7:00AM...DAY 6...CARRABELLE

Another day in port. The bride left me for the front cabin during the thunder and lighting storm last night and is still tucked in. It is still raining and probably will be on and off the rest of the day. However, things start getting better on Wednesday and it looks like a crossing will be possible on either Thursday or Friday. We need to move the Treadnwater B&B to Clearwater to greet Rob and Karen and friends on Friday. We really look forward to having them on board.

You definitely have to be retired to make this trip...8 days in Carrabelle would drive a working man to drink...well we find it helps even when you are retired. I think the blog has helped keep our sanity since, we feel in touch with the rest of the world. Since, the photos take about 7 minutes each to up load, you can see how busy I am this morning. However, it really is relaxing and the new friends we make daily has been great. Boaters, for the most part, are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Where else can you meet a couple at 4:00pm while you are tying up your boat and be out to dinner at 7:00pm with them. At every port people ask about people they have met and how far ahead or behind are they from you. The boater grapevine runs 24 hours a day and you look forward to meeting up again. In fact today we have 3 boats scheduled to arrive with couples we met 3 weeks ago...and everyone hopes they make it in. Weather is an equalizer to speed...trawlers are turtles and we are the rabbit, and we seem to catch up with each other.

As to the pictures, this is the homecoming parade ML mentioned last week. There was more to it, once we started talking to the locals. It seems this is the last homecoming for Carrabelle, since next year the school is being merged into a central district. A piece of history will die in this little fishing village on the "forgotten coast" of Florida. The football team, consisting of 16 players, won there final game and the sky was filled with fireworks for about a half hour. It is the story of the whole village as it closes it few stores and people drive to Apalachicola to Walmart.

The first couple of photos are of some of the many local floats that organizations and the kids built...not many roses were used, but there has to be a shortage of toliet paper in this town. The next one was a past queen and the girl in the pink was one of this years queen hopefulls...they got to ride in cars! The couple on the back of the pickup were last years king and queen, and give true meaning to "15 minutes" of fame.

The last photo is a shot of the only restuarant in town...Riverview. It is attached to a bar, Wild Willys, and a carry out. We may have to give it another chance tonight or it cocktails and pot luck in the gathering room. I vote for the pot luck, but the captain does not make this call.