Friday, July 29, 2011

A Big Move

So we're moving.

Just like that.

I've lived in Pennsylvania my entire life (over half a century! Ouch!) and all of a sudden I'm going to live in Florida (a whole different kind of animal!). Which is kind of funny because just a few years ago I told Hans to not even think of it! when he expressed the possibility that we might end up there.

The lesson here? Never say never.

Hans got a job offer in Florida that's too good to pass up and since the boat is already down there we figured what the heck. We bought the boat with the intention of living on it and now we will. We'll just be in a marina and don't think for a minute that I'm going to complain about that.

Anchors don't drag in marinas (it only takes once to scare the bejesus out of you).

Marinas supply you with shore power for little things like air conditioning.

In Florida.

Marinas have shower facilities (so does the Knotty Cat, but why use ours if we can use theirs), swimming pools, free WiFi, washers and driers, and are within walking distance of restaurants, stores, movie theaters, etc...

Wilbur is happy to know that there are beaches, parks, and day care centers that cater to the poochies.




The Knotty Cat at anchor, soon to be in a marina.















Wilbur in action at our local dog park, and he just loves a good game of tug-o-war! See that little snout? He's our piggy that's for sure! I just hope he makes as many friends in Florida that he's made here in our Big City.

Wilbur loves the park but he hates his harness. He hides from me as soon as I get it out. He says the dogs at the park make fun of him and call it his training bra. But since it's the only way I can really control him on his leash I told him to just suck it up!




So here's where things get interesting. We need to move the Knotty Cat through Lake Okeechobee and over to the west coast of Florida. We will have to navigate through four locks, and many draw bridges. Not normally a big deal but with the drought that's currently affecting the south, the locks are on a limited schedule which will slow us down. Most of the bridges require a three hour notice (??) and I discovered that one particular bridge has a 49 foot clearance. Our Knotty Cat's mast is 50 feet! But we've been assured that with the low water level we should be okay.

Really?

All of this wouldn't be such a big deal but we have to have the boat in our marina by the end of August as we both have flights to catch. Hans to Europe for work, and me back home for some family obligations.

Wilbur will be boarding at Day Care. That lucky dog!

13 comments:

  1. Happy for you all, but are you on top of what is going on with breed specific legislation in Florida and/or the county where you will be based? (I'm not, but thought I should bring it up since it's not in you blog.)
    Good luck!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations! I'm in St. Pete, if you end up anywhere near there and ever need someone to Wilbur-sit on land here :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, it's coming fast, isn't it? But once you get down there and settled in, I'm sure you're going to love it! And Wilbur with a training bra....oh my gosh, that cracked me up! He's such a funny boy! :o)

    XOXO,

    Cyndi

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe we'll be okay with Wilbur. But what's funny is that while we were in Miama this winter (where pits are banned) we walked him all over South Beach anyway and saw several other people walking their pitties too!

    Nomad, It's always nice to know someone is willing to dog sit. We're looking forward to meeting quite a few bloggers when we get settled and I'm feeling better about our move. Thanks for the offer (you may live to regret it!).

    Cyndi, Wilbur really can be such a sissy boy but we love him anyway! I

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like another adventure is afoot :) Hope the move goes smoothly for you and your anchor doesn't drag an inch ;)

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's great, Laura. I really hated to rain on your parade, but better to say something just in case. Best wishes to you all!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2009-05-21/news/pit-bulls-banned-in-miami-find-refuge-in-broward-and-palm-beach-counties/

    The above is a link to a story discussing the Pit Bull ban in Miami, the reason for it and the fight against it.

    From the article, I can see that several people also walk their dogs in violation of the laws (big surprise) but they all risk the dogs being taken by animal control and destroyed.

    Ghost

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations for "going for it"! Life is an adventure and staying at a marina in Florida with a swimming pool, showers and a/c sounds awesome! We look forward to hearing about your passage through Lake Okeechobee, as we also have a 50 ft mast and may want to cross Florida from West to East.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cheryl, I'm not looking forward to this particular leg of our journey especially since I can't seem to find any bloggers who've used this waterway. Should be very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I know we all saw the 'preview announcement' but this will be so exciting! And living on a boat? I only read about that in magazines, and it will be so cool to "know" someone so adventurous. I'm looking forward to your posts!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Two Pitties, all I know is that no way will the living space on our boat ever compare to the living space in your condo. I fear I will never be as organized or coordinated as you two!

    ReplyDelete
  12. No worries about the dog-sitting offer. We have dog-sat several times for our friend's 2 Mastiffs. I know the names of all the dogs in this complex, but only some of their owner's names :-D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nomad, I know what you mean, I know all the dogs names at the dog park but not the names of the owners!

    ReplyDelete