My friend,
Angela, and I share the same birthday [albeit hers came several years after mine] and we've known each other for at least 12 years now. She visited the S/V Exposure and the Florida Keys for the first time last week. She flew in from Dayton, OH, leaving the cold and dreary and arrived at FLL Thursday afternoon to temps in the high 80's and sunny skies. I met her at the airport with a refreshing, tropical drink and we spent the time on the way back catching up and getting reacquainted. We arrived in Marathon well past sunset and Jeff was waiting to ferry us back to the boat. I had planned ahead and made up a dish of stuffed shells topped with meat sauce before I left for the airport...so the only thing to be done was to pop it in the oven and enjoy a nice dinner on the boat.
The next morning we were up early [apparently we do that a lot here!] and while Jeff headed off to work, I took Angela on a tour of the harbor in the dinghy and then we headed out Sister's Creek for the beach. After a stroll on the beach, we decided we were hungry and headed back to get some lunch at
Burdine's, a quaint waterfront eatery known for their their hand-cut french fries. After lunch, I decided that Angela's pale self had had enough sun so we opted for some indoor souvenir shopping and a quick stop at
Daffy Doug's Discount Dollar. By then, Jeff was finished with work and we all went back to the boat to relax and enjoy the sunset. For the evening's entertainment, we decided to head to
Castaway's by boat for some excellent sushi and great music by
Dan Sullivan. Saturday morning, Angela and I headed to yoga and then the
Stuffed Pig for a late breakfast.
The weather took a stormy turn for the worse as we headed back to the boat so we took the opportunity to take a bit of a nap until the rain stopped. Normally, Saturday night would mean music at the tiki hut but the weather just didn't accommodate. So, we had a tasty dinner of pork & sauerkraut on the boat and turned in early.
We woke up to a beautiful day on Sunday and decided to take the boat out for a spin. There was no wind to speak of, but the motor needed to be run and we needed diesel.
We picked up a few friends on the way out of the harbor and while at the fuel dock, a fishing boat pulled in and I managed to procure us several spiny lobsters for dinner.
I haven't mentioned it yet, but Angela is a great photographer and since we didn't want her skills or her camera going to waste, once we were out of the channel we launched her in the dinghy to take some photos of the boat under sail.
The photos turned out beautiful...don't you think?
It would have been a great time to see some dolphins swimming along with the boat, but unfortunately, the only wildlife we saw was one of the more illustrious [ read: thinks he's a viking. ] harbor residents had gotten completely plowed and decided to take his homemade boat for a spin.
We all got a huge laugh when he finally figured out where the "voices" were coming from and looked up to see our 37' sailboat circling his 10' dragon boat. We convinced him to hoist the sails for a photo op and then left him to his own devices. Don't worry. As hammered as he was, he dropped the sails, started the outboard and actually beat us back to the harbor.
On the way back to the ball, we dropped all our extra guests off at their respective crafts...it's amazing how much driving the pump-out boat has improved Jeff's abilities to navigate this boat in tight places! Not that he was ever bad at it, but to watch him pull up right beside another boat while the other person jumps on or off is pretty spectacular.
Once we were securely tied up, and after another amazing sunset, it was time to
prep the lobsters. I, off course, elected Jeff to do the dirty job of
cleaning the spiny, little bugs...which involves separating the tails from the other bits and then using an antennae to devein. Ick.
After spending a little time under the broiler, the lobsters were delicious served with some buttered noodles, fresh steamed broccoli, and a bowl of hot, drawn butter...it just doesn't get any better. Yummy.
Monday brought us another beautiful day here, although Angela had reports that it had snowed back home. Her & I donned our tennis shoes and headed for the old 7-mile bridge. I had heard that if you walked it on a calm day with the sun high in the sky you could see rays and sharks...and we saw both!
We came across at least a dozen huge, spotted eagle rays, a couple of different rays, and one very large nurse shark.
Once we reached Pigeon Key, I sought out a shady spot while Angela very slowly, and very carefully traversed the somewhat suspect ramp that leads to the island. I told her not to look down, but she apparently couldn't help herself.
Then, since we walked to the island, it was mandatory that we walk back...and at high noon it probably wasn't the most fun Angela had. But we made it and then headed straight to Porky's for some sustenance and lots of iced tea! It was nice just to sit and peel the tennis shoes & socks off...although probably not proper restaurant etiquette.
Tuesday morning came way to soon and sadly it was time to take Angela back to the airport. But the fun wasn't over yet. We stopped at Robbie's and fed the tarpon and wandered the little shops, then made a stop at the Blue Marlin in Key Largo for huevos rancheros with chorizo, cuban toast, cafe con leche [cuban coffee], and fresh squeezed orange juice.
We made it to the airport without any delays, and although it took Angela a little more time than expected to make it back to Dayton...she did make it home safe and sound.
We think she might have caught a bit of Keys Disease while she was here and hope she'll come back soon!
Click on photos to enlarge...can you find the shark?
Christmas in the tropics can be a little surreal when the only thing white is the sand on the beaches, the parades all involve boats, and the temperatures rise into the 80's. Even the lights here are different with palm trees, dolphins, flamingos, and elf-eating alligators...and not a pine tree or a snowflake in sight. But it is still Christmas and still a time to be celebrated with friends [in lieu of family] and good food. Our Christmas Eve involved a 16lb prime rib [purchased the day before at the GFS Market in Key West] slowly rotating to perfection in the rotisserie while friends gathered on the boat and Rudolph led Santa's sleigh across the harbor sky...really. He flew right over us. We all saw it.
A huge celebration was held here at the marina sponsored by our harbormaster, Richard Tanner, and his wife Arla. About 250 boaters-away-from-home showed up and brought a dish to accompany the turkeys, hams, and potatoes provided. Jeff and I opted for a quieter dining experience and after making the rounds through the marina to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, we joined friends from Louisville who had their RV in a park just the other side of the 7-mile bridge for turkey and all the fixings.
