NOT the Bahamas

I've lost faith in the Almanac. Average temps. and precipitation - was the forecast for the Mid Atlantic part of the US, but we've already had record snow falls and the temps are hovering around the 35 range for the highs.

The water has frozen oven, but since the sun came out, the ice broke apart to resemble floating icebergs. The ducks are still here, dodging the floating obstacles, sending Chopper into fits of uncontrolled drooling and barking. I helplessly watch as he runs down the deck of LM giving them a good chase, waiting for that nightmare scenario where he slips on the varnish and plunges into the frozen Arctic below. Then, without hesitation (that's key) I jump in after him, only to find that all the clothes I'm wearing are slowly pulling me down, and then I don't remember what all the fuss is about, coz I'm drifting into a nice warm sleep, if only I could reach that fuzzy white pillow floating next to me... then T comes out to see what the splashing was, only to find us floating in a frozen embrace... the end. I try keep these nightmares to a minimum, coz on a boat there are so many scenarios that could be classified as "nightmarish", that I would have to dedicate a significant amount of time to imagine them right. Thanks for indulging me on that one, though.

Anyway the snow came, buried us and left. We shoveled, we salted, we drank warm beverages, we shoveled and salted some more. The live aboarder comradery was almost palpable. There are about 20 other liveaboards in the marina, and there's nothing like a snow storm to bring us closer together. People who have never spoken to each other except the perfunctory "Hi how ya doin?" were having strangers over for hot beverages. One guy came aboard our boat and asked if we needed anything, namely bread or milk. Bread and milk seemed to be the essential staples that everyone was buying in preparation for the Big Snow. In fact 3 of our local supermarkets were all out of milk except the 0 percent, and when we went to scope out the situation later, even that was gone. 0 percent milk, really?

Floating with Christmas lights on

An brave boater sets out on the Bread and Milk mission

Chopper makes his way down the dock, knee deep in snow

Bill the Dockmeister seeing everything that goes on!

This is the greatest marina, I'm sure of it. Its not a very "fancy" marina, no pool, no hot tub, no wi-fi, no floating docks. But Bill our dockmaster ran a new water line down the docks so that we could have water tru the winter. Is that super or what? Now if only the ducks flew south for the winter. Dumb birds. What are they doing here anyway? Wait... can they be saying the same thing about us?

Me Voy, we should have gone to the Bahamas!