The Sunshine State


New Smyrna Beach, Florida was a frequent stop on Reach on our past trips down the US east coast.  Now we get to re-visit these beautiful waterways because we have family here too.  We settled into a visit with Mark’s mother Cathy & her husband Chuck for a week of sunny & hot Florida weather.






Living on a boat in the tropics, we are used to strong sun and usually try to avoid direct exposure.  As long as you are in the shade with a slight breeze it can be downright pleasant as it is here in Florida. 





Despite our awareness of the power of the sun ~ using extensive boat shades, sunscreen and sun shirts for snorkeling ~ I am beginning to think we can do better.


We use sunscreen predominately when we leave the boat, despite the fact that it also reflects off of our decks when sitting in the cockpit.  


I wear tank tops all the time, leaving my shoulders and chest exposed. 


...& neither of us are very good about wearing hats, although I finally got a clue when in the boatyard in Guatemala.






Added on the list of errands while in the States has been making doctors appointments with our improved health insurance plan.  We each saw a dermatologist and had a few moles biopsied.  Luckily, an unnoticeable mole had recently become irritated and sore so I pointed that one out.  





The lab results were not good, showing severe dysplasia, so they called me back in for a re-excision and took a big chunk out of my shoulder.  



I have since added a few long-sleeved sun shirts into my wardrobe!






Here in the Sunshine State, we enjoyed a visit to the Canaveral National seashore with views of the inland waterways, overgrown indian midden, Eldora Statehouse and the vast Atlantic ocean.  





It was a holiday weekend (orange shirt day?) and everyone we met in the Park had big smiles on this gorgeous, clear day.



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We enjoyed another relaxing week with family on our extended vacation, including cocktail hours, local beer tastings, a little music and wonderful home-cooking.















Speaking of music, Mark finally found a new guitar that spoke to him at the Gold Tone factory store in Titusville, FL ~ dreadnought sized cutout with electric tuner and pickup ~ a beauty!




© M&M 2019