February 2016

Monday, February 1, 2016 Sun and Heat Have Returned!

It's Senior Discount Monday at Bealls so that became our destination. The walk was probably just short of a mile. Along the way we stopped at Sisters Noodle House for lunch. We rated it below average.

In the evening we went to the Regal Theater to see "The Finest Hours." It is a movie about the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. The rescue took place off Cape Cod in 1952, when two ships broke in half during the same storm. Most of the CG's resources were allocated to the tanker that broke apart off Nantucket. But the Pendleton also broke in half. The section with all the officers sunk, but the the aft section with the engine crew stayed afloat just long enough for a rescue boat to go out Chatham Bar, no small feat in near hurricane conditions, to find the Pendleton. They saved 32 souls that day. We thought the movie was terrific.

The sun and heat have returned. There is talk that winter is over.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016 More Walking!

With no big agenda items, we walked into town to pick up longer bolts for the boat trailer jack. Since we repositioned it, the existing bolts were a tad too short.

Speaking of the trailer, we picked it up this morning, complete with new bearings, a new tire and rim, and new springs.

Our amble today took us all the way to Duval Street before we headed back. We are averaging about six miles a day.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016          Monument to the Architects of Garrison Bight

Some thoughtful Key Westers thought it appropriate to establishment a monument to the architects of Garrison Bight, thus making a space for the city marina and expanding the waterfront. The monument includes a plaque a fixed to a pyramid with a rather disheveled flag pole from which no flag flies. It does, however, sport a container full of "doggie clean up bags." The monument is surrounded by several trash and recycling containers and a picnic table usually used by employees who use it for projects they are working on. It appears that whatever respect the city had for the architects had long since waned. That's too bad. If the recognition plaque was worth making, it should be worth maintaining is a respectful fashion.

Thursday, February 4, 2016          It's Been a Month!

Monday, February 8, 2016          Leaving Key West!  

Today marks our first actual use of the Extend-A-Hitch apparatus. We purchased it to allow us to launch and retrieve the boat without having to put the rear axle of the F250 into the water. The photos show the trailer in the water with the truck's rear tires just kidding the water at the ramp in the City Marina at Garrison Bight. The retrieval went well and in no time, we had the boat on the trailer and in the parking lot where we prepped it for over the road travel.

We easily made the 50 mile run to Marathon. The weather was fine with the temperature in the high 60s and wind at about ten knots.

We arrived at the White Marlin Marina, where Annabelle showed us to the ramp. She mentioned that is was pretty near dead low tide and the high tide would be at 1800 hours. Since it was about 1330 hours, and not wanting to launch in the dark, we slowly backed the trailer down the ramp. The ramp was steep enough to allow the boat to float off the trailer, even though the tide was out.

Just as the stern began to submerge, there was a loud "clunk." I got out of the truck to find the the Extend-A-Hitch snapped off about a half inch from where it enters the sleeve. The break was so smooth that it appeared to have been sawn off. With the trailer younger now on the ground, we couldn't back it any further into the water. In about two hours, tide tide was high enough to get the boat off the trailer. After securing it in our assigned slip, we retrieved the trailer, thanks to the help of some very nice folks at the Marina.

None of the eight people who witnessed the event had an explanation as to why the Extend-A-Hitch would have broken lilt that. I'll have to dialogue with The Extend-A-Hitch people to ascertain the problem.  

Tuesday, February 9, 2016          Happy Birthday, Madi!

 Good gracious, Madi is 12 years old today! Happy, Happy Birthday! She is tickled pink that she got a phone as a present and she sounded thrilled to have received the Build-a-Bear Dolphin from us. We made the purchase last week in the Key West store. It is the only Build-a-Bear in the country that sells a shark and a dolphin. We thought she'd like dolphin better, so that's what she got!

We had dinner with Joe and Dee at Sparky's. The shrimp are still 25 cents during happy hour. At some point during our stay, the price increased to $0.35!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016      It's the Texas Twins Birthdays!

Happy birthday greetings sent via Jen's Facebook page.

