We are ready to explore and learn about Hog Cay which seems to be active with so many boats in the anchorage.  There is so much to say about this stop that I am breaking it into two parts. This first part I will focus on hanging out on the beach and the experiences with had with the people in the anchorage.  Next video we will go hiking and see this Cay.

First we land on the beautiful beach and see the famous hog cay palapa where everyone hangs out!  All day everyday, but especially in the evening for sunset.  Obviously, cruiser’s who visit leave our name hanging in the palapa.  As think back on this time and with Melissa passing so close to Hog Cay, I wonder what is there and what is not anymore.  Our first evening we experienced a great diverse group of people from around the world.  Incredible sailing stories beginning, in the middle, and near the end.  We all became a family helping each other out and ending the day together.
Two very young children were on the island sailing with their parents.  They were both around Lilia’s age so they were special.  First is Chloe, she is on La Passion with her older brothers and sister along with her parents and crew. Yes, it is big catamaran and they are from Great Britain.  Next, is Jack sailing with his two older brothers, Williams and Henry, with his parents, Dylan and Sally on Orion. They are from Great Britain, but the children were born in Hong Kong where they were working and then sold it all to sail.  Right now they are in Canada having returned to land so the kids could go to school and they can save up again to do it all over when the boys are teenagers.  What a plan!  These two little ones were the best entertainment.  One day Jeff who is sailing alone on a catamaran decided to help the children build their own sailing vessel after they found a large piece of styrofoam on the island to use for floatation.  These kids just would not give up ,of course, neither did Jeff.  Love the kids sailboat beached here with all the other dinghies.
A group including Dee and Rick took off to spear fish and gather conch the same day. Upon their return with tons of conch it was time to learn to cut, clean, beat, and cook conch - and make conch salad which is much easier, I learned.  We had one of the best meals on the beach that night.  Fresh fish and lots of fried conch and conch salad.  This was a great experience!  We first met Myron, the Commodore,  here on Hold Fast and he would  become a really close friend during out stay in the Raggeds.
I will close out this video with some sunsets from Hog Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas.

Our first stop in the Raggeds was Flamingo Cay one of the northern most islands or Cay that you come to when crossing over into the Ragged Islands from the EXumas.  This was a beautiful uninhabited island and pristine white sand beaches.  Fishing boats hand out here as you can see in the sunset pictures and do bring the sharks into this area.  There is a large sea turtle known in these waters but we are not sure this is him.  The sunset this evening was breathtaking.  The Sunrise did not disappoint either.   
Before we head out the next morning we check out the cave.  We have read about the Flamingo Cay Cave as one you can drive your dinghy into so we wanted to be sure and experience this as we don’t plan to leave the Raggeds this way.   So glad we took the time to have this experience!
The day was gloomy but we hoped for a nice ride down the eastern side of the islands, but as the wind and rain picked up we choose to dip back inside to the western side just north of Buena Vista Cay and head on down toward Hog Cay but not before we have some Dolphin visitors.    
We have read so much about Hog Cay and have decided to begin our exploring there.  The sun finally comes out and we enter and full anchorage which we did not expect in mid April.  We enjoyed our first evening and sunset before exploring Hog Cay.   Just one of the many pristine beaches and islands we will discover in this isolated part of the Bahamas.

EXUMAS

The crossing over to the Exumas was beautiful and we anchored that first night on the Southern tip of Norman’s Cay near the plane crash.  We were able to get Chicken Hawk up for some great pictures of Inked Mermaid and Journey anchored together.  We did not venture over to the plane crash, but the story goes that the old US Army Air Forces Custiss C-46 was filled with cocaine when it landed short of the runway.  Other stories say this is not true, yet this island is known as Pablo Escobar’s island.  One highlight of this anchorage was watching a sea plane land for tourist to see the plane crash and the spectacular sunset our first in the exumas where the water is so pretty and blue!

The Next morning we off for a beautiful ride down to Black Point, one of our favorite places in the  Exumas.  This was a perfect day on the water and we enjoyed the trip anchoring before another beautiful sunset.  We are ready to explore our old haunting grounds here.  

