish Song, Pig's Can't Swim.  One written with his previous band, Dancing Party.  And my favorite, a cover song by Neil Young, Old Man.  If you want to see more, check out Peter A.E. Roth on YouTube.com

June 2020 Boat friends and projects at Brunswick Landing Marina

Since I am behind on my blog, I am going to include some memories, jogged by my photos, of what we did over the summer.  Remember, we’re retired, so mostly we relaxed.
During our life on the water, we see friends come and go.  And we often meet up again.  Many of us feel that we get to know our boating neighbors better than we did in out land dwelling homes.  
On June 1, two boats with sailing friends left together to head up the East Coast this summer.  Deby and Bjarne Lantz Sørensen on Lantz-a-Lot and Gene Shannahan on Tosh.  We will miss them.

the send off crew on the dock

Gene on Tosh

Bjarne and Deby on Lantz-a-Lot

Beverly and Ralph didn't realize they were leaving so early.  Ralph is waving over his shoulder at their boats

Dave finished replacing the air conditioner duct work.   That created the job of cleaning all the accessible areas that haven’t been touched since we bought the boat 7 years ago, and probably since it was built in 2007. 

 

a piece that connects the air conditioning duct work

Another going away party.  Sylvia and Bill Mueller have been friends since we first stayed at Brunswick Landing Marina in December of 2014.  They are from St Paul, MN, so we have that bond.  The sad part about their departure is that they are selling their boat.  But you never know when and where you will see each other again.  We’ll miss their great sense of humor.

Pati, Mary, Susan, Sylvia, Nancy, Day

Bill couldn’t separate their water hose from the spigot on the dock.  Dave volunteered to help, but broke off the fixture, which involved shutting off the water to our dock to repair.  (See the water fountain to the right of Bill.)  

Bill wondering if he should ask Dave to help with anything else

Pete starting working again in June after his 4 month hospital stay and recovery.  He took some time to think about what he wanted to be doing.  He said he was always his happiest when making bread.  Rather than apply at restaurants or bakeries, he decided to check with the grocery store chains.  They will have better schedules and benefits.  He was hired by the first place he applies, also his first choice.  The Publix chain is a wonderful business in the south.  Only employees can own stock, hence the name Publix.  Their service and image are important.  They are starting him in the meat department, but will also train him in the bakery.   

not actually taken on his first day

What a better way to celebrate the first day of summer than to have Nan’s hibiscus bloom.  


We replaced the through hulls while the boat was out of the water last month, but Dave needed to finish the job of replacing the hoses to the heads.  Not a pretty job.  The photo of the old hose shows the build up on the inside walls.  Besides decreasing the efficiency of the heads, the hoses begin to stink over time.  Have I said lately how much I appreciate the work Dave does to keep this boat floating and functioning?

May 20-22, 2020 Cumberland Island

 Wednesday, May 20-After a lazy morning, Dave and I took the dingy to Cumberland Island.  You can only access the island by boat.  Usually, there is a ferry that brings people from St Mary’s, GA every day.  They aren’t running the ferry because of the pandemic.  So there were very few people on the island.  There are 2 docks on the west side on the ICW.  We went to the southern dock.  There are ruins at this end and fewer hiking trails.  The final section of the trail to the beach was on a road through the sand dunes.  We saw a couple dozen wild horses grazing, deer and armadillos.  The beach was deserted, which was also great.

love the trees in the south

we had to cross the sand dunes to reach the ocean

kind of a road to follow

finally, the ocean

rare to have a beach like this to yourself

 

 

wild armadillo

 There is a feral heard of horses on Cumberland island.  The numbers range from 120-150.  They are not supported by humans.  With fewer visitors this year, we saw quite a few at the southern end of the island.

 

There are ruins on the island.  These are of the Dungeness mansion.  This area had several prominent residents.  James Ogelthorpe first built a hunting lodge in this area in 1736 and named it after Dungeness, Endland.  The remains in the photos were from a mansion built by Thomas Carnegie completed in 1886.  The Carnegies owned 90% of the island and built other estates for their children.  They moved out in 1925, and the mansion was destroyed by fire in 1959.  It is now part of the National Park Service. 

 

this magnolia tree blossom was about the size of my palm

Thursday, May 21- we loved being at anchor again.  It had been almost a year since we arrived at the marina in Brunswick, GA.  So we decided to open another night.  Today, Dave, Pete and I hiked Cumberland Island.  We went to the northern dock where the ferry usually lands.  There was a ranger station and more hiking trails with campsites.  We took the Sea Camp trail to the beach.  The last section had boardwalks to cross the dunes.  Again, there were very few people at the beach. 

another armadillo

beautiful trail

horseshoe crab

 

Friday, May 22- We headed back to Brunswick on the ICW today.  We were going to pass Jekyll Island at low tide and it gets very shallow in that area.  So we anchored in St Andrews Sound on the south end of Jekyll Island to wait for the tide to rise. We made it back to the marina with no troubles.