November 22 - December 10

November 22 – December 10

We enjoyed our time and company in Mobile, AL before leaving for Thanksgiving. 

Cheers! Another successful day

I went to Cleveland – thanks, Dan and Ellen for being such wonderful hosts for Thanksgiving; and  thanks, mom and dad for letting me stay at your house! It was great seeing everyone. Thumbs up to Brian for deciding to go back to school; and we look forward to seeing Julie and Sophie in Sarasota in a few weeks. It's always good to come back home.

Rob went to New Orleans to visit Alan Smason who, after losing his home in Hurricane Katrina, came to Cleveland and worked at the CJN. Rob had never been to New Orleans, and Alan was a great host, having a lot of knowledge about the City.

Here's some information from Alan's blog:

I got an alert just before Thanksgiving that my old boss at the Cleveland Jewish News, Rob Certner, was considering coming to visit New Orleans. Since August Rob and his lady friend Debby have been traveling by a 43-foot trawler from out of Cleveland past Lake Michigan and down through the Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as well as the Tombigbee Waterway. While Debby was winging her way to have Thanksgiving dinner with Cleveland relatives, Rob had opted to rent a car and take the two-hour trip to the Crescent City. I offered him a place to stay, but more than that a deep immersion into the city of my birth. The first day we visited Domilise's, a po-boy restaurant noted for its fried seafood sandwiches and he was amazed. Later, after taking a tour of most of the parts of the city, Rob was then instructed in the making of and the drinking of the official New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac. Finally, we enjoyed a meal at Galatoire's Restaurant on Bourbon Street, a favorite of locals for decades. Rob and I enjoyed the latter part of the night sipping absinthe under the stars.

Alan and Annette Smason with Rob at Galatoire's

Is there any more an iconic New Orleans image other than Jackson Square with the imposing structures of St. Louis Cathedral flanked by the historic Cabildo and Presbytere on its left and right, respectively? In the picture at the top, Rob and I enjoy a spectacular view of the river with Jackson Square behind us. The twin Pontalba Buildings on the left and right sides of Jackson Square, which are the oldest apartment buildings in America, are mostly obscured by trees (at left) and out of view on the right. Then we made our way next door to historic Café du Monde to eat beignets and enjoy coffee with chicory. Rob had his coffee black and I had the more popular café au lait.

Thanksgiving at Commander's Palace

The piéce de résistance was the traditional Thanksgiving meal at world famous Commander's Palace Restaurant in the Garden District. The famous offerings include turtle soup and all manner of fresh Louisiana seafood. Rob and I had the turkey, while my mom enjoyed the redfish. Above we all enjoyed different desserts. Rob had the strawberry shortcake. My mom had the caramel cup custard, while I had the decadent white chocolate bread pudding souflé. All in all we had a magnificent meal to cap off Rob's visit. Rob and Debby will soon be off to visit more of the Gulf Coast, but I have good reason to believe he will be back soon.

Our plan was to meet back in Mobile Bay Monday, and travel to Pensacola Tuesday and Wednesday to catch flights to NYC to visit Rob's kids, Rachel, Brian, Becky and John. The plan was too aggressive. When boating, you only move when the weather cooperates, and the two days planned for travel definitely weren't boating days. So it's good to always have a Plan B! Since our flight was out of Pensacola, we rented a car and spent a few days in Rosemary Beach. Thanks, David and Ivy! We really appreciate your generosity for letting us stay in your penthouse suite. Rosemary Beach is a beautiful area, although quite a ghost town at this time of year. Although the beaches were deserted, we bundled up and enjoyed walking on them. We looked forward to having cocktails on the decks and watching the sun set, but in 30 degree weather, that didn't happen. It was a relaxing time, we appreciated the vacation from our adventure, and look forward to going back when it's warmer.

Sunset in Rosemary

Rosemary, 1st day was warmer

Beautiful Beach!

Calm before the storm

Our next journey was to New York to visit Rachel, Brian, Becky and John (Rob's kids). We enjoyed our Chanukah dinner and spent time in the city, which is beautiful during the holidays. We also ventured out to Claverack to spend time at Rachel and Brian's country home, shopped and had lunch with Brett (Deb's nephew). 

Lunch at Caracas Arepa (quite good!)

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Daddy with his girls (Becky and Rachel)

Tidbit: When we came back down to Mobile we were told by Meredith (Andiamo) that it is pronounced by the people down south as MoBeeeel, with the emphasis on the second syllable!

Again, weather was rough so we stayed put at Dog River Marina in Mobile Bay. Our thanks go to Bill and Meredith for inviting us to their home on Dauphin Island for some home-town gumbo. The next night we went to a BBQ restaurant with Bill, Meredith, Darrel and Sue.

Bill and Meredith... Home Sweet Home

At Bill and Meredith's

Sunset on Mississippi Sound

View from Bill and Meredith's Dock

Cruising time again! For the past two days we've been cruising with Sue and Darrel on Present Moment. Great fun! Just before entering Perdida Bay in Alabama we saw dolphins!!! So of course, I was on the decks for quite a while trying to capture photos, a feat not easily accomplished.

Since leaving Mobile, we stayed at Homeport Marina and had dinner at LuLu's, a popular restaurant on that is owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister. It's cute, but the food isn't that great. The next night, we stayed at  Palafox Pier Yacht Club, a new club in Pensacola, and had a great dinner at Jaco's.

AHHHH.... Almost in Florida!

LuLu's Restaurant at Homeport Marina

Sue and Darrel - Life is grand!

Sunset at Palafox

More Sunset

Somewhere along the way!

Palm trees! It must be getting warm!

So that brings us up to date. We're cruising across Santa Rosa Sound on the GICW (Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway), heading toward Apalachicola or Carabelle to cross the gulf, which will be an adventure in itself. If you want to get a humorous rendition of Jeff and Dorene's crossing, Check out their blog at 30belowlog.blogspot.com. I think the post is dated November 26.

Have a great week... thanks for following... and look for more, soon! xoxo

Happy holidays to all.