Day 212, Year 2: Happy Thanksgiving!
Date: Thursday, November 22, 2007
Weather: Yet Another Beautiful Day
Location: Bundaberg Port Marina, Australia

We are thankful . . . for our children, for our wonderful families and friends, for Windbird as she carries us safely around the world, and for the wonderful sights we see everyday in our voyage. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Today became a very special day when we took a late afternoon walk just behind the marina and saw all kinds of wildlife. Most notably, we saw kangaroos. They didn’t let us get too close, but we were close enough to get some decent photos. We saw all kinds of birds. There were plovers and kites and other unidentified birds as well as mating Monarch butterflies. At least We assume they were mating as they flew coupled together. I can’t believe we haven’t taken the time to walk about here before
now, but we will spend every late afternoon tromping back in the bush from now until we leave.

Our morning started early with a visit from Lib, our surveyor. He was finally delivering a rough draft of the survey we need for our insurance. It took almost an hour and a half to make corrections, but we were glad to do this as our insurance agency has been most patient waiting for this survey since we arrived here. By 8 AM we were in Bob and Dianna’s dinghy finishing the wax job on Windbird’s topsides. The topsides are the hull from the waterline to the deck. We did as much as we could from
the dinghy and then finished the job from the dock. We had just finished that job when the prospective buyer for Ranger arrived with his wife and John, the broker. We helped with the lines as Ranger left the dock for a short sea trial and haul out so the buyer could inspect the bottom. It appears at this point that the buyer is satisfied and that the deal is solid. If so, Paul and Marie have about two weeks to move themselves off Ranger. They have moved most everything to a storage unit already,
but now they will have to pack those things into boxes to be sent home. It’s hard to believe that Paul and Marie won’t be on Ranger any longer, but we wish them well in their new adventures back in the US . . . after a nice long explore here in Australia.

Thanksgiving dinner on Windbird was a wonderful time spent with good friends. I had one can of Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix left and some Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix. You can’t buy cubed stuffing here and the stuffing mix I could find here was like finely ground bread crumbs. Marie and Dianne both baked chickens and we had stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes with Dianna’s wonderful gravy, green beans, and cranberry fruit salad. It was quite a feast, enjoyed by all, and easier than usual since no one
person had to do all of the cooking.

As wonderful as it was to have a great dinner with friends, we always think of family at holiday times. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Heather, Jed, and Sam, Justin and Jo–we are thinking of you and are hoping that you are having a great Thanksgiving. Next week this time, we will all be together in Charlotte, North Carolina. That seems like another world away, but soon we will be there.