1/16 - 1/23/10 - Marathon, Florida

Andrew and Sallyann from "Freedom" come for a visit by kayak.

Pat and Al waiting for the launch that will take us to "Little Palm Island"

A "Key Deer" walking toward the restaurant on "Little Palm Island". This is a species of deer that is only indigenous to the Florida Keys. When fully grown, it is about the size of a large dog.

The same deer sneaking up on some unsuspecting beach -goers
.

Pat and Al arrived late on Saturday afternoon, and we welcomed them with cocktails on the aft deck and a steak dinner cooked on our outside grill. The next day, after a tour of the grounds here at Banana Bay in the morning, we had a great burger lunch at "Burdine's" on the Boot Key Harbor waterfront. During lunch we had to keep moving our picnic table farther and farther under the tiki roof since a veritable "monsoon" hit with pouring rain and wind that did not let up for almost an hour. When we left we had to make our way around the floods on the roof where we were sitting and in the parking lot. The sun came out shortly afterward and we continued with our driving tour of the sights of Marathon.

We returned to the boat in time for naps, reading, and the San Diego Chargers vs. Jets football game. The whole marina was aware of who George and Al were rooting for during the proceedings as they coached, yelled, and clapped at the T.V screen. Happily, the biggest roar went up from our boat at the end as the (N.J.) Jets bet the heavily favored Chargers! Later that evening we had a phone call from our friend, Joan Shields, who, we were happy to learn, arrived safely at her winter residence in Duck Key after a late start from New Jersey.

On Monday morning another old friend, Werner Lohmann, from our many mutual years as members of the Bristol Sailing Club, knocked on our door! We haven't seen him in many years, since he and his wife, Grace, moved here to Marathon from New Jersey 17 years ago. They invited us to have dinner with them on Friday, but we could not yet commit, since we were waiting to hear from our Gulfport, Mississippi friends, Ray and Caryl Houle, who will be coming for a visit here some time this week.

In the afternoon we took Pat and Al out on "Reflection" for our "3 Hour Tour" into the Gulf, through 7 Mile Bridge, out almost to Sombrero Light in the Atlantic, through Sister's Creek, around Boot Key Harbor, and back to our marina. We arrived back in time to make "Happy Hour" at the "Keys Fisheries" where the snow crab claws are $1.00 apiece between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The place was jammed, but our guests didn't mind standing at the wall counter on the upper deck and enjoyed picking crab claws accompanied by cold beers. Later on, Sallyann and Andrew joined us for dinner at picnic benches downstairs at the water-front.

On Tuesday, our guests toured Crane Point Hammock, where they took a guided trolley tour of this fascinating local museum and nature center. We have taken out a membership there, which will allow us to share this wonderful historical habitat with our guests. Later in the evening we all went to the Key Colony Inn for a delicious dinner where we all greatly enjoyed the singing and dancing in their piano bar.

Since Pat and Al were leaving on Thursday, we went for lunch to Little Palm Island on Wednesday. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we were seated at a perfect corner table on one of their decks over-looking the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The food was delicious and the ambience superb!

Pat and Al left late the next morning after a great visit. We then set about doing wash and boat chores for the rest of the day. After a phone call from Caryl Houle, who said that she and Ray would be coming to see us on Saturday, we called Werner and Grace and told them that we would be delighted to be their dinner guests at the Marathon Yacht Club the next evening.

On Friday night we had a terrific cocktail hour and meal while catching up on old times with Werner and Grace. The Marathon Yacht Club is a lovely facility which we have not seen in many years, and by the end of the dinner, we were seriously considering applying for membership in this club. There are many benefits to our becoming members that we could enjoy not only while we are here in Marathon, but also as we travel up and down the Intracoastal Waterway with reciprocal yacht club privileges. So, we got an application package, and Grace and Werner graciously agreed to be sponsors for us, should we decide to apply.

On Saturday, the Houles drove up from Key West where they have been on vacation, and we went out to "Herbie's" for lunch and conch chowder. They are still getting adjusted to life on land after their 10 month trip completing the "Loop". Even now, just being in the Keys is making them hear the "siren call" of bringing their boat over here, though it is up for sale right now in Mississippi. We're going to stay tuned to see how long they stay off the water! After lunch and a short tour around town, they left to make their way north to Fort Myers to visit with Caryl's dad. We then "chilled out" for the rest of the day after our very busy week!

1/11 - 1/15/10 - Marathon, Florida

We really settled into our community life here in our beautiful winter home this week as the temperatures again moderated to the usual 70s, rather than the abnormal 50s we experienced last week. Unfortunately, however, those cold fronts also brought down the water temperatures to the 50s causing much harm to the reef fish and sea turtles who had a tough time surviving in the 20 -30 degree cooler water. We saw literally hundreds of small dead fish on the Gulf side, and know that many sea turtles have been rescued and taken to the local Turtle Hospital to be sheltered and cared for.

