bleh :/

Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you.  Woke up to a continuous 30 mph ENE wind again today, so, no fishing or any fun on the water, for that matter.  Donnie decided today was the day to tackle the AC.  It needs to be done before all the company comes, but it means the boat is in a complete shambles down below...all day... for more than one day...it seems. 

The AC is behind door number two, where more tools,
all of the linens, and the off season clothes are stored.
You can't see the mess on the port side of the boat,
and the companionway ladder that was down, the
circuit board that was pulled out, the microwave
on top of the fridge, the tools strung all over
the boat, the blah, blah, blah.

I managed to put all the laundry away, clean up the V berth, the cat box, and the head, before I gave up and caved in to all the mess...  I pedal, pedal, pedalled my clown bike to Kmart to pick up a few things and darn near expired pedalling into the strong headwind.  The only consolation was having the wind behind me as I pedal, pedal, pedalled (and coasted!) back to the marina.  I managed to polish some brass on the boat, plant another flower in my garden, and do a little more organizing on the ditch bag today.  Donnie was not having much fun trying to chase down the electrical problem.  It wasn't a bad circuit breaker.  Maybe it was a problem with the pump?

Maybe two heads are better than one...One Gallon Don joined in the mystery.

Or three heads are better than two...  it seems the pump is A-Ok.

Since the closet was torn all to pieces, I decided to put contact paper on
the shelves...Donnie goes for form and function, I go for pretty :)

Donnie finally had to concede, long after six o'clock tonight.  We went to the pool to swim laps and exercise.  I finked out after just six, but Donnie did twenty-one.  He had some frustration to work out, I guess. I made chicken alfredo and salad for supper, then cleaned up the galley.  Tomorrow Donnie plans to go to SALT in the morning to see if a technician there might know where it could be shorting out and tripping the breaker.  We both hate the though of having to pull the whole AC unit- for pink and blue reasons.  We've also been invited to join Dan and Biddi on their boat for a ride to Burdine's for lunch.  Tomorrow is his sister's last night here before returning to KY. The wind is still supposed to be about 20 mph, so Danny certainly could use some crew.  And of course, the deep fried key lime cheesecake at Burdine's is to die for :)

So, I simply need to be mindful that even the worse day here in paradise is far better than most days anywhere else in the world...I'm hoping tomorrow we get the bear.

Dolphin Research Center

For those of you that love dolphins, you must come spend a day at the DRC.  Even if you choose to not have one of the 'up close and personal encounters' it is interesting to simply observe. There is so much to see :)  Everyone who is watching is smiling, and I swear, the dolphins look as if they're smiling, too. If you come down this way I can get four of us in for free on my membership (hint, hint!)  I never tire of going to this place...

So today, I took Biddi, her sister-in-law Cindy, and her
friend, Karen, who are visiting from Louisville, KY.

I think they enjoyed themselves...the only down side to the day was there was a ENE wind cranking 20-30 mph.  At times, it felt like it was blowing a gale.  There were very threatening skies several times today, but the weather remained offshore.  We enjoyed lunch at The Wreck afterwards, and then some shopping time.  I left the girls for a time to go to Walgreens to work on getting some more supplies for our ditch bag.  A 'ditch bag' is a necessity if you are doing any offshore cruising.  You need to have a grab bag/go bag/ditch bag in the event you have to abandon ship in an emergency.   There are several sources on the internet that suggest the necessities of a ditch bag.  Karie shared with me their list, after compiling a number of other sources' suggestions.  No sense in re-inventing the wheel, I say, since she already did the leg work.  I'll share with you more about the ditch bag when I have it all complete, which should be later this week.  Oh, I also ordered our Bahamas Cruising Guide today. 
While we girls were busy playing, Cap'n was busy with boat projects.  There is a never-ending list to boat projects!  Boats need maintenance and TLC like a home- even more so, really, because of the harsh UV rays, wind, extreme heat in the summers, and salty air/salt water.  Today it was attacking some broken items...missing screws here and there, replacing the hinges on the Vberth hatch, installing a latch on the door to the head (no more line tied in a bow to hold the door open :), etc.  If he's feeling really ambitious tomorrow (and if he gets blown out from fishing with Kenny again) he plans to tear into the AC.  That's going to be a big mess, I have no doubt, especially if he decides to replace all of the hoses (which I think might need done).  We'll see...while I'd like to hope there is a simple fix, it never seems to turn out that way.  If you think a job will take an hour, it will be at least two.  Because we are in a resort area, with people walking the docks and wanting to visit (or Danny's hollering at Donnie for a cold drink!), then that one hour job could be more like four hours.  THAT is what they call 'island time' down here in the Keys!   While we would prefer to put it off until later, we have lots of visitors coming in Feb/March, and we need to be earnest in preparing for our first crossing the beginning of April.  For now, enjoy the dolphin pics!

