March 29, 2014 Saturday, Leaving Marathon

Weather calm this morning, this is our window, gave Jay his butterfly book marker, told him it was our blessings to him as a going away gift. Let him know that if he needs prayer which this morning seems he did to get it out of the special place he said he had for it, sometimes God lets me know people need prayers. He understood and acknowledged that sometimes that happens to him.  So that is my last tatting piece,need to get to work again.  Good time to leave I guess. Once again  we plan, God laughs and puts us righ twhere he wants us.  May you continue to bless people thru us.  Amen.

March 28, 2014, Friday

Spent the day getting ready to leave tomorrow morning.  Hoping the winds will drop down below 15 knots earlier in the morning. Forcasted 18-20 knots till2 pm out of the north. We have a weather window of 1 1/2days to get to the ICW Miami before the winds go back up and waves back up to 4 ft with 20-25 knot winds.  Sooo......Got go and leave our safe haven here at Marathon.  We are the last of the loopers that we know of to leave and head north.  Jeff and Judy planning on leaving tomorrow too, head north up the west coast of Florida. Sure will miss them, hopefully they drive over to the east coast end of April to meet us.
 Went to dinner at Frank's Grill, had the best Lasagna and Chianti, with Tiramisu dessert.  Did a nice walk over to the San Pablo Catholic Church.  Had a beautiful walking/prayer path with the 12 stations of Christ's last days and a beautiful place to sit by a big reflection pool of water with music sounding like priests singing prayers. It felt like a very reverent peaceful place to be.  Thank you Jesus for all your suffering, paying for our sins so we may be forgiven and by faith in you have eternal life.  A good reminder if we don't have holes in our hands from the nails our suffering is nothing compared to what Jesus experienced.
 We walked on down the road to see this house that looked like the back of a boat from the water and the front of the house like a boat with smoke stack on top and dinghy tied up to the side of the house.  Said our goodnights to Jeff and Judy, and went to say goodbye to Jay and Sal and Ina.

March 27, Thursday

Rode our bike to check on the Tent for the boat, to see if it was repaired yet.  She didn't have it done.  Picked up some stuff from hardware store and back to the boat to get things done getting ready to leave.
Went over to Jeff and Judy's to make Lobster Bisque, ended up being more of a chowder which was really good, especially with the Pan Sabeo Sweet Bread we picked up over the bridge at a fish market/Rest.

March 26, 2014, Wednesday

Woke up around 5 am we were bouncing of the dock on the port side, wind had shifted but still 30-40 knots.  Took the tent down because we were swinging all over the place, it was acting like a big kite over our boat.  Didn't jerk and move as much after that.  Talked to someone that was staying in the resort beside us,said every time he looked out the window during the night our boat rocking and rolling side to side.  They thought about coming down and inviting us to stay with them in their condo for the night.  Wind calming down to 20-25knots during the morning and sl. less as the day went on. Walked to the hardware store with Jeff and then after coming back to eat a little something rode our bikes to the Publix and Home Depot, felt good to get out and ride our bikes again.  Wind was blowing pretty good on the way home but had the new bikes which made it much easier.

March 25, 2014 Tuesday

Lost our window of good weather, thundering and lightening last night during the night then downpour raining this morning.  A window of no rain, Curt put his dinghy motor on and started it, one happy boy, he's got a dinghy motor.  That will enable us to anchor out more and get into shore with the dinghy.  Spent the day getting ready to leave, laundry done, water in the tank, one bike in the boat, fixed the tire on the other bike, ran over a Texas Sandbur, can you imagine them being here too.  dinghy almost ready.  Went in our dinghy over to Sharky's for 25 cent shrimp and buffalo wings, wind was blowing pretty good and of course waves were splashing up on Judy and I.  Our behinds were soaked! and other parts.  Had 5 dozen shrimp between us 4 and a dozen wings.  Good stuff.  Came back to get ready for another potluck but this one Sal was steaming lobster and grilling tuna he had caught recently.  Super good food with fresh strawberries, angel food cake and whipped cream and a Key Lime pie made by a gentleman at a "fish store", with the last Key Lime off his tree.  Yum Yum.  With our tummies full discussion came about who hadn't seen Capt. Ron, yes we saw the movie again with 6 out of the 10 never having seen it before.  Thru the storm in the movie the wind picked up outside and the boat was really rocking, talk about getting sea sick from the rocking of the boat we were in and watching the rocking of the boat in the movie.  Tired we all found our way back to our own boat, other boaters tying their boat up  more secure for the 30 knot  plus winds tonight.

March 24, 2014 Monday still here in Marathon

Got up at 6 am and caught the bus to Key West at 7:40.  Lisa here from Germany and doing live aboard work crew on the Catamaran got to spend the day in Key West also.  We showed her a couple of places, the roof top that you can see each direction over Key West and the trolley line to tour the town.  We went looking for a new phone for Curt and a book about touring Cuba for Jeff.  Finally we found out the Verizon store was 2 miles away, Radio Shack didn't have the phone he wanted and the book store after walking many many blocks and twice by it was closed on Mondays.  We started walking to the Verizon store and I suggested we walk on Truman street where I had heard there was a quilt shop.  Found the quilt shop/upholstery shop, had cute patterns and wall hangings.  Then we thought we should call to see if they have the phone Curt wants.  Nope they didn't.  So....we turned around walked back to Duval Street, had lunch at Hog's Breath and then on the way back to Marathon on the bus.  Got a call from Judy and Jeff, they're back with our dingy motor.  Finally we have a motor and too late to go cruising here in Marathon.
Had Won't be leaving tomorrow either since thunderstorms forecast with increasing winds in the early morning.