Some of our activities this week included going out for dinner at "The Cracked Conch" followed by the movie, "It’s Complicated" at the Marathon Cinema, and attending a "Meet and Greet" for all boaters in Marathon underneath the Tiki Hut at Boot Key Harbor City Marina with Sallyann and Andrew and dinner afterward at "Sparky's Landing" in Key Colony Beach. Pat also investigated some of the "shopping venues" in town with Sallyann, ordered new eyeglasses at a local optical shop, and accomplished the delicate job of finding a new hairdresser for our time here. George continued to chip away at his continuous "To Do" list on "Reflection", and we also prepared for our visit from his sister, Pat, and brother-in-law, Al, who are arriving tomorrow.

1/9 - 1/10 - Marathon, Florida

1/9 and 1/10 found us hunkered down waiting for the current cold front to dissipate.

We've been in touch with George's sister, Pat, and brother-in-law, Al, and we're happy that they will be visiting with us beginning next week-end. Hopefully the weather at that time will be back to warmer temperatures with lighter winds than we have been experiencing here yesterday and today, but, even so, it's still a whole lot better than the weather up north!

1/8 - Marathon, Florida

Boot Key Harbor located on the Atlantic side of Marathon

Seven Mile Bridge (from the Atlantic side). This bridge connects Marathon to the Lower Keys.

Seven Mile Bridge. The bridge on the right is the new highway bridge the one on the left is no longer in use. It was an old railroad bridge that was converted into a highway bridge after the railroad was destroyed in a hurricane.

The island in the center of the picture is Pigeon Key. It was used as a work camp during the construction of the "Overseas Railroad" in the early 1900s.

The wind calmed and the temperature was pleasant, so we took this short opportunity between weather fronts to take "Reflection" out for a ride on the Gulf through the Seven Mile Bridge and into the Atlantic Ocean. The boat had been sitting at the dock for over a month and it was time to "knock the barnacles off the bottom". Upon entering the Gulf we took "Reflection" up to cruising speed (about 15 knots). The water was almost as smooth as glass. We ran the engines up to maximum speed and skipped across the water at over 19 knots. If there was any growth on the bottom, it was gone now.

The sea conditions continued to be absolutely superb as we passed through Seven Mile Bridge heading to the Atlantic side of the island. The water was crystal clear and you could easily see the bottom through 20 feet of water. While heading toward Boot Key we spotted two large sea turtles that dove under the boat as we approached them. Looking out toward Sombrero Light we spotted many fishing or diving boats out near the reef.

We continued on through the Sister's Creek entrance into Marathon's Boot Key Harbor which we toured from north to south, and then returned back through the bridge and the Gulf to our marina. This was a perfect 3 hour tour! (This kind of a day is about as close to Heaven as some of us will get.)

1/7 - Marathon, Florida

We attended a delightful opening night of the Marathon Community Theater's production of "Sylvia" with Andrew and Sallyann Newton. Sallyann was able to get us tickets in the front row for this entertaining comedy about a man who finds an abandoned dog in Central Park and the ramifications with his wife after he does so. It was a particularly physical role for the gal who played the dog, and we were so close we could easily see the sweat on her brow!

1/6 - Marathon, Florida

We are back into our regular routine of George taking his early morning walks, followed by his shopping, ordering parts, and making repairs or improvements aboard. Besides the regular work of keeping up a home aboard, Pat is busy on the computer, keeps in close touch with her mother, and organizes the paper-work of our lives. She has also started to research a possible Alaska Cruise Tour for us and our friends, Ernie and Kay Giordano for August. Since George and Ernie are train buffs, we would like this trip to include substantial train travel.

1/5/10 - Marathon, Florida

The Ianniellos left this morning at 8 a.m. for Fort Lauderdale to look at a few boats there before having lunch with a friend and then flying home to New Jersey. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit here with us, and hope that they can return again sometime this winter. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, taking down and stowing our Christmas decorations, and doing boat chores.

1/4/10 - Marathon, Florida

Since today was Lou and Judy's last full day here with us, we took them to one of our favorite places in the Keys, Little Palm Island. This lovely 5 acre island is located 3 miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and was the location for the film, "PT-109" because it has the appearance of being in the South Pacific.

Only accessible by boat or sea-plane, the resort is known as a special "escape" with secluded oceanfront bungalows, spa, pool, and highly-rated restaurant on terraces over-looking the beach. No one under the age of 16 is allowed at the resort, cell phones must be on "vibrate" only, and no telephones or T.V.s are located in the rooms. (Pictures will follow the next time we visit here - the batteries in our camera died.)

We had a reservation for lunch, so we arrived at the resort's reception center at Little Torch Key at 11:15 a.m. in order to take their launch, the "Truman", to the island. After our 15 minute ride, we were met on-shore by the concierge and escorted to our table. The view was spectacular, and we even had a key deer that came up from the beach to our table. Judy fed him some flowers which the waitress brought to her to let the deer enjoy. Our meal was wonderful and the ambiance and company superb! Afterwards, the concierge gave us a tour of the resort's facilities before we boarded the launch for our return to the main-land.

