Island Grass Music Festival

We like to attend music festivals. The Island Grass Music Festival was the one of the season for us. Held on Big Pine to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, the festival also included a Conch Chowder Cook Off.

C. W. Colt backed  by Kim and Joe Doerfel

The music was great, with some local favorites who really pleased the crowd. One band of interest to us was the Doerfel Family. I've blogged about them before. This is the third year we have seen them. Boy have they grown up, physically and musically. They were great and have really developed a unique sound, blending hard rock with bluegrass. Unique!

Piper Road Spring Band

Bobby D and the No Slack Living Room Band

Howard Livingston

Brian Roberts

The Doerfel Family

Exercise!

After breakfast, we went to the Tiki Hut for Yoga. We've been attending faithfully since returning to the harbor on January 6, having missed once so we could go to the Nautical Flea market on Big Pine. Last Thursday, Yoga was canceled due to cold weather. It was in the low 60's and windy.

We both enjoy the Yoga sessions. Although we follow the directions, I wonder if we are doing the poses to maximum effect. When we get home, we'll have to check out places where we can get lessons so we an continue to learn and develop some Yoga skills.

After the Yoga session, we went back to the boat for lunch and a little relaxation. Following our short respite, we hoped on the bikes and pedaled about 9 miles to Curry Hammock State Park. We arrived at around 1400 hours after a 50 minute ride. The entry fee for pedestrians and bicyclists is $2.50. We passed on entering, thinking we'll do that some day when we get there earlier in the day. We're looking forward to exploring the park.

We were back aboard SUNSHINE by 1600 hours and sat out in the cockpit for an hour or so,watching the dinghy traffic. It was a gorgeous afternoon, bright , sunny without a cloud in the sky. The wind was almost nonexistent so boats were lying on their moorings at different angles creating the look of chaos in the harbor. A bit of a bread keeps all the boats facing in pretty much the same direction giving the harbor the appearance of order.

Anna Marie made Chicken Paprika for dinner and after we enjoyed to meal, we fired up the generator and watched a couple of DVD's before hitting the sack.

The View from Our Back Porch!

Here are a few pics of what we get to look as we enjoy breakfast.

Bocce, a Fish Fry and Mayor Snead Goes up the Mast!

The day agreed out as most do, with breakfast and the Cruiser's Net. It's Friday and that means Bocce Ball. The numbers of people interested in playing is steadily growing, with four new teams adding to the four that started a few weeks ago.

Mayor Ginger Snead is up S/V About Time's mast
 to sign the Marathon Burgee

At 1500 hours, Mayor Ginger Snead, who reportedly is afraid of heights, was hoisted up the mast of S/V About Time. The Mayor participated in this event in support of the Cruiser's Net Relay for Life Team's effort to raise money for cancer research. She went up the mast to sign the new Marathon pennant. The pennants are on sale for $20.00.

After attending a workshop on water makers, we went to the local Methodist Church for the first fish fry of the season. We attended two fries last year. They were great and today's fry did not disappoint.

Back on the boat, we settled in for a movie and some popcorn.

Routine!

More Of the Same!

Well, our routine is fairly well established. It's Tuesday, so it must be Yoga time. After Yoga, we went back to the boat for lunch, then back to shore for a walk. The walk was interrupted after 15 minutes when I remembered that Anna Marie wanted to go to the craft meeting. We shuffled back to the marina where we found the craft group in full swing.

I spent the time in the TV room. After an hour, the craft group was over and we restarted our walk. This time we walked a little over a mile to the Red Box at Winn Dixie to return the rental movie. After a quick beverage, we made our way back the boat.

We are trying to eat all of our meals inboard because we are way over budget for meals out. We're trying to get this category under control. We did good today, we'll have to wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Yesterday, I forgot to mention that Diver Mike, our neighbor aboard S/V Prime Interest, scrubbed the growth off our bottom. Once again, SUNSHINE is clean!

Liquid Sunshine On the Way

We got out for a little bike ride today. The weather forecast suggests there's a 50% chance for liquid sunshine and thunderstorms this evening, tomorrow afternoon, evening and Wednesday. It may be our last bike ride for awhile.

