Hmmmm….where have Jim and Diana been?  No, we haven’t been eaten by sharks or drifted northeast on the Gulf Stream with the sea turtles.  It’s January, which means it is time to catch up on our annual chores and to plan our travels for the year ahead.  We’ve also been hanging out with our friends here in Melbourne Beach, which is always fun.  🙂  The only thing that has been missing is the parade of rockets flying by from Cape Canaveral, as a slew of missions have been pushed into February.  So, without further adieu…

On New Years Day, the Melbourne Beach Historical Society held a walking tour of the town’s historic district.  Fred, Bonnie, Diana and I tagged along, as we all wanted to know more about the area’s past.  While the area is rich with history, our presenter failed to deliver the story in the riveting manner it deserved.  We also picked up on the fact that impartiality was not his forte.  He is handing over the reigns to a new historian next year, so we will be sure to check that presentation out.

And remember Cuki the sailboat?  Hurricane Irma ripped her loose from her mooring in Key West and sent her on a 350 mile journey to our beach back in 2017.  Time, vandals, and the ocean had not been kind to her, with her masts and fittings disappearing in that period.

With the ship being buried in sand to its’ inland gunwale, the decision was made to haul it away in a couple of refuse roll-offs.  It was a mess, to say the least.

Speaking of fiberglass; our rig was ready for it’s annual wax job.

Look at that shine!  I can’t say enough about that three-part Meguiar’s restoration system I use.

We get it through Amazon, but I’m pretty sure West Marine carries it also.  We also want to give a shout out to whoever manufactured the decals for our 2007 Colorado fifth wheel.  Twelve years of sitting outside and they look practically new.  They are proof that it IS possible to make decals that stay put and look good.

While I was waxing, Diana was deep into her genealogy. We both signed up for Ancestry DNA when the kits were on sale on Black Friday.  She has been building her family tree, which has been very fun!  I am starting my tree this weekend, as I delayed the start to allow time to finish my UPS job and the annual rig maintenance.  We have to say that Ancestry.com is very good at what they do, and they have been very helpful to Diana on her journey to discover her family’s origins.  The amount of information contained in their database is mind boggling.  We’ve also become huge fans of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, which is hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.   Check your local listings and give it a look.  It is fascinating!

We also have an update on the powered parachute pilot who got tangled in the utility lines near us.  Dima had been in an induced coma since the middle of November until recently, while the doctors in Orlando worked to repair his broken spine and graft his burns.  It was a tough few months.

Needless to say, we were thrilled to see this photo that his wife Katya posted the other day.  🙂  He is one lucky man.

Midway through my waxing duties, Jerry and Ron invited me to tag along on a trip to the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee.

We went on a Tuesday, which was not an active auction day.  That meant there were less crowds!

Here is a predecessor to my truck, Henry.  Those front fenders are wide enough to land a plane on!

And here is a salmon Edsel convertible.  Diana’s Escape, Edsel 2, would be proud.

While the auction was mostly cars…close to three thousand of them… there were a few boats sprinkled in.

This Gar Wood boat was built in Detroit.

My paternal grandfather had a boat similar to this.  Top speed on this beauty was in excess of 70 miles an hour!

If there is one car that has consistently taken my breath away, it is a Candy Apple Red 1969 Boss Mustang.  My dad once acted as an agent for a guy who wanted his sold.  Mom wasn’t too thrilled when Dad took her to church in it one Sunday…although I detected a twinkle in his eye. 🙂

Looks like the value of these things have gone up a bit.  Talk about taking your breath away!  We all agreed that we’ve never seen so many near-perfect cars in one place, and the three of us have seen our share of vehicles in our time.  The cool thing about the auction is that you are allowed to sit in most of the vehicles.  Being able to do that brought back a lot of memories for us.

January has seen a group of us checking out the local music venues.

Here is Libby, Linda, Jerry, Nancy, Ron and us at Summer Crush Winery in Fort Pierce a few weeks ago.  The venue was hosting a Corvette show, so us guys got another dose of nice cars.  🙂

So until next time…

we will be watching the sunsets…

and the moonrises.  We’ll be back with an update on our 2019 travel plans in early February, as we should have everything in place by then.  It is going to be an exciting year, to say the least!  Until then, safe and happy travels to all!