The Eagle has lan... um, Wild Blue is home!

Another uneventful (good thing), but warm, day of towing.  Wild Blue is home.  There is always that moment when you turn the key in the house door... and hope that all is well.  For a house in the south, the first thing is: the "smell test."  No musty odor is a good thing... and the house smelled fine.  The air conditioner did its job while we were gone; likewise with the ceiling fans.  When we had a home in the frozen northland, we kept heat on while we were gone in the winter... with a home further south than "the deep south," we keep the a/c on.

With all the hurricane shutters down, the house was dark.  Turn on the lights, then do the "look see"... no sign of critters, no evidence of water leaks, not even any dust on the glass table-top.  It all looks good.

A "walk-around"... not so different from an airplane in my pilot days: just looking around the exterior to see if everything looks OK.  Check.  A look at the underneath storage area: OK.  Turn on water and look for any sign of a leak: all good.  Fire up the tankless water heater: started up fine, ran its own check, and we have hot water (really good, 'cause I am looking forward to soaking in the jacuzzi tub).

Finally, roll up most of the hurricane shutters, and let the sun shine in (que the music).  We are ready to start the unloading process.

Fortunately, we promised each other that we "wouldn't be crazy", trying to get everything done in the first 24 hours.  Side note: after our summer on the Erie Canal, we were home 6 days before we got the 5th wheel out and headed off again.  I think we'll hang out here for a bit longer this time. ;-)

The drive today was relatively easy.  I've eaten more fast food in the past 5 days than I have in the previous 5 months.  I'll be glad to not be eating up miles... and french fries.  I could tell we were getting close to deep south Texas when we saw towed cars heading for the border: one car towing two more.  And trucks stacked up higher than many Interstate overpasses...

For a bit of whimsey, we passed a Smart Car, following an older VW Bug.  It looked like they were traveling together...

It made me think back to my youth: the VW Bug was the Smart Car of its day... back when a Pontiac Catalina (about a quarter of a block long) was a "sporty" vehicle.  I like the Smart Car; in our family, I am a party of one.

On the last stretch of Expressway from Corpus Christi, heading south, the terrain turns FLAT...

The biggest terrain rise is when the road rises over an underpass.  We saw a new cash crop in the area...

Wind generators in the distance.  They were working on these when we left, 6 months ago.  LOTS of them up and running.  The wind always blows down here - seems like a good resource to me.

The GPS as we drove on Expressway 77...

The GPS as we approached our island...

Notice a bit more blue (water)? ;-)  Speaking of water, a look at the water as we crossed over the ICW to our island...

And then: home!  Wild Blue parked on land for as long as it takes to get her unloaded and cleaned up...

After checking over the house (described above), we brought in the essentials and are settling in for the evening.  I wondered how long it would take Izzy to get comfortable in the house again: about 30 seconds...

I agree with Izzy - it feels good to be home.  And after a season in the boat, the house feels palatial!

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A quick wrap up:

Days out: 170 (all but one week while we visited our daughter, onboard Wild Blue).
Miles traveled: 6,853 miles on land (all but about 500 of that was towing Wild Blue).
Tires shredded: just one.
Job satisfaction: both rated it "high".
Whales seen: I lost count after a couple hundred... well, that was some of the same whales more than once. ;-)  Orcas (residents and transients), humpbacks, and minkes.  Not to mention scads of other great wildlife (Bald Eagles, Stellar Sea Lions, osprey, harbor porpoise, seals, etc, etc, etc, etc).
Gallons of fuel use: on Wild Blue - about 150.  On the company boats - I am SO glad I wasn't paying that fuel bill!!
Days of sunshine: more than I expected.
Number of times we used the marina showers: 0 (Wild Blue has a shower, thanks for asking).
Number of times we showered together in Wild Blue's shower: 0 (get serious - it is small).

Just short of 6 months on the boat this time out; most of that time was spent in a marina.  Surprisingly, we enjoyed "marina living."  Wild Blue made a great summer cabin for us in the marina, with trips out as time allowed.  We enjoyed the "home-like" amenities of satellite TV, good internet, and electric heat.  We both found the walk to work, and life in Friday Harbor, to be pleasant.  Great co-workers.  Good dock neighbors.  Beautiful scenery everywhere we looked.  We enjoyed a week at Lake Powell on the way home - nice to be in fresh water!

We had a great summer.  Nice to be back in the Tropical Tip... and more "summer." :-)