Burdines, (not Burdeens!)

This morning, Donnie beefed up the screen he made last year for the companionway.  It gets a lot of wear and tear climbing in and out of the boat, if you're trying to keep a Willis corralled. Speaking of our feline friend, he was locked in the boat all day yesterday while we went sailing on Matt and Karie's boat to Bahia Honda.  Not that it should matter to him, as he essentially sleeps the entire day away anyhow.  By the time we got home, we no sooner took the screen and hatchboard out to enter the boat and he escaped to the mangroves.  He bolted out of the boat like a man on a mission.  It's a good thing I now keep the laundry money in a secret hiding place.  He did not come home by curfew, so Mom and Dad went to bed, locking him OUT of the boat, rather than in.  Just as dawn was approaching, Donnie was awakened to a Willis staring at us from the window above our bed.  He had his face pressed against the screen, looking very sheepish (and tired).  Dad opened the screen, and he quickly dropped down on our bed.  He bolted to his food bowl, so apparently his night out on the town did not include dinner.  Such a Willis...

Since Karie had the day off from the hospital, we decided to take a dink ride to Burdine's for lunch.  I had spent the meeting cleaning the inside of the boat, and was just starting to tear into tax stuff, so I was looking for a great escape myself!

Now, Danny pronounces Burdines like 'Burdeens', which led to a bunch of silliness last night on Danny's boat.  Burdeen is the long lost brother of Geraldine, but no relation to the half sister of Jolene, on his father's side.  If you understand any of this, you're doing better than I am.  Regardless, this is the place famous for their burgers, fries (with fry dust), and the deep fried key lime cheesecake.  It is also a popular watering hole for the sailors anchored in Boot Key Harbor.

During lunch, a storm was brewing, and the wind was chilly.  Karie and I
did not want to take a cold, wet ride home on the dinghy, so we sent the
 boys on, and opted to walk the mile or so back to the marina.

Burdine's is also known for this dice game.  There are several laying around
the bar for customers to play.  Matt was trying his best to win...like he
only tried about 87 times.  No dice.

Karie won the first time she played...she's doing a little gloating here :)

We girls stopped by my new favorite Cuban restaurant, and I got
a Cuban coffee cappuccino- muy delicioso!

We had some feathered friends visit the marina today...

...along with some flying rats :/

 The weather cleared, and the sun came out later this afternoon, so Donnie announced he was going to do some waxing on the boat today.

Next thing I hear is he's taking Chris (some random kid from Cinci that
 was fishing on the pointe) out for a 'hot lap' in the dinghy..

And this is what I found on the dock...just like this.  There is no staging
here, this is REALITY.  Can you guess that waxing is Capn's least favorite job?!

My new flint stones (not the FLINTSTONES) came Fed Ex today...
time to get my Survivor on :)  I've been saving sticks and coconut husks!

We all went to the Hurricane tonight (25 cent wing night) and our new little buddy, Chris, joined us.
The place was hopping...it was full and loud...and lots of booze banter...not my favorite atmosphere.  I was ready to eat and leave.  Sometimes I just prefer the quiet.

This meeting of the minds, out on our dock, was an effort to get
Chris back to the Hurricane.  The place was  packed with lots
of twenty-somethings...and it's his last night at the resort.
Tomorrow he and his family head back to Ohio.

Donnie picked up our sailbag and wheelcover from the Rip Off.  There are only two places in Marathon that sew canvas for boats, and both of them are covered up with work.  They both are also hiring seamstresses...any takers out there?  Looking for a job in paradise?! We were pleasantly surprised to get both zippers replaced for just $55.00.  Any time you can make a boat repair under 100 bucks, (let alone $1000), is a VERY good day.