2020-03-15 — Friends, Family, Weddings (Detroit – Orlando).

We always try to stay in touch with friends and so enjoy visitors. Our friends Ron & Nancy (SV Mandala) were visiting in Stuart and took time to run to see us in Palm Beach Gardens. LONG time readers will remember us sharing our “freshen year – 2013” with them and SV EleanorQ. Mandala went on to sail to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. We learned ALOT from Ron & Nancy that first season and forever grateful.

It was a great visit with Ron & Nancy but we were off and on our way to Detroit well before sunrise the next morning. Awaiting our Uber at Palm Gardens

We did do well on the packing front!

We were off to Detroit to celebrate the wedding of my niece Janine & Rami. As you tell by the snow, we will do anything to support family….snow though????

Events started upon arrival with a mixer at a local place in Royal Oak. The wedding couple plus our whole family included.

My nephew-inlaw Adam is currently deployed so flat Adam stood in…his mother and though were representing and enjoying the festivities.

My beautiful niece and and nephew. Btw, the church is absolutely beautiful. Rami is from Iraq but Chaldean (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldean_Catholics). He and Janine have been together for 8 years and the what I know, Rami is the hardest working person there is. There is much for him to be proud of yet he is the humblest among us. He make my niece smile so that is all there is needed.

My nephew Giacomo and Made of Honor

My Dad stood in for Adam and walked with my niece/his granddaughter Lori

Beautiful couple! Congratulations.

Baker Family (L-R) my brother Jimmy and Angie, my sister Kimberly and Jim, Janine/Rami, my mom and dad.

My mother enjoying the joyous evening.

Father daughter dance, just beautiful!

Brother Jimmy, sister Kimberly and me.

It was a short weekend in Detroit. We did slip in a breakfast with my friend Rosemary and another couple Mick & Denise who hope to be future cruisers. Hopefully you will see them again in this blog!

Returning from Detroit we only had 4 days till the next weekend and there were chores and errands to complete. I mounted my trusty “stead” and headed off.

Even boaters have to wait on bascule bridges though for us….seldom from this side!

My “man-cave” also known as the Pilothouse has been lacking a computer desk. An old barbecue mounting bracket and a trip to the welding shop and very INEXPENSIVE cutting board and poof here you go. Obviously the welding shop was once of the stops along with the required West Marine stop as well.

It was a short week with a few chores and then off to Orlando to attend fellow GevIV cousin Shannon to Colin. Speaking of GenIV, we started the afternoon off with lunch with GenIVs Liam & Carolyn….how many GenIVs you ask??? Too many to count!