Well, all good things must come to an end. (Bad things, too, I
guess.) We have dreaded writing this page. This will be our final
entry for the trip. We meandered through the Tennessee River going only 40
miles per day for the past few days. David and Karen were with us.
We wanted them to enjoy a little break, but we also wanted to prolong the trip a
bit. We locked through the last lock, Ft. Loudon Lock. Usually the
most turbulent lock of all, the lock operator gave us a slow lift. Past
the lock we anchored in the cove. Launching the dinghy, we ferried our
guests ashore. We were not ready to tie up in our slip in the marina and
begin our work season yet. Dana Farrell rode out to see us while we were
ashore. Next Lynn, from Suite Forty Eight, motored out to say
hi. Others reported seeing us out there. Our old pals know us
well. The next day we eased into our slip with Bret, the marina manager
giving a hand. It felt good to be home. We tied our custom cut lines
to the boat and hooked up the electric power. Amber Isle got a
quick rinse and gave a sigh of relief. Little had changed here. A
few new boats. A few new marina hands. The biggest change was a new
marina restaurant, the Key Largo Grille. They specialize in
seafood, and we enjoyed a blackened grouper sandwich. Next chore, removing
stuff from the boat for storage. Fenders, spare dock lines, anchors,
anchor lines, parts, and more. We took off 8 cartloads of stuff. The
boat seemed tons lighter. We walked the docks and visited with old
friends. How can it be so good to leave, then so good to return? Of
course, the first question on everyone's mind is: Will Heronomous Merkin
find true love? Will Valt and Sandy return to the Bahamas next year?
And when? And of the answer: We don't know.
