We just returned from England early this morning...around 12:30 am. What a great time we had with Elliott, Dana and Paul! Elliott is such a wonderful baby. He is so happy and entertaining. He loves music, likes to dance, jabbers non-stop, gets into everything, swim, play, and smile (most of the time). When we arrived at the airport, Elliott stared at us with a very serious look on his face for over an hour. I have never seen a baby look so concerned in my life about two people!

Dana and Paul are great parents! They have a nice routine with Elliott. When it is time to get him ready for bed, they do it together...every night! I have never seen Dana look so happy....she loves being a mum!

Steve wallpapered their lounge and painted the walls. He did a great job! They bought new lounge furniture...a leather sofa and loveseat...reclining of course. Steve would never allow me to get any reclining furniture because he said only "old people" bought them...I think he has changed his mind since they are so comfortable especially when you have a smaller space to furnish. Or maybe we are just getting to be those "older people "!

We are leaving Lake Charles Tuesday morning (3-3-03) and heading east towards New Orleans, LA. We hope to be in Florida by the end of March...2009 :) We know we have been traveling slow, but we don't have to be anywhere at any particular time! The weather is suppose to be nice and warm this week so we are ready for that!

Lake Charles has been a nice place to stay for a couple of months. The people we have met have been extremely generous and lots of fun to be around! We have had friends loan us their car for a week to drive to Avery Island (where they make Tabasco), invited us to movies, dinner (Richard and Elizabeth), Billy drove us to a laundramat and to get diesel, Mat and Cassie invited us to their house for a party and provided limo serves to and from Bush International airport. Mat even took us to a drive-up margarita stand....who would have known! We will miss all our friends in Lake Charles.

We will anchor in the Mermentau River tomorrow night, dock at Intercoastal City, LA the following night, anchor in the Charenton Drainage Canal the next night, dock at Morgan City after that, dock again at Houma the following night, anchor at Lafitte the next night, and anchor again at Rabbit Island just past New Orleans. After New Orleans we will hopefully be able to sail in the Mississippi Sound (open water to the Gulf of Mexico) to Pensacola, FL.

Take care everyone,

Pam and Steve