Ok we are leaving soon

Still in Boot Key Harbor with serious plans to leave, perhaps this week if the newly fabricated “essential” part for our holding tank is ready. (Can you hear the sucking sound?)

We enjoyed a brief visit from Saudi friends and family – Mary Claire, Gregg, Anne and Paul.  We are glad they had good weather to drive down from Lake Worth to see us and sample the cruising lifestyle.  We hope to see them again as less work and more leisure is in their near futures. Oh, yes, the dinghy is finally running with our motor and we can hardly remember when it didn’t.  We thank our visitors for the help with getting it to and from the shop. Cars are handy and brawn helps too. Thanks Greg and Paul.

Living on this open air boat reminds me of my house in Chieng Rai, Thailand. That house had no glass in the windows only shutters, and when they were open, the breeze and everything else blew through.  We enjoy the same fresh air feeling when our windows and doors are open, even with glass and a few screens – the dust from off the water (?) comes on in.  Not that sweeping daily is a huge chore since there is not a lot of other house work; it is constant. So we keep busy with the weekly activities of living in Boot Key Harbor. Here is a week in snapshot:

 

Typical schedule in Boot Key Harbor

Monday: pump out day – very entertaining watching the pump out boat visit in every sense of the word each boat in our area. These captains are the source of information, gossip, and advice freely given along with their cheerful empting of the holding tanks.

Tuesday: Kroganite breakfast group at the Stuffed Pig. A variety of the 19 or so Kadey Krogan owners in the area meet for breakfast and a generous exchange of information and ideas or solutions.  We received an invite from long time Krogan owners who were cruising the harbor in their dink just for fun. They dink travel with invites since this is their first year in Marathon without their boat.

Wednesday: (Ok we do this when we really have nothing else to do or nothing clean and sometime it is even Wednesday.) laundry day – a few hours in the laundry room catching up on what is happening while folding towels and matching socks. Every visit has yielded new info from fellow cruisers as well as advice on how to keep the machines from overcharging.

Thursday: lunch at the hurricane – 5$ deal that most boaters don’t miss. Another chance to meet and great fellow mariners.

Friday: Cocktails at Burdines – another largely Krogan group with a few wan-a-bes or close associates. Nice music to end the week on a sunset photo op not including any of our deck railings.

Saturday: after oiling my deck chairs, free time for   errands and touring! Fishing/lobstering or diving depending on the weather. We end often with music by the folks living in the harbor under the tiki hut - free fun.

Sunday: Super Bowl Party hosted for Kroganites! Other fun has included a sunset celebration for a couple hundred hosted by the AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruising Association). There is always the weekend flea market in Big Pine Key or the Gigantic Nautical Flea market in Islamorada.

In between there are the almost daily runs to Publix, Home Depot and, of course our favorite nautical store in which we should own stock, West Marine. Tough Life but we are holding up.

One note on the cultural highlight of our stay in Marathon:  It was not the Pigeon Key juried art show, nor the Pigeon Poop craft show, but the world famous National Pig Day races at the Stuffed Pig.  This event actually lasted three days and included live pig races – a treat not to be missed and a great fundraiser for a local charity. The still photos are a small taste.  We will attempt to post the video on you tube. or search for it! (I'm sure someone with better technical skills could produce a link, but we are not there yet.)