Home!

Fender Menders had the truck fixed by 1000. We were under way by 1015. The drive was uneventful. Traffic jams added about 30 minutes to our trip which lasted 13 1/2 hours. We made it home by 2345 hours on Monday, April 25.

This Year's cruise and Easter Vacation are over. We'll begin spring cleaning and yard work in a day or two. Besides those tasks, we have to get the bikes, the little boat and the 5'er ready for use and we're going to add a bocce court to the yard so we can practice up for next year's cruise!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday, Anna Marie!

After a week of fun and screaming kids (no, not the grandkids who were particularly well behaved and had lots of fun) it was time to depart North Myrtle Beach to head for home.

Matt and Sandi got off first at around 0515. We left the condo with Shelley and the kids about 1/2hour later at 0545. Our task was to return all the condo keys to the drop box and we'd be off. Shelley drove by as we stopped to deposit the keys. As Anna Marie got back into the truck and we started backing out of the parking spot, we heard a very loud "B A M!" It sounded like a shot had been fired. Almost immediately, we lost the power steering. This beast doesn't turn very well without power steering!

A quick inspection revealed that we lost all of the PS fluid and that the end of the high pressure line blew out of the PS pump.

It was now 0615 on Easter Sunday. Triple A showed up about an hour after we called, but we suspected that being towed would likely be the only thing that would be accomplished today.

The tow truck guy said that there was a Triple A facility that was suppose to be open today. He towed us about 25 miles only to find out that it was closed. He tried another establishment but it was closed too. Finally, he took us to his body shop. They'll be able to search for the part and, if successful, make the repair tomorrow. He then dropped us off at the nearby Super 8 motel. We signed in for a room at 0830!

After reviewing options, we took a five mile walk, went to the theater to see "The Conspirator," had a nice lunch and dinner at local establishments and, made the best of a bad situation.

Our activities made for a disappointing Easter celebration, but they certainly made a most memorable birthday for Anna Marie!

Very Sad News About the Smiling Bartender!

On Tuesday, April 12, we visited the Brass Monkey where we enjoyed a selection from the five dollar lunch menu. Although we had only met Nancy, the Monkey's bartender, on two previous occasions, she greeted us with her warm smile.

We enjoyed lunch and our conversation with Nancy.

A couple of days later, we learned that this wonderful person had perished in a house fire.

The following is the story that ran at KeysNews.com:

Fire kills woman, injures husband

Brass Monkey Lounge mourns loss of 'smiling' bartender

BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com

A well-known Marathon bartender died in a house fire early Thursday, leaving behind a husband who was injured while unsuccessfully trying to rescue her from the blaze, sheriff and fire officials said.

Firefighters pulled 50-year-old Nancy Pratt, a Brass Monkey Lounge employee, from a second-floor hallway at the couple's home shortly after midnight, but were unable to revive her, Marathon Fire Chief William Wagner said. "Unfortunately, she had already succumbed to the fire and smoke."

Ernest Pratt, 46, was outside, seriously injured from the heat and smoke inhalation, when firefighters arrived to find the house at 1203 Westward Ho Lane engulfed in flames, Wagner said.

Pratt reportedly told firefighters that smoke alarms had woken him, then he found the back porch on fire and called 911, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office press release.

That's when the glass doors to the porch exploded from the heat, burning his back, he told them. He said he tried to get his wife out of the house, but finally was forced to flee as the flames spread, according to the Sheriff's Office release.

"He tried to get her out, but at that point he just couldn't do it," Wagner said. "The flames were through the roof when we arrived."

Nancy Pratt was pronounced dead at the scene, and Ernest Pratt was taken to Fishermen's Hospital, then transferred to a Miami hospital for respiratory injuries, Wagner said.

Wagner and Monroe County Fire Rescue Chief Jim Callahan did not know his condition or to which hospital he was admitted.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what caused the blaze; there were no obvious signs Thursday, Wagner said.

"The report indicates that they were smokers who didn't smoke in the house, but on the back porch," Wagner said. "It appears the porch was the origin, but we can't say that [smoking] was the cause at this time."

Firefighters initially thought there might be a child inside the house after neighbors also called 911, Wagner said.

"Crews immediately laddered and entered through the second floor and that's when we found [Nancy Pratt] in the hallway," he said.

Red Cross volunteer and response coordinator Shannon Vasko, who is working to help Ernest Pratt when he is released from the hospital, said this fire is more personal than others. She knew Nancy.

"Nancy was such wonderful person," Vasko said.

"Everyone knows her from the Brass Monkey, where she always had a smile on her face. I think all of us will be coming together as a community to assist Ernest on a personal level."

alinhardt@keysnews.com

Nancy will certainly be missed by her family, her friends, and all of the patrons of the Brass Monkey!

