Appreciating Paradise

Nearly a month has passed since the last entry to this blog. The time lapse is due mostly to the fact that I don't appear to have experienced anything particularly noteworthy or new, given that this is our fifth season here in Boot Key Harbor. But then again, it may be that we're so accustomed to our time in this part of paradise that we forget how fascinating it is to others.

We were reminded of this by a friend who visited us for a few days earlier this month. Priscilla Temple, who lives in North Carolina and has driven to meet us several times as we pass through that state on the ICW, flew down to spend her first nights on a boat. We picked her up in Ft. Lauderdale and drove back to the Keys with a stop in the Everglades to see the birds and alligators as well as a stop at a fruit and vegetable stand to introduce her to some interesting new fruits. These included tamerin, mango and papaya as well as a few others whose names are now forgotten but the great taste remains. On the way down to Marathon we stopped at a waterside restaurant for a meal. As this is not unusual here, we were outside at a table in the sand not more than 15 feet from the water. Oh yes, there was live music playing during our meal.

Looking down on the anchorage and beach at Bahia Honda

During her stay we managed to get her out overnight to experience the peacefulness of Florida Bay. We were probably several miles from the closest lights, so the clear sky offered a thousand stars not usually visible closer to towns. The winds cooperated to allow us to get her out to Sombrero Reef for her first bit of snorkeling with clear water and lots of fish to see. We also managed to visit the Dolphin Research Center and Bahia Honda state park with its beautiful setting.

She enjoyed it all, including the sunsets, and in the process it helped us to regain some extra appreciation for our time here in a bit of paradise.

So when you receive and invitation from us to come down for a visit, you should realize the purpose is two fold. We certainly want to share the setting with friends and family, but we also find that such visits remind us of what a special opportunity we have to experience this for a whole season each year. It's only fair that we do our best to share it with others when we can.

Sandra's latest creation

OK, so what else have we been up to in the past few weeks? We continue to bump into other cruisers we have met in previous seasons as well as meeting those whom friends have sent our way. Sandra continues to help others with the pine needle baskets. It's a growing group. A bit more than a week ago we joined with others from Tai Chi to celebrate the Chinese new year. If you're interested, this is the year of the snake. Not sure what that means, but just needed to pass it along. In addition to Tai Chi classes and a bit of contra dancing, we still have on our list a trip to Key West by car. The anchoring situation there isn't attractive, so it's much easier just to drive down for the day. That's about all we need of Key West on one outing anyway. It's an interesting place, but a little bizarre.

Then there are the regular chores. Our dinghy bottom is getting covered with algae and barnacles, so a cleaning job is in the cards. The big boat has anti-fouling paint. It's most effective when we travel and water is moving over the surface. When we're sitting on the mooring for a week or two, I still must dive down and do a bit of cleaning. I'm still struggling with the windlass. (For the uninitiated, this is an electrical device that pulls up our chain and anchor, making my life much easier.) The part that was obviously broken has been repaired, but a more subtle issue still must be addressed. Hopefully we'll be back up and running by week's end.

This is not a life of all work and no relaxation. We still continue to meet people and enjoy that part of our adventure. One of the ways we've gotten to meet people is due to two somewhat unusual if not unique attractions we offer to others. One is the dinghy. We have a Portland Pudgy. It's less than 8 feet long; it rows well, is stable and also serves as our life raft. It's appearance alone seems to attract attention. In our first year in Marathon, we were stopped nearly every day over the four months of our stay by people asking about the boat. In the years since, we continue to be asked questions, but perhaps only 4-5 times a week.

Our two special attractions

And the other attraction...it's Maddie, of course. She loves to meet people and people seem compelled to stop to say hello to her. Then they ask us what her breed is. We tell them she's a Coton, and they generally respond with an, “Oh, what's that?” In the meantime they're getting licked and jumped on. They love it. They tell us she's the cutest dog they've seen. Some seem to want to take her home.

So life continues to be good down here. We'll do our best to fully enjoy it. And of course we love company.

Carpe Diem.

Captain Bob