Mr. & Mrs. Watson, I Presume

This past week, our friends Craig and Karen from Kentucky, traveled to Key West to tie the knot. They were married on Monday with an intimate ceremony on the beach in between rain showers.
Come Thursday, they were headed back to Fort Lauderdale for a couple of nights before catching a plane back to the 'Ville and Jeff talked them into stopping at the S/V Exposure and spending the night. Jeff prepared for their arrival by making them an extra large welcome greeting with a can of spray paint and a tarp. The boys had been teasing Craig that he would hereby be known as "Mr. Watson," that being Karen's former last name - since she's the one who presumably will be wearing the pants in their new family. Hence, the giant-sized jab.

Upon arrival, we showed the newlyweds the boat and around the marina. We eventually made our way to the tiki hut where we sat and caught up as we looked out across the harbor and enjoyed the substantial breeze we were having. We decided a dinghy tour was in order and loaded into the boat. Because of the wind, the harbor was a little choppy so we decided to head into Sister's Creek for a calmer ride. Then we took the right hand turn into the smaller, mangrove-lined Whiskey creek.
We stopped briefly at the S/V Perseverance, anchored at a fork in the waterway, where the dog got a drink of water and both Craig and Jeff went for a refreshing swim.
Then it was time for a little exploring.

We set off to the left of the fork, since neither Jeff or I had ever been that direction and wended our way back through the mangroves. Very soon, the path got smaller and the water got shallower. We lifted the motor and pulled our way through using the overhanging branches. We made our way to a large opening only to find ourselves in about 3 inches of water. Across the way someone had marked an entrance/exit and we aimed for it by walking the boat through the shallow lagoon. Even though the water was only a few inches deep, while treading through it we sank almost to our knees in the ooey, gooey marl and seagrass. We made it to the other side only to find the waterway too narrow for the dinghy to pass through the exposed roots. So, it was back the way we came and out the mangrove paths. We made it back to the harbor with a few cuts and scrapes and a dinghy full of broken branches and plant debris. If I'd have known we were headed out for a deep woods safari I'd have packed a cooler and taken the camera, but I guess some of the best adventures are those impromptu ones that just happen.

By now, it was time to feed our guests some dinner and we headed to Lencho's for the all-you-can-eat mahi fish fry. The boys munched on big slabs of crispy fried dolphin while us girls stole tiny bites and nibbled on our own mexican fare. Then it was back to the boat where Jeff broke out his guitar and serenaded us in the cockpit.

Soon it was time to turn in. Jeff had to work Friday, I was volunteering at DRC, and the "Watson's" had a 3 hour drive ahead of them to FLL.
We said our good-byes in the morning and parted ways.
It was great seeing Craig & Karen - happy as clams in their newly wedded bliss!
We truly enjoyed being part of their Keys experience.