Florida. After 2 months and 1000 miles, we felt it was a good time to tackle with several maintenance and improvement tasks we had accumulated on our wishlist. Conditions were ideal, with little pressure on our schedule, and above all the marvelous support of Chris Busch and Bill Beach, the previous owners of Magic. We saluted Bill in a previous post. Now we must render justice to Chris.

As we progressed in our cruise, we became more and more eager to understand the America we were traveling through. We accumulated unanswered questions about the Americans we were meeting, or their thoughts and attitudes that were reflected in the media. But who could we turn to?

We turned to Chris. We bombarded her with questions. Chris and Bill were ever so generous to have us stay with them, and day in and day out, dinner after dinner, we held sessions of questions and answers. All kinds of subjects were thrown at them, and Chris in particular volunteered to provide us with comments and answers. How come Trump was elected? How do you deal with your health coverage and expenses? How did your friends react when you were living on your boat 6 months at a time? What are the different kinds of beef meat that you can buy at Publix? Why do kids get out of school a long time before  their parents come back home? What should one bring when invited for a drink? How can people lower their cholesterol level when shopping at Walmart? Why was this guy carrying a gun while waiting in line at the Home Depot? How have real estate prices evolved since the 2008 crisis?

Contrary to the Queen, Chris’s motto was: “Never complain, always explain”.

Chris was always patient. She was always eager to express her opinions and her feelings. With her work career in the management of health services, her vast culture, and her interest for all kinds of topics, she offered us non only excellent diners,  but food for thought.

She went as far as giving us a well-needed crash course in American football, in view of the next Superball!

Thank you so much Chris. We’ll meet again…