First up is a short hike to Nisimo’s Blow Hole which is over on the eastern side of the islands along the cliffs.  We got some great pictures and saw the Blowhole blow!  We enjoyed exploring the beach area looking for some shells and sea glass.  As well as exploring the rock caves which made for some great photo opts.  The walk back gives us a great look over the anchorage and the sandbar.


We head up to Emerald Sunset View - proof we have been there before is our old boat card on the wall.  We also get a our first Sands pink rattler - my favorite!  When we return to LeaAnn we find her beached.  Opps.  Dee and I are out of practice.  Rick and Christi return us to Journey where we wait out the tide and head back before sunset to retrieve her from the beach, but the good news we have Mama’s Coconut Bread!


Watching the wildlife around the docks is a great past time here especially when doing laundry or watching the unloading of the mailboat.  Quite a Site!  We finish up our time here with a Happy Hour filled with Rum Punch at the Black Point Yacht Club.  We are headed to the Ragged Islands and excited about this new adventure in the Bahamas.  Check out Inked Mermaid heading into the Ragged Waters….

Two days before Easter Sunday we leave the Ten Thousand Islands after anchoring out with Dan and Karen and head south to the Florida Keys and our favorite anchorage near Islamorade, Shell Key.  This is a long 81nm run but get in to enjoy a beautiful sunset.  This does not last long as we are off early the next morning to head up to Pumpkin Key where Scott and Mary and Rick and Christie are staging for our crossing to the Bahamas looks like a Sunday crossing.  The holiday traffic was active, but we arrived around 2:30.

Scott and Mary on Salt Wife come by and get us and we all head over to Inked Mermaid for Happy Hour and Happy Planning as we will leave the next morning at sunrise.  Easter Sunday - Resurrection Day, we pull anchor at 6:45 and we are off to cross the Gulf Stream and head over to the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas.
Rick and Scott decide to stop on the bank for the night, but we decided to head on to Great Harbour and anchor at dark because the seas were beautiful.  The water was perfect the entire afternoon and evening.  We weren’t alone as the two trawlers at Pumpkin Key were also coming along. One was in front and the other behind us.  Cruise ships were slowing moving or anchored along our path and looked like cities on the water.  Finally we see lights from shore ahead and know we are close.  It is hard to determine where other boats are so we slide in as close as we dare and drop the anchor.  The next morning is beautiful and the water is flat.
We soon learn we need to bring the boat into the marina to check in so we take a slip for a few days.  We also find out they charged us an extra $100 for Easter Monday holiday.  Oh well, what to do we are in another country.
The big excursion here was a dinghy trip up Shark River to the other side of Great Harbor and a beautiful beach and sandbar area.  But the real reason for the trip is the turtles.  When we return our winch fails.  But Rick, Dee, and JB Weld to the rescue, Just so you know it pulled her up the rest of our Bahamas trip.  The next day we meet Mark and Genevieve from Lake Lure, NC who have chartered a boat but the boat is having lots of problems.  We also meet Chocho from Cancun who takes us all up to The Rock for sunset.  Genevieve and I explore a little.
Finally, We enjoy a homemade pizza dinner at the marina and plan our departure with Rick and Christie for the Exumas and as soon as possible the Ragged Islands.  We are so excited.  Leaving the Berry Island was some of the worst seas I can remember. So thankful to round the north side and put the seas behind us.  Still a little rough, but time to fish.  All The Journey crews could bring on board is a Mr. Barry.
Heading in to Nassau area to anchor we passed all the cruise ships now off the dock and heading back to Florida and snuck into our anchorage just past sunset.  A sailing cat arrived during the night and lots of activity woke me up.  It appeared their swim platform had broken and their dinghy was sinking.  They worked hard I believe got the situation under control.  We didn’t see anyone the next morning as we headed out to the Exumas.  Of course, the generator needed an impeller.  Dee begins again working on Journey in exotic places in this case while moving.  We are Exumas bound.

