Concert in the Harbor

Yesterday evening, the sailboat Maggie M performed a concert here in the harbor from the back of their boat. Boaters were invited to dress warmly, bring a beverage, and raft up behind the stern to listen to french folk songs, classical guitar, and opera. It is the third such event that they have hosted, the other 2 being in the Bahamas.

I took the opportunity to play with the panorama setting on my camera to try and get the whole scene. [Click on either of the above pictures and they'll get bigger.]

It was a fairly good turn out considering the cold, the wind, and the lack of sun. Boaters are a hearty lot and not likely to miss out on a cultural event right in our own "backyard."

The music was quite delightful and I captured just a small part of it to share.

Happy Birthday to Me

When I was a kid, I would always wish for snow [and the subsequent school closing] on my birthday...and for the most part I got my wish for there was only a year or 2 in my scholastic career that school was not snowed out on January 11th. This year, it seemed as if the snow were trying it's best to find me here in the FL keys and as a result it was very cold indeed, with the longest running cold spell in history and record low temperatures.

So, not only was it too cold to do much of anything fun, but my birthday fell on a Monday this year... un-argument-ably the worst day of the week. Egads & ick. Jeff and everyone else I know had to work, but I decided to make the best of it on my own.

Since Monday is my day to do the net [VHF channel 68, 09:00], I shamelessly let everyone know that it was my birthday. The result was happy birthday wishes from almost everyone on the radio - a good way to start off the morning. Someone even decided to be a real funny guy [Tim Banse] and presented the trivia question: "What year was Misty Henning born?" I guess I asked for that one and since I don't care if anyone knows how old I am, after a few wrong guesses I provided the answer to the question - 1969.

The rest of the morning was spent sipping hot tea and lounging in the nice, warm boat reading a book [Gone With the Wind] and watching a movie [Management] while waiting for the sun to warm the day up a bit.

Around noon, I decided it was warm enough and ventured out. My first stop was to procure a bottle of champagne...because it's just not a birthday celebration until there's champagne! The Martini & Rossi Prosecco seemed festive enough and I poured myself a glass and then crossed the 7-mile bridge in nice, bright, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky sunshine with the sunroof open and the heat blowing on my feet. Next stop, the Cracked Egg in Big Pine for a basket of their yummy fried mushrooms...a birthday treat indeed. Someone had recently told me of a gallery/gift shop in Big Pine called Out of the Blue and I decided to check it out next. I was not disappointed. Out of the Blue is a quaint shop jam packed with fabulous jewelry, artwork, and Key-sy gift items. I took my time and looked around since there was so much to see. One of the first things to catch my eye was their selection of larimar jewelry. I love larimar for its rarity, metaphysical qualities, and ties to sea and water so I picked out a pair of MarahLago earrings for another birthday treat. The nice lady behind the counter gave me a good deal on them and no tax as a birthday present. Sporting my new ear bobs, I headed back across the bridge to Marathon as it was getting close to the time Jeff would be getting off work. For dinner, we ate at one of the best spots on the island - our boat! I had a hunk of the Christmas prime rib [the part that wouldn't fit in the rotisserie!] thawing in the fridge all ready to be seasoned and skewered for the rotisserie. Karen [Magna C] joined us, and we ate rare beef, baked potatoes, bread, and salad in the warmth of the cabin.

The next morning, Jeff and I headed for Key West. He had a few things to finish up for his Captain's license but we hoped to be done in time to have a little fun as well. After struggling to find the places we needed to be and waiting until it could all be done, we wandered around the GFS Market and Ben Franklins [2 of my favorite places!], made a pit stop at the Green Parrot , detoured into Fast Buck Freddie's, and arrived just as our friend Brian Paul was beginning to play at Captain Tony's.
As luck would have it, the same peg-legged pirate [Captain Timothy Stitch] that I had my picture taken with on my 39th birthday [see picture right] was hanging around the bar and I got to have my picture taken with him again...this time accompanied by his blue & gold macaw, Honey Belle.

[See picture left - and what a difference in the attire?!] What fun.

After a pirate punch or 2 and a few songs from Brian we headed back to the car [and an expiring parking meter] and headed out of Key West towards home. We stopped at BobaLu's Southern Cafe at MM 10 and had a great [albeit a bit of an odd combination] dinner of chicken livers, fried okra, and pizza. We ordered one of their specialty pizzas, "Garbage Pie" - sausage, pepperoni, bacon, onions, mushrooms, and a substitute of jalapenos instead of green peppers - and it was delicious. We'll definately be back for more southern cooking and pizza.

After dinner, we headed on up the road, back to the boat and out of the cold. Fired up the Mr. Heater and climbed under the covers.

That was enough birthday fun for me!

