Okay, it's not red, but we've got a nifty little white Subaru 5-speed wagon and we're hoping that it won't plotz when we load all our stuff and lash Marjorie on the roof racks. Thank you Stu, who sold his car because he's headed for Japan with the Navy.

We spent a lot of time today on the phone (on hold) with our car insurance company, and then a very long time at the DMV to register the car. The lady who helped us there was expecting a grandchild to be born very soon, so we were hoping a call wouldn't interrupt the incredibly lengthy paperwork she was taking care of for us. We are truly foreigners here, but people are so very nice to us.

We had an interesting trip up the ICW from Vero Beach to Green Cove Springs, including the prize for the worst boat name, possibly ever: "Breaking Wind."

We always have the vhf on channel 16, and often hear stuff we just plain don't understand. "Let's dog some steers for a minute." We passed a large family group fishing from a small boat, and when we waved, one of the little boys piped up and shouted "BONJOUR!" I thought that was pretty good.

The ICW is generally a very placid sort of motoring day, and I got a lot done, packing and cleaning, and it all seems to need to be done over and over again.

This is boat life. Clean something, move something, repair something, move it back, clean it again, and repeat. When you get bored of this, look at birds and scramble to grab your glasses and your bird book: green parrots, anhinga, an osprey every 1/4 mile, hawks, oyster catchers, great blue herons, and I thought I saw an Hudsonian Godwit, but after sober contemplation, it was probably a common Willet. Also a brilliant Swallow-tailed Kite trailing about 3 feet of Spanish moss. It looked like he was sky-writing or dancing. I'm thinking it was all on purpose, since he could probably pick that stuff off his feet if he wanted to.

Easter weekend in the waterway was busy. Lots of small boat traffic in a channel about 200 ft wide, and many boats were hauling small children on inflatibles at high speed, weaving in and out of the other boat wakes. We heard one guy on the radio saying, "hang on, I've got a guy going by who's trying to get rid of a couple of kids." I felt my granny-glands kick in, and thought, what are they thinking? Of course, they're thinking it's a brilliant long weekend in Florida and we're out on the water having a fabulous time.

All the other people on the water have fishing lines out. There are so many fishermen in Florida, there should be no fish left here at all. This is a water sport state. Also a sleeveless t-shirt, backwards hat, armadillo roadkill, spanish moss sort of place. Lots of people and buildings just beyond the water's edge. We anchored just south of Jacksonville and were awakened in the middle of the night by a helicopter searchlight, policeboat, and shortly afterwards, shots fired. Today, we acknowledged that we're a bit overwhelmed by the culture change.

Also, we saw a Mallard duck. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto.

We are facing last things in everything we do, and it's hard to contemplate. So we just keeping working, and taking our vitamins and being good to each other, and throwing things out and giving stuff away. All therapeutic.

Hoping to haul early next week.