And Life is Good!

Life is rough in paradise!  Pigeon Key . . .

Well, days have passed and life continues on . . . and it’s all good.  It’s really not that we have much to report other than our every day form of fun.  Our life has taken on a “come what may” progression.   Ha, most days pass without our ever even looking at the time.  What time we woke up or went to bed . . . those are just things that aren’t taken into account any more!

That being said, the new pace after 30 years in small business is a welcome relief.  I’ve never seen Rob able to relax like this.  He’s taken to reading BOOKS and has happily spent two days on the beach with me – two things that we just not in the cards in “life before.”  This really does have to be good for one’s health.

Our days have been filled with enjoying new friends and taking advantage of whatever comes along.  We watched a salvaged boat be lifted out of the water for entertainment one afternoon.   The weather treated us to another chance at the beach which we took full advantage of and watched a storm system roll past right out at sea while we happily soaked up the sun.  We've ticked boat projects off the list, visited the birds at the pet store again, went to two different art festivals . . . we've certainly not been bored!

A baby African Gray . . .

We’ve enjoyed the new friends we’ve made.  Ian and Lynn are now in Nassau having made the break this week and we had the boat full one night with a potluck BBQ and viewing of Captain Ron for two couples that (horror of horrors) had never seen it before!  (By the way . . . if you haven’t seen it yourself, now’s a good time!)  We’ve done $.25 wing night and pot luck at the cruiser’s lounge . . . the list goes on. 

Today started with $6 breakfast at the VFW, an experience we’ve never had before.  They apparently served over 210 meals this morning - pretty amazing for an all volunteer staff!  And great food to boot!

Then we headed out to tour Pigeon Key, a settlement created when the Flagler railroad was built in the early 1900’s.  It was really interesting and Rob was especially intrigued as he had just finished the book about the whole endeavor.  (Last Train to Paradise) 

We finished the day having dinner with new friends, Jim and Linda aboard their boat Double Trouble.  Jim’s an avid fisherman and he grilled up some amazing freshly caught yellowtail snapper with tequila sauce that was just amazing.  A great meal, the required discussions about boat projects and comparisons and a new favorite drink – hot tea with amaretto – made this cold and windy day end on the perfect note.

Tomorrow marks final preparations for our exit for points toward home on Tuesday.  It will be hard to say goodbye to the casual pace, comfortable mooring and mostly our new friends but it’s sure been a great run here in Marathon!

Community

A flower from Captain Jack

I can’t believe that it’s been this long since I’ve posted a blog.  That has to say something in itself, don’t you think?!  As of my last report, I relayed that things had gotten a bit commonplace around here.  I’d have to say there is still a low level of surprise these days which is both good and bad, right?  

Happy Birthday, Capt Jack!

What we HAVE been up to is what in our normal life would be adjusting to a new neighborhood.  We’re meeting the neighbors, so to speak.  We’ve found ourselves just going in to “town”  (also known as the cruiser’s lounge!) just to see what’s up.  Doing laundry, taking yoga, doing fixit projects – anything you do around here is joined by others.  Last week's Meet and Greet Potluck provided a chance to celebrate Captain Jack's 90th birthday.  Captain Jack is an old salt who's been around this area living on his 27 foot sailboat for countless years.  He's quite a character and a joy to know.

Lynn, Georgette and Ian

Rob’s been back and forth to the Battery Shack getting our alternator repaired.  He’s met up with several other guys that are just as anal and fanatic about their boats as Rob is (okay, this trait is REALLY NOT hard to find around here!).  He’s learning new concepts and techniques and info every day which is sure to serve us well in our adventures to come.

The wet trek post SuperBowl

I’ve been meeting new people at yoga every class and we’ve had a nonstop chain of visitors and invites.  We’ve had Ian and Lynn over for cocktails before they headed to the Bahamas, John and Penny came for coffee and scones yesterday, we’ve been to the Hurricane for $.25 cent wings with Jim and Linda and Bob and Georgette several times, one night dancing til the band stopped playing!  Superbowl last night was another kick and ended the consummate bar game of Foosball.  PS – I won the entire superbowl pool at the marina . . . go Moonshadow! . . . and donated a chunk of our proceeds to the local Relay for Life team that sponsored the pool.

Billy gets a taste of the Cruising Life

A recent surprise was the chance to entertain an old friend from Charleston, Billy Campbell, who was in Homestead for a business meeting and drove out to spend an evening with us.  We found a great little restaurant, the Keys Fisheries, where they require you take a famous personality to retrieve your food by (Marilyn Monroe, your order’s up!)   Great night of good food with a good friend.  You know we welcome visitors any time!

So things aren’t too out of the ordinary for the cruising life here in Marathon.  It’s fun to talk with folks heading to the Bahamas and beyond and we are learning a lot and storing it up for next year when we’ll be island bound.  Until then, being in “the neighborhood” is just fine by me.

Home is . . .

We had another adventure yesterday.  You may have caught my moody post several days ago before I pulled it from the web, but we were on standby all weekend regarding a lawsuit we’ve been involved in.  Word had it after our attorney returned from vacation last Friday that we may need to be in court this week . . . so we sat waiting.

