Party On, Wayne . . . Party On, Garth! Big Pine Key

Actually, the key we anchored by has no name; for the sake of this piece, I will call it Party Island.  It is a very small island used by tourists and locals as a great party spot.  Someone had placed a grill for everyone to use and there were chairs around a burned out spot that had been a campfire.  This island has another small hummock behind it, and a few people were out snorkeling the day we got there.

We took a walk around after we landed the dinghy; found that a good dog Jesse is buried there with a headstone and memorial.  Very sweet! 

It was not good snorkeling the day we went, probably due to the fact that the wind had been blowing and heavy traffic had stirred up the waters.

After I had gotten our beach day camp organized, a fishing boat with four younger adults came ashore; pulled that big boat right up on land.  Nuts.  Anyway, they seemed like any other group of kids, drinking and horsing around.  A smaller blond girl, very fit, was accompanied by a brunette, who had some weight on her.  One of the guys was smaller and dark-haired, and the taller of the two was light skinned and a redhead. 

There was a large family group in the center of the beach area, shaded by mangroves and sea grapes.  After a while, I watched a middle-aged guy, younger than me, get up and come over to the kids and offer them tokes off a joint.  Yep, right there, even with little kids running around.  He came back later and gave them more and stayed and talked a while. 

The teenagers kept up their flirty bantering, the smaller guy doing gymnastic flips on the beach.  But then, whether fueled by the pot, I don't know, one of the girls asked for rap music on the radio.  We'd been brain-deaded by country music up until then.  The redheaded guy flips out and starts yelling about gangsta rap n------s, and Muslims, and how he will not play that music.  The filth that was coming out of his mouth.  And of course, he finished up by saying, "But I'm not racist."  Every thought he expressed verbally was racists, severely so; lying to himself won't change that and in about three words, he convinced me that he was a narrow-minded jerk.  I did not want rap music either, actually I would have preferred no music.  I've never quite understood why some people need to crank up the noise when they've come to a wonderfully quiet and peaceful place.  Maybe the noise helps them not think.

The allure of the atmosphere died quickly after that and we returned to the boat for the evening, readying ourselves for a day trip to Big Pine Key the next day.  Gary had been telling me about this placed called The Blue Hull, which sounded like a restaurant to me.  Blue Hull this, Blue Hull that. 

Well, come to find out, it was The Blue HOLE.  I wasn't understanding Baltimoreon speak.  It literally is a blue hole left from Henry Flagler's mark on the land; an old quarry where he brought up stone to build roads and buildings.  After he left, it was deserted; fresh and sea water came in and now it has been turned into the Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. 

The first brush with wildlife was Allig the alligator who lived in the blue hole; he was big, but sedentary, enjoying the attention of the little fish forever grooming him.  Painted turtles sunned themselves on nearby rocks.  We saw different fish, birds, and a beautiful red dragonfly.  We learned about native trees, especially importantly remembering the poisonwood.  On the way back out of the preserve, a Key Deer crossed our path, stopping to nibble on leaves as she made her way across the property.  Elliott stopped close to her and Gary brought over some more of the leaves she'd been eating.  Elliott reached out to her and she came over happily to much on the green food.

We had made plans to dinghy over to another spot to tie up and walk a little bit down the road to a diner.  It was so hot and I almost burst a blood vessel when we found the diner to be deserted and waiting to be sold.  Gary depends too much on the internet for valid (or in this case, invalid) information; he almost never calls to verify.  Argh!  But, we could see more signs of civilization ahead, so we kept walking, me muttering under my breath about a mutiny or something like that.  But then, like an oasis in the desert, we saw signs for the Good Food Conspiracy, a health food store and sandwich shop.

A cold drink becalmed me and the sandwiches we ordered were beautiful and healthy and big.  We were happy and I forgot all about killing the Captain (for the moment).  We picked up some tomatoes and a bundle of sage, which Elliott wanted, and some chocolate goodies for me.  Gary was just happy to live to see another day.

The next day, we lifted anchor and moved to a beautiful beach park between Big Pine and Marathon while we make arrangements for a mooring buoy in Marathon, which can be hard to come by.

Key West: You Love It Or You Hate It

On the way to Key West, Elliott began singing show tunes in his beautiful baritone. 

That got Gary motivated to find and start playing his showtunes song list and we sang and danced for a good portion of that sail.  We motored most of the way, but had enough wind to sail into the harbor at sunset (I wonder how many photos have us in the frame!)