When we got back to our boat, Lou disappeared for a short while. Upon his return we were delighted to find out that he had put his name down on the waiting list for a slip here at Banana Bay for next winter! Obviously he liked our location - now he just has to get the boat!

Later on in the evening we went to a new restaurant, "Lazy Days South", where we had a lovely final dinner with Lou and Judy, and Lou finally had the Stone Crab Legs he had been craving!

1/3/10 - Marathon, Florida

Key West was our destination today (by car) and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery along our route south even though the day was cool and cloudy. We first stopped at "Divers Direct" so that George could purchase his new wetsuit and snorkel. Then we headed to the "Half Shell Raw Bar" along the waterfront for lunch, followed by shopping around town.

Judy made some purchases at "Fast Buck Freddie's", and then we stopped at "Captain Tony's" (the original "Sloppy Joe's" where Hemingway actually hung out) for a drink. We returned to "Reflection" in the late afternoon, and after our day's activities we all got so comfortable and relaxed watching football on T.V., reading, etc., we decided to order another Chinese dinner delivered to the boat instead of going out or cooking aboard! (They now know us so well at the "Panda House" we don't have to tell them where to deliver the food.)

1/2/10 - Marathon, Florida

Today the first in a line of "cold" fronts arrived. Though it was sunny, the temperatures were in the 60s, instead of the 70s and low 80s we had in December.

We took Lou and Judy on a tour of Marathon's many marinas to show them what kind of facilities are available here when they purchase a boat, as they hope to do in the near future. On our trip we stopped by Marathon City Marina to introduce them to Richard and Carol Walker, our friends aboard "Holiday VII" from Memphis, Tennessee. The Walkers have spent many winters here and are serious divers and snorkelers, and they advised George on where to buy the wetsuit and new snorkel he should purchase for his future lobstering plans. Richard wants to take George out to the marine sanctuary aboard his boat in the next few weeks to show him his favorite dive spots.

After lunch at "Herbie's" we drove around Key Colony Beach, Sombrero Beach, showed Lou and Judy the multitude of moorings at Boot Key Harbor City Marina, and even drove by the two houses we used to own here in Marathon. In the evening we decided to go to "Keys Fisheries" for dinner, but because it turned out to be too windy to sit on their outside deck, we changed our plans and instead had an absolutely wonderful Italian dinner inside the "Key Colony Inn". Judy even said that her dish was the best chicken dinner she had ever had!

1/1/10 - Marathon, Florida

Judy, Lou, and George set out for parts unknown into the Gulf of Mexico

Returning safely back to the mother ship.

Today was another relaxing day with a late breakfast and lunch, and everyone chose to either lounge at the beach, read, watch a foot-ball game, ride around in the dinghy, or spend time on the computer. Late in the afternoon the predicted cold front was ushered in by heavy wind and rain for a short time, but when the air cleared, we went out for dinner at "Porky's", a local favorite of George's, for barbecued ribs and fried shrimp. We had a great time soaking up the "ambiance" of this shack on the water, where we sat at picnic benches with paper towel napkins, and ate great food while listening to Jimmy Buffett music performed by a local guitarist/singer. It was a terrific evening!

12/28 - 12/31/09 - Marathon, Florida

We returned to "Reflection" on Monday, 12/28, about 5 p.m. after a whirlwind 10 day trip home to New Jersey. During that time we put up Christmas decorations, took down Christmas decorations, purchased gifts, wrapped gifts, arranged for Pat's mother to move back to her apartment from the Health Care Center where she had been recuperating from her recent illness and hospitalization for almost two months, visited with various neighbors and friends, and shoveled our home out from a 22 inch snowfall (God's way of reminding us of how blessed we are to be spending the next four months here in the Keys).

On Christmas Day Pat sang and played the piano for Mass at Harrogate (her Mom's retirement community), and we hosted Mom, Pat's cousin Steve, his wife, Chris, daughter, Stephanie, and our nephew, Ken, and his wife, Nancy, for a Christmas dinner (including home-made Polish pierogies) completely prepared by George.

After packing our Chrysler Sebring convertible to the gills, we left New Jersey at 5:15 a.m. on 12/27, but after Richmond we began to encounter heavy traffic traveling south, and by the time we reached South Carolina we literally crawled our way to Savannah, where after 15 hours we finally reached our hotel. The next day was much better, and we made it to Banana Bay Resort and Marina in 10 1/2 hours.

The following two days were spent unpacking, shopping, and preparing the boat in anticipation of the arrival of our friends, Lou and Judy Ianniello, who flew down here to join us for New Year's. They arrived on 12/30 around 6:30 p.m. and we welcomed them with cocktails and a Chinese dinner.

On 12/31 Lou and Judy familiarized themselves with the resort and enjoyed the warm temperatures and the sun, and we made plans for New Year's Eve. We had reservations at "Castaways" for a late dinner, and then stopped by the Dockside Lounge at Sombrero Resort to see what was happening there. We couldn't believe how quiet it was - maybe the usual characters there went to Key West! At any rate, we returned to "Reflection" where we enjoyed champagne and chocolates to usher in 2010. Happy New Year!!!