We've been hanging with Joe and Dee for dinner and late McDonald's coffee. We're already in a rut, albeit an enjoyable one. We've dined at the Marathon Grille, Sparky's and Upper Crust Pizza so far. The homeless guy from last year is still in the neighborhood. I don't believe he has a bicycle anymore. The McDonalds has a new owner. Our homeless guy buys coffee and sometimes a sandwich so she doesn't hassle him. Other homeless appearing folks and some teenagers and younger adults who seem to always be around, have been asked if they will be making a purchase. If the answer is no they are told that is loitering and they must leave.

The new owner had big plans and the restaurant will be remodeled, introduce a new menu and have table service by next year!

Thursday, February 11, 2016          Ukulele Night at the Dockside! 

Dinner and ukuleles at the Dockside tonight! The show was something of a bust. It was a bit chilly, the Uke band had very little energy and no showmanship. The audience didn't have much energy either and only a handful brought instruments for playing along.

Saturday, February 23, 2016          Big Pine Flea Market!

Once or twice a season, we make the trip to the Big Pine flea market. We usually go by bus, but this time we drove. Anna Marie made a few purchases. The market itself seems to have had a revival. There were more vendors than ever and as usual, it was crowded.

We ate dinner at the Marathon Grille. The early bird special is BOGO. We enjoyed two crab cake meals for the price of one ($19.95). Our waitress was cute in a charming sort of way, but she was pretty incompetent. Dee said she is the kind of person who gives blinds a bad name!

Sunday, February 14, 3016          Happy Valentines Day! 

We followed our normal morning routine, with one half bagel and tea aboard. If the weather is nice, as it was today, we eat in the stern cockpit while we watch the two resident iguanas. There is a Crowned Night Heron that hangs around, but it wasn't here this morning. A small (about 12") barracuda hangs out in the sunshine just outside of the shadow cast by the mangroves.

In the afternoon, we did some shopping and for our Valentine's Dinner, I made Key Lime Scallops. Joe, Dee and Mike Gersie joined our celebration. (Mike's friend Dave was under the weather and stayed in the tent the catch some zzzzz's. I used the Marina grill to whip up the main course and the Argentina Reds that we enjoyed as an appetizer. A slice of Key Lime Pie was a fitting end to our repast. Everyone raved about the meal and to a person, they gave it five stars!

Monday, February 15, 2016     Quid Pro Quo!

Today's celebration took place at the Fritz's boat in Banana Bay. Shrimp, blackened or grilled Mahi, baked potatoes and Caprese Salad made for another five star meal. The food we enjoyed the past two days makes me wonder why we go out to eat so much! We clearly should be cooking at the boats!

Tuesday, February 16, 3016          Sparky's Overshadowed!

The idea was to give Don, Mike and Dave, friends of Joe and Dee, the full Sparky's treatment. Everybody showed up at the appointed time except Dave! The story was harrowing! Suffice to say he ended up being airlifted from Fisherman's Hospital to Kendal in Miami! We were shocked! Mike had his hands full trying to get information and present a coherent picture to Dave's wife in PA.

After dinner, he bid adieu and left for Miami so as to be near his friend. We hope Dave makes a full and speedy recovery.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016         Another Day in Paradise!

The days are running together at a rapid pace. We took a long walk today. In the evening, we went to the marina gathering and then to Banana Bay for dinner able are the Same stand Dancer with Joe & Dee. We finished the food that was left from Monday.

Joe told us that Dave is still unconscious. His brother-in-law arrived from Orlando and his wife from PA. Mike able to make his flight back to NJ. Although tests are no t complete, there is a suspicion that Dave has Meningitis. He had another seizure in the morning which caused the MRI to be postponed.

Thursday, February, 18, 2016          Encephalitis?

The report on Dave is that he may have Encephalitis. It's a very serious disease. We continue to be concerned for him.

Friday, February 19, 2016          Counter Extension!

Last week, while at the Big Pine Flea Market, we purchased a large, bamboo cutting board. Today, we purchased a length of mahogany 1x1 and used it and the cutting board to make a countertop extension. It is located at the end of the galley which transforms to Anna Marie's copilot seat when we are traveling. It gives us a place to sit ingredients and utensils while cooking. The extension is quickly removable and easy to stow when we convert the area to a seat.

