“My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When the evening is done, I will have completed 7/10 of my allotted shifts in the emergency department. The time nears when we will return to the sea. I truly miss it… and that, I suppose, is a good thing. Our time in Lakeland is flying by (which is also a good thing). Between my time studying for the boards and caring for patients in the E.D., there’s been little time for much else.

Where I spent most of my time for the past week or so.

Cindy and I were able to squeeze in a couple of walks around Lake Hollingsworth while here. There was a time, before we moved aboard Beatitude, that we would cover the 2.9 miles around the lake daily. Since my E.D. shifts are usually 4p-1a, we walk in the heat of the day. It is great exercise and truly a beautiful walk. We love seeing all the waterfowl playing and feeding along the edge of the lake.

Great Egret camouflaged with cloud reflection

Three birds in one shot: Ibises in foreground, blue heron hiding in mid ground, and limpkin in background

A limpkin, an unusual member of the heron family with a screaming cry

A couple of anhingas sunning in the tree tops.

Blue heron wading at water’s edge

Common gallinule with his red shielded head.

Monday, we’ll leave Lakeland and drive to Port Charlotte, which is where I will be taking my board recertification exam on Tuesday. After eight hours of mental torture, we will drive the remaining distance on to Marco Island to be reunited with Beatitude. We have several packages awaiting us when we return, including a new freezer and some new deck chairs.

Lily pads and flowers

I am so excited to have forty-five days off for the next leg of our cruising adventures. This is the most time off I’ve had, oh… in about, ever! However, our near-term cruising plans are now in a state of flux. Cindy’s father is going to be having surgery next week, and Cindy wants to go be with him and help in caring for him. She will probably leave the end of next week, a few short days after returning to Marco. We are not sure how long she will be gone, or how much cruising we’ll be able to do over the next six and a half weeks. If possible, we may do an overnight to Key West prior to her departure. If I’m going to be stuck without her for an extended period, Key West sounds like as good a spot as any! I could perhaps do a little snorkeling and scuba diving. We’ll see. Our initial plans were to be in the Miami area at the end of this leg of our journey, which is still feasible and remains our goal. Of course, we will still be contending with the possibility of a tropical storm or hurricane for the next two months. Our plans will need to be altered if Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, or any of their friends decide to pay us a visit.

Gecko doing his best rusty chain impersonation.

Cindy found us a new anchor while walking the Lake!

Next post should be from aboard Beatitude in Marco Island in a few days…