Gary was freaking out a little because we had come from the Marquesas, uninhabited except for animals and the occasional cruiser.  Maybe this was considered civilization, but if you want to really find life, you have to go where there seems to be none.

We were able to finally communicate with loved ones after more than a week of not being able to raise a signal.  It was interesting, though, as soon as we delved back into electronics land, our emotions and tempers flared.  Whether it was news from the outside world or an e-mail that got our hackles up, we saw an immediate change in atmosphere.  Interesting social study, there.

We anchored out for a few nights, then decided to spend a few days at a marina to get water and fuel.  Very expensive here, stupidly so, especially as we were really just on the end of the fuel dock.  The noise from the floating dock was crazy the first night and a nearby boat with a canvas awning made crackly noises even in light wind.

And, stupid us, we did not know it was Spring Break here.  What a mess!  The marina boasted a nice pool and adjoining restaurant and I dreamed of cool water and relaxation after our hot journey.  But it was not to be; when we disembarked, we found hundreds of Spring Breakers taking up all available real estate in and out of the pool.  When we walked by later after they had closed, we noticed numerous beer bottles and white party cups at the bottom of the pool.  Some clever kids had made a beer bottle monument on the pool's fountain.  We shuddered at the thought of the liquids we knew assumed were in the pool and knew we wouldn't be going in.

We did use the laundry one night; that worked out well enough.  Gary had helped me carry the bags to the laundry room and then went back to the boat to hang out with Elliott.  As he reached the gate for the marina dock, a group of guys were chasing another and a brawl had erupted.  He struck up a conversation with one of the guys involved (who was on a fishing boat on our dock), who said he had jumped in the water to help a woman retrieve her cell phone, but then some other guys got mad at him, and blah blah blah.  Gary was being nice by listening, but then the guy asked him what he was doing on the dock.  Gary replied that we were just passing through. "Well then, you shouldn't be on this dock," the guy snapped back, and then went on a tirade about those people who anchor out and don't pay taxes, etc.  Gary barely acknowledged it because as I mentioned before, we were paying through the nose to stay there, and said goodbye.  That made the guy mad.  "Oh, so now you're acting all high and mighty, eh?"

When Gary got back to the laundry room to tell me this, I worried for Elliott on the boat in case the guy was really stupid and wanted a fight.  Alcohol must have turned the stupid switch in this guy's head.  Elliott sent me a text showing him holding a rigging knife at ready; whew, I could relax, kind of.

Key West itself is just an enjoyable town, even with the guy who goes around telling the banana and vibrator joke to anyone who would listen.  Or the crackhead who wants to sell you a joke for $1.  No thanks.

Of course, we walked down Duval Street and we stopped in some galleries and stores.  We got some blessed ice cream, too; nice.  We had breakfast at Pepe's, recommended to us by a friend.  Long wait during a rain shower, but we enjoyed it and loved being surrounded by history.

Our favorite dining experience in that fair city was at The Cafe, a mostly vegetarian stopping point with excellent juices that refreshed us so much we went back again the next day.  It was our anniversary and we celebrated with a fresh watermelon-cucumber-lime juice with mint that reached every thirsty molecule in my body; so good.  That accompanied a big bowl of steamed edamame (lightly seasoned with sesame oil) and I had a beet salad and the guys had mozzarella, tomato, and pesto sandwiches.  Highly recommended if you stop there during your own travels.

Gary and I traveled on to the graveyard to pay our respects; it was interesting to see the different sections of the graveyard and how old some of the headstones were.

We stopped in at the Green Parrot (also recommended by a friend), but it was so crowded that we decided to stop another day, which we did, and at which point, we could sit and enjoy our frosty Margaritas with ease.

While we continued traipsing around town on our anniversary, Elliott was skate-boarding around town for some away-from-parents time.  Just as we passed by an organic market, I looked over and debated going in and also saw a guy there with a backpack just like Elliott's.  Turns out, it WAS Elliott.  He was perusing a menu.  We said hello and he went on his way.

Other touristy things were visits to the Hemingway House and the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum.  We love seeing the six-toed cats and, even though Hemingway did not live there a long time, just to soak up some of that atmosphere is so heady.  A couple Elliott met and fell into conversation with (imagine that!) had been to Cuba and told a bit of their experience there.  Supposedly, a surgeon can make an equivalent of $30 dollars American for a month of work.  The tourists are welcomed as the folks showing them even just where the bathrooms are can make more money in a week than the surgeon does in several months.  But, considering the communist government, who is really getting this money?  (I will discuss this more in the post on the Marquesas--coming soon.)

