Things are just a bit more laid back there.
In the Bahamas where everyone is so friendly I got used to the natives greeting us with a nod and a "Good day", or "Good afternoon" all the time, so arriving back in the states was like getting slapped in the face.
The morning after arriving back in the good old USA we had to report to Customs even though a few months previous to this I'd been promised that if I paid $27.50 for a special decal we'd be able to avoid this step. The lovely lady who accepted my documents through her bullet proof glass, after pretending she didn't hear me ring the 'only ring this bell once' sign and most likely hoped I'd ring it again if only to make her day (I didn't), was not pleased. You see, I'd (gasp) presented her with not only my passport, but also with a document from the Bahamas that I thought she might possibly need to see.
She didn't.
With a dramatic rolling of her eyes, she scornfully flicked the document back at me through the bullet proof glass via the fingernail of her forefinger with the the caustic comment, "I don't need this, why would you give it to me?"
I can only imagine what would have happened if I'd really needed this document and hadn't had it at the ready.
Before I could stammer a reply she'd already leafed through my passport, shot it out the window, and said, "You can leave."
"Thank you so much!" I called out in my friendliest voice at her retreating back. "You have a really nice day!"
The poor woman turned around and stared at me as I'm pretty sure she hadn't heard this from anyone in a long time.
"Uh, you too." She stammered.
Hey, I wasn't a waitress for over ten years for nothing. My motto? Kill'em with kindness, and make them feel like a sh*t!
I guess I should just be thankful we weren't one of the four sailboats that arrived the next morning and were swarmed and boarded by The Coast Guard. We later found that they too had purchased the magical (and obviously useless) decal that was supposed to prevent this from happening.
We also recently found out that in the future, our government may require cruisers to file 'float plans' before embarking on any journeys outside the USA. What kind of country are we becoming?
Once back home (two days in a rental car and thank God we found two pet friendly motels along the way) we were welcomed to tons of mail, news of a stolen credit card, a green card renewal problem which no one wanted to help with and Hans was actually advised to retain legal help with (he didn't and luckily he's legal once again), huge unexpected increases in car insurance, health insurance turn downs, increased boat insurance because we dared leave the boat in Florida, family drama, Direct Dish TV trouble, health issues, even more family drama, a drained bank account, and no income.
And that's only the tip of the ice burg.
Lucky for Hans, the Bahamas don't have a 'fashion police'!
Isn't he ever so dapper in his swim trunks and shirt!!??
Wilbur just wants to get back on board.
I'll have an update on that in the near future.