With the month of October suddenly upon us, September running mileage only totaled 78.1 miles. At least I got the minimum mile in every day to keep “The Streak” alive on this cruise adventure. Normally, I routinely do about 90 miles each month and 1,000 for the year. Between fewer miles and excessive eating I will naturally expect a weight gain that should be perfectly normal on a three-week cruise. They say if you don’t put on a few pounds then you didn’t enjoy yourself. Tonight, we’ll be back at Manfredi’s for more pasta and wine, The big relief of the day, was from our thoughtful who took the time to drive all the way to Schnauzerville to assure my wife that our precious pup Tally was doing fine. The dog sitters were relying on a generator and had no way to communicate with us, so a simple picture was worth a thousand words. 

We should know more about our roof tile damage in the next few days when my son is able to once again check our property. He has been pre-occupied with rising water, soffit damage, and potential structural concerns after the hurricane. This goes along with his marital concerns and financial problems that have been his primary focus long before Ian rocked his world. His wife and kids have been sharing time with their parents, so I was glad to see them temporarily united as a family to deal with the storm. This once again shows that tragedies like this often bring people together, whether it be neighbors, relatives, or even strangers. 

There are still street, landscaping, sewer and internet problems in our Islandwalk neighborhood. I do have some guilt having to rely on others for help while we’re thousands of miles away at sea. Our timing couldn’t have been better or worse, depending on how you look at it. Here we are stuffing our faces, bathing with clean water, and enjoying all the luxury cruise comforts while those back in our home town of Venice are suffering. We’ll have some serious dues to pay when we finally get back to Florida.