and then there was none

I hit the bell Monday morning before seven am, to get a jump on things before our haul out at 8:00am.  Kenny would have been proud of the breakfast I made for the boys.  I took the leftover fajita chicken, peppers and onions, threw them in a pan and poured scrambled eggs all over the top.  I then stuffed the remaining tortillas with the concoction and sprinkled it with tobacco sauce.  Kenny is a firm believer that just about any leftovers are delicious with a "loose egg on top".  I have to say, they hit the spot!  Fortified with breakfast, coffee, and juice, we kicked it into high gear :)

There is a phenomena in central Florida called "love bugs".  There is nothing lovely about them.  Thousands of these bugs swarm along the waterway.  They were crossed with lightening bugs and something else, and then released into the fields.  The intent was that they would attack the cotton boll weevils.  They are worthless.  Not only do they NOT do their intended job, all they do is screw- all. day. long.  They fly hooked up.  Sometimes it's a flying orgy.  Their only redeeming qualities are that they don't bite, and they are easy to kill...they are a little too preoccupied if you know what I mean.  The folks in the boat yard said they show up about 10am, and don't settle down until sunset- and boy, were they ever right.  Donnie set to work scrubbing the topsides of all their dead sorry carcasses, but before he could finish, the moment had arrived.  It was time to haul Marquesa out of the water.  It was an exercise in futility, anyhow, because sure enough, at 10:00am on the dot, it was as if they punched a time clock destined to go to work to make my life a living hell. 

Momma K was smiling early in the morning, but
that didn't last very long.

At 8:00am, the good ol' boys from the boatyard showed up, and in no time at all we were all off the boat, and Marquesa was in the sling.  It's quite the operation seeing them do it.  I feel myself hold my breath each time I watch our boat getting pulled.  This time, though, was different... 

I couldn't breathe at all- I. simply. lost. it. y'all.  I was sobbing, embarrassingly so.  Now, I can get emotional over the National Anthem, or when I swell with pride over my children and their accomplishments, but I am not a crier at heart.  I hate to cry.  I'm an ugly crier.  But I could not stop- like hiccupping sobs.  I was just so sad for Marquesa.  Boats are meant to be in the water, to be loved and cared for sailing across lakes and oceans.  When her sails are full, and we're in the slot cutting through the water, I swear I feel Marquesa smiling as she charges through the waves harnessing every bit of wind.  It's a powerful, exciting feeling, and it makes me smile every time it happens. Even when I am so seasick, I am happy for her- doing what she was made to do.

So the thought of leaving her on jack stands, in the middle of a field, for the next nineteen months made me incredibly sad.  And then it hit me, too- I won't be back to the Keys for nineteen months either!  I am going to miss this life terribly, and the thoughts hit me in such quick succession as I watched her lifted out of the water, that I was simply. overcome. and undone.