 T shirts in one of the windows, hard to block out the nasty ones, but the funny ones too cute

 This is Bo's, an eatery we had lunch at last time, everyone said they had good food, I had Soft crab sandwich, didn't think it was the greatest but my first time eating it.  Quite a place to look at.

 Quilt ideas for your underwater quilt Carol K.

 Cute quilts and patterns

 Unusual two level bike, one on top of the other, look at the green parts.

March 23, 2014 Sunday

Ross and Barb left to head north this morning after getting their dinghy sort of fixed and on their boat.  Was a very humid morning and warm.  Finally talked Curt into taking our boat out to go sailing or snorkeling since we had the day free.  And to scrape the bottom of the boat to get some of the green growing slime off along with the worms and barnacles.  Fun, no wonder he didn't want to go out to the ocean!  Went out to Coffin Reef.  The story how this area got named was because a ship was bringing in coffins and wrecked on the reef.  Coffins were apparently spilled off the ship and floating and then sinking all around the wrecked ship.  We found the mooring balls and the metal pipe sticking up out of the water.  Sailed once we got out of the channel and into the ocean.  Beautiful day with perfect winds.  Caught the mooring ball with no motor only the sails dropped at the right time.  Saw lots of new fish we haven't seen before including a puffer fish, big green sea ell, nurse shark, grouper, and lots of the other fish we had seen before.  Snorkeled over to the shipwreck.  Wind and waves picking up and Curt getting cold in the 84 degree water we decided to sail back.  Had noticed while we were eating our snack that the Catamaran at our marina was also there.  As we sailed off the mooring ball they also came off.  Had a nice little race back and forth out in the ocean with them, great photo op's.  Jay had a crew of 6, has like a bed and breakfast which he takes people out sailing and diving off his boat.  Fun was had by all, such a great sailing day in the ocean.  Yes Curt did get most of the gunk off the bottom of the boat.  Sad to start the motor once we got back into the channel coming into the Marina.  Went out to supper at Cabana Breeze right off the ocean, had Hawaiian Pizza, was good and a drink that tasted just like an orange Dreamsicle.  Yum.  Good laughs again and a good day sailing and snorkeling.  Thank you Lord for the shark not eating us :)

Sailing with Jay and his crew in the ocean

 Sunset of our boats in the marina to the right as we were walking over to the restaurant for supper

 Sal took pictures of us while we were racing, playing with them out in the ocean

  We think this guy was flying a Cuban flag, note the boat behind is his dinghy a 23 ft. boat

March 22, 2014 Saturday

 Sal took pictures of us when we were out

 Barb, me and Ina on our way out on Sal's boat to Sombrero Reef

 Reunion pulling out

 Below Field Trip pulling out, heading north with Reunion

Said our goodbyes to Field Trip and Reunion crew, off they went heading north.  Marina was a little quiet.  Helped Ross and Barb do somethings and then Sal suggested we go out snorkeling at Sombrero Reef.  Ross gave in and went with us.  The wind was 0 and the water was flat in the channel going out but in the ocean the swells and waves made their tall boat rock and roll.   As we stopped over the reef, the boat began to rock like a nearby sailboat was doing, it almost looked like the sailboat was taking on water as it rocked from port to starboard so hard.  Sal and I jumped in, water was to cold for Ross, his legs cramped so he got out.  Later after Curt got in with me, he said Barb had gotten sick and the salsa and snacks slid off the table on the back of the boat.  Not realizing how sick Barb was, we continued to snorkeling, hadn't seen this big of staghorn coral and some different fish.  Water was a bit murky from the storm and wind a couple of days ago.  Back on the boat and heard the horror stories of how bad the boat had been rocking.  Not sure if it was because we were over a 20 ft deep cannon in the reef, did rock that bad when we moored farther away previously.  Decided to go back in, swells were still making the boat sway.  We all wondered how the other boats that left this morning were doing in the swells and rolling seas.  Finished helping Ross with his dinghy, gluing on the pieces that held the dinghy on the back of his boat, they came unglued in the heat of the day.  Had supper with them and went back to our boat tired and ready for bed.

 One of the houses going out of the channel to the ocean

 Barb, Ena and me sitting on the top floor of their boat

 Lisa from Germany and Sal from Canada, Ena's husband

 Ross from Howell Michigan, Barb's husband and Lisa

 Parot fish

 me checking to see of the flash is working, bad selfie

 in the green grass is what I think is called a Puffer fish

 Had seen a black stingray across the bottom before, yellow tail below I think that's what they're called

 A school of Sargent Majors around a mooring ball rope

 Part of the shipwreck collecting barnacles and plant growth

 Jelly fish close up

 See the shark?

 This guy and his two friends were always swimming around us, became quite a camera hog

 Mr. Shark again

 Can you see the king angelfish in the center