First Bath for Little Dippity

The Captain is so happy with the new dinghy. For those of you who don't know him well, he doesn't make purchases on impulse or without extensive research. ExTENsive research. LOTS of extensive research. For a LONG time. But our new water taxi is wonderful; we can zip along without getting dinghy butt and take friends and groceries and laundry and still stay dry and make good time.

She's so gorgeous, however, that even flora and fauna can't resist her. In a short two weeks she grew fur and barnacles underneath. We took her to Sombrero Beach for a bath (combined with a fun trip with friends and sun and adult beverages), and she cleaned up so well that the Captain grinned with full toothage.

From Groundhogs to Otters

It's hot!!! We're in the Keys!!! Blue jeans and sweatshirts are firmly packed well below the water line and swimsuits hanging all over the boat. Frosty beverages by the pool and at the beach. Now THIS is what we meant to do all along; we must have been using the wrong charts and cruising guides since October. There are always boat projects to be done, but there's something about Marathon that keeps you from working. We've spent all our time enjoying the gorgeous scenery, weather and new and old friends. We've had potluck dinners on the dock, a birthday party at Dockside, swimming and pizza parties at the pool and rum punch parties on the dock. When September Song, Where's Linda, Bombay Lady, Sea Pearl and Floating Stone leave, we'll have to rest up and dry out for a looooong time. In the meantime, we're trying our best to enjoy ourselves enough to compensate for our friends who are working and living in places with bad weather. We hope you appreciate it.

The Easter Lobster arrived

Captains Jaybird, Rick and William decided we should have lobster for our Easter dinner, so the crews of Optimystique, Wide Awake, Alchemy and Serendipity combined dishes and appetites for an outstanding Easter feast on the dock. Our table was scavenged from further up the dock (where it had been scavenged by previous tenants on a walk around the neighborhood). William and Judy's granddaughters Sarah and Gracie were visiting for the Easter weekend, so they joined us for the feast. They also attracted a sweet manatee, who came by for a backrub.

We were later joined (we never seemed to get away from the table) by new best friends Bob, Stephanie, Linda, and Fred and Candy (our neighbors). Bob and Stephanie's gorgeous labs Godiva and Cassie stopped by for a rub and a treat from Sarah and Gracie, so we invited their parents to stay too. After an extended happy hour we were invited to tour Fred and Candy's boat house, and it's so gorgeous we almost had to drug the girls to get them out. The three kitties aboard were also responsible for our reluctance.

Old friends, new friends

John and Susan (Alchemy) arrived in Boot Key Harbor for a week's stay before traveling to the Bahamas. We hadn't seen them since before Christmas, as they were held up with life and broken wrists and dental work and such. It was good to see them again, and we've been swimming and dining and happy houring since they arrived.

We also passed Life's 2 Short in the harbor, with Todd and Brenda aboard. We met Todd and Brenda in TN as they were cruising the river system. They invited us to join them at a nearby tiki bar to hear Tommy Santelli, who used to perform on Watts Bar at our home marina. We met new best friends Bob and Stephanie (m/v September Song), Pete and Linda (m/v Where's Linda?), and Joe (m/v Sea Pearl) and thoroughly enjoyed the music and their company. So much so that the next evening we dinghied to m/v Adventures so Robin and Jim could join us at Lazy Days and Sunset Grille to continue enjoying the company and the music. The best behaved member of the party was Salty, Admiral of Sea Pearl. While at Sunset Grille, Tommy Santelli thanked his Kingston, Tennessee fans for following (stalking) him in Marathon. A member of the audience said "Maryville!" Maryville? Home of our few remaining worldlies and home base and mailing address? He's Russ White (top photo), visiting Marathon every year after falling in love with it on his first visit. Small world!

Visitors from Afar

More Mayberries have arrived in Marathon....Eston and his lovely wife Tammie and baby Will came from Chattanooga to visit paradise for a few days with his parents on Optimystique. Sweet Will got his first dinghy ride and went to Sombrero Beach to suffer in the Keys.

Kathryn, Jim, James and Max Freund arrived from Bradenton to spend a few days too, and of course the whole group was obligated to visit Key West along with Rick, Debbie and Beau Duggan from Wide Awake (seen in front of Rick's obligatory first stop at the Raw Bar for oysters). Eston celebrated his birthday the whole weekend, and was admired by many in Key West for his hat (worn by each family member on their birthday, with a decoration added each time).

Pictures finally back in

For those of you who requested pictures you could enlarge, they're finally here! All old photos have been replaced, so if you have several rainy days in a row check it out.

We've Got Friends in Fun Places

We had a surprise visit Friday from Dick Jones (s/v M&M Packet) from our home marina in Tennessee. Dick is a sailor extraordinaire, having logged more miles than Jack Sparrow (without all the repairs, gold teeth and wooden extremities). He traveled south from Tennessee in early autumn (single-handing most of the trip), and he's now in Marathon for a few days. We saw him briefly before Christmas, and it was great to see him again.

Our friends Bill and Charlotte from Omega (Papa Smurf and his bride from our days on the hard at Lee Spry Marina when we all sanded and painted) live in Summerland Key. Friday they picked us up for a visit in their beautiful home (designed and built entirely by Bill with hand-picked materials) with a view of both the ocean and the canal (and Omega tied up dockside). We talked a lot, met their neighbors, walked and biked, and ate far too much far too often. One of their kind neighbors gave us tickets to a Habitat for Humanity cookout and concert on Sugarloaf Key, where we had great food and heard great music with a backdrop of the blue-green water and deep blue sky. Bill took us for a dinghy ride through the canals (so we could covet his neighbors' homes and views). We had delicious pizza at the No Name Pub (notice the dollar bills all over the ceiling and walls and every available surface), and visited their church on Sunday to see more of Bill's handiwork (he contributed his skills and work there as well). It was such a good visit, and it's always fun to catch up with new best friends you've made in your travels. We loved their B&B and hope we can find it again (unless they know we're coming and move before we get there).