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! 

the last 10 miles...

We woke up Easter Sunday morning to two candy-filled Easter eggs on our
bow at the town of LaBelle.  Have I said how much I love this place?!

Donnie went exploring in the dink last evening while I was getting dinner
ready and he wanted to show me all the out of the way places he found.
The Easter bunny went along for the ride, too.  No really, she did.

There's a story behind this boat that goes something like this...
The man who owned this boat had developed a new prototype marine
engine back around 1940.  He was a tinkerer and fancied himself
as quite the inventor.  The country of Germany expressed an interest in
purchasing the new-found technology, and then WWII broke out. 
In spite of having achieved his dream in developing this efficient marine
engine, his patriotism got the best of him, and he felt it would have been
an act of treason to pursue selling the technology.  I don't know what
happened to the man, but the engine and its story are now in the town
of LaBelle's historical museum, and his boat lays in ruin. 

His wasn't the only boat in ruin along those creeks.

Remember Melinda and her dog, Girlfriend?
We found the motor-sailor where they live, and as we
pulled up, we saw the alligator swim by in front of their bow.
They have a beautiful boat, don't they?  I wonder if she sails well?

It was a beautiful morning to go exploring.

As we headed back to Marquesa, we came across Melinda rowing
her boat and the dog.  Donnie offered to tow her back, but she
refused saying it was the only thing she does to try to keep her
boobs perky!  lol.  We lingered for awhile longer and let her entertain
us with her stories in that genteel southern accent of hers :)

We lingered a little longer...

...and soon we were one of only two boats left in LaBelle.  It was
time to cast off the dock lines for a final time this season...

As we waited for our final bridge opening, I spied this
alligator kill in the lily pads.  It was the remains of a pig.  Eww.

Then it was time to bid LaBelle goodbye.
We will most definitely be back.  November 2015.

An hour and a half later, we were approaching Ortega lock.
the last one on the Waterway for us before arriving at The Glades.
 

All tied off, and fenders out the port side, it was time
to go up, up, up- eight feet in all.

I left our mark above the water line :)

We both took a few minutes,

to savor this last experience on Marquesa...

...as the water came rushing in.  It was a pretty cool experience, not gonna lie.

As we rose to the top, I looked above me, and there was a sticker from the
Happy Clam!  I squealed when I saw it.  The Happy Clam is the restaurant
in Maine that is owned and operated by Greg and Corinna, the neighbors
in front of us this season at Banana Bay on the Wanderer.  How crazy
is that?!  Life sure is funny and strange sometimes.

Within the hour, our friend Len caught us coming around the bend.

We made it to The Glades!  It was great to run Marquesa in fresh water
for 80 miles, too.  Cap'n got to flush the AC unit, and was able to
run freshwater through Bessie, too.

We no sooner docked, and then we immediately went to work!  We had a lot to
get accomplished before our 8am haul out the next morning.  The first thing we
 did was to take down all the sails.  Len and I set about folding them up, but
 apparently tackling the job like folding a bed sheet was too much for some
 fella in the boat yard.  He had to come over and school us, because what
we were doing was 'wearing him out.'  Lol.  He must have really
been listening and watching us to get himself so worked up!

Occasionally we let the 'crew' rest- but then we were
back at it.  It was hot, thirsty work, y'all.

 

By the time we got the dinghy bottom scrubbed and deflated, we all needed
a break. We were making good progress.  I have to say, too, that it sure was
 nice (no, it was incredible) to have an extra set of hands willing to help.

 

Cap'n started telling stories, like the time he accidentally
shot his sister Diane's cat "stone cold dead."
IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!

 

I'm not sure what Len was thinking, but I know that
nothing makes me laugh harder than hearing these
two boys laugh :)  They crack me up!

After the dinghy was folded and stored, I elected myself
to stand on the piling to disassemble Windy.  I hadn't
had any beer, so I figured it was easier for me to perch, lol.
I still managed to slice my pinky on one of the blades.
They are razor sharp :/

 

After several more hours of packing and stowing, Momma K declared
it all "good enough" for the night and made a pitcher of sangria for us all.

While the boys played music, I got busy in the galley making chicken
fajitas and black beans and rice.  I also packed all of our clothes, toiletries
and such into tubs- and refilled their glasses a time or two...

...while Donnie got acquainted with his new Epiphone :)  I didn't hear the cool
story that went with buying this guitar at the pawn shop in LaBelle until that
night. It seems Donnie asked to see the guitar and began to play it in the store.
Some bleached blonde rough looking chick came up to him and said she was a
 singer and dancer (just what kind of dancer, I'm wondering?) and she proceeded
 to join in on a couple of songs.  The guy wanted much more for the guitar,
but gave it Donnie for only $100.  He told him, "Everybody that has picked
up that guitar sounded like crap until (him), so he deserved to have it for
less money.  The icing on the cake was selling the real piece of crap guitar
that he had been playing for $80.00, so he was only out $20 for a guitar
he has been wanting for quite some time. Cap'n gets that wheelin' and dealin'
gene from his momma, no doubt, whose name happens to be Jean ;)

After a hard day's work, some sangria, and dinner,
our last night on Marquesa was feeling pretty good.
We listened to music and cooked up plans to sail
around the world together.  That naturally led to
the discussion of a bigger boat, and all that we'd
need to be able to really 'do it' some day.
First on the list- a larger boat with two staterooms
and two heads- at the First Mate's request!
I must say we all work well together though, and
we'd sure have a lot of fun. (As if there was any doubt :)

As I was cleaning up the galley, I noticed the sun was setting.  Though it
was cloudy, and I wasn't looking out at the ocean, I ran up topside
and sat on the bow to take in the moment.  I never tire of sunsets.