Decommissioning!

Work, Work, Work!

We are in the process of decommissioning SUNSHINE.

We left the harbor yesterday. Today, we removed the jib, all the canvas, and cleaned and stowed the dinghy. We also removed the mainsheet, retrieved the bikes from the city marina, folded them and placed them in their storage bags. We're taking them to Yellowstone in the fall.

I asked the marina staff to haul SUNSHINE tomorrow. We still have a few cleaning and decommissioning chores, the last of which is to flush the engines with vinegar and change the engine and gear oil. We'll load the truck with everything that's going home and then we'll stow the mainsail.

Once those tasks are done, decommissioning will be completed! We'll get a good nights sleep and head off to Myrtle Beach by way of New Smyrna Beach, where we'll visit Joe and Dee for a couple of days.

Departure Day!

During the farewell portion of the cruisers net, Anna Marie bid farewell to the marina staff, the net controllers and all of out friends in the harbor. At about 1000 hours, the pump out boat arrived and by 1007 hours, we slipped our lines from mooring ball "P-2." we made our way out Sisters Creek and headed in a South-easterly direction to Coco Plum.

By noon, We were tied up to the floating dock at SUNSHINE's summer home. After hooking up to electric, we began the initial tasks for decommissioning. We made arrangements for the haul out and ran some errands. After completing the errands, we arrived back at the boat. By is it hot! Too hot in fact to work!

We met Joe and Dee for dinner at Key Colony Inn. The early bird specials promised plenty of food. We were not disappointed! The food was wonderful! We dined at Key Colony because we wanted to hear Peter play the piano. We delighted in his talent and his selections of old standards. It was a lovely evening and the perfect compliment to the spectacular day we enjoyed yesterday!

The no-see-ums came out in force. Decommissioning activities ceased until tomorrow!

Sunset Key!

It ain't the $5.00 lunch special at the monkey!

Today is SUNSHINE's last full day in Boot Key Harbor! That's right, we are moving the boat to her summer resting place tomorrow.

I thought we'd be aboard at sunset today to give a final conch shell salute to the sunset. Alas, it didn't work out that way. You see, we planned to go with Joe and Dee as they searched the Big Pine Flea Market for Marathon and/or Key West T's. Joe didn't find any to his liking in Marathon proper, and he hit every store trying!

As luck would have it, he hit the mother load at the Flea Market. We thought the trip to Key West was off and that we'd return to the pool. Not so! We continued on to Key West, where Dee found a shirt to her liking. Unfortunately, we were not successful in finding the storage box that we were looking for.

When talk turned to a discussion on where to have lunch, I casually mentioned that our friends Willis and Lucille mentioned that they enjoyed lunch at Lattitudes on Sunset Key. Joe thought that sounded good, Dee and Anna Marie confirmed and we were off to make a reservation.

We took the boat over to the tropical island paradise that is Sunset Key and enjoyed delicious blackened grouper sandwiches and tropical fruit tango. Both were great choices. After lunch, we walked the perimeter of the island before boarding the boat back to Key West.

On the way back to Marathon, we stopped at Boondock's Bar and Grill on Ramrod Key. As luck would have it, the Nowhere Band, a Beatle Tribute Band, was slated to be the entertainment.

We enjoyed a light dinner while listening to and watching the band. We enjoyed them so much that we stayed for all three sets. Their musicianship and vocals were spot on and their set lists were outstanding. The atmosphere was more that of a concert than than of a typical bar band. We had a great time.

We all agreed that this was an outstanding day! As for us, we are thankful that we could spend it with Joe and Dee!

Lunch and Boat Projects!

After Yoga, that's right, we do Yoga on Saturday's too, we walked to the Hurricane to have lunch with Deb (our Yoga instructor) and Lou (Free n' Clear) and Dee and Lee (About Time). About Time is leaving the harbor today, so this is our goodbye lunch with them. We had a nice visit with both couples. Lee, Anna Marie's Bocce partner, presented her with a n"About Time" crew cap to celebrate their narrow victory. Neither Dee nor I found it amusing!

Back aboard SUNSHINE, I worked on the two solar vents that were not working properly. They are needed to keep SUNSHINE's interior from developing mold and mildew problems during her lay-up. In short order, I got both back on line.

We joined the crews of Island Dancer, Crazy Cat and Queequeg at the Dockside for the prime rib special. It was another good night in the company of good friends!

More Work and More Fun!

Friday, April 8

Lay up prep work continues today. Anna Marie removed to glue and residue from the gutters we removed a couple of weeks ago. I cleaned and polished the Cobb Grill.

We made plans to go to Key West with the Fritz's on Sunday, so we only have tomorrow left for lay-up prep work!