After the marina disaster, we decided to head off to a mooring field for the duration of our stay (the staff was great at the marina, just to clarify; I had no quarrel with any of them).  A friend of ours, the Dred Pirate Tom, whom I adore, was over there and we were all excited to get reacquainted with him.

We went over to his boat for sundowners; we brought rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice.  He had ICE!  Match made in heaven.  The drinks were awesome and we really enjoyed our visit.  He and Elliott made a date to do some lobstering the next day at the edge of the mooring field.

While they were doing their lobster trip, Gary and I dinghied over to the mooring field office and checked in.  I waited in the dinghy and watched the activity at the docks.  One fisherman, a scraggly rat-faced guy with a cigarette hanging from his lips, was cleaning his fishing rods and boat and obviously hated the pelicans.  He yelled at them constantly and fired off barrages of water from the hose to unseat them from their perches.

Another boat came in while I was there and while the guy was filleting the fishes, he threw the dregs into the water and into the mouths of waiting pelicans; they were happy.  There were very large fish (or shark) also in the harbor and the charter captain helped a little boy hang a carcass over the boat while one of these fish (?) jumped out of the water to get it.  I would be scared to death!

We tied up over at the dinghy docks, locked up, and hopped on a bus to go downtown.  This was our walkabout day and our revisit to The Cafe.  Again, deliciousness.  Took the bus back and then, by coincidence, met Tom on the docks.  Found out he and Elliott did get some lobster and that we had two waiting on board to cook up for dinner.  Wow; I did not expect that!  He was going to meet some friends for dinner, so we said our goodbyes there as we were leaving in the morning.  Again, another great person we've met on our travels and one whom we hope to see again at some point down the water.

Elliott was so excited about his two hours lobstering with Tom; Gary and I had said that as much as we enjoy Elliott's company, he gets so much from being and learning from other people.  He was proud to show us his catch!  A lot of cruisers fish regularly for their meals, but we've not yet had the heart to kill anything.  This was a first time and even though it was a little hard for me, too, I helped Elliott steam the tails and make it in to a salad for lobster rolls.  The guys liked them, but Elliott says the next one, he's just eating it steamed with butter.  Already a connoisseur!

We set sail right off the mooring ball and headed for our next stop, Big Pine Key.

Loggerhead Key -- Paradise in a Nutshell

Loggerhead was three miles in bouncy seas in a dinghy, but I would have travelled ten times that to get to this little piece of paradise.  At one point, I was sitting on the beach by myself and thinking that this is the reason we're doing this trip; to find places like this that are virtually untouched and still a bit wild.  Just behind me over the dunes was a sacred hatching ground for loggerhead turtles, the depressions in the sand as evidence of recent hatchings.

After we came ashore and set up my sun tent and left me with camera, water, and snacks, the guys headed back out to snorkel at a windjammer that had been claimed by seas and reef.  There they met up with a catamaran named Yachtsman's Dream that had been anchored next to us at the fort and asked to tie up to them.  The ten-year crusing couple on the cat was on the mooring overnight and then heading to Belize in the morning.

The guys were back after an hour or so, looking happy like they always do after a good snorkel outing.  While they were gone, I had explored that end of the island, waiting to get to the lighthouse until they returned.  I found the turtle nests over the dunes and limited by stay there, even though they were not currently in use.

We all went together to walk down the beach.  I had told them to bring their snorkel gear because there were small reefs near to shore they might want to explore.  Not knowing that the lighthouse was manned, we were pleasantly surprised to find the Fosters, a volunteer park ranger couple there working on errands.  Wash was hung out on the line to dry and the husband was just walking back from checking the fresh water cisterns in the shed.  We had a nice talk with them.  The volunteers stay at the small house there for 30 days at a time; this couple had an extensive background working and living in Alaska and their description of the waters there made us want to visit at some point. 

On the way back to the beach and our dinghy, we collected a batch of trash to take back for disposal at the Fort.  It was such a beautiful spot that we feel indebted to Nature and the Park Service for taking good care of it and we pitch in when we can.

Dry Tortugas -- Lots of Bricks

I did not know this going in, but visiting the Dry Tortugas has been on Gary's bucket list since he was a kid.  As the story goes, he saw a photograph of Fort Jefferson and was completely entranced by it and knew that he wanted to visit there some day.

