Although Team Finnegan definitely had some adventures this winter and spring while we were at home in Naples, Fl, this year we have decided to document just our crusing adventures on the blog. In this way I can magically go from nine months behind on the blog to caught up overnight. Yeah!!!!

We chose to drive to upper state New York because we had some items to take to the boat….such as my cute little expresso machine. The wonderful people at Winter Harbor had graciously agreed to store our car for us while we are out cruising this summer.

We did not take anywhere near a direct route since we had friends and relatives to visit on the way.

The first day we ran out of steam in Dawson, GA. This is a very rural area and quite scenic with rolling hills and woods. While there, we drove to Plains, GA, home of Jimmy Carter.
The train depot where Jimmy Carter announced his run for the presidency. Brother Billy Carter’s gas station. Dawson, GA is such a rural place that the closest thing to fine dining was the McDonalds. Actually, we enjoyed a very tasty chicken salad.

The second day of our road trip, we arrived at our first destination, Priceville, AL to visit Robert’s Aunt Desi and Cousin Joe. Last fall, Aunt Desi moved into a lovely home at The Terrace at Priceville. This is the model for a retirement facility. The monthly rent covers the two bedroom home, two meals a day, activities, all utilities, and weekly maid service. What makes it so special are the people. For instance, the staff knows Desi likes her buttermilk, so when she goes into the dining room, her glass of buttermilk is waiting for her at her table. If it is raining, someone comes in a golf cart to take Desi to the dining room. Click here for more information on The Terrace at Priceville.

We had two fun days visiting Joe and Desi. We spent quite a bit of time driving to see the local attractions of the Decatur area. A highlight was a drive out in the country to see where Desi grew up. We found the little church with cemetery where her parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives are buried.

The church with cemetery. You can see how scenic and wooded it is in Northern Alabama.Desi points out a family story to Robert. Aunt Desi
Cousin Joe, Aunt Desi and Robert Next up was a stop at Stone Mountain, GA. Robert had once seen the laser show at Stone Mountain and wanted to share this with me. The pictures I took at Stone Mountain have mysteriously vanished, but you can click here for more information. We took a long, lovely walk in the morning and then played nine holes of golf in the afternoon. The golf course was just beautiful and a pleasure to play. The laser show had changed greatly from Robert’s first visit, but it was a lot of fun.

From Stone Mountain, GA, we drove to New Bern, NC to visit our friends John and Vivian. We always have a great time visiting John and Vivian and this time was not an exception. Since we spent three months at the Sheraton Marina two summers ago, it was fun to see the changes in New Bern. Most notable were the renovations to the Sheraton, itself. When we were there, this hotel could politely be called a dump. It is now quite lovely and worthy of its lovely setting on the Trent river. Even more amazing, the Sheraton is now a Hilton.

Next jaunt was a great favorite of ours, Norfolk, Va. Two summers ago, we met a wonderful couple while anchored out off the Elizabeth River during Norfolk’s Harbor Fest. Distance and circumstances had kept us from getting better acquainted. Since George and Frances live in Virginia Beach, we gave them a call and found them available for a dinner reunion. Once again, we greatly enjoyed their company. George and Frances were planning on cruising New England this summer. We compared schedules and found we could meet in a couple weeks’ time in New York and then again later in the summer.

Our last stop was our favorite marina, Rock Hall Landing Marina in Rock Hall, Md. We’ve become great friends with the owners, Chris, Mary, Joe and Ann. There is a cute little motel on the property, were we stayed. Click here for their website. We enjoyed a tasty meal at a local restaurant and shared a lot of laughs.