We usually shop at Publix, but today, we thought we'd check out the Winn Dixie, where we bought a few groceries and a bag of charcoal. Publix is a little bit nicer and probably more popular with the boating community because it is a bit closer to the marina.

The Beat Goes On!

Our active schedule continues. Besides Yoga (3x/week), Bocce Ball (1x/week), daily walks and/or bike rides, we also found time for another trip to Key West to watch the sailboat races not to mention a trip to Big Pine Key for the annual nauticaal flea market and the weekly flea market. The crew from Hielan' Lass made the latter two events possible as they offered to drive us there.

Upcoming events include a trip to the community theater to see "A Bad Year for Tomatoes." We also scored tickets to the Tennessee Williams Theater for an evening with Noel Paul Stooky (Paul, of Peter, Paul and Mary). That event is scheduled for mid February. We're really looking forward to it!

I'm experimenting with a new blog feature from AccuWeather. It's supposed to give the weather conditions here in Marathon. Let's see if it works. Click either the "forecast" or "Maps" link.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps

Key West Race Week!

Key West Race Week

The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor S. P.

Titan (RC-44)

Heading back to the docks

Took a trip to Key West again; this time to see the sailboat races. There were at least four courses and I don't have a clue as to how many classes are racing on each course. Each course was at lest two miles off shore, so the boats just looked like dinghy gray shapes. Sailboat racing in Key West is not a great spectator sport!

We hoped to catch a glimpse of the RC 44's and were not disappointed. Because of our distance from the action, we have no idea how each boat fared on the race course.

We arrived at about 10:45 and set up camp in Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. We could see all of the fleets, but the big 44's were on the course closest to where we were. There was at least one other fleet of smaller boats sharing the course and probably two. We enjoyed a picnic lunch while watching the regatta and even had time to take a walk around the grounds of the park. This was our first time to Fort Zachary Taylor and it won't be our last. There's a lot of things to explore. We took a quick stroll through the butterfly and the sculpture gardens, not to mention some trails with labels on the more exotic plants. There is a very nice beach that was populated with race fans and sun worshipers. With a blazing sun and an air temp in the low 80's, there were a few people wading in the water as well.

At about 1230 hours, the boats started coming in via the main channel. They're route took them right past our vantage point. In the first pack were the RC 44's. We could clearly see Titan, a boat charted by Bill Koch, of America's Cup fame. Russell Coots, another big name in America's Cup racing, was said to be skippering one of the 44's but we didn't know which one.

At the tail end of the pack, from the most distant course, came three Corsair Trimarans, two 28's and a 24.

We had a good time watching the parade return to the docks. After a brief walk around the Navy docks, we headed back to SUNSHINE.

Following dinner, we went to the local theater to see Burlesque.

Pizza on the Barbie!

After a late afternoon nine mile bike ride, we returned to the boat to try a first in our culinary endeavors aboard SUNSHINE. For the last two years, we have forsaken the gas Barbeque an have been experimenting with the charcoal fired Cobb grill. The wind, which plays havoc with the gas grill actually helps the charcoal light quicker. Generally speaking, the grill is ready for use in less than ten minutes from initial ignition.

Pizza from the BBQ

While at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago, we purchased the ingredients necessary for making a homemade pizza. Well, not exactly, homemade. The crust is an 8" Boblli, the sauce is the Publix brand, and we used 2% cheese. We had to use up the sausage that we opened a couple of nights ago when we made Mama Corleoni's sausage and peppers. But I digress...

We grilled the pizza for about 15 minutes. The crust was crisp, the sauce and cheese was very tasty and the Italian sausage set it off nicely. All in all, it was a great meal and a very successful first effort from our charcoal Fired pizza grill!

Liquid Sunshine!

What's this? Liquid sunshine in paradise! That's right, we had a significant amount of liquid sunshine today, complete with thunder and lightening. Fortunately, there were periods of sun in the sky, enough that Anna Marie was able to go ashore to do the laundry. Plans to go to the movie theater were washed out, however.