We are back in Florida at the Port of the Islands just in time for sunrise and sunset over the port and boats decorated for Christmas.  Journey looks good in her red and white lights.  And lots of visits from the alligators.  This one was posing for Lilia.  We are excited about Christmas this year and spending Christmas Eve with the whole family.  So, lets break out the Grinch cups and Kick off the Christmas season with Lilia time - Don’t you love that hat!
Lilia loves horses and it is time to get her first ride on Cisco. She is so excited that she and Capi are going to ride.  This day gets both Hannah and Jesse back up on a horse with Lilia.  Smiles all around for this little girl.  This season is full of more Christmas fun like making waffles with Capi, Reading books, and lots of snuggles but lets not forget seeing the Christmas lights and feeding the giraffe! All In Capis favorite hat!  Don’t you love that picture.  Super Sweet.  Christmas Eve is here and watching Lilia and Carson is so much fun!  It was great to have everyone together again for my Mom and Dad.  I am not sure how many more we will have together with them.  The night ended with Christmas gifts at Mom and Dads and really watching the little ones open their presents.  Carson had share that time with Lilia this year. Oh, how I loved watching her with the baby doll and carriage.  Such a little momma, but babies do not get names.  Lots of laughs rounded out this Christmas Eve.
We were able to get a little more Lilia time over the holidays having her at the camper to watch her explore and play in a new environment.
Happy New Year from Solmates Journey!  We return in January to Journey to prepare for the run-up into the Okeechobee River to LaBelle for haul out and a bottom job on Journey.  We leave the marina and anchor out at White Horse with a spectacular sunset.  We had some dolphin visitors before…..We hate being on a schedule, but one we are on.  The morning before we head up while a cold front pushes down on top of us as we race to Fort Myers to get tucked in at Gibson Bight.  The sky, the waves, all looks pretty bad, but we pushed in and got anchored just as it passed.  We recovered and then said why sit here lets move on into the river passing through downtown Fort Myers and still seeing remnants of Ian.  We arrive early Sunday into LaBelle and are ready for a Monday morning haul-out.  This is a different kind of haul out and they all make me nervous, but Dee really liked being pulled out on a trailer.  Check it out.  Two days in the yard. Some great service for a bottom job and we are back in the water and headed back to the Port.  This time we really stop and experience this old Florida look with all the cows down at the river.  We anchor at Panther preparing to go back up the channel to the marina and spot the white pelicans for the first time and as always the hunting Osprey are all around.
Now it is time to catch up with old friends at the port of the islands and enjoy some ten thousand island fun and of course getting to know Grady.  One more visit back home to see Lilia before our three month trip to the Bahamas. This quick trip home brought brewery fun, reading more books by all.  Smores and the Life and Science Museum visit. So much fun with her.  WE will miss her so much over the next three months.
We arrive back prepping for the Bahamas and make our trip to St. Pete for our new dinghy and see our Shelby.  This is a sad high field story better left to tell over a strong cocktail.  We pick up our new LeaAnn.  WE are almost ready to untie the lines and head back to the blue blue water of the Bahamas.

After a year and 8 months, we returned to the United States from Mexico, but how did this happen?  We are the first to admit that we felt at home in Mexico.  We were fortunate to have met many great people who became like family.  We were a diverse group from all over,  but great friends (Texas, Idaho, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Canada, Sweden, and Russia).

How did we decide to leave?  This little girl who turned two in September held all the cards, our granddaughter Lilia or as we call her, Sunshine who we want to be closer to.  So we are Chasing Sunshine.  We know she is growing so fast, and we want more time with her so how can we easily see her more often?  Well,  Mexico was not the answer.  So the hunt began for a marina as we decided we would plan to cross back over to Florida before Christmas.

