56 Days and Counting!

We're starting our count-down! 56 days to go and we will be off to begin the 3rd and final leg of our awesome adventure...Once again the coffee table is filled with travel guides, charts, maps, books, and lists...lots of lists! Leg I ~ 2007, we left in May; Leg II ~ 2008 we left in July...now we head out to finish the loop the end of August! Plans now include a trip first up to see Gil & Pam, then up to visit with Dave & Carol before heading over to the boat...hoping that Art & Sharon will join us for the first few days onboard as we shove off from Chicago right after Labor Day! Looks like we will take about 7 to 8 weeks to travel down the Mississippi and the Tennessee Rivers, September and October...then back home for the month of November--leaving the boat in Alabama till after hurricane season...PLUS, while home, we will be busy getting all systems and advertising ramped up for the upcoming 2010 selling season! It's hard to believe 2009 is already half over, and that we have already been away from our "Ithaka" for 10 months! Times sure flies when you're having fun!

...We will head back up the end of November to conclude the journey...hoping Bobby will join us for a few days so that he & I are together for his big 3-oh! We thought it would be amazing if we could cruise back into Naples just in time to celebrate the holidays! Imagine that...what a memorable way to start the next year!