Seredipity at Work.

I've always been a firm believer in Serendipity.
At about 8.30pm last night I received a text from United Airlines to say that there is a severe weather event due to hit the East Coast of the USA, and I might like to review my travel plans for the 16/17/18th January. Well aware of the snow approaching our coastline, which has been of some concern to us, we immediately called to bring our travel plans forward 24 hrs.
This created it's own set of 'issues' but not insurmountable. We were 99% packed up, on the boat, and just had to do those last minute things we were leaving for Tuesday in Jacksonville, followed by a leisurely day doing not much. Our intended travel was for Wednesday 17th, but we felt the need to push our agenda forward as we read that Texas has almost come to a standstill with snow all over the place, and we were in the line of fire also, with New York not looking good either.

Waz changed the oil in the engines yesterday, ahead of a number of other essential chores and a couple of drop-offs at the storage locker. Our entire lives are there encapsulated.
We ate lunch at Panera...we like their soups and sour dough rolls, and because the fridge was literally bare, ate dinner at Longhorn Steak House. Bad idea! Waz sent his ribs back twice, with the third time a charm ribs (as indicated by the manager, who was now involved) being packaged and taken home. Our neighbors at the marina were the happy recipients, as we didn't fancy ribs for breakfast at 6am this morning.
Just as well we enjoyed the fried Calamari first, which was enough to feed us for dinner anyway. My salad was forgettable, with too much dressing. I dont know why I didn't order it with dressing on the side, per normal? Adding THAT restaurant to our list of NO-GO places to eat. Bummer!

Our quiet evening was disturbed by the text from United, so the rest of the evening was a frantic rush to finish all the unfinished chores and figure out which ones could wait.
I had laundered the bedding and towels yesterday afternoon (see...serendipity!) so we stripped the bed this morning, laid the towels out on the car seats to dry at some stage, after our late showers, and finished the vacuuming as we dropped into bed. Our last load was delivered to the storage locker at 6.30am this morning!

The boat is dressed (staged) for sale. We have contracted with a Broker to sell her while we are away, and he is enthusiastic about her (and his) prospects of a sale. We hope we become homeless people while we are away, and Waz returns from France to direct the purchase survey and Sea Trials . Nothing like optimism! and lets hope serendipity is at work there also.

No photos to show yet, sorry...sitting at one of the gazillion wifi stations in the newly redeveloped Newark Airport (its a work in progress still) and enjoying increased food options. I rather fancy sushi for dinner...early dinner that is. We will be fed on the plane, but I dont like United's dinner menu going to France, or the breakfast.
We purchased salads at one of the kiosks in Jacksonville airport for our lunch, which we ate on the 1.45min flight. Premium prices paid by captives!

Our destination is one hour north east of Bordeaux, this time. We have been engaged by an English/American couple who work in China as school principals, who purchased their Hamlet home there three years ago, ahead of their retirement. Because they only enjoy it for 6 weeks each year, they like to have it occupied in their stead, by people like us. We have no animals to take care of this time which is rather sad, because we so enjoy them, but it will give us a greater freedom to look around the region, take some longer trips of discovery and to pursue some of the hobbies we have packed into our luggage.

It looks like our departure gate has changed, so Waz has gone off to discover the new one and see what the food court offers. This is an open WIFI, so I dont like to stay too long.

We will be in touch when we are safely at our destination...well, the first one...Paris.
A demain!