The marina hunt was of course the first piece of our puzzle.  After Ian hit the Gulf Coast of Florida, and this was the area we preferred, we knew it might be challenging.  Florida marinas are changing so much.  Live aboard marinas are getting harder and harder to find and the cost seemed to be going up everywhere we looked.  Either way, I was getting lots of Nos for an answer or put on a waiting list.  I did start my search at our old marina in Naples, Port of the Islands.  We have been here several times since we found it in 2019 and it always feels like home.  When I first reached out they did not have anything.  Yes, I bugged the dock master, Mike over and over and he promised me I would get the first opening.  Finally, in October we got the news he would have a place for us in November.  Having a slip and being able to plan was a huge relief to start moving forward with planning.
We were targeting around Thanksgiving.  Dee began watching the weather the first week of November and looking for what he had hoped would be a 4 to 5-day window.  We began to prep Journey for departure.  After living in Mexico for over a year and having lots of dock space we had spread out a little.  The meticulous process of cleaning out, throwing away, and repacking Journey began.  This was a process, but something we certainly needed to do after living in Mexico for so long.  We hadn’t been in and out of the same place for more than 6 months, so one year and eight months had caused us to set up house and spread out.   We had moved out of the public marina about 8 months after arriving and began renting dock space from a private owner.   

The Thursday before Thanksgiving, Dee says that he sees a window opening on Sunday the 19th.  We needed to go, so we really amped up packing and on Friday he put our Motorcycle up for sale.  Yes, we bought a motorcycle but when you buy one at the grocery store it is super easy and was great transportation for us.  We had our good byes on Friday evening and the motorcycle sold on Saturday morning.  It seemed like everything was working out until late Saturday afternoon when the front stalled and the weather forecast went south on us fast.   ​

We were so disappointed especially on Sunday morning when we woke to no change and had to make the decision to stay put.  We did spend the afternoon with friends and tried to enjoy some more Mexico time, but it was bittersweet.  At this time, it looked like Thursday or Thanksgiving Day would be the departure day so we began eating the food I had prepped and continued our planning to depart on Thursday.

Why was this an issue and so much disappointment?  One reason is the checkout process in Mexico and the cost.  So let me back up and share that procedure.  When we believed we were leaving on Sunday we began that process.  We had to check out on Friday due to the weekend and get all our paperwork straight with Mexico.  This cost $300 USD and the paperwork was to be good for 48 hours.  This really is for the US so we felt if we could get out within the week we would be good to get cleared into the States without starting this process again.  This led to our disappointment when looking at the weather and hoping for the Thanksgiving departure.

Monday afternoon the world changed on board Journey.  I was doing some work on my computer and Dee was on his iPad.  I didn’t realize he was checking the weather again, but I should have.  He sighed handed me the iPad and left the boat. When I looked at Thursday - the weekend was a mess.  A new front was developing and coming to stay for the weekend.  I looked and looked at all the windows over this period of time and of course, could find nothing.  So, I backed up to Tuesday - the next day, and saw hope.  I knew the winds leaving Mexico shores would not be that great, but was hoping that the southerly shift might hold.  It appeared that crossing over to Cuba things would get better later in the day.  After that, all looked good, EXCEPT for the coming front that was dropping into Naples and the Dry Tortugas even Key West on Thanksgiving Day.  So hopeful, I went out and asked Dee to come and discuss something I was seeing with me.  I think he could see a little hope as well.  He was concerned about our departure and arrival and made the decision then to start out heading towards Marathon in hopes we would beat the front and arrive in time for protection if the entire Keys were affected.  Fortunately, we now have Starlink and knew we would be keeping a check on the weather several times a day.  We also told those who needed to know and got our prayer warriors praying for our crossing.  So we went to bed with the plan to get up early, check the weather one more time, and get off the dock

Tuesday Departure Day:

We were considering heading to Marathon instead of Naples,  but even almost pulled the plug on leaving Mexico.  The worry was that we saw no windows for travel in our near future.  The fronts were dropping from the North one after the next.  We are off the dock at 7:45 am and once out of the inlet the waves became consistent from the NE but decently spread out with some slams, it's doable so we continue.  The occasional beam rollers begin once we are out of the inlet and stop after about an hour.  We are fully committed now to the crossing.  This was going to be a long day and making it even tougher was that we had not slept well the night before.  This is a day where you get a seat and you keep it and even at that, your core is getting a continuous workout trying to keep you stable.  Journey is taking a lot of abuse.  We know it sounds worse than it is but we still worry about her.

