Back from Reality

Lucky me! I spent Thanksgiving on a houseboat on the St. Johns River!

Sixty-three feet of floating home-away-from-home gave the 8 of us plenty of space (although the sleeping quarters were a tad cozy), including a front deck, a back deck, an upper deck, a bath and half, and a kitchen that was big enough for a lot of cooks and the usual turkey and sides, plus 3 kinds of pie.

We anchored out on the river two nights and spent the other night docked at a state park. Kayaking, hiking, and music jamming kept everyone busy. Only one person did any Black Friday shopping! I got in a lot of reading time, which was like heaven for me.

There was plenty of time for reflection, too.

We saw lots of birds, a few snakes while hiking, and on the last morning we had a very special visitor: a manatee! We think he/she was enjoying the warm water from our generator, because we've had some cool nights and the river water is also cooling. What a treat to see this placid, friendly marine mammal up close!