• I am going to miss the salty smell of the ocean.
• I am going to miss the beautiful shades of blue and green as you travel down Hwy 1 through the Keys.
• I am going to miss the nightly sunset viewing, especially when I am blessed with the green flash.
• I am going to miss Paradise Pointe- looking out over the Gulf of Mexico and Pretty Joe Rock. I may not miss that northwest wind bouncing us around and off the wall, though :)
• I am going to miss Banana Bay- our marina friends, the pool parties, the get-togethers, and the hot tub.
• I am going to miss our friends- so many friends.  We now have more friends here in the Keys, than we do back home because we have the time to really cultivate our friendships here.  At home we work like crazy to have the privilege of living this life for 4-5 months each season. After four years here, we have really made some wonderful memories with our new friends.  We look forward to making many, many more in the years to come.
• I am going to miss the music, especially the music played by Five Sheets to the Wind.  Most kids have this fantasy of playing in a band when they grow up. Donnie's been able to fulfill that dream by making music down here 'with the band' for the last two years. I hurt over the idea of taking him away from this, while we are in China next year.  The band brings us both so much enjoyment.
• I am going to miss the other area bands we've come to love- the Doerfels, Misery Loves Company, Gary Bush's band, "Just Practicing", Ray West and his amazing flute playing, and so many other talented musicians down here.
• I am going to miss fresh lobster on the grill, snared by my husband.  He's masterful at it.
• I am going to miss the fish dinners with Mamaw and Paps.  Nobody fries fish any better than Mamaw with her 'secret recipe'. 
• I am going to miss Cuban coffee.  Lord, am I going to miss my Cuban coffee!  And mi esposo de Cubano who greets me with a kiss each time I go there.  I will miss black beans and rice and plantains, like no other, too. I am packing a stockpile of black beans and rice in my suitcase- Wait! There's rice in China- lots of rice, no doubt ;)  Okay, maybe lots and lots of black beans instead.
• I am going to miss the Seven Mile bridge.  I love sailing under it, obviously, as I can't help but snap a picture every time. I also love walking the bridge, any time of the day or night.  It's always a thrill to see whatever it is I find down in the water, be it a shark, a school of spotted rays, a sea turtle, or another passing boater.  I will especially miss walking the bridge by the light of the moon- its simply magical. :)
• I am going to miss seeing the working crab and lobster boats out on the water.  I am even going to miss the crab pots themselves.  My husband would likely disagree with me on this one, as he is the one to go overboard to cut us free when we snag one on our prop.  But for me, when I see the buoy's in the water, I am reminded and thankful for my God and the bounty He provides from the ocean.  I loved pulling a few crab pots myself this season- it was a bucket list item for me :)
• I am going to miss Friday Night Pizza and Movie nights with all of the gang.  I'll miss quarter wings and shrimp nights at Sparky's Landing, Taco Tuesdays at the Hurricane, and celebrating special occasions at Latitudes out on Sunset Key.
• I am going to miss all of the great diving down here.  Of all the reefs and wrecks to choose from, simply sailing out to Sombrero Reef for the day is my favorite.  It is teeming with tropicals, and I love diving through all the swim throughs.  I especially love being able to experience diving the reef with my youngest daughter, Ellie.  We hunt for seashells, and invariably hold hands as we swim along.  It's a special momma moment for me :)
• I will miss Sombrero beach...any beach we happen to dink up to, for that matter.  I love seashells, and my husband has learned to just accept that it's what I'm going to do every time my feet feel that sand between my toes. He's finally stopped asking, "What are you going to do with all those seashells?!"
• I will miss seeing the tiny little Cuban who has to be in his 70's that runs at a snail's pace along Highway 1 nearly every day.  We always smile and wave at each other, and I admire his persistence.
• Donnie says he will miss the tweeker dressed as the Statue of Liberty spinning his sign, bebopping along and beating the bushes with his sign.  The guy scared me a little bit, but Donnie honked at him every time he drove by. I will miss the guy dressed as a crab along the highway for Key Fisheries- he was cool :)  There are some colorful characters in the Keys.
• I am going to miss sitting on the bow and staring down into the water.  I never know what I'm going to find.  It's a special treat when the dolphins come to play in the bow wake.  God, I'm going to miss that.  I can't help but ';baby talk' them every time they come to play.  "God love them", as my grandma would say.  I say it, too. :)
• I am going to miss the sound of the water rushing past the hull.  It's just comforting and soothing to me, I guess. 
• I will miss all the sounds of Marquesa- the wind whistling in the rigging, the sound of Windy turning, the snap of the sails catching the wind.  Your ears get so accustomed to the sounds of the boat, that you instantly know when something is amiss...
• I will miss taking the helm.  I can't describe the feeling of the wind in my hair, always with some tune in my head, or on the stereo, with me dancing at the helm as we sail along.  There's nothing like being at the wheel of Marquesa.
• I will miss dinking around the mangroves, or going ashore to new found places.  I never tire of wanting to 'see something new' just around the next bend, with camera ready in hand.

I am just going to miss it all...

... these were just a few of the thoughts I had in

the sixty seconds it took to lift her out of the water.

It was too much to take in, overwhelming, really.
I couldn't help but cry.



Soon she was cradled...

and heading down the boat yard...

To her resting spot in F-10 for the next year and a half.

We then worked our fool selves for the next four hours
in the hot sun, fighting the love bugs every step of the way.
I started in the bow, and worked my way aft, cleaning,
polishing, and bleaching every surface.  I hung damp rid,
charcoal, and laid dryer sheets all over the upholstery
in an attempt to keep the mildew to a minimum.