Since our return to Marathon, today makes the first day that we have not done any exercise of which to speak. We'll be back on schedule tomorrow when we attend our third Yoga session.

Another Day, Another Bike Ride!

Laundry and a game of Balderdash comprised the major part of the game plan for the day. After a water run, we made it to shore a couple of minutes before noon. Great, enough time for a two hour bike ride before returning to SUNSHINE for the laundry which we would start at around 1500 hours. Our thinking was that by then, the morning rush would have dissipated. We'd also be on tap for a Balderdash game with Dick & Libby (Tarwathie)and others while attending to the laundry.

We set off to the north into a 15 knot headwind. It was slow going, but being fresh Bach from their tune-ups, the bikes are performing much better. They are easier to pedal and it is much easier to shift gears. Comfort has been greatly improved with the addition of high rise handlebars on my bike. We were pedaling at about 9 mph when we decided to stop at the Island Fish Company Tiki Hut for a bite. Following the stop, we continued north for another 1 1/2 to 2 miles. We parked the bikes near a nature trail in the Curry Hammock State Park. Even though we didn't know the length of the trail, we thought we had enough time to walk it.

As it turned out, the trial was a 2.8 mile loop. The terrain, although flat, was tedious. There were roots, stumps, and dead coral formations all over the place. The footing was treacherous. We were very careful in picking each step, afraid that one wrong move would result is a twisted ankle. The hammock is loaded with poison wood trees. Poison wood is a lot like poison ivy. Touching the leaves or bark, which is very flakey, will result in an itch and a rash. We were careful not to come in contact with it.

Because of our careful approach, it took 50 minutes to walk the 2.8 mile trail. We boarded the bikes after a short rest, and headed back to the marina. The trip back was very quick. It's amazing what a good tail wind can do!

It was near 1600 hours when we returned to the marina. All the washing machines were in use, so we decided to skip the laundry for the day. In the marina, the Balderdash participants were no where to be seen. We decide to watch the Patriots v. Jets football game, but it was chilly in the TV area, so, after a few minutes, we headed back to the boat.

A Special Message to George!

The Bikes Are Tuned!

Ahoy George,

Yesterday afternoon, we received a call from the bike shop informing us that our bike tune ups are complete and that the bikes are ready for pick-up. We walked to the store where we found the bikes still a little beat up looking but easier to shift and, in my case, with the new high rise handle bars, much more comfortable to ride.

Other than a new tire, this is the first time we have spent anything on these bikes since you gave them to us. They are serving us very well indeed!

Once the south end of the bike path is reopened, we're going to ride a round trip of it's full length. We estimate that'll be about 28 miles.

So, your bikes are still getting their work. Thanks for the wheels!

Bocce Ball & the SSCA

An invitation for folks interested in playing Bocce Ball was profferred over the cruiser's net this morning. As it happens, we had planned a quiet, restful morning aboard. Plans change... We went ashore to play Bocce Ball with the group.

Tossing the "Pig"

About nine people showed up with two sets of Bocce Balls. We didn't meet all of the players, but did make the acquaintance of Lee (About Time), Ruth and Steve (Clear Day) and Dick and Kathy (Endeavor) who happened to be our competition for the game. It so happens that the community park has two Bocce Ball courts. We were in business.

We played for about an hour when Team SUNSHINE lost on a three point play, giving up a one point lead in the process.

Dick and Cathy are from Maine and are very active in the Seven Seas Cruising Association. In fact, they have earned the rank of Commodore for meeting specific sailing criteria. They also host the SSCA summer gam at their home in Isleboro, Maine on Penobscot Bay.

They and Ruth and Steve invited us to the SSCA luncheon at the Hurricane. They thought that the crew of perhaps three or four boats would show up. They were overwhelmed to see that 50 cruisers were in attendance. Everyone had such a good time, they scheduled another luncheon for next Friday!

A Key West Rendezvous!

A Key West Rendezvous!