The boys continued playing late into the night, until the sangria was gone...

...though they had some help from a couple of guys who came down to join us.

It was a beautiful night of friends, listening to music, and sharing
lots of laughs.  The only thing missing this trip...

...was Willis T, who seemed perfectly
content to be with Uncle Kenny and
Fran. He was helping her do laundry,
just like he does with me back home.
Dern cat.

G'nite, y'all!

LaBelle? I LOVE this place!!!

We came in to LaBelle just after sunset last evening.  We had no idea
what a gem we fell into here.

These are the city docks...brand spanking new.  Only 10 slips, right next to
a bascule bridge.  It's on a first come first serve basis, and it is totally FREE!
Free slip, free water, free electricity, free wifi (if you walk to the library
at the top of the hill- which I did, gladly).  What town does this?! 

Here's Marquesa, the only sailboat on the dock, nestled between two trawlers.

Since we are newbies to the Waterway, Cap'n was getting
the scoop from the locals.  It turns out we are NOT 25 miles
away, but only 10 miles away from The Glades.  We have one
lock yet to go through, that will raise us 8 feet, but even
at that, we are only a couple of hours from our destination.
Rather that sitting in a field of no-see-ums and flies,
what not stay in a lovely little town where everything is FREE?!

Melinda was a colorful character (on a motor sailor) who
told some incredible stories....like trying to come to shore
except there was a momma alligator next to the tree with
her fresh kill, and the babies came rushing from the bushes
 to join in the feeding frenzy.  It wasn't the best timing for
her to attempt to get her dink untied from the tree, where
the gator breakfast was taking place.  To confound the problem,
she also needed to get her dog, Girlfriend, to shore to do her
morning business. This naturally lead to, "Why is your dog
 named Girlfriend?"  To which she replied that she told her husband
that he was allowed to have one girlfriend, but she got to pick her
 out and she was going to be as ugly as a dog. And she is.
Ms. Melinda was a trip, y'all.

By late in the morning, we decided to wander into LaBelle to see what all
the town has to offer.  Well the offering was right across the street at
the town park.  We heard music playing, so we had to naturally check it out!

The town sheriff and "The Posse" were giving a benefit,
as a thank you for his re-election.  This sleepy little town,
with its beautiful parks with tall standing oaks covered
in spanish moss had a gazebo with a tin roof that
reminded me of the round barns you see back home.

This is Bubba, daddy to the sheriff, and a helluva an interesting man.
He is a young seventy-five, and plays a mean lead guitar :)



 

Any band that plays Skynard, this girl is going to get

up and dance her flip flops off :)



Even if it means flying solo!

So we're in this park, listening to music, dancing and
having fun.  There's the singing sheriff, kids taking
pony rides, kids with balloons and bouncy things,
and did I mention the FREE hamburgers, FREE hotdogs,
FREE soft drinks, FREE trees (yes, they were giving
away trees and plants, and as if this wasn't already
too much to absorb...

FREE SNOWCONES!!!
I love this place :)
But wait....

So my Cap'n has worked for the Sheriff's department
in Henry County, IN, and then he gets invited up
to sing with the Sheriff in Henry County- Florida.
I can't make this stuff up, people :)


See?! Henry County Courthouse- just like THE Henry County Courthouse back
home, only different.  (and the fact that Butch does not have a singing Posse, lol)

We took a stroll through the LaBelle Veteran's Memorial
Park and read all of the memorials...

...which is always a sobering moment for me.  To this
day I cannot sing or play the National Anthem without
tearing up. Nor can I walk through a military
cemetery without doing the same, and I have been
in many of them across the US and in Europe.  Donnie
 and I like to bring a bottle of wine and toast the soldiers
 laid to rest in military cemeteries. It's just a thing we do.

And if the day could not be any more fortuitous, we walked through town in search of a few last minute boat items and guitar strings.  Donnie walked into a pawn shop, and.....

This is where you imagine the heavenly hosts singing, a beam of golden light from above, illuminating an Epiphone guitar, WITH DONNIE'S NAME ON IT!!!  It was a God moment, y'all!

I am only sorry that I did not snap a picture of him tonight playing his new guitar on the docks to the other boaters.  Why did I not do that?!  Too caught up in the moment, seeing my Cap'n happy with his new toy, I guess.  And the best news of all to this incredible FREE day?  He sold his piece of crap guitar to the pawn shop, and got the Epiphone for only $20 bucks!  I made out like a bandit too, I got a gold ship's wheel charm to add to my 'Keys' necklace that I never take off of me.  I've never shopped in a pawn shop before, but today wasn't half bad! In the end, we shopped a bit for the price of a boat slip :)

While I was busy preparing dinner in the galley (the
last of our yellowtail snapper), Cap'n went exploring
in the dink...and finally found an alligator. 
He came back with the evidence, so I owe him five bucks :/
Dang it.  I hate losing.
G'nite, y'all!