2019 Cruise - Week 5

2019 Cruise - Week 5

Sunday, February 3, 2019     Not So Super Bowl Sunday!

The day was warm with a gentle breeze that turned sweater cool in the evening. Our usual Sunday activity is spending the afternoon listening to Joe Mama on the back porch of the ‘Cane.” We talked with him before his first set about having his house on the market (he’s thinking about moving to Inverness, FL), his guitar, his luthier, who set up my little Martin, and some other stuff. He invited me up to play a few tunes. I declined. I’d have to plan what to play before doing that. It’ll be a said day if Joe leaves the Keys.

In the evening, we gathered with a gang of folks at the Moondome (outside Tom Moon’s room) for Stupor Bowl LIII. It was a boring game that the NE Patriots won 13 - 3 over the LA Rams. Maroon 5 did the halftime show and were equally boring. 

Monday, February 4, 2019     American Chamber Players

It was a lazy day, warm with a gentle breeze. AM and I attended to the usual chores adding ice to the coolers and doing a bit of cleaning. In the afternoon, we walked to the Keys Fishery to buy some lobster tails. We dined outside with Tom who contributed linguine to the cause. Our first lobster roast of the year was a hit.

When we returned from the fish market, Tom, Al and I had a jam. We exchanged tunes and followed each other’s lead. Tom provided nice harmony to some of the songs. After the jam, we cooked the lobsters and enjoyed dinner.

Shortly thereafter, we drove to San Pedro church for the FKCA Chamber Music Concert. It was outstanding. I find classical music to be very inspirational. The musicians were excellent. The sound was exquisite. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019     A Little Bit O This and A Little Bit O That!

AM and friends went to Yoga this morning while I did some writing. When she returned, we hung out for a bit before heading to Burdine’s for lunch. We had the usual (shared a Mahi Reuben and a basket of fries). The place was hopping. Service was slow because the Chiki Tiki was packed to the gills; slammed as they say in the business. We were seated at the bar (too busy for us) but the food, always great, seemed better than usual. 

When we returned, AM did a coat of touched up varnish on a spot that I sanded yesterday. In the evening, we joined Tom for a bite on the Hurricane’s back deck. We met Tom, Jacquie, Jim, Terri and John who were already there. John and Sue (Mighty Wench) soon found their way to the deck and joined us. We were all there to see a Four Sheets to the Wind, one of our favorite Marathon bands. Tony brought out his new Nickless Dobro that luthier Dean Nickless told us about. The instrument is a work of art!

We stayed for for all three sets before returning to SUNSHINE. Once aboard, we watched a few Netflix shows before hitting the sack.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019   Projects and Open Mic!

AM finished her varnishing project this morning. I gave our rechargeable fan a thorough cleaning. Following that task, I used the power washer on the inside of the hardtop Bimini. 

Yesterday, Ellie and Pat, the fly fishing Doctor and Nurse that I’ve mentioned in years past, gave us some mackerel and snapper fillets after a most successful fishing trip. It was so successful that they were back in the marina by 1430, having caught their boat limit of fish.

I prepared several of the Mackerel fillets in a Key Lime butter sauce. That, baked potatoes and corn-on-the-cob made for an outstanding meal that we enjoyed with Tom. In fact,Tom thought the Key Lime buttered fish was great! So did AM and me! I just “dreamt” up the recipe and how I would go about making it. Later, AM found Lazy Days recipe for Key Lime Mahi. She read the list of ingredients and procedure to me. It was more complicated than what I was going to do and we didn’t have some of the ingredients, soI stuck with my original plan.

Later in the evening, we went to the ‘Cane for Open Mic night. As usual, it was crowded and very loud. The instruments are always very loud to the point you can barely hear the singers. Something is terribly wrong with the equalization. Plus, it’s hard to understand speaking through the mic even when the band isn’t playing. When Jim was called up, he was the lead guitar player for some guy. Jim didn’t get to do any of his own stuff. When Jim finished, we were out of there in a flash. It was so uncomfortable, I don’t think I be going back for any other Open Mic nights.

Thursday, February 7, 2019    The Point and a Hootenanny!

I still have a project to do, but I didn’t get to it today. I didn’t even try! We have been enjoying glorious weather for several days and today is no different. We went to the point to sip a beverage, relax and see some sights. We also visited with some of our friends who came to the Pint to do exactly what we were doing. Tom and Jacquie stopped by, so did Jim and Terri. We talked a bit. A manatee, swimming out of the marina, attracted a lot of attention. Jacquie went snorkeling, and Tom and Captain John took Cool Change out to get fuel. 

We had a hootenanny at Tom’s place. Several folks stopped by to listen. It was a fun evening. At Chris’s request, we’re doing it again tomorrow night!

Friday, February 8, 2019   Lady Bradley and Another Hootenanny!

It’s time to enjoy another gorgeous day in Marathon. The weather has been spectacular for the past few days and today is no exception. We’re going on a picnic at Sombrero Beach because the Turtle Hospital is releasing Lady Bradley, a 170 pound loggerhead. Lady Bradley was caught in trap line back in November 2018. A rear flipper was amputated and she was nursed back to health. Today she got to go back to her element. 

After dinner, we gathered outside Tom’s and Jacquie’s room for another jam. We had a pretty big audience. So big, they were stacked two rows deep n the parking lot! We played and sang a lot of tunes and even had the audience singing along on a few. Blackfin GM Chris was so enamored, he offered that he and Ruthie would smoke a bunch of chickens for everyone who was at the gathering. Ruthie volunteered to make potato and macaroni salad. The guests were invited to bring a dish to share. It should be a fun time!

Saturday, February 9, 2019     Happy Birthday, Madi!

Out of the gate, we made our call to wish Madi a happy 15th birthday. For much of the next few hours, we talked to friends and neighbors who were either going to or coming from the beach. We even got to talk to Chris and Ruthie for a 1/2 hour or so.

At 1815, we joined the Kramer’s and Matilda for dinner and the Island Time Band performance at Havana Jacks. Tom, Debbie, Terri and Jim rounded out our table of nine. Sadly, Island Time wasn’t there even though their monthly email indicated that they would be performing.

Dinner was average at best, and not a good value. Tom’s meal arrived after almost everyone was finished. The waiter blamed the kitchen. Things went to pot when the waiter automatically added a 20% gratuity. Tom and I took exception considering the service. We enjoyed the dinner conversation, so it wasn’t a total waste.