5.7.2022 - 5.31.2022 May in Miami, FL

We're excited to be back stateside for a bit as we continue settling in, organizing, and refitting our home. Based on a recommendation from our friends Brad and Jacki, we decided to stay in the Dinner Key Marina area because it had an easily accessible dinghy dock, walkable grocery store, and was walkable to downtown Miami.

Day 1 back in Miami we were able to meet up with a former coworker of mine (vet nurse turned nurse practitioner) Beth and her husband Jacob. Beth and Jacob just bought a Leopard 48 catamaran and are starting their cruising lifestyle too! It was great spending a few weeks catching up, hang out, and comparing projects :)

Since we've been away from the mainland for about 6 months, we took advantage of having lots of things available to us again. We renting a U-Haul van and spent a day doing a bunch of errands and provisioning that we haven't been able to do in the Caribbean. At the end of the day, it took us 3 dinghy trips from the dock to the boat to unload everything. Our stops included

• Harbor Freight for more tools (and backups for tools)

• Home Depot for tools and storage containers

• We got haircuts!

• West Marine for boat parts, supplies, and beanbag chairs for the trampolines

• Petsmart for food, treats, and toys for Ollie

• Total Wine x2 to load up on all the gluten-free beer options

• Walmart for housewares and grocery provisioning

Mid-May, I ended up getting COVID-19 after a work trip. Being on a boat, there's really no way to isolate from each other, so within 24 hours of me getting sick, Mike got it. Fortunately both our cases were mild since we're vaccinated and boostered, but Mike's illness was worse than mine. This meant that I was the primary caregiver and caretaker of the boat, and on 5.23.2022, I had a first since ownership of handling the dinghy 100% by myself. In order to provision food and get meds for Mike, I had to get the dinghy off the davits, operate it to the dock, dock it, operate it back to the boat, and hoist it up the davits, ALL BY MYSELF!! This was a huge accomplishment for me and confidence boost.

We also got a new toy - Nui electric scooters! On the RV we have our e-bikes but what we've realized is they are too big/bulky to easily get on/off the dinghy to be able to take them ashore for errands.

At the end of the month, I traveled to Ghent, Belgium to speak at a veterinary conference. While I was away, Tropical Storm Alex was making its way toward Miami. Since I was gone, Mike had to hire a captain for a few hours to help him move the boat (to comply with our insurance) to a more protected anchorage.