The harbor was important back in the day and is important now as it is a wonderful deep anchorage for ships of almost any size.  When we came in, there were fishing boats, larger yachts, and some other sailing vessels. 

The first morning there, we noticed thousands of birds on Bush Key (adjoining Garden Key).  We found out they are nesting terns; the momma lays her egg in a shallow sand nest and then shades it from the harsh sun while the males spend most of their day flying overhead warding off any predators, such as the frigate birds, who love to dine on newborn terns.  Frigates are large birds with a huge windspan and are threatening just in appearance.  The terns have their work cut out for them.  The noise was a little overwhelming at first, but like most things, we got used to it right away. 

We also noticed a rather large dark scary object floating under our boat (and no, it wasn't our shadow!).  It was a big, big fish!  We found out later that Goliath Grouper are common in the harbor.  One day, we had three at one time, one large dark one, and two others who were more tan mottled looking.  In all, four different groupers visited the boat.  The guys actually got in the water with them and got some photos; Gary had to work on the zinc and our impeller had clogged with seagrass, so that's the only good way to swim with the fishes!

A loggerhead turtle also visited the anchorage, surfacing with a big "pah" and seemed to be headed over to Bush Key to hang out with the terns and frigate birds.

Fort Jefferson is on Garden Key, one of the islands of the Dry Tortugas.  That name originally was Las Tortugas (The Turtles), but was changed to Dry Tortugas on maps to show that fresh water was not to be had here.  The fort was began in 1846 as a watery stronghold to control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect trade emanating from the Mississippi River.  The fort, even after being worked on for 30 years, was never completed.  It never really was a fort, either, because during the Civil War, it acted as a Union Military prison and also had the distinction of holding four men who were supposedly involved in Abraham Lincoln's assassination.  One of these folks were Dr. Mudd, who showed admirable empathy by using his medical skills to help sick people at the fort even though he was imprisoned there.

There is more history of the fort and I'd recommend reading a bit on it.  We also got a novel written by Nevada Barr called Flashback (An Anna Pigeon Novel), which takes place on the island and surrounding islands.  It is good reading and she also throws in some history (some embellished) to make it more interesting.

From the harbor, you can see the main entrance of the fort.  This is where you check in and where, each day around 10am, a boat full of visitors from Key West arrives to sun and snorkel and tour the fort.  We thought, oh well, there goes the neighborhood, but it really never felt crowded.  The fort, which was never finished because it started sinking from the weight of the 16 million bricks used to construct it, is still losing pieces here and there.

Gary helped a neighboring visitor to shore one day to get some traveling papers sent (we think they're off to Cuba) and while Gary was talking to one of the rangers, a sharp flint of brick fell from the ceiling.  The ranger seemed nonchalant and said, yes, that does happen from time to time.  Don't tell anyone, but we kept the shard as a souvenir.

Of course, there is a moat, and this moat is extra special because it has its very own American Crocodile.  His name is Carlos.  He is of Everglades and Jamaican extraction.  We didn't know if we'd be able to see it, but one day, after the tour boat unloaded its passengers, here comes Carlos swimming up close to the bridge.  He stopped, looked at all the people, and just sat there for about five minutes, long enough for everyone to get a best angle shot of this not-camera-shy croc.  Then he swam on and lay in the grass further along the moat.

He arrived on his own volition in 2003 and seems to have found his permanent home.  The moat does not hold him in, though; there are open sea gates on several walls where he can get out and swim to other keys or just in the area where people would go snorkeling.  And people wonder why I don't go in.  Yikes.

We all enjoyed the little beach there and it was a popular spot for snorkelers and sunbathers.  There is also a little camping enclave in the trees abutting the beach.  Seaplanes also bring people over from Key West, flying and out several times a day.  Seeing them operating up close was very cool.

Social guy that he is, Elliott made quick friends with a guy named Stephen on the beach.  He was invited out to the boat and we all had dinner together.  Stephen is from Washington, D.C., and is traveling on his own for a year, just seeing where the road or water takes him.  Very nice guy and very appreciative of a home-cooked meal.

We've stayed in touch with him on social media and he's been to the Everglades, done scuba diving, and is touring the lower south of the States right now.  Fair winds, friend!

