After reading our friends' Hayden and Radeen's
Island Spirit blog, and Maris and Linda's
Amekaya blog, we feel like slackers sitting here in a slip at
Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, Florida. But - we have had family and friends visiting, so we are making the best of our land time.
Greg's mom, sister Pam and brother Jay joined us for a week. The club boasts a very spacious and well-appointed apartment above the clubhouse. This was home for Shirley, Pam and Jay (though Jay slept on board with us) for the week. It was great for us to share meals and TV(!!) with them all week. They also kept us running as they wanted to take in all the sights and sounds of the area. First day was a ride up to Islamorada to visit the
Islamorada World Wide Sportsman store (now a Bass Pro Shop) where you can go aboard a replica of "Pilar", Ernest Hemingway's boat. After some great shopping, we enjoyed a meal outdoors at
Islamorada Fish Company. Next day was a ride the other direction to Key West. A stop at the
Southernmost Point, a stroll down Duvall Street and a yummy meal at
Old Town Mexican Cafe, our tired feet climbed back into the car for the hour and a half drive home.
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| Greg's sister Pam, brother Jay and Mom Shirley |
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| The chicken tostada at Old Mexican Cafe, Key West |
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| Pam and Shirley walking Sombrero Beach |
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| Greg, Pam, Shirley (Mom) and Jay |
It was a treat having the availability of a car, so we made numerous runs to the grocery and hit the beautiful Sombrero Beach a few times, enjoying a swim in the beautiful blue water. The three of them visited the Turtle Hospital, but we missed it due to work commitments. We hope to get there before we leave town.
A second day in Key West included a Glass-bottom Boat Sunset Cruise. A large glass-bottomed boat takes you out to the reef to see the fishes and coral. It was great fun on a gorgeous day. We saw lots of tropical fish and healthy coral. The commentator did a good job identifying the species and telling us the history of the reef. Though the sun went behind haze and clouds before it hit the horizon, we learned that they call this a "High" sunset in Key West. There were no less than 20 boats filled with tourists just outside the harbor for their own sunset cruise.
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| Shirley, Pam and Greg on board the glass-bottom boat |
Since we have been here, we have struggled with the direction - direction of the wind, direction of the roadways, which is south, north, east or west. Part of this confusion comes from always having lived where the water is always to the East. Here water lies to both the East and the West. Also, once you leave Biscayne Bay and head south the Keys start to turn toward the West the further you go, rather than South. Thus, the name "Key West". So, though we think we are in a land of North/South like the rest of Florida, we are really sitting in and East/West region. It's very much like sailing or driving "down east" in Maine where the same sensation is reversed.
Thursday meant a long trip to Boca Raton to see Courtney and Paolo's new home. It was a treat for "Grandma, Auntie Pam and Uncle Jay" to see Courtney's house and meet "Gus", their labrador retriever. Gus loves the pool in the back yard and will fetch for hours. Another treat was lunch at
JB's On the Beach in Deerfield Beach A walk around Mizner Park shopping area allowed Courtney to show off what is now her "home" town.
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| Courtney, Greg and Pam (see any resemblance here?!) |
Friday was another delightful beach day and a chance to grill dinner once again. All in all, it was a wonderful, sunny, perfect weather week and we all enjoyed our time together. It was sad to say goodbye and watch them head back north on Saturday. So glad they got a chance to visit and enjoy the warm for a bit.
While we were out playing last week, we had the folks from "Carnival Canvas" make us a sunshade for the stern (the one place we didn't have one) and "Barnacle Bill" scrubbed the bottom of the boat for us. Between the knowledge of the slip holders here at HCC and a location filled with boats and fishing vendors, there is anything you might need related to life on the water. And when Greg needed to rent a car to get to Coral Gables to get his broken tooth fixed early Monday morning, upon his return of the rental, he called "Bob Narley" taxi to get him back to the boat. Bob's taxis sport a picture of Bob Marley on their doors and the Rasta colors. There is a great cast of characters here in the Keys!
The other really cool thing about this area is the plethora of fish and seafood. Though there is very little "fine dining" to speak of, you will find fresh tuna, all types of fish, as well as stone crab and lobster on most every menu around. There are lots of "tiki" bars and restaurants that are all open air and by the water. Add the fresh seafood as well as each unique take on "Key Lime Pie" and you can't beat it for yummy.
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| A tuna martini |
Today, our friend Andra flies in from Boston to spend a few days. We will see what trouble we can get into. Then, we provision and plan for our trip to the Marqueses and Dry Tortugas - remote islands 70 and 100 miles further west of Key West. We look forward to the trip, being away from it all, getting in some snorkeling and meeting up with our friends Pat and Eric aboard
Cutter Loose.
'Til next time -