Yesterday morning the word came in at 11am that we would be expected in court at 9am on Tuesday . . . in Charleston!  We were kind of expecting the news and when it arrived we were tutoring our neighboring boat friends Jim and Robin on Lameroo on how to keep our batteries charged up.  We jumped into overdrive and threw a few things into a bag, grabbed the trash and dirty laundry, dumped the most perishable items from the frig into a cooler bag and threw it all in the dinghy in the 25 knot winds blowing.

We called a cab from onshore and headed to the airport to the rental car desk where we met the most lovely Sherry at Budget who helped us with a great deal and got us on the road in no time.  And we started driving.  After eight plus weeks on a boat, this was quite the shock.  Neither of us had been behind the wheel in months and the stress of the whole situation felt beyond foreign.  Packing was so unfamiliar that I managed to forget even the most basic items . . . like a jacket for cooler weather and UNDERWEAR!

To make a long story short – after seven hours of reviewing depositions and plugging forward, we received the call that the plaintiffs had agreed to a settlement.  Our attorney was delighted and said “Turn the car around and head back down, it’s over!”

This is when the reality hit me.  Although the lawsuit was a totally unwelcome and unpleasant reality, the change in plan and the resulting headway towards “home” took me as being surprisingly unwelcome.  I had secretly planned every minute of our intended 6 day stay with enjoying my boys, surprise visits to my friends and getting logistical details taken care of.  So when we did, in fact, turn around – I felt a distinct drop in my mood.

How do you like the red one?!

 

 

The word “home” has become a confusing term.  I told friends I was heading HOME again and we both weren’t quite sure which way that meant!  It’s taken me the whole day to make the transition BACK into the cruising lifestyle and once again, it’s taken its hold of me – wandering town and stopping in wherever the mood inspired including this pet store where we had a blast with the multitude of bird personalities. 

 

Guess the saying will always hold true -

"There’s no place like home”.   

Wherever that is!

A Birthday Wish

Here’s to a great woman, my mother in law, who has a heart of gold and a smile like sunshine.  I’ve known “Mom” for over 30 years now.  I can remember the first time we met.  She was visiting Rob just after we started to date and I walked in to his place and there was this striking woman in the kitchen.  Rob had always described her as “hot”.

I can remember being intimidated by this strong soul in the beginning but over the years we’ve become incredibly close and she is near and dear to my heart.  Here is a woman who was married for 62 years to a man with triple the determination of my own Rob . . . she was obviously the glue that held together a family of strong personalities with undying commitment.

She always managed to proceed with style and grace.   A heart of gold, she has shown unlimited generosity over the years and can be counted on no matter what.  She gives herself selflessly to her family, her church and her commitments.

So, Mom, Happy Birthday.  I can’t remember the last time we were not with you to celebrate so this is particularly hard.  Just know – you are no further away than my thoughts and I’m sending wishes for a beautiful day and a year of the same. 

With that, I pass the baton to Rob to add his thoughts . . .

To You, Mom, Because you . . . 

Brought me into this world,

Read me my first book,

Took me to my first day at school,

Wore your leopard stole to my parent teacher conference.

Gave me my first shaving kit,

Let me cut the milk box into a boat,

Didn’t get mad when the parakeets flew away,

Let me drive the bulldozer with Tom.

Watched us build the tree fort,

Smiled at the daffodils I picked for you,

Offered protection when Dad was mad,

Told me everything would be okay.

Sent me to college – with spending money!

Answered the phone when I called from jail,

Told me it was time to grow up.

Came to help patch up my broken wrist,

Provided more than I deserved – from housing to cars to even a boat.

Conveniently forgot about money I owed.

Always were there when I needed you – and still are!

You have far more qualities than I could ever describe –

Happy Birthday, Mom.  You are the best in the world!

With love from Rob

On a Lighter Note

Today began with another beautiful sunrise through the port as I lifted my head.  How can you not appreciate something so magnificent welcoming you into each new day? After the bad news and bad mood of yesterday, I was determined that today would be a return to our thankful and appreciative lifestyle . . .

I had a lot to be excited about.  Any of you who know anything about me knows that I am an avid dragon boat paddler.  I joined Dragon Boat Charleston soon after my cancer diagnosis in 2006.  It has been a lifesaver in so many ways but, first and foremost, the camaraderie and support of each of the team and club members truly changed my life not to mention that the sport is a blast! 

So when I arrived in Marathon this past week and heard that there was a local dragon boat club that paddled every Sunday, I signed up immediately!  And today’s SUNDAY!  We got up and performed the usual routine getting to shore for my meeting with the carpool at 9am.  The drive with the other paddlers for the day took about half an hour and we arrived at a really neat little place on a canal off of Newfound Harbor around the area where Rob and I anchored on our journey from Key West that we thought was so great!