Saturday, February 20, 2016          Hangin'

After our morning internet fix, we joined Joe and Dee by the pool at Banana Bay. At about 1530 hours, it started to get windy and cool so we moved to the dock where we found it a bit warmer. At dinner time, we headed to the Marathon Grill and then McDonalds for desert and coffee. Being chilly in McD's, we called it an early night and returned to the boat by 2000 hours. We watched a movie and a Dean Martin Roast before hitting the sack at midnight.

Sunday, February 21, 2016          Havana Jacks!

After our usual morning internet fix in the tiki hut, we played a rousing game of Bocci. We haven't done that in a while! In took a couple of turns to get in the groove, but we soon were playing with relative ease.

Around mid afternoon, we went to the Hurricane for a bite and to watch the Daytona ha 500 on TV. We were rooting for Martin Truex Jr., who was in the lead but lost it in the last moment of the race. He finished in 2nd place by 0.01 of a second. Yikes, you can't get any closer than that!

After that, we met the Fritz's for happy hour at Havana Jacks for some HH specials. The Crab and Corn Chowder was a hit, the Calamari, not so much. We got an order for Muscles in under the 1800 hour wire and found them to be tasty. The fries were served with a cheese sauce that set them apart. The service was good, the furniture comfortable and you can't beat the ambience. The huge new tiki hut was very nice. Consensus? We will be back.

The evening ended with a coffee stop at the Circle K and Vienna Fingers at the White Marlin Marina Tiki.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016         Rained Out!

We made stuffed shells on the grill at the White Marlin Tiki. It was a first effort for me and it was really good! I got the idea from the lunch we had at the Hurricane. After dinner, we set out for Burdines to hear Cory & Ty, two guys from the harbor. They sounded pretty good, but about three or four songs in, a storm approached and they hurriedly canceled the show. We'll have to catch them some other time.

Thursday, February 25, 2016 The Replacement Extend-A-Hitch Is Delivered!

The 9' Extend-A-Hitch was delivered late this afternoon. We were able to quickly slide it into the bracket from the front, thanks to a change in the design. We didn't have time to do anything else, as we were to meet the Fritz's at Sparky's in about five minutes. It's happy hour (think $0.30 shrimp) and finding a parking spot will be difficult. 

We finally found a spot at the town hall a couple of blocks away.

Friday, February 26, 2016 Coupler Installed, Trailer Finished! 

This morning, we installed the coupler on the new 9' extend-a-hitch. The trailer repairs are now finished. Lunch was at the Island Fish House. We bumped into the Elders along the way.

Dinner was at Barnacle Barneys with the Fritz's. We lingered after dinner to hear Dan Sullican before heading the McDonalds for coffee and dessert.

Saturday, February 27, 2016 Flea Market X3! 

It's Flea Market Day in the beautiful Florida Keys, at least it is for us. We started out at 0830 at the Marathon Yacht Club's Flea at the Community Park. The club had two tables, but other vendors (CG, Turtle Hospital, etc.) set up tables making it look really large. Unfortunately we didn't find anything that caught our fancy.

We then border the Fritz's mobile closet for a trip to the Big Pine Flea. Here, we bought a shackle for the dinghy painter. The shackle was $6.00. A similar shackle was $32.00 at West Marine. Did we get a bargain or a piece of junk? As Jimmy Buffett sings, "only time will tell."

On the way out of Big Pine we stopped at the Flea by the church. This was a quirky little spot offering mostly craft food type stuff. Again, we didn't make any purchases.

After some R&R, we reconvened at Havanah Jacks for happy hour. We hung out for a while to hear the dulcet sounds of Cory and Ty, two guys from the harbor. 

Sunday, February 28, 2016                Walk, Dinner and A Movie!

So Anna Marie and I went for a walk today. We haven't been walking nearly enough and our mileage had dropped off precipitously since Key West. The good news is in the last week or so I'm walking pain free. That never happened in KW. I don't know what caused the pain, by it feels great to be rid of it!

We met the Fritz's at the Marathon Grille for dinner and the we went to the cinema to see Dirty Grandpa starring Robert DiNero. He was great and the movie was F U N N Y! Everyone gave it two thumbs up! We want to see it again and will buy it for our collection once it's released to DVD.

Monday, February 29, 2016            It's a Leap Day Dinner Party!

Another great night with friends!