Birthday Company

Jeff turned 44 this past Sunday [Happy Birthday, Jeff!] & his momma, Denise, & her husband Kelly came to the boat for a nice long weekend to help celebrate.

The adventure started for Jeff and I on Wednesday. It was Veteran's Day, so Jeff had the day off. We planned ahead and made a Dr's appointment for the day off, booked a hotel near the FLL airport, and picked up Denise and Kelly when they arrived in the sunshine state Thursday afternoon.

Then it was back to the Keys for all of us.

Once off the mainland, we opted for Card Sound Rd. and made a pit stop at Alabama Jack's...a truly rustic slice of old florida. We found the food and drinks to be quite satisfactory...fabulous fish spread! And then we headed on down the road. Next stop was the Caribbean Club for a bit of history and to say hello to our favorite bartender. A quick visit to the African Queen, then, on to Marathon where we had a date with an entertainer. Dave Johnson had arranged to be playing at Porky's Bayside where we finished off our day with dinner, good music, and a bottle of wine.

Friday morning we started off the day with coffee @ sunrise. Then we all got dressed and headed out in the dinghy.
We had 2 errands to run. The first was a birthday delivery to a harbor resident who turned 72 November 12th. He's on a fixed income with no family so we took him a rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, cupcakes, cheap cigarettes, and a 12-pack of Budweiser...our good deed for the day. The next stop was at another local boat to pick up a couple of freshly harvested sea sponges [gifts for mommas, aunts, and myself.] We dropped our loot at the boat and then into the docks to the car. We had a surprise planned for Kelly, an avid golfer.
We told him we had a tee time for him to shoot 9 holes and then took him to Boondocks for miniature golf. He says he figured out we were pulling his leg way before we ever got there, but he let out a chuckle when he saw the sign and knew for sure. We started off with some lunch in the Keys largest tiki hut. Denise and I split some lobster corn cakes and roasted asparagus with melted blue cheese and pine nuts. Jeff had a burger topped with chili and Kelly enjoyed a taco salad. Then it was off to the golf course...the Keys only miniature golf course. The weather was warm and beautiful and the coarse was just as beautiful - landscaped with tropical foliage, palms, and blooming mimosas. We had a great time. Kelly won. Denise and I tied for 2nd and Jeff brought up the rear. The highlight for me was hitting a hole in one...and then winning a sno-cone at the ball return.

Back at the boat, Denise and Kelly taught me a new card game while Jeff relaxed and read for a while. We ate a light dinner and called it a night.

Saturday morning we all woke up early and headed to the Cracked Conch Cafe for some breakfast. We hadn't eaten there before, but we were interested to learn about their late-night hours...open until midnight 7 nights a week.

Afterwards, Denise and I headed to yoga & the boys went to the gym. Then it was back to the boat for a little lounging around time.

There was a party/pot-luck planned at the marina to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Marathon Cruiser's Net, the VHF radio program here in the harbor. I didn't want to feed our guests pot-luck, so I threw together a mac & cheese and cooked a slab of BBQ ribs in the rotisserie. We headed in for the end of the party and the beginning of the music at the tiki hut.

If you look closely, you'll notice Jeff's birthday present from his mom & Kelly clipped onto his shorts. It's a tiny battery-powered amp by Marshall and he loves it! Especially the distortion feature that makes him sound like a rock star.

[Thanks also to Uncle Bill for helping to find it!]

The night was a little chilly as you can see by all the fleeces and jackets, but still perfect weather for fall. A good time was had by all who attended...guitars, shaker eggs, and drums in hand.

We turned in fairly earler and went back to the boat to have dinner.

Sunday morning we awoke to another beautiful sunrise. We started off with coffee and I made some orange-cranberry scones from a mix I had picked up in NC from the Old Mill of Guilford. They turned out well...although how could they have been bad when the recipe calls for a whole stick of butter? By midmorning, we had moved on to bloody marys and then dressed and got ready to go for the next outing. We were off to Robbie's to feed the tarpon. Denise and Kelly had never taken the time to stop there and we ran out of time on our way from the airport. Upon arrival, we bought our buckets of fish and headed out to the docks. One difference from the last time Jeff and I stopped in was the presence of some very hungry, fairly menacing pelicans. We had visited prior to their annual migration south. This time you had to pick and choose where you tossed the fish food or else it became bird food.

Once our buckets were empty and the fish were full we headed to the surrounding booths of wares for sale. We all picked out pairs of cheap sunglasses and selected several pieces of artwork for boat, home, and gifts. Then we all piled back into the car, made a quick stop for lunch, and headed for the harbor. Back on the boat, we all took it easy for a while then played a couple hands of cards while watching the sunset. For dinner, we chose the Key Colony Inn, a favorite restaurant for tourists and locals alike. When we were all stuffed to the gills, with enough food left-over for us all to have another meal, we headed back to the boat for the night.

Monday morning came way too soon as Jeff headed off to work, and Denise and Kelly prepared to leave. It was my day to "controll" the net -- the VHF radio program -- and so at 9 am I did my radio thing then we left to pick up the rental car. A quick breakfast at Stout's and our company was on the road back to Ft. Lauderdale to catch a plane. We had a great time over the long birthday weekend and hope Denise & Kelly come back soon!

And since I couldn't squeeze one more photo into this blog:

Birthday Weekend Album

For best results, click on slideshow or flip through the photos in the album if you are so inclined.