Now in Charleston we almost always have at least 12 people on the boat that holds 20 or we downsize to the smaller version, the Dragonfly.  With only six of us paddling, I was surprised that this hearty group didn’t even flinch but grabbed their gear and we headed out.  (I was thinking others would be joining us!  HA!)  Also in Charleston we begin our workout with a warmup of somewhere between 2 and 10 minutes depending on where we are in the training cycle.  OH, not in the KEYS!!!  This crazy group of nothing less than cheerful folks headed out for what ended up being an entire hour of paddling with only 6 on a 20 person boat!  The only break they took was after about ½ hour when a couples minutes of chit chat pursued before cranking it back up to full throttle.  You Go Team!!!

And another great moment in this adventure is logged.  I’m so thankful to my new paddling friends for allowing me to join in and I hope to not only paddle with them again before we journey on but that they will join us in Charleston – they certainly have earned there spot on any boat I’m on!

A Little TOO Normal . . .



The most significant element of change since our arrival is the number of people we've met.  We've met more fun folks in the past three days here than we had in the 6 weeks prior . . . right off the bat we met Robin and her husband and their son Daniel.  There's Jim and Linda from Texas who we did meet in Key West but are now here and their friends Bob and Georgette.  There's John and Penny who were actually moored next to us several days in Key West but we never met then.  Add Ian and Lynn from Canada, Pete and Cindy, AJ and Lisa . . . it goes on.  And it's nice.

We've been able to keep busy having fun just exploring the area and doing what the Marina has to offer.  From the pot luck Meet and Greet to yoga in the morning and wandering up Highway 1 to see what's out there, keeping busy has been a cinch.  And when there's not something going on, someone's always got another diversion from fishing to going to the nearby beach.

It's good to be here, a much needed break and change from Key West to recharge the batteries, so to speak.  I can't help but feel a little too "normal".   There's more of a routine that's returned and the lonliness is gone (thankfully) and I even have done some spontaneous entertaining just like at home.  The thing that keeps coming to mind is that this is such a nice break but I'm glad it's that and not the destination.  It's a lot easier to write when the winds have mounted, the boat loses it's anchorage and all hell breaks lose . . . that's when there's something to write about!

Okay, just for a bit of excitement, we DID have a powerless sailboat drift through the anchorage the other night during some wind in the area.  He had five dinghys flanking him on all sides that served as his engine and they were trying to get him back into a spot to drop an anchor again.  This all floated by after 11pm the other night and then this wild bunch finally set the anchor after about 6 attempts - right upwind from US!  So that was a sleepless night waiting for the next chapter . . . which thankfully didn't happen.

Yesterday they placed us on a mooring ball after we returned from an exquisite day at the beach with swimming and sunning and good company.  And we're safely and securely not having to worry about a thing from this point forward . . . and I'm missing the unknown already!

Another World

The change is surreal.  No, really – I thought I had stepped into another universe.  The day started out with contrary winds and rain, totally unpredicted weather although we’ve come to expect that.  We waited until the worst of it passed before weighing anchor and heading back out.

The winds allowed us to raise the sails early and we headed out to the reef to tack back straight toward our destination of Marathon.  The seas were much higher than expected with the overnight weather just passing through so we sailed with a rail in the water and waves washing over the bow for the first few hours.  The winds didn’t stay favorable, however, and we finally gave up the fight and turned on the engine once again which meant watching for crab traps threatening to wrap the prop. The last few hours were a grueling game of watch and adjust course.

We were exhausted when we arrived.  We had expected to get a mooring in Marathon but they said they were totally booked and had a waiting list of 15 boats and to set an anchor and check in the Marina office when we arrived.  So we motored up the entrance to the harbor to find more sailboats than I’ve ever seen in one location moored and anchored in every direction!  We dropped the anchor the first place we saw and headed to the office as we were told.

So this is where “the moment” happened.  We dinghyed in to find several sets of dinghy docks (remember our Key West experience!) all well maintained with cleats every few feet to accommodate individual dinghys.  Then there’s this big warehouse style building with what can only be described as a sailor’s lounge – with two tv rooms, a bank of tables for computer to plug in, numerous tables for general use, a long wall with endless full bookshelves and a mail station . . .  Toto, we’re definitely not in Kansas any more!  

And it didn’t end there – just beyond this “lounge” is a very large work area for people’s boat projects and then another large building housing the laundry, bathrooms and showers.  Up front is a “tiki” hut and picnic area as well.  That’s just the facilities, mind you.  The services include a twice daily radio call in program called “cruisers net” where anyone in the harbor can tune in find out who’s new, who’s leaving, what’s happening for the day, who’s got what for sale and more.  There’s a board to “buddy” up with others going to the Bahamas . . .  add to that yoga and aerobics classes (free?!), movie night, meet and greet night, pot luck and music jam session night . . . is this for real?! 

The answer is a definite “yes”!  When night fell, the anchor lights looked like stars that had fallen right into the anchorage and we were greeted this morning with a  rainbow crossing the sky.  After our first full day in the anchorage I can say that, although the whole experience can be viewed as a bit “suburban”, it’s really quite wonderful being around so many friendly faces all of whom understand this quirky life we’ve chosen to lead.   

So a new chapter begins – where it will lead is anyone’s guess.