Location: Boot Key Harbor and Key West

Weather: Cool and overcast until afternoon when it became partly sunny; high tmp in the low 60's,, low temp to reach the high 40's tonight; 20 - 25 mph wind out of the north

Comment: As some of you may know, we've been experimenting with Facebook for a few months. The whole concept of Facebook is interesting, although I must confess that I didn't see a big need for what it offers... at first. But I have come to appreciate some of it's capabilities, I still don't really get the whole social media thing, but I admit that I find it somewhat entertaining!

I mention Facebook, because for about the last few weeks, I have been communicating with a friend who goes all the way back to grammar school. This friend and her husband are on a cruise and they docked in Key West for a few hours on their way back to Cape Canaveral.

Ethel's and Doug's Ship leaving Key West

We set up the rendezvous through Facebook and arrived at the appointed meeting place as scheduled. It only took a few minutes to find classmate Ethel and her husband, Doug. We've never met Doug in person, but know of him from Ethel's posts on Facebook. We can't remember the last time we saw Ethel!


We enjoyed a very nice get together at Mason de Pepe on Mallory square. The time just flew by. Before we knew it, they had to catch the shuttle that would take them back to their Norwegian Cruise Ship. We bid them farewell and watched as the Conch Train Shuttle took them back to the Navy Pier where their ship was berthed. It was great to meet Doug and get reacquainted with Ethel.

Using the Nordic Walking Sticks on the Key West Ocean Walk

Before leaving Key West, we tried using our Nordic Walking Poles on the ocean side promenade. They worked great and we walked at a brisk pace for about three miles. Along the way, several people suggested that we could use our ski poles in any other state in the nation. It seems that Florida is the only state that doesn't have snow today.

It was still windy when we returned to the boat. We spent the evening aboard, listening to the wind singing in the rigging. Tonight's movie was John C. Reilly and Marissa Tomei in "Cyrus." This movie gives no hint of the enormous talent that each has. In our opinion, "Cyrus" is a dud!

Yoga!

Location: Boot Key Harbor

Weather: mostly sunny, hot! Winds light and variable less than 5 knots.

Comments: YOGA! Alright, stop laughing. We finally made it to a Yoga session under
the Tiki Hut. Deb, from S/V Free 'n Clear, has been guiding Yoga sessions for 2 1/2 years. She has a steady group of participants. Today, there were about 40 people. Only three of us had never done any Yoga before.

Anna Marie was the teacher's pet and received many compliments on her form and style. I particularly liked the last few exercises where we rid our bodies of negativity. If it hadn't been for Deb's gentle guiding voice, I would have been fast asleep! Now that's some way to exercise.

I will say it's not all easy and the bridge positions were strenuous, but we made it through them. Looks like we'll be going back on Thursday!

Besides Yoga, we rode the bikes to the bike store where they will get tuned up. We then walked to Publix for a few groceries. On the way back to the marina, a cold front rolled in bring much coolest temperatures and FOG!

We're expecting rain overnight and into tomorrow and cooler daytime temps as well.

Twenty-four Miles!

Twenty-Four Miles in the saddle. That's right sports fans, we rode 1 mile south, to milepost 48, to pick up some bike parts from the bicycle shop and then headed north to milepost 60. That's milepost 48 to milepost 60, 12 miles one way.

Along the way, we met a 69 year old gentleman who told us he does 30 to 40 miles a day or about 200 to 300 miles a week. His regime is to ride 8 days and then take the ninth day off. On his 70th birthday, he plans to ride from his home in Willmington, NC to Houston, TX to visit his son and grandchildren. All we could say was, "Happy Birthday."

Our ride took us to the Grassy Key RV Park. Although small, the place is very well kept and has all the resort amenities an RV'er could require, including a scenic waterfront, a heated pool and a club house. Most of the rigs were very large motor coaches however, there was a fair representation of fifth wheel trailers.

On our way back, we met up with John. He and Honey arrived last Friday after a nice holiday break.

Tonight's movie was "Public Enemy #1" starring Johnny Depp as John Dillenger.