Back to the Land of Eternal Sunshine and Not-So-Spotless Minds

The day we landed in Ft. Myers, we had some extra baggage with us.  Gary's dad and our nephew had flown down to spend the week with us.  Originally, Gary's mom was supposed to come, but their dog had been injured and needed heavy-duty care, so she stayed back and the nephew came in her stead.  I don't think my MIL was too upset as she really hates to fly.  I was a little freaked out about how this was going to work as the nephew is allergic to peanuts.  We know how to use an Epi-Pen, but I didn't want to have to use my skills.  It turned out to be not a big deal at all.

We put Al, Gary's dad, in Elliott's cabin, and Xander, the nephew, into the bunkroom.  Elliott slept on the dinette or anywhere else he could get some shuteye.  Gary went through all the cabinets, relegating all the nutty goodness to a box that went right into the rental car for the week.  He even took my Milky Way bar!!!  There was almost a mutiny over that, but I decided to be a grown-up, for once.

Our plan for the week would be to sail up to Cayo Costa to explore the park there with a few shorter stops on the way back at smaller islands.  We hoped to meet up with John and Sharon again while there, but found out that Sharon was not feeling well and so we'd have to have them on board again when we returned.

Cayo Costa was a wonderful stop with a great beach, but the water was so, so cold.  It didn't seem fair that such beauty was not accessible.  Well, at least by normal people.  Elliott decided to go in the water no matter what; it hurt me to watch him splash through the surf and then dive into a wave, but he seemed to enjoy it.  The boys played on the beach, meeting a new friend named Nem.  They made sand castles and trenches and tried not to be too disappointed when the sea claimed the structures for her own.

From the beach, we took a long trail walk to get to the old docks area.  Jungle to almost desert-like plains; it was rather amazing the different zones on one small island.   It's funny because I was all about taking the shortest possible stroll around the island, but as we walked, I wanted to see more and more.

We anchored overnight and the next day, the four guys decided to take the dinghy over to the island again, this time going in the opposite direction in search of the lagoon, which was recommended highly by John.

I stayed on board and enjoyed the quiet and stillness while reading my book, knitting, and writing.

They  rode up a channel pretty much as wide as the dinghy, having to avoid logs and shallows by walking the dinghy along.  Gary's dad, Al, got out of the dinghy to help pull it along and slipped just enough to dunk his phone.  Gary had jumped in the water of Pelican Bay (where we anchored) the day before and dunked his phone.  Al's eventually got better; Gary's did not survive even after a rice infusion.

They were surprised by a dolphin swimming along with them in the shallows, his dorsal fin way above the water.  The shells were fantastic there, too, as not many people get in this small canal to explore.

After the Cayo Costa excursions, we set sail out into the Gulf of Mexico to head south along the coast to Redfish Pass.  We were heading to York Island to anchor before heading to Picnic Island the next day.  The sun had just set as were approaching the outermost channel mark.  I was down below and noticed the depth sounder getting lower and lower even though the charts were reading 14 feet.  Cappy initiated a sharp turn, but it was too late and we hit pretty hard.   Al and Elliott were down below and raced up the steps to the cockpit.  Elliott raced to the bow and furled the genoa to keep us from being driven further into the shallows.   

Cappy fired up the engine, threw the helm over hard to starboard and thrust the engine into forward to spin the boat around to put the bow back towards deeper water.  After a few thumps up and down, during which we made a little progress each time, we moved the few feet needed to hit deeper water.  We changed our course to a few hundred feet more off shore to get off the shallows and made headway with no further incidents. 

Gary laughed afterwards because earlier in the day, he had portended that " . . . the weather conditions were ideal for attempting an unfamiliar inlet because the weather was settled but there was just enough of a swell to help float a boat off if you did bump."   Oh yes.

At this point, it was getting quite dark (have I told you I don't like sailing in the dark?), so teamwork was needed to call out marks as they appeared within sight and to use the spotlight to highlight those that weren't as visible.

We were happy to reach York Island and anchor.  I cooked up some marinated chicken, kielbasa, broccoli, and rice, which my nephew drooled over that night and talked about for days after.  A win!   

Uber Fail and then Awesomeness

The morning we flew out of Ft. Myers, we attempted to hail an Uber car for our trip to the airport.  Two of our friends have had great luck with them, so we thought, "Why not?"  Gary had signed up a few days before and had run a few tests to check for availability.  There seemed to be only two local cars, but at the time of the test, they were available for the run.  So we decided would hail them again on our flight morning and save a little money than getting a hired car.