Aren't they smiling?!

How cute is that?!  Looks like fun to me :)

These three are all smiles, too :)

I snapped at least 20 pics of dolphins splashes, but I almost caught
this one in mid-air.

Awesome action shot!

I wish I knew these boys and girls all by name...

I'd give them a 9.0

Showing some tail here- their tails are like our fingerprints-
each one is unique.

SPLASH FIGHT!!!

Calusa was not wanting to place nice with the others,
she was off doing her own thing.  For the last week,
she's been swimming and playing with a broken
hula hoop. The trainer put her in time out!

HOT LAP!

And the day would not be complete without an encounter
with the sea lions, parrots, maccaws, peacocks,
and here's one of the free range hens with her chick...

...and my personal favorite, the roosters.
(NOT! I strongly dislike roosters.)
See you all tomorrow,  G'nite.

so many surprises!

Got up and went to church today...joined the folks afterwards for dinner at the Hurricane.  We decided to come back to the boat and relax- for the most part :)  Donnie worked on the bikes, while Willis was 'supervising'.  I missed the shot of him directly underfoot, dern cat.

Willis T made a new friend today...

Wait a minute!!! Don't just love me and leave me!  What kind of friend are you???

You still love me, Mom, right???

Donnie changed the fuel line and bulb to the outboard motor on the dinghy.  He was having to pump the bulb every few seconds or so to keep the engine running.  Not any more :)  The engine to the dinghy now purrs like a Willis.  So, I decided it was MY turn for a hot lap!  I was a little uncertain as it's been quite some time since I've driven an outboard engine- probably since Cielo, our O'Day 25.

Off I go...wish me luck! (I was still in my dress from church!)

Leaning forward to get her up on plane!

Whoo hoo!  It WAS a hot lap!!!

That was awesome!

And when you're done, the motor goes up- took both hands for me :)

 

We went to visit Kenny and Fran today, and boy were we in for a big
surprise!  Kenny was interested in Donnie's hookah, so we were planning
to sell it to him, now that we know it's running well and works perfectly.
Instead, he asked if we were interested in trading for a lifeboat?  He's
no longer taking large trips off shore in his own boat at Hatteras.  He
just had it inspected and serviced, and its all in working order.
HECK YEAH, WE WERE INTERESTED!!!!
Wow, it feels like Christmas :)  Thank you guys so much!

It's a four person life raft with a domed top, and weighs only 34 lbs.
We'll easily store it in the sea berth with our lifevests and ditch bag.
Whatever you do, do NOT pull the handle- except in an emergency!

The next big surprise of the day came when a mama and baby manatee
came visiting in the canal while we were at Kenny and Fran's.
Polly spotted them first, and soon the whole neighborhood came out for a look.

I even got to pet the mama...I was so excited!!!

Isn't that the sweetest face?  If this pic doesn't make you say, "Awww,
God love it!", then there's something seriously wrong with you, lol.
Can you guess what's my new wallpaper on my phone?
Kind of made me homesick for my Simon, little buddy :/

All in all, it was a perfect day in paradise!!!

busy, busy!

We made our weekly Saturday morning trek to the flea market in Big Pine Key.  I was after fresh fruits and veggies; Donnie was after a new filet knife, a few tools, and a new basket for his clownbike.  From there we made a beeline to Key West.  I simply wanted to go to Kino's for some new sandals- all of mine are worn out.  When we first started coming down here, they were only $8.00/pair.  They're still only $12.00/pair, and I promise you they last for years.  (and I am hard on sandals!) 

