And the Rat Race Continues

Back to work, airing boats out after the months of cool damp weather, biking to West Marine for epoxy (old dinghies require lots of TLC), and cleaning. Of course all this has to be done early so we don't tarnish our reputations as lazy dogs.

Saturday was gorgeous, sunny and warm (till the sun went down), so we dinghied to the park for a Gospel Explosion. The featured performer was James McDuffy, who has the voice of a very strong angel. We heard him again on Sunday, and he vibrated the rafters in the small church, danced with the minister (while singing), and amazed everyone in the audience. Even though he's presently in poor health, you'd never guess it from the way he can belt out a song.

Lunch afterward at the Island Fish Company was wonderful, rivaled only by the Lady Vols win that evening.

Monday was warm enough for a dinghy exploration. We found inlets on Sisters Creek we'd never seen, with lots of boats anchored in the hideaways. We made it to Sombrero Beach, and walked the beach without long underwear and shoes finally. On the way back, we explored the man-made canals with huge and beautiful homes and boats -- we'd love to endear ourselves to these folks so we can inherit! We ended the day at Lazy Days (how appropriate) for great wings and a gorgeous sunset. Now we have to start all over again.

Abducted!

William and Judy (Optimystique) and the crew of Serendipity were kidnapped Thursday and spirited (pun intended) away to Key West. Our abductor was Rick Duggan, a boating friend of over 30 years who is now living on Wide Awake in Boot Key Harbor with the lovely Debbie and son Bo. Rick has a vehicle (precious commodity) and decided it was time to whisk us away. He apparently also wanted to see if he could bench press each of us, since he plied us with exotic beverages.

Our first stop was lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar, then on to Schooner Wharf (where happy hour is from 8 a.m. to noon!!) to hear Michael McCloud (one of our favorites from several years ago). His faithful companion can be seen in the guitar case on stage. We then proceeded to...of course...Sloppy Joes, where Rick introduced the ladies to Chocolate Cake and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. These were beverages, not pastries, and they were so deceptively delicious! We strolled about town, sampled some great conch fritters at Margaritaville, then began to freeze as the sun went down. It's always fun in Key West, and it was great to be back. Chances are excellent that we'll be there again soon....

No Problems, Mon

Aaahhh....Marathon.....

It's so nice to be in the Keys, with weather getting warmer (anything above 30 feels toasty now), the water beautiful, and easy walks or bike or dinghy rides to revisit fun places. Laundry's caught up, Publix has replenished our larder, boat's clean(ish), dinghy's repaired and clean, and now we can concentrate on beach walks, sunsets, and meeting new people. There are boat projects to finish (begun in TN last year) and new ones to start, but we're on island time now.

We toasted our arrival in the Keys with mimosas on Optimystique, and heard Joe Mama play at Dockside, so we're officially here now. We've seen and heard of several boats and people we traveled south with or met along the way, and have already met new people in Boot Key Harbor. It was fun to listen to the cruiser's net at 9:00 a.m., which we loved on earlier visits. It's a combination of announcements of upcoming events (and there are so many!), requests for or offers of help, and Treasures from the Bilge (buy, sell and giveaway). It's amazing and heartwarming how many people are involved with community service and aid to others in need. A boat left yesterday for Haiti, loaded with water and supplies for an orphanage, and they left with many donations from the harbor population. There are always benefits for local and national organizations, and the people in the harbor appear to be most generous (even though we all know how tight sailors are rumored to be!).