New Year in North Carolina

My mother [Sarah], my brother [Keith], his wife [Jolene], and my 1 year old niece [Maddy] all live in Greensboro, NC and I decided to brave the cold and pay them a visit over the New Year holiday. I have very few winter type clothes on the boat outside of tennis shoes, blue jeans and fleece, so my brother provided a winter coat and my mother rounded up some sweaters, long pants, dark socks, and shoes and so I could stay warm and still look presentable during my stay. I left Ft. Lauderdale at a balmy 80 degrees and arrived at RDU to a not-too-terrible-as-long-as-you-stay-out-of-the-wind 50. My brother found it quite amusing to not unlock my door and leave me shivering outside the truck. Sadist. I vowed then to remain inside for as much of my stay as possible.

When I did venture out, I saw one of the coolest things I have ever seen. One of the neighborhoods, Sunset Hills, started decorating with lighted christmas balls several years ago and it has since become quite the phenomenon. It's very hard to get pictures of what it's like to drive down these residential streets with hundreds of colored balls of light strung throughout the trees, so this YouTube video gives you a better idea and the story of how it got started and what it's turned in to.

Very cool.

But the very best part of being in North Carolina is my niece, Maddy. She's changed quite a bit since I saw her 6 months ago for her 1st birthday. She has teeth in the plural whereas, last time, it was tooth in the singular. She's added quite a few words to her blossoming vocabulary and she's got her sign language down for when she's hungry, wants more, or has had enough - done. I saw her take her first wobbly steps on my last visit, but this time she's fully mobile and pretty fast. Her laugh is contagious and to her, most things are pretty funny so, we spent a lot of time giggling over not much of anything.

Here you can see her sporting both presents I gave her: a hand-knitted scarf [mom got a matching one] and a FL Keys t-shirt [dad got a matching one in green] - "Everyone Needs a Porpoise in Life."

We had an interesting New Year's Eve when our simple plan to stay home, eat snacks, play games, and watch the ball drop where interrupted by EMS taking my sister-in-law to the emergency room after a violent bought of vomiting came on suddenly and left her deathly dehydrated and unresponsive. I met the EMT's at the door with directions to the bedroom upstairs and shhh'd them all so they wouldn't wake the baby...who slept through the whole ordeal. They pumped Jolene full of fluids at the hospital and sent her home weak, sore, and very tired.

So we had a New Year's Eve do-over Sunday night with more snacks and some Wii bowling. Having never bowled on a Wii before and very rarely in real life, I tied for last on the first game but came back with respectable 179 to win the second round and a another win on the 3rd round as well. I am currently trying to figure out how we can fit a Wii on the boat...it's pretty fun.

It was 20 degrees when I left NC on Tuesday. In the meantime, a cold front was residing here in the Keys, and my very first day back was the coldest day of the winter with a low of 46. A bit of blame has been placed on me by friends here in the harbor saying that I drug the cold air back with me when I traveled south. We're expecting even colder weather next week with wind chill advisories for Monday.

Brrr...again.

I had a great time in Greensboro and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with family.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Christmas in the Keys

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.

Christmas morning found us opening presents from care packages from home and I donned a bikini top while making the dressing for dinner. It was warm.

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.

So, it wasn't cold, and it wasn't white, but it was a very, merry Christmas.

We hope yours was too.

Brrrrrrr......

I know all of you with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures will truly appreciate the latest "cold front" to make the news here in the Keys. It made it all the way down to 57 degrees overnight! Brrrrrr......

We are on the warming up side of it today and temps will rise to the mid- 70's.

The tourists and new arrivals have become very easy to pick out. They are the ones still sporting shorts and t-shirts while all the locals are walking around in long pants and are bundled up...although most of them are still wearing flip-flops.

In our defense, it does seem colder on the water and 57 is a little chilly to wake up to. Showering is a brisk experience and somewhat unpleasant once you come out of the hot water.

And it was in the high 80's just last week.

Cold is all about perspective.

Out of Order

I have been a little hard on my cell phone. The conditions here are not ideal for electronic devices. The salt air alone is quite treacherous. Then add to it wet dinghy rides, sand, and long drops from my pocket to the garage floor and you can imagine the toll it can take:

My poor phone has taken it's last abuse.
First, it would randomly power itself off. Then the screen wouldn't light up. Now, it refuses to power on at all.

So, if you've placed a call or a text in the last few days...I probably didn't get it.

But never fear! A new phone will soon be on it's way!

A nearly indestructible phone at that...

Shockproof. Waterproof. & Dust/Sand - proof.

Hopefully it will be able to withstand life on the S/V Exposure.

It's the Samsung b2100 and it's considered a "tough" phone.

It also features an MP3 player, FM radio, and a built in flashlight.

We shall see just how tough it is.

Wish me luck.

Angela's Visit

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!

All pictures by Angela Koch

Click on photos to enlarge...can you find the shark?