The time goes by slowly, even though we have the Yucatan current in our favor the wind and waves are not allowing us to gain any time with the current. By 4 in the afternoon, when we hoped for change nothing has changed, Journey had taken plenty of waves over the bow and was very salty.  Before sunset, we get out The Great Gazoo (Starlink) and check the weather.  All seems good and no major changes ahead.  At this point, we are 9 to 10 hours until the tip of Cuba and protection from this land mass. We enjoy the sunset but not the darkness that follows.  We say our prayers and are thankful.  The moon is in the first quarter so we have some light until around 1:30 in the morning.

By 2 am we have reached the tip of Cuba and the seas are beginning to lay down and it is a welcomed relief.  Dee gets about 4 hours of sleep to Allie’s 6.  We take 2-hour shifts to watch through the night.  Once we lose the moon for the night it's not until 5:45 before we begin to see light on the horizon again, but it is a welcomed sight.  We were not lonely as we saw cruise ships, tankers, and cargo ships busy the entire passage.  In fact, we saw 10 cruise ships alone during our crossing.

Here are two cruise ships we passed the first night.  Sorry about the quality of the video.  But still a sight to see.

As the sun rose around 7 am the seas calmed to soft swells cradling Journey lifting her and easing her back down in a smooth rhythm.  It is a great morning with our coffee enjoying the seas.  Off our starboard bow, we watched a whale blow many times but I didn’t think of a video until it was almost passed us here is what I was able to capture.

We have slowed way down to averaging under 7knots so the time and miles are passing slowly, but we are thankful for the calm seas.  Around 11 am we are greeted off our port bow with a large pod of dolphins jumping.  They ride our bow then jump in our wake for about 10 minutes and we take it as a good sign from God that he has us and will protect us through the unknown of the next night and day.

By afternoon even with an angle toward the Florida Keys, we are still right alongside Cuba.  As the sun begins to set we get The Great Gazoo out and check the weather again.  Some models are showing wind will be up in the morning, but others are conflicting so we are hopeful, and enjoy another beautiful sunset and the calm waters.

We are expecting to enter the Gulf Stream around 8 pm.  We have increased to 7.5 knots so hoping for 9.5 when we hit the Gulf Stream.  The moon is waxing gibbous tonight so a little brighter and will last longer.    We have to force ourselves to remember how beautiful this is, even though we cannot truly appreciate it in the moment as we are in a hurry and get there mode.  Dee sleeps first the second night and by the time he is back up, we are flying.  The seas are smooth but with the speed, we have more movement.  After the moon sets it is followed by Venus rising which casts a bright reflection in the water for miles.  We both during our shifts watch what we believe were satellites circling Venus.  This was cool but video just didn’t capture it.  By sunrise we are approaching and passing Key West, the seas are eerily calm with a slight haze.  For us this is one of the greatest Thanksgiving mornings ever.  God is good and prayers are being answered because the morning weather report shows a stalled front.

We planned to head to Marathon but daylight hours are our enemy and we would like to stop somewhere before dark tonight.  We look at several options, but only one gets us where we need to be to get into Port of the Islands Marina at high tide.  This route passed through the Bahia Honda Bridge, up the Big Spanish Channel, and onto Shark River in the Everglades to make a 4:30 pm arrival before sunset. We have the fuel to do it but by the time we make the Port of the Islands marina, we will be down to 100 gallons which is the lowest we have ever been.

As we pass under the Bahia Honda Bridge around 10 am, we find it ironic that this is where we left from back in March 2022.  We get some FaceTime with Family after we are under the bridge and share some Thanksgiving time together.  We are now back in the land of shallow waters and crab pots - OH MY!  After 30-plus miles of avoiding crab pots, we drop the anchor.  Are we really going to shut the engines down after 58 hours straight?  Yes, but it did feel strange and eerily quiet.  It is hard for us to describe how we felt but accomplished and  thankful we are for sure.  We had celebratory cocktails and meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  Happy Thanksgiving!