I could have bought 10 pairs, they have them in such
fun colors, and different styles...and they are SO comfy :)

The 'store front' is simply a counter in front of the factory.  You can
generally watch the workers making shoes while you shop.  It
was lunchtime, so I am guessing they were on a break.

If you're interested in seeing more, check them out for yourself!

I love the architecture in Key West...kind of reminds me of
Charleston, SC, or Savannah, GA.

We drove past our namesake :)  It's a very expensive restaurant that
we have yet to eat there.  Instead, last year I bought a Cafe
Marquesa plaque that his hanging in my galley on the boat. I <3 it!

Key West is known for its quaint little Conch cottages...
I'm quite sure they are not for a little price!
(Out of curiosity, I just checked a local real estate company's
website...you're lucky to get in at $500,000- for a
'roomy' 700 square feet. That's about what I thought.)

We drove down to the 'southernmost' part of town,
down by the 0 mile marker.  From there, it's
only 90 miles to Cuba.

This is the view from where the road ends.  Beautiful.

We turned around, to go back through town to pick
up Hwy 1 back to Marathon...we passed the
old cigar factory...

...past an interesting Cuban cafe' and carnecia :)

And then we drove by the Newman United Methodist Church,
and smelled the most delicious aromas coming from
the parking lot...it smelled like lunch to us!

Pastor Beverly was making conch fritters. They also sold
fried chicken sandwiches and BBQ rib sandwiches.  It was a tough
decision, it all smelled so good!  I had a nice conversation with the
Pastor.  She grew up in this very church, attended Sunday School and
VBS as a child.  She said she never imagined that she would be a pastor
there one day.  They were raising money to make repairs on their
 123 yo church. She was wearing a Tshirt in memory of her son, who
died a year ago.  He was a handsome boy.  She said he was a
promising football player.  We had a quiet moment there together,
until I said, "I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child." She
replied, "It's awful. I hurt everyday."  She wouldn't look at me
then, she just kept stirring her conch fritters.  I had tears in my
eyes; I'm sure she did, too- from one mother to another...

And THAT is a $5.00 fried chicken sandwich!  Donnie's was slathered
in mayo with tomato and lettuce.  I opted for the plain white bread.
We picked the chicken off for the sandwich and then gnawed on
the bones- we weren't sure what to do with them :) But, oh my,
they were good....along with a half order of conch fritters.

Coming back into Marathon, Donnie stopped at the new/used boat parts place to pick up some stainless screws.  It's kind of a nasty looking place with a couple of derelict old boats in the front
parking lot.  While he scrounged around inside, looking for some stainless screws he needed, there was a lone hibiscus bush on the corner of the lot.  It was like a rose among thorns.  If you're not into flowers, you can pass through these next photos.  They are for my momma, who taught me to love

and appreciate the beauty of ANY flower.  Spring is in full bloom down here in the Florida Keys :)

Pap's barbershop was open for business, so Donnie got a quick buzz on
our way home.  From there, we went home and unloaded our
bounty for the day, and headed straight for the pool.

It was a hot one today, so the folks joined us poolside for a game of dominoes.  After the folks left, Donnie swam 20 laps, and I did 14.  After a soak in the hot tub, we came back to the boat and I started supper.  I fixed red beans and rice with smoked sausage and hominy, and baked some cookies. It was hot down in the boat with the oven and burners on, so we had dinner out in the cockpit. While we ate, it looked really dark and stormy out on the Gulf, and the wind picked up, out of the north once again. There is a front moving in tonight, so it may be a little cooler tomorrow. 

Donnie just came in from putting out some extra docklines, to be on the safe side. Marquesa is rocking a little at the moment, but you won't hear me complain.  The motion, with a cool breeze blowing down the hatch above our bed, will make it perfect for sleeping tonight.

Willis is just glad we're both in for the night...
it was a long day home alone on the boat.
Mom and Dad were just too busy today!

Willis has already claimed his spot- right between our pillows :) G'nite!