WELL, fail.  Hailing them brought forth no answers.  We had to hire a car anyway, but we got to the airport in plenty of time and had a good flight home.  It had been a long time since I'd flown into National Airport.

I love the window seat in an airplane.  Leaving Florida, I'd look down and see sand and ocean and swamps and seriously crowded neighborhoods and man-made islands.  Coming into D.C., snow had lightened the landscape and the monuments were so beautiful from the air, I almost got weepy.

We rented a car and got on the road and, of course, got stuck in some traffic coming home, but finally, we were pulling into our driveway.

We'd made plans to see my daughter and her family the next day, but we let them know we had arrived.  They came by shortly thereafter.

It was so good to see them; Saul came in the door exclaiming, "I made you a present, I made you a present."  He handed me a box and I pulled out a beautiful string of beads.  He told me if I ever broke it that he would make me a new one.  Who was this taller kid with the full sentences? 

I got weepy then; he tears started to flow.  My daughter laughed and said that he had predicted that, "Oma will cry."  Ha ha.  We had big hugs and my rib injury must have healed because I had no pain, only good love.

I had never been away from any of my kids for so long, so the changes in their little ones were so obvious.  Taller, more talkative, AND, best of all, they didn't forget me.  I saw my son and his daughter a few days later at my daughter's house and then his whole family on Saturday night when I sat for Caylee while they went to a party and then at Saul's birthday party the day before we had to fly back to Fort Myers.  They get together as much as possible for Saul and Caylee to know each other. 

That little girl is a dynamo, always moving and playing.  I did get a kiss before we left, which was a lovely surprise.

Saul had been lactose intolerant for most of his early life, but recently he's been able to stomach cheeses and a little milk.  I had gone grocery shopping for the house and stopped by to see him.  I had some lovely cheese to try so I opened them and we had a little tasting session.  First I gave him some brie and he wasn't too keen on it.  Then we tried a bit of Manchego.  He liked that.  Then he asked to try the Brie again.   "Mmmmm," he said with a smile on his face.  My little gourmand.  Love it.

Later in the day, we were having a snack when he started singing "Let it Go" from the movie "Frozen," which I had just seen while we were in Stuart, FL.  He was awesome; and especially when he lowered his voice for the part:  "Cold never bothered me anyway." I attempted a videotape, but he said he was just going to smile for me.  The second time, he did start singing "Let it Go," but it quickly segued into "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."

I know I'm babbling on, but my heart was so full during this time on reconnection. 

Being able to see my best friends was also wonderful; I didn't have an awful lot of time because my family was my first priority, but there was some great visiting done, for sure.  The time spent with my girlfriends is priceless.  A wonderful friend of mine had tried to arrange a flash mob for me.  You see, somewhere on Facebook, I had talked about the sound of the shrimps chewing on the bottom of the boat and how it was a noise that I had gotten used to. How was I going to sleep in a normal bed now that I wouldn't feel like I was in a bowl of Rice Krispies?  Well, she was hoping to get folks to come by dressed like crustaceans and singing some song.  I love her for trying, but she had no takers.  She still came over one evening and during her time there, another friend asked if she could come over.  Sure, I said, more's the merrier.  Well, THIS friend did come dressed as a crustacean.  Oh man, we laughed so hard.  I'm glad I attract a fantastic world of crazy.  They feel like family.

Speaking of family, I made sure to see my dad and stepmom.   After telling some of our sailing tales, my dad said he was sure I wasn't going to make it.  He doesn't realize that has been an inspiration; he was one of the only of his siblings that got out of Mississippi to see the world (via the U.S. Army).  He also made me laugh really hard, though I don't know if it was appropriate.  He's being treated with hormones for the prostate cancer and, out of the blue, with a surprised look on his face, he exclaimed, "Man, I've been getting hot flashes!"with a very doleful look, like Why Me?  I'm sorry, those are words I never expected out of my father's mouth.  Maybe it's good he knows what women go through in their later years. 

My stepmom seems to be doing well, not slowing down very much even though she is plagued by health problems, too.  I like that about her, but understand that my dad has never been a real social kind of guy, so as long as he's comfortable, I'm happy.

It was good having the dishwasher and the laundry machines available at the house, though I do like the speed at which laundry is done in a laundromat (two hours, wash and dried, three loads).  It was especially nice having a car to drive to things instead of having to walk; I did find that when I was at the grocery store, my mind was more on what I could carry rather than what I needed.  I had to remind myself it was okay to get more because I had a mechanized cart to lug things home easily.