The alarm rings at 5 am and pull the anchor before 6 to make sure we arrive at the entrance to the channel by 11 am.  It is dark when we pull the anchor and we watch the slow glow of the soon-to-be sunrise as we head out for our 5 hour cruise in smooth waters.  We arrive at the entrance around 11 am to a familiar place, but we don't make any assumptions since Hurricane Ian has recently visited the area.  The tide is rising so the current is pushing us along through the channel.  The wind is blowing hard down the canal but when we get first sight of the marina the winds look light around E Dock.  Several are there to assist our docking and Dee slides her in nice and easy.  She temporarily secured, engines are shut down and we can officially celebrate! 

Details of Travel:
Mexico to Shark River
58 hours
464 miles straight

Total Trip:
64 hours
511 miles

Fuel:
229 gallons wiht 3.6 per hour burn

We head back to Mexico and Bill and Lisa come along for some Mexico fun and finally spend some time aboard Journey.  It all started with airport fun as we flew out of different airports but arrived in Mexico at the same time.  We were not able to get Journey off the dock during their stay due to the weather but we had lots of fun.  Dee was our personal Mixologist!
Our fun included time on the beach thanks to Jack and Cathy.  We enjoyed exploring the area, hanging out in the hole and canal tours courtesies of Robin and Landon,
and finally a great night out at one of our favorite places Buena Vida in Akumal also with Jack and Cathy. We were sad to see them go.
Dee and enjoyed getting Journey out a few more times into the Mexican waters and having some final fun on the PA beach.  Time is slipping away.  We saw this rainbow soon after returning to Mexico and would see one more right before we leave so stay tuned. God is sending us some signs that it is time to go.
Before we leave we get to experience One more Halloween and a huge Day of the Dead celebration.  I have included here some information about the full celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico. It is a week-long celebration leading up to Halloween and Nov. 1st - the biggest day of celebration and culminating on Nov. 3rd.
Halloween always means a golf cart parade in PA.  Check out Alex’s family dressed up to scare us all!  We enjoyed decorating for Tradewinds bar and handing out candy to all the golf carts as they passed by to collect their loot.
The next day was All Saints’ Day and PA had a huge Day of the Dead event which was more fun and meant so much to this culture.  They remember their dead during this time.  This is the day children who have died come to the Day of the Dead table.
Our days in PA are coming to an end as we try to enjoy the final day at our dock And enjoy as Lilia calls our duck, the families of Chachalacas that live in the trees around us.  Knowing that this view from the beach and The Hole will no longer be ours very soon.
Before we leave we have some final visitors.  Jeff and Melissa arrive to experience Mexico and all PA has to offer.  From canal tours in Shelby to a trip out on board Journey.  We had a great time.  This culminates with Dee’s birthday which we celebrated at Latitudes. Cheers to so much fun in Mexico and the sadness we have letting it all go, but new adventures await.
Before we go we must sell Metallica.  Dee’s final ride on her out to meet the man who would buy her.  She was so good to us.  Best and cheapest transportation for us to get around in Mexico to get supplies and explore. Then that final trip to “The Hole” with friends.  So much fun then and even now looking back, but so hard to know it was over.  The final rainbow shines over us and we know that this small weather window that we have we must take.  So out of PA we went for  14 hours of rougher seas than we would have liked but we knew in our gut we had to go!  Stay tuned for the crossing in the next video.   

Before we head home for Lilia’s birthday we spend another day over at El Cielo.  We know that these days will be over soon as we make plans to return with Journey to Florida by Christmas.  This water is what we will miss until he head over to the Bahamas.
Lilia is 2!  It is so hard to believe that two years have past since she arrived and how much our lives have changed with her in it.  We up to Durham a little early with the great-grandparents to spend some time before the crowd arrived.  Then it was time to celebrate…. Dee and I headed back up to Durham to spend some time with Hannah and take Lilia with us for a few days and lots of adventures! 

