Hello,
I wanted to send a note to let everyone know that we will be on a trip for the rest of the week. You will not hear from us for a few days, but we are safe.
Tonight we are making final preparations for our trip. We are going sailing and will be staying overnight on the boat. The attached picture shows Flat Abigail checking our chart to be sure she knows where we are going, the distance from island to island and how deep the water is. We then made what is called a float plan to let people know where we will be and when to expect us to return home.
The map shows four sailboats to let everyone know the four different places we will be staying. The first few nights we will be anchored near one of the islands. On our last night, we will be docking at a marina. The Fort Myers area is surrounded by islands, and we are lucky that we love boating!
We have returned safely after a relaxing long weekend. Attached are some pictures that show a few of Abigail's wonderful adventures.
While we were on the sailboat, Abigail learned about becoming a sailor. She helped with the lines (which look like ropes but are called lines on a sailboat). She got to spend some time at the helm, which is also called a steering wheel like on a car. She also spent some time on the trampoline, which is a net on the front (bow) of the boat. After a long day, the trampoline is a perfect place for a nap!
On Saturday, Abigail put on her life jacket for a trip around the marina in our dinghy (like a raft with a motor). We also enjoyed a few beautiful sunsets while we were on our trip. You will see in the sunset pictures that Florida has lots of palm trees. In fact, Fort Myers is called the City of Palms.
We will wrap up Abigail's visit in the next couple of days, and then she will be traveling to Tennessee to start her new journey in another town.
For the last day of our visit, we went to see one of the landmarks in Fort Myers. Thomas Edison, who was born in Ohio, spent his winters in Fort Myers. He was an inventor known for his work with light bulbs, and he had a laboratory ("lab") in Fort Myers. In addition, one of his close friends was Henry Ford. You might have heard of the Ford Motor Company. Edison and Ford both had homes in Fort Myers, and these pictures were taken on the fence outside their properties. Fort Myers lights up the houses at this time of year. People can do tours to see the homes, the lab, and some of the old Ford cars.
We have had a wonderful visit with Flat Abigail and will be sad to see her leave, but we are excited for her next adventure.