Bike Ride & the Eagles

Location: Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL

Weather: Mostly sunny, wind @ 12 - 15 mph, high temp in the low 70's and low temp in the low 60's.


Comments: Yes, friends, we enjoyed another beautiful day here in Paradise. After lunch, we took a bike ride to Vaca Cut (6 miles round trip). The ride was easy and we maintained a 10 mph pace. We watched a w planes take off and land at the airport before heading back.

On the return trip, we stopped at Wendy's for a cold beverage since we forgot to bring our water bottles. Anna Marie also stopped at Publix to rent a movie for our "after the game" entertainment.

We watched a bit of the Ravens/Chiefs in the marina, but it was too cold to stay for the whole game so we retrieved our windbreakers from the boat. When we returned to shore, we decided to watch the game at the Hurricane. We stayed for a rather disappointing first half and returned to tSunshine to listen to the 2nd half on the radio. The Eagles made a comeback of sorts, but it wasn't enough. What a disappointing end to their season.

After the game, we enjoyed Robinhood before hitting the sack.

Mow the Grass!

Guess what? We enjoyed another great day in Paradise! On this day, we pedaled the bikes to the beach, where we enjoyed a little picnic under clear blue skies. The temperature was right around 70 degrees and the wind was out of the south at about 12 mph.

After lunch, we strolled the length of the beach before settling down in the sand (which is actually more like finely crushed shells). It didn't take long for each of us to nod off!

As we pedaled back to town, I saw a gentleman mowing his lawn with a rather loud gas mower. Here it is, just the first day of the second week in January, and this guy's grass is so long he has to mow it. I thought of the gang back home. They won't be mowing until May, if they're lucky. Right now, they're more into shoveling snow. Even though I hate mowing grass, given the choice, it beats shoveling the white stuff!

Boat Chores Accomplished; SUNSHINE is in the Harbor!

Yes, friends, we've been doing boat chores for two days. Yesterday's tasks included swabbing the deck, cleaning and organizing the interior and putting out items that were stored away right before we left for home.

This morning we prepped for departure from the marina. The motors stared right up! That's always good news! We slipped our lines at about 0830 hours. We were secured to the mooring ball at 0855, just in time to listen to the cruiser's net.

Last year, I installed a fresh water flush system for the new engines. While listening to the net, I ran fresh water through each motor, then raised each out of the water. This flushing system is one of the best improvements I have made to SUNSHINE.

After registering with the marina, we hopped on the bikes to ride the 1 1/2 miles back to the marina to retrieve the truck. It will be parked in the City Marina parking area. We don't plan to use it much. While cruising, we like getting around on foot or by bike.

All of the chores necessary to getting the boat back into commission are completed. Tomorrow, we're back to being cruiser's. We plan to meet friends in Key West.

There are still maintenance chores that will be done, but those chores will be spread out over the next weeks and months that we are in the harbor.

The high temp in Marathon was 81 degrees today. Showers accompanied a cold front this evening. Tomorrow is supposed to be partly sunny with a high in the high 60's.

Home Sweet Home!

After two long days of driving, we were back aboard SUNSHINE at 2030 hours. It's nice to be home. Only thing is, we already miss our children and grandchildren and friends. It'll be a long 9 or 10 weeks with only phone calls!

Underway!

The truck is packed, the water in the house is turned off, the house is closed and we're underway on our return to S/V Sunshine. The first leg of our journey is short. We're only driving a little over an hour to Sandi's and Matt's house. The boys were with us, so we made stops at the Game Stop and Taqrget to get some "going away" presents for them. They were happy with their gifts.

It was a quiet ride. Geoffrey doesn't want us to go. I don't think Josh does either, but he didn't vocalize it. Anna Marie drove the van to Shelley's house where it will stay for the winter, and rode with Shelley and the girls the rest of the way. We enjoyed a our last family dinner for a while.

We'll be off early in the morning, probbly before the kids get up for school. We hope to get as far as southern South Carolina or maybe even Georgia tomorrow. We should arrive in Marathon on Wednesday. The forecast is for a highi of 73 and a low of 67 degrees. We're looking forward to that for sure!