We started with the stop back in Salisbury at Dan Nichols Park and the Merry Go Round.  Next, we headed out to view and visit the animals at the park.  First found the bears, and Lilia told us to be quiet he was sleeping.  She loved the chickens and got down and personal with them trying to talk to them about their day.  Last but not least We played in all the playgrounds.  Lots of fun to explore.  Ditched one slide or another.  Before knew it was finally time togo. . But Lilia left uniquely to say the least.  But yes, she was tired and ready to go
Another small trip was out to see the Neigh Neighs.  Lilia got to pet them all and we didn’t know it at the time but this would be the last time that Lila would pet and see Fury.  What better way to spend some time then at the local playground where she could try out lots of new playground equipment and of course more slides.  She poised as a butterfly and enjoyed her time on Capi’s shoulders.
We enjoy watching her explore and grow and love on her Noah.  Noah must be around for sure when she heads to nap or bed.  Preparing to take her back we planned a stop at the Dixie Classic Fair , Of course to see more animals.  She loves cows as well right now so we started there.  The camel not so much but the chickens had her smiling again.  Then is Cotton Candy time!  She was sure and not sure about that stuff, but it was nice time to rest and cool off before heading out to meet Hannah.  On the way out we spotted some neigh neighs.
Before heading back to Mexico, Dee and I spend time getting our NC home set up and we are loving it, but we are flying back to Mexico for the last time and taking along some friends, Bill and Lisa to share some of our fun!

Just after we arrive back onboard Journey in Mexico, Jesse and Harley join us.  We are so excited to have them both back with us aboard Journey.  First things first we grab margaritas and dinner at Latitudes, but this is just the first of many outings around Puerto Aventuras we take because Jesse loves that Harley is welcome everywhere here in Puerto Aventuras.  Canal cruises are a favorite as always.
Jesse is trying to mark off two bucket list items with this trip.  One was to swim with the whale sharks.  Jesse and I head up to Isla Mujeres wishing the trip had been canceled before we made the ferry, but we spend a wet day exploring and bar hopping in Isla Mujeres and scored bathing suits from Gladys!  We will plan this again for July 2024 so stay tuned.  But it was great to spend a girl’s day with Jesse.  We are thankful Dee made the wet trip twice to Cancun to the ferry and back for us.
Some wet pool time, beach time, and sunsets before Harley and I get 10 days together as Dee and Jesse head off to Peru to hike the Inca Trail.  Check out their adventure in the next video. A four-day hike into Machu Picchu.  This is the big bucket list item.  They depart Cancun for Lima, Peru and then to Cusco, where the hike begins.  Arriving four days later at Machu Picchu near Aguas Calientes to spend a night before returning to Cusco.  Then back to Cancun via Lima to conclude their trip.  But this is their story.
After they returned we took Jesse and Harley on board Journey across to El Cielo with friends and enjoy the crystal blue waters for the day,  and we get to see some dolphins it was a beautiful trip with our new bathsuits!  Some final hiking and exploring  around Puerto Aventuras before it is time for these two to head back to the United States.  We will see them soon as Lilia’s Birthday is upon us she will be 2.  Before heading back, Capt. Dee takes us and some friends across the El Cielo again, and then it is time to celebrate Lilia!

We are back and super excited to get a week with Lilia.  She is coming to spend some time with us the week of July 4th.  We can’t wait to explore the world with her.  From Ducks and the lake, horses, and boat rides just to name a few.  But watching her personality shine is the best!  July 4th is a hot one but we head out to the lake to spend some time. Lilia is a trooper and enjoys the lake, food, water, and toys provided by Brody.


After a very important phone call, Lilia needed to make, it was time to see the horses.  She loves her neigh neighs.  This would be a memorable experience now for Dee and I,  as Fury passed in the Fall of 2023.  As you can see she enjoyed exploring Farm Life at Bill and Lisa’s house and the cats., We did not know then that when Sugar would come back to live with Hannah and Aldo Lilia would fall in love with her.  We should have seen that coming.


We always enjoy spending time with our lake friends, especially When Chef Mark prepares dinner on the Blackstone.  The sunset with friends is something we miss about North Carolina summers.