As it always is, the time home was short and after teary farewells, we had to hop another plane to leave the cold and head back to the sunny climes in Florida. Well, that's what we thought . . . .

Everglades, Ninja Crabs, and Still No Alligators

The promised dingy ride turned out to be cold and windy, with some random splashes coming over the bow.  We toodled around and found a place that would be a better anchoring spot if we're in that area again.  Wildlife abounded with shore birds, turtles, dolphins, but still no alligators.  Personally, I think they all went on vacation where it is warmer.  Smart.  

On the way back to the boat, we decided to explore a tight canal with vines hanging down to the murky water; we realized it really was too tight for the dinghy to be navigable, so we did a slow turn around one of the hanging vines.  It was then that I saw these little black Ninja crabs skittering up the vine to get away from us.  I think I let out some sort of scream.  They scared the bejesus out of us!  If they wanted, they could have jumped into the boat.  Thankful they didn't because I was already creeped out.

After two nights on the Shark River and never feeling comfortably settled via anchor (strong current clears out any good holding ground), we headed out to get across the Gulf to the to Point Ybel on Sanibel Island, where we would anchor for the evening and then slide under the 70-foot bridge (huzzah!) and make our way towards our marina that would be our base for the next month.

Wind was good as we were starting out, but then petered out to nothing for a few hours.  I would occasionally give Gary the stink eye and suggest starting the engine, but he didn't, so we were behind and even though I had agreed to sail through the night (to avoid higher winds expected the next day), I was not happy that we had to do it.

The wind got back up again and at some points, we were doing 8 knots.  Whizzing by; finally, it was about 2 am and I was on watch. I had taken my Bonine, so I was less nervous, but Gary stayed in the cockpit and slept, so he was close by if I needed him.  We made it to our destination at 4 in the morning (sounds like a song; hey, it is a song (or two)!!!!!) and with the winds up and the boat bouncing, we tried to sleep.  After a few hours of sleep, we ended up moving under that glorious 70-foot bridge and anchored in Glover's Bight.  

Glover's Bight is right in front of the marina at which we'd made reservations, so it was an easy move to motor over and check in for the month.

We were given our slip number and as we rounded the corner to scoot in there, Gary was not convinced we would fit; it did look impossible, but it was just the perception and we got in smoothly.

The first day in we met our next-door neighbor Donna on a power boat who offered rides to stores if we needed them and tennis rackets if we hit the courts, and then Joe, a sailor from a few boats away, came by to say hello.  He was pretty funny; he said he liked the boat.  When we told him what it was, he said he now hated us for having the boat because he'd always heard of them but had never seen one.  So we had him aboard for a look-see.  Nice guy, a cop who gave us great pointers for one of our planned trips to a few nearby islands and also gave us some Sea Foam fuel additive for our dinghy motor because it had been stalling at low RPMs (it is good stuff and the motor is happy now).

The marina is nice; there's a restaurant just steps from the boat (we've spent a lot of money there already).   The complex includes a Westin Hotel, shops, two restaurants, and a condominium building (where the penthouse suites go for about 8 million dollars--eek!).  

There are several pools close by, but marina folks need to take a short jaunt into the nearby neighborhood to the recreation center to swim.  We didn't get a chance to check it out before we departed for a trip home.   The cons are that the sunsets are not visible from here and I sure don't have 8 million to pay for that kind of view.  The bathrooms are a days' walk from here.  Not really, but when you're used to the heads being a short walk away, the walk to the bathroom can be really long, especially if you're holding your knees together already.

 

On our second full day here, a business associate and friend of ours, John, and his wife, Sharon, came by to see the boat before they generously offered to take us out to dinner.  I really enjoy their company.  One of the first questions from John is whether we'd seen any naked sailors on our journey (the answer is, thankfully, "no").   He said they are not rare.  We had a great dinner out with them at a place called Rumrunner's; the scallops were awesome.   Last time we saw John, he could carry Elliott on his shoulders; no such luck with that now.

We came in on the 26th of January and flew out on the 29th to visit family and friends back in Virginia for 10 days.  I had been nervous about leaving the boat unoccupied for that length of time, but once we settled in here, I felt relaxed that the boat would be fine and was more than ready to see my loves back home.