Who knew that a less than $3 laser pen from Walmart could provide hours of entertainment so funny I damned near wet my pants? 

We’re currently house (and kitty)-sitting for our friend Julene in Sunnier Palms, Fort Pierce Florida, in the same park we hung out in while boat-shopping. 

Julene (seated right) and her friend Wendy (seated left) in Philly while Wayne and I mind the fort—and Julene’s kitty.

While our boat sits in the Fort Pierce City Marina docks bearing a For Sale sign, we don’t want to stray too far from the area. 

S/V Gallivant, in Fort Pierce, looking for someone to take her on new adventures.

We like to give the boat a little primping and cleaning before showings, want to be on hand for any prospective buyer questions that might require us to be present, and someday soon we expect a sea trial—in fact we have an out-of-town offer and that big showtime is this coming week.

Fingers crossed all goes well with this coming weeks for our boat sale. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Besides, it’s hurricane season and we’re holding off stripping s/v Gallivant naked of her sails before a sea trial, even though the marina prefers it this time of year. We’re close to the marina—a 20-minute drive—and would get enough notice to take them down if we’re in the path of a hurricane.

We’re hoping Gallivant will never need to weather anything like this, though it is hurricane season in Florida until November. Photo by Ray Bilcliff from Pexels

Shiva amuses us with what we call stupid cat tricks, but she’s a clever furry tyke who’s stolen our hearts as she graduates from biting and scratching for attention to mewling and head-bonks. 

Shiva “helping” with the mail in her best attorney-advisor mode.

We’re grateful to Julene and the Sunnier gang for welcoming us (and especially John who showed us how to torment our loaner kitty with laser-light) while we figure out our what-next, which could very well be right here. Shiva-kitty wins the prize, though, for providing the purrfect here-and-now distraction to keep us from worrying about our future.

Shiva in boneless-kitty mode, in one of her precious mellower moments.

 Location Location

Harvesting pineapple from Sunnier. There’s more. The hacksaw wasn’t needed as the pineapples twist right off when ripe.

We’re in Fort Pierce, Florida. Instead of sailing to along the eastern seaboard this summer or to the tropics in November, we’re in the tropics right here and now. Our fondest memories and some of our closest friends are a result of our cruising. I’m sure our boating days (and I will post a video when I create it of the terrific 3-day kayaking trip I took with my buddy Tom and the gang of Go Kayaking Tours) are far from over, while we prepare for this bye.