Feb 14 – Mar 7 Boot key Harbor Mooring Field
We spent the
first few days here getting reacquainted with the marina and the surrounding
area. Not much has changed since we were
here 3 years ago. I went to Publix, our
favorite grocery store, for fresh produce and bread items and Lynn did the laundry. The washers and dryers are now $3.00 each per
load, quite expensive for marinas even in the Bahamas. The first weekend brought lots of wind,
cooler temps and rain so we stayed on the boat and read. The temps were low enough to pull out the
polar fleece blanket again.
Friends we have traveled with before
are also here and we have spent a bit of time socializing with them. I took a couple of long walks, over a mile
each way, to the CVS for meds and to a local dive shop to pick up a couple of
items. I was able to get our backup
propane tank filled right across the street from the marina and at a fairly
decent price.
On 24 Feb, my 65th birthday, I received a phone call at 0900. I answered the phone to a chorus of Happy Birthday from our friends in the Bahamas. Laura, Graeme, Bill and Terri were thoughtful enough to make an international call and surprise me. It was the highlight of my day and great talking with them. Thanks Guys !!!!!!!
My brother Kevin
arrived later that day for a 10 day vacation.
When he left Ohio it was freezing cold but was in the mid 80’s when
the plane landed in Key West. He
actually changed into a pair of shorts while standing at the bus stop. While he was here we made two attempts to
SCUBA dive. We took our boat out to two different
reefs on two different days and both times the water was too rough to even
think about going in. At least he was
able to experience the boat ride even if it was under less than optimal
conditions. One afternoon we took our
dinghy out to a small island about ¼ mile
offshore and snorkeled. We spent about 2
hours in the water, which was like bath water, and saw conch, star fish, lots
of fish, a moray eel, coral, and one dead lobster. Our orders from Lynn were to bring back
dinner, she wanted lobster that night.
Having failed our objective we all went across the street to a great
seafood restaurant and stuffed ourselves with lobster sandwiches, stone crab
claws, onion rings, coconut shrimp, buffalo wings and of course cold adult
beverages. While there we noticed they were
running a special on fresh lobster tails till the end of the week. On Friday we walked back over and bought 12 lobster
tails and one pound of stone crab claws to cook for dinner on the boat. I cooked the tails on the grill, something I’d
never tried before. With only 3 of us
for dinner there weren't any leftovers.
Our seafood feast on the boat
One afternoon
while Kevin and I went to the store Lynn called our health insurance
company. We are both now officially on
Medicare and she discontinued our Cigna policy.
We were able to get a great supplemental plan through BC/BS and should
enjoy a rather large increase in monthly income by not paying the outrageous premiums
for the group plan from Cigna. On this
note – neither one of us even feels close to being old enough to qualify for
Medicare. That’s something for really
old people …………. right????
The last two days Kevin was here we rented a car to do some sightseeing. I had reserved a compact but when we got to
the rental agency they didn't have any available. The woman apologized and offered me a choice
of either a minivan or an almost brand new Cadillac for the same price. Sort of a no brainer which car we got,
eh? The caddy drove fantastic and the
gas mileage was astoundingly good. We
drove north up the Keys towards Key Largo stopping at a couple of places along
the way. The first was Bass Pro Shops to
restock on shorts and shirts (they have the best selection at great prices) and
then had a very light lunch at the restaurant outside. Next stop was Divers Direct. Kevin was able to get a monitor for his
underwater camera and I picked up a couple small items. I find it very hard to go to a dive shop and not find something! We then drove to John Pennekamp State Park
and both drove and walked around the grounds.
It was amazing at the amount of “tourists” that were milling about. Most had just returned from a snorkel trip
and several seemed to be either coming or going to the beaches. We left there and headed to see the African
Queen, the same boat that was used in the movie of the same name. It has been completely restored and is
available for canal cruises for $49 per person for about 90 minutes. Too rich for our blood so we stood and
watched some fishing charter boats come back to the docks and off load their
catches. While they were cleaning the
fish on the dock pelicans floated in the water below catching the “treats”
from the cleaning process. The last stop
for that day was dinner at the Fish House, a great place for seafood we found
several years ago.
Egret waiting for fish innards
Sign at the dock next to the African Queen
The next morning
we started early and went to the Stuffed Pig for breakfast. It is a small crowded diner with good
food. After eating the large portions of
biscuits and gravy, sausage, grits, hash browns, bacon, and toast we drove
south to Key West. Kevin was flying back
home that day but not until early evening so we had time to play. The drive down was scenic and without any
traffic. Our first stop in Key West was
the Most Southern Point in the US. The
traffic now was so bad that we could barely get through stop lights when they
changed because of gridlock. The spot is
marked with a huge cement monument and Cuba is only 90 miles off shore. We worked our way through the streets of Old
Key West until we came to Duvall Street.
For those who have never been there I can only describe it as being
something from another country. Crowded
with tourist from cruise ships, bus tour people and college students on Spring
Break the sidewalks are full and the mood is party, party, party. We, as tourist ourselves, did our share of
shopping and checking out more than one pub.
It’s called the Duvall Crawl
when you start at one end of the street and work your way, bar by bar, down to
the other end. We cheated and started
2/3 of the way to the end.
Southernmost Point Marker
Stop #2 of the Crawl
Stop #3
We dropped
Kevin off at the airport with plenty of time for him to check in and wait for
the plane. It was really nice having him
visit and I really appreciated all the help he afforded. Especially with getting water and loading the
heavy jugs on the boat and the company while walking to the grocery store and
back.
Our contract here
ends on 13 Mar but we will have to extend due to a couple of repairs that have
to be addressed. It could be as long as
two more weeks after the 13th before we can start our voyage back
north.
I was afraid to try grilling our lobster tails (which we bought several more for the freezer) so Lisa broiled them and I just grilled the steaks. Did you go by the color or how do you determine they are done on the grill?
ReplyDeleteWe did the Duvall crawl and loved people watching along the way. Tourists are so funny looking until you realize that you yourself are a tourist. Ha! And just as funny looking to others?
Kevin is a big boy! I was called to many bars to escort "unwanted patrons" out the door, and that picture depicts what I would see when I walked through the door. God, I miss the Department! Ha! Good times, noodle salad.