Len plugged all the through holes with stainless steel
wool, to keep the mud daubers from getting inside and
building nests.  Donnie drained the water tanks by
giving the topsides a final rinse, and he disconnected
all of the batteries.  They will all need replaced when
we return anyhow.  They will have four year's on them
by then, and that's about all the life you can expect.  The
final project was covering Marquesa all over with this
shade cloth.  It will reduce the sun's UV rays by 70%,
keeping the boat cooler, as well as allowing her to breathe.
I am hoping the mildew won't be too terribly bad when
we return a year from this coming November.  When I
stepped out of the cockpit and on to the ladder for the last
time, I said a silent prayer of thanks for her taking such
good care of us all these years, and I also sent a prayer up
 for her safety while we are gone.  I pray she gets through
two hurricane seasons relatively unscathed.

We left the boat yard at 1:00pm.  If Len hadn't been
there to help us, I'm afraid we'd still be there! 
He was invaluable to us.



On the nearly four hour road trip back down to the Keys, Len's Uncle Rich
and Aunt Gisela called saying they had just arrived to their home in Islamorada
from New Jersey.  They invited us to stay for dinner, but we were on a tight schedule.
The boys had to be back in Marathon for band practice by 7pm, and we all
desperately needed showers to get the dirt, sweat, and bug guts off of us. In spite
of not looking or smelling my finest, I really enjoyed our visit with them. 
I especially enjoyed getting acquainted with Gisela.  We chatted it up in the
 kitchen while the boys kibitzed on the deck.  They have a beautiful property
 there, and we promised to take them out for a sunset sail when we return
 in 2015.  Nice folks :)

I got Gisela'd! That one glass of Riesling she gave me went straight to my
head.  I have been going on too little sleep for far too long.  I called first
shower when we got back to Len's place at 6pm, and I immediately passed out.
I was sound asleep when the boys called that it was time to leave for Bryan's.
I felt like I could have slept. for. daaaaayyyyzzz.

The band has their final gig of the season this coming Friday at the Marathon
Yacht Club.  They started working through their set list, cleaning up the
openings, closings, and taking various breaks in their repertoire.  They
only got through about the first half, and will wrap it up with another
practice on Wednesday of this week.

So where we stand now, is that we are staying temporarily with Kenny and Fran (and Willis!) through the end of the week. We are making the rounds seeing our friends and saying final good byes.  Donnie has a couple of boat scraping jobs to do at Banana Bay this week, and then their gig
is on Friday.  Saturday evening we will take off for Germany for a two week visit with our daughter, Carissa, son-in-law, Austin, and the new baby grandson that we have yet to meet.  While I am sad to be leaving the Keys, I am really looking forward to getting back into Momma and Mimi mode by loving on the kids and grandkids.  I love my family, deeply :)  We will return to the Keys on May 12th, pick up Willis, and then begin our trek back north to our other slice of paradise, my beloved log cabin in the woods, back in Middletown, Indiana.

Home Sweet Cabin :)

So, this brings me to the end of Sailboats and Kitty Litter until November 2015.  We will have
the three months this summer to get our life in order, have a wedding for our son, and spending time with family and friends.  By mid-August, we are heading off on our next big adventure...

I have accepted a teaching position with Beijing National Day School in Beijing, China.  I will be doing my dog n' pony show, teaching college level psychology to some crazy smart Asian kids!  Though Donnie and I are well travelled, we have never been to this part of the world before.  I was offered a one year contract, with salary, housing, and benefits, that was just too good to pass up.  I am approaching this experience as perhaps my 'final hurrah' in the professional working world, so leave it to me to go out with a bang!  As of now, Donnie will not be working, but will take a turn at being a kept man.  We'll see how that goes!  He's not one to sit still for long.  In the craziness of our last night
together on Marquesa, he and Len crafted a silly song called "The China Blues" that had me laughing until I was crying...or maybe it was laughing through the tears that were already there.  We are hoping many of our friends and family will take advantage of our two bedroom apartment in Beijing, and come make some memories with us there :)  At any rate, Sailboats and Kitty Litter will resume when we put Marquesa back in the water on November 1, 2015. 

In the meantime, don't despair...come August you'll be able to enjoy the new blog over your morning coffee.  It will be called Chinese Takeout! So, be sure to stay tuned ;)

I want to thank y'all for the love and support and prayers that I have asked for those hairy times when we really needed it.  You are loved and appreciated more than you know.  Thanks for sailing along with us...next up, Beijing!

but for now, G'nite, y'all!