Today, we met Joe and Dee for another Sparky's experience. On the way back to the boat, we stopped at Home Depot to purchase some items we need for SUNSHINE's lay-up.

Before retiring for the night, we cleaned and scrubbed the cockpit.

Happy Birthday, Joe!

It's Joe's Birthday! We were looking forward to celebrating with him and Dee.

Today, we had to clean up from the varnishing project. Yoga was our first priority for the day. After that, Anna Marie did the laundry.

By the time we accomplished all of our chores, it was 1700 hours. We used a quick pace to walk over to Banana Bay to join Dee and Joe. We talked for a while and then the birthday boy grill some T-Bone steaks while Dee prepared sides of potatoes and green beans. Before the main meal, we enjoyed shrimp cocktail and a salad.

The meal was out of this world! So delicious.... I nominate Joe to qualify as a grill master! We stayed with them until 2200 hours before walking back to the dinghy for the ride back to SUNSHINE!

That's the SUNSHINE Story for today!

Lay Up Work, Day 3!

After a few additional hours of work today, the varnishing project is finished. I was able to complete polishing the stainless while Anna Marie finished applying the varnish.

At about 1400 hours, we made time to ride the bikes for an hour. For the first time this season, we averaged 10 mph. On the way back to the marina, we stopped at Banana Bay to visit with the Fritz's. They weren't home and the boat wasn't in the slip. We hope they caught lots of fish!

Today was the last official Meet and Greet. We bought some fried chicken from Publix to share. It was a nice evening. Pete ( Crazy Cat) shared some stories about the time he signed on as crew for a PDQ delivery from Ontario to Annapolis. It was quite a harrowing tale.

Before heading back to SUNSHINE, we made tentative plans to meet Crazy Cat and Queequeg at the Dockside on Saturday night.

That's the SUNSHINE Story for today!

Lay Up Work, Day 2!

Yesterday, we were able to apply three coats of varnish, so, after Yoga, we planned to follow up with a light sanding and three more coats today. After Yoga, we met the Fritz's for a quick lunch at the Cabana and then we were off for some light grocery shopping at Publix.

We returned to the boat at around 1400 hours. Anna Marie was going to do the sanding while I scrapped barnacles off the bottom. The water temperature was in the mid to high 70's and was very comfortable. I scrapped as best I could, but I was too buoyant, even while holding to 12 pound dinghy anchor. While treading water, I cut my foot on some barnacles that were on the rudder.

After about one-half hour, it became evident that we needed a new plan. Besides, a row of dark, menacing clouds signaled that a storm was coming quickly. I got out of the water and we battened down the hatches. A big blow was on the way!

The storm was nasty, but lasted all of perhaps 15 minutes. We spent the rest of the day dodging showers. Rather than work, we fired up the generator and watched some DVD's.

Lay Up Work Begins!

We will be moving SUNSHINE to it's summer home one week from today. Before we go, we have several outstanding chores to do. Today's task was to sand and varnish all of the exterior wood. We began sanding at about 0930 hours and finished by lunch time.

After lunch,  we cleaned up all of the sawdust, wiped the wood with a tac rag and began applying the varnish, allowing an hour between coats, we were able to get four coats on before dinner.

After dinner aboard, we met the Fritz's at the movie theater where we saw Matt Damon in the Adjustment Bureau. The movie was a bit "out there" and the acting was very good.

Relay for Life!

April 2nd and 3rd, 2011

This report is very hard to put into words, but I'm going to try, though I doubt I'll do justice to the topic.

We have known about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, but have never participated. I don't have an explanation for our lack of participation. Certainly we have loved ones who have battled the illness, endured hardship and pain, and succumbed to its ravages.

During our stay in Marathon, we have had to good fortune to meet and befriend Lee and Dee (About Time). You may have read previously that they taught us to play Bocce Ball. We've shared quips, lunches and dinner with them and we have tried to support their efforts with Relay for Life. 

As we were getting to know them, we learned that Lee is a five time cancer survivor and Dee is a five time care giver. Dee tells a poignant story about Lee's 57th birthday party. It was in an oxygen rich room, in the intensive care unit in their local hospital. Lee was not expected to survive the night. Family and friends had gathered to say their last goodbyes. Dee made arrangements for Food Services to wend up a cup cake, complete with candle, that was to serve as a make shift birthday cake. 

Lee was barely conscious and could barely speak. In his weakened condition, he motioned for Dee to come close, and mustered up enough strength to say, "for goodness sake, don't light the frickin’ candle!" Those words assured the assembled family and friends that Lee might just be able to recover from his illness. Earlier this year, we were honored to attend his 72nd birthday!

Lee and Dee have inspired us to become active participants in the Marathon Relay for Life. We attended the opening ceremony, the Lumenaria Ceremony and to participate in the relay as well. We walked from 2200 to 2300 hours and dedicated Lumenaria in honor of our family members who have succumbed to the disease.  

