July 19             New Bern, North Carolina

I rose early and cooked David’s favorite breakfast, creamed eggs in country gravy over English muffins.  It was sheer indulgence for him as he usually makes his own breakfast of cereal or toast.  With some of the fabric left from the upholstery of the salon sofa, I make pillows from the forms inside other pillows that we had on board.  The new ones turned out very well and added a little style to the sofa.  My recently purchased sewing machine is a joy to use and I am slowly discovering how to utilize its many features.  Willie Nelson, the amiable driver for the Hilton, took me to Sherwin-Williams, where I perused wallpaper books for an hour.  I did not find the selections that I wanted.  I left for Wal-Mart, a new and very attractive store across the street, to purchase more items for the boat. 

Willie delivered me and my packages back to the marina in time to meet John Peterson and several people who would be working on projects for us.  John stated, “You will return to a new boat.”  He assured us that all the scheduled work would be completed by our arrival on August 14.  I hoped that this happy occurrence would not come with the cost of a “new boat.” 

David is never happier than when he is working or supervising work on a boat.  Today he was elated because he was assured that the workers were knowledgeable, skilled, and capable of meeting his exacting standards.  John Peterson did a good job in assembling a crew for us.  Tomorrow we would leave for Norfolk to catch the plane for DFW.  We were already dreading the prospect of leaving but were eager to return home and see the family.