February 23, 2004 -
View the
Photos
We’ve had lots of things to do this past week. The Miami Boat
Show was our first stop on Monday. That is quite an
experience. The show has 2 sites besides the Miami Convention
Center. We started out at the Marriott for an in-the-water
boat show for new boats. The boats here were mostly 40 to 50
feet and less. Just to skim the service we spent all morning.
We did spend some extra time on an Ocean Altus and Jeffersons.
What beautiful boats!
From there we went to the brokerage site. The boats there had
no size limit. (Two hundred feet of boat is a big boat>) There
were new boats mixed in and it was there that we fell in lust
with a 4590 Meridian. That boat has lots of storage and many
extras. From there we went to the Sea Ray exhibit. Lots of
boats to see.
The Convention Center was next. Again we just skimmed the
surface. The boat show took up the entire center. The
individual meeting rooms were filled with vendors, vendors and
more vendors. We spent 12 hours taking in the sights and
sounds of the show.
Tuesday was Oil & Water clean up day and laundry. Not very
romantic but necessary.
On Thursday the vendors for the Nautical Flea Market started
setting up. The Flea Market was here at the marina and there
were many sights to be seen. The “fleas” were here Friday thru
Sunday. I think Bob visited the booths every 2 or 3 hours just
to see if anything was new or reduced. We did find some
bargains and lots of good people watching.
We enjoyed a brief visit from Tim and Val on Friday evening.
They were on their way to Key West for the week. I know the
traffic was bad coming south so I wasn’t sure if they would
stop. We had a vacation toast and they moved on south to find
their bungalow. (So for the weather has been great for them)
Today was serious boat clean up day. The activities over the
week-end stirred up lots of sand and dirt which stuck to all
the boats and cars. Bob was the boat man and I did laundry,
interior cleaning and check book balancing.
We are planning (weather permitting) to leave here March 7th.
We’re leaving 3 weeks to get to our ultimate destination,
Charleston, SC. We plan to be home for Taylor’s birthday and
Easter.
March 1, 2004 -
View the
Photos
If the wind stops blowing we’ll be untying and making our way
up the coast on our Loop cruise. We’ve been here so long I
hope I remember how to handle lines and cruise.
This week has been another day in Paradise until the wind
started blowing on Thursday. The weather seems to be the topic
of most conversations. Of course the “tourists” are looking
for sun. We’re looking for calm winds and calmer seas.
Most of our marina neighbors are leaving this month. I think
we’ll be the first but again the wind needs to calm down
before I’m ready to move. Our plan is to cruise to Miami on
the bay side. When we point our nose out of Government Cut
we’ll decide if we travel thru the Intercoastal or on the
“Outside”.
We had a visit on Thursday from Tim and Val Aulabaugh. They
were spending the week in Key West and needed a break from the
cruise ships and the chickens. The wind was blowing in
earnest. Our lunch at the Islamorada Fish Company almost blew
off the table but the sun was shining and warm. We showed them
around our little section of the Keys. It’s always fun to have
people from home come and visit.
On Friday Bob and I traveled to Key West for some culture and
entertainment. The culture was at the Custom House. A
photography exhibit of Hemingway and Walker. Their subject
matter is Cuba in the 1930’s. The exhibition was very well
done. I bet Cuba looks much the same today.
The evening entertainment was a concert at the Key West High
School featuring John Prine. The songs brought back memories
of road trips in the 70’s. He has volumes of new work and has
added electric guitars but otherwise time hasn’t changed his
music.
Saturday night we were entertained by the community orchestra
with a Pop concert in The Park and last night we had a
bulkhead pier potluck supper. I forgot how difficult it is to
cook without a regular oven and with very limited counter
space. The convection oven works great but it certainly heats
up the salon. I haven’t tried the convection oven while we’re
on generator. That may be an adventure.
The photos are from our potluck and a nice storm front that
brought 12 hours plus of heavy rain.
|
|
