Yep, it was that time. Had to make the obligatory visit to the states to get stuff, visit the kids, visit friends, file taxes, and enjoy my little stateside vices like In-n-Out burgers, Jamba Juice, and LA Sushi, among other things.
My timetable was a bit messed up on account of losing a half day because I couldn’t get a rental car when I landed in Miami. This was because nobody would accept a scanned copy of my replacement license (which was waiting for me in Daytona). So, I ended up having to catch another flight to Orlando, then taking a shuttle to Daytona from there. What a pain.
It was nice to see my brother and my niece Rayna (who even performed a couple of songs for me, she’s quite the musical talent). But I didn’t get a chance to see my nephew Madison when I was in Florida this time around. It was also nice to hang out with my daytona friends for the short time I was there, and get caught up on all the local happenings.
My time in Florida was short and sweet, and then it was off to LA to hang out with my sister and the kids. She’s going through a marital split, so I wanted to go spend some time with her and see how she was handling things. I was VERY happy to see that she was rolling with the punches, and keeping a grip on things. It was especially nice to see her kids too, who are both getting pretty big now.
Other highlights included meeting up with a couple of myspace friends, Teresa and Kristi, along with their whole posse, for a night at the Improv in Hollywood. Good times! My old buddy Miguel came down for a night, and hung out in Venice. We had lunch in Marina del Rey along with Elizabeth, who had visited Andiamo just a couple of months ago.
I especially enjoyed wearing city clothes and shoes for the time I was in LA, and driving around in my very fast and comfortable rented Chevy Impala. I’m becoming more and more insightful and reflective when I’m in LA these days. I think it’s because I can see how far things have come in my life whenever I’m there. There are many difficult memories and emotions to deal with, but I find it therapeutic to do so here.
It’s not always pleasant, sometimes painful. But despite all that, LA is a place I always look forward to seeing again. Not sure I can ever live there year round again, though. I suspect I’ve slowed waaay down to do that. 
Made it back to Puerto Cortes with two bags full of boat stuff, dvd’s and other things I had to buy and buy again due to the theft of all my stuff last December when Miguel came for a visit. With the keel repair mostly done, it’ll take a day or so more to put Andiamo back in the water and get moving again. That is with the hope that the navy yard has some repairs done to the boat lift so it’s back in commission in short order.
Looking forward to it…