After a visit to Alexandria to see Jesse and experience 5 hours of worship at National Community Church in July which was a great experience.  We also keep Harley for a long weekend while Jesse goes on a Bachelorette weekend.  And use these times passing through Durham to begin building Hannah and Aldo’s gazebo.  I believe they finally had to finish it themselves.


Busy Busy Busy we are.  Mom and Dad purchase a new camper so we buy theirs and set out to sell our motor home.  Which included a 24-hour round trip to Florida to tag the new one and get the title for the motor home but she is sold.  Also while we are home, Dee’s insurance agency becomes a true independent.  Finally breaking long hard ties with an aggregate company, Now, he and Stormi have so much to do.  and I try to help as much as possible to keep this new endeavor off the ground.  This coming year will be a difficult but rewarding one we pray.  Wild times!


Dee and I also spent a night in Durham painting Hannah and Aldo’s garage floor which turned out great, but the Airbnb we stayed in was a different story.  What I learned is to take pictures this is what helped us get some of our money back.   dirty with trash left in bags in the living room. We had no sheets on the bed, and no towels in the bathroom.  Crazy!  We endured.  And enjoyed these last few days with Lilia and Hannah. As they returned to Mooresville with us for our final weekend which included another sunset boat ride with Hannah and her friends and a boat ride for Lilia.  I think she liked it except for that life jacket.  


Just as we were preparing to leave and spend the final day with Hannah and Lilia,  We learned people were on Dee’s property preparing to move the mobile home.  That was just a chaotic story that I have already written a blog post about titled Whirlwind, but I am using it to prepare this video.  Before I get into that remember that gazebo, well the night before we take off back to Mexico, a storm takes it out!  Heartbreaking.


During this entire trip home we continued to try and find out what was going on with Derwin’s cousin’s mobile home on his property. She said she was having it torn down, but then we found out it was being sold.  So much we need to know about moving a mobile home, but she will not talk to us.  Dee and I sadly had to post signs on the property hoping to encourage people to call us so we could find out what was going on.  Some of the signs were just torn down.  This story culminated on our final weekend while Lilia and Hannah were visiting...
Its Saturday morning while having coffee the neighbor who is a renter called to tell us a lot of people were on the property.  Dee flew out of the house and asked her to call the sheriff's office because he did not know who was there.  When he arrived it was the new owner and moving company who failed to read signs and just moved the barricade at the driveway.  The deputy explained everything to them about how they could be arrested and why didn’t they call the number on the sign, but Dee said give us a minute to see if we can work this out.  While discussing with the moving company why they had not contacted him they continued to say they just assumed the owner of both was the same.  They ignored the sign.  He told them he needed their insurance before they could start.  His cousin shows up and the company then pings her for money because she was not forthright with anyone and had stopped their work.  After lunch, we met back to get the insurance and she paid them the extra money.  Dee spent most of the weekend out there telling this company what they were going to run into and continuing to have to ask them to correct mistakes like a broken water line which caused the other renter to be without water for hours, and not realizing how embedded the mobile home was in the ground after so many years.  He made sure it was done right with little damage to the property and they cleaned up and dressed the lot which they did not want to do, but when you are almost arrested then you conceded a little to correct your mistakes.  The worst part is that Dee spent almost all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the land watching this “shit show”.  If it had not been for one of their contractors (it was a family business) then it would have been really bad!  As I said before everything he predicted in the email to his cousin happened, and it cost her more money.  Let’s see you sell for $1,000 and then have to give the moving company $800 for your lies.  Seems like a lot of work to be deceptive for nothing.  But now we can look forward to having a great little spot to put the fifth wheel and have a place for us here in NC.


We have to end this all on a good note and that is All About Lilia or Sunshine as we call her.  She lights up our life.  She loves animals and is curious about the world around her.  Her smile lights up the room, and she is quite the comedian.  She is really understanding that I am Meems (Allie).  Well, right now she thinks we are both collectively Meems, but we are working on it for Capi (Dee).