Tomorrow, we’ll rejoin the the Cruiser's Team at 0630 for Yoga, another hour of walking and the Closing Ceremony. 

We offer our most heart felt thanks to Dee and Lee for awakening our need to join in the good fight!

Baseball Season is Back!

Today is Opening Day for the Phillies! They managed to salvage a win with some 9th inning heroics! The game time temp was 41 degrees. It was in the high 80s from our vantage point here in Marathon!

No Joy in Mudville!

Well, we're in a rut, albeit a nice one! Our day started pretty much as usual, that is, with a bowl of cereal and the Cruiser's Net. Lee, the net controller for Thursday's announced that today was his last time as net controller for the season. He and Dee have a few more Relay for Life responsibilities and then they are off to store About Time, their Gemini catamaran. They'll spend the summer in their Florida home.

After the net, we went ashore for Yoga, another Thursday morning staple. Following Yoga, we had a Punic lunch at the. tiki Hut before heading out to find a storage unit for the truck. We found a reasonably priced one at Home Depot, but didn't like the way it fit in the truck bed. We checked NAPA and Advanced Auto Parts to no avail.

Today was opening day of the Major League Baseball season, so we watched a bit of the first game (NY Yankees v. Detroit Tigers). The game was tied at 3 all when we left in the seventh inning.

We returned to the boat to get ready for the wine and  cheese celebration following the dedicate of the Boaters' Pole. If you recall, that's the pole where boaters were invited to leave their mark on Boot Key Harbor. I posted a picture of our effort a few weeks back. As luck would have it, our sign was voted the second best! The winner was S/V Windsong (see the picture) whose sign included a drawing of their dinghy with occupants (two people and three big dogs). It was really well done! Our friends Brian and Lynn, S/V Midori won the prize for being the furthest hailing port from Marathon. 

We returned to SUNSHINE at around 1900 hours hungry for dinner. After which we watched a few episodes of Cheers.

The central portion of Florida had some pretty severe storm this afternoon. A building at the Orlando airport collapsed and NASA Is concerned for Space Shuttle Endeavor as it sits perched on the launchpad. It's scheduled to make its final mission with an April 19th launch. 

Happy Birthday, Twins!

 My sister and I have completed 63 trips around the sun with relative ease, and in relatively good health! I for one, am ready for 63 more! 

On the day, we did:

• a 4 mile bike ride;

• went to Publix for my birthday dinner supplies. Lobster, pork tenderloin, corn on cob and red bliss potatoes. Grilled at Banana Bay Resort under a Tiki hut in the picnic area  and enjoyed a great dinner and celebration with Anna Marie and friends Dee and Joe;

• talked to kids and Marjorie on the phone.

• enjoyed a great day! 

More Bike Repairs!

We had to take my bike to the shop for more repairs. This time, five spokes were broken, apparently as a result of a near miss with a car exiting the Home Depot parking lot. Although we didn't collide, I had to start short and struggle to keep me and the bike from falling. During the struggle, the bike thumped the curb and, I suspect the spokes were weakened or broke at that point. 

Since most of the spokes were frozen and rusty, I decided to spring for a new wheel. Bike to shop for new wheel. 

They fixed the bike while we waited and then we rode to Banana Bay to hang out at the pool with Fritz's.

An Easy Day!

Following our usual morning activities, we hopped on the bikes for a  ride to Sombrero Beach where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. After a walk on the beach, we headed off the Banana Bay to hang out at the pool with the Fritz's.

We dined at Sparky's happy hour (25 cent shrimp) and the flat bread salad before heading back to SUNSHINE.

Sleeping In!

Holy cow! It's late! We haven't slept until 0930 in I don't know how long. Ctainly not since we've been in Marathon!

The highlight of the day was  bike ride to Sunset Park in Key Colony Beach. We enjoyed the weTher and the ambience of this little park for a bit before heading back. In all, we did 14 miles in the saddle!

Ocean Festival in Key West!

We have  a big dayr planned! Joe and Dee picked us up at the marina and we headed off to the Ocean Festival in Key West. Our first stop was the Big Pine Flea Market. We made a few purchases, including two hats at $3.00 each.

The Ocean Festival in Key West was to benefit for Mote Research Laboratory. There were a number of booths, including one Lucy (LuLu) Buffett who did some cooking demonstrations.

Performing on stage were a number of solo artists, including C W Colt. Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 band headlined to event and began their performance at about 1600 hours. This mrked the first time that Dee and Joe have head Howard. They like him a lot.

On the way back to Marathon, we stopped for Dinner at Boondocks. It was a most enjoyable time and the food was reasonably priced.

By the time we arrived home (2100 hours), we were all tired puppies.