2023: Road trip to Virginia

 February 17 - 20, 2023

On Tuesday, the 14th, of February, Clark sat down next to me with his phone in his hand and told me that he had received notice of a play being performed in central Virginia. He told me that it was written by someone he knew in his younger days at church. It would be a one-person show performed by the playwright, and he knew the actress. Then, he said, "How would you feel about going to see the play?"

Knowing this was important to him, it took me only seconds to say, "Okay, I'm game!" Immediately, I got online to secure a rental car for pickup on Thursday. As soon as that was confirmed, he purchased tickets to the play. Most people would call this road trip insane, but we are nothing if not spontaneous and more than a bit crazy. 

On Thursday, we biked to the airport to get the car. I had moaned about biking there having to travel in the heat against the wind. We had an offer from a boater friend that they could drive us to get the car, but Clark said we needed the exercise. We had scheduled the car pickup for 4:00 to give us time to use it when we returned from our trip to hit the grocery store. I walked up to the pool to hang out for a bit to kill time in the afternoon, and around 3:00 got a call from Clark that the car rental place had called to tell him that the only car they had in the lot was the one for us and that we should come get is as soon as possible so the guy could have an easy day until closing time. 

Since the car was rented in my name, I went with Clark. I scurried back from the pool, and we jumped on our bikes to go get the car. As we started on our way, Clark saw some black clouds in the distance and wondered if we would get wet. Then, as we peddled down Route 1, it started to sprinkle.

I could barely feel the rain, and in fact, it felt good as it kept me cool as I peddled. Three times Clark tried to pull off the bike trail to find a sheltered area, and three times I just kept going figuring that he would follow me. It is just over 3 miles to the airport from the boat. I figured it best we keep moving as long as possible. Clark knew we had minimal bail out points ahead. Who would be correct?! When we reached the airport, we secured the bikes under a covered area and went in to pick up the rental car. 

While we signed the documents and got the car keys, it started to pour. Boy did we time that well. We waited a short while for the rain to stop. As we watched the rain come down, we got a text from our friends with the car saying, "Are you sure you don't need a ride to the airport? It's raining." As we were already in the airport with car keys in hand, I declined the generous offer.

On Friday, we loaded up the car with clothes and food for the four days we would be gone and started on our way. For the first day, I had sandwiches for lunch and dinner in the car, so we drove as far as a hotel in South Carolina and grabbed a room for the night. I used an app to get a room. We could not figure out why, in the middle of nowhere, many hotels were fully booked, and the one I selected only had 1 room available for the night. No worries, at least we had a room!

When possible, we pick hotels with a refrigerator and complimentary breakfast when we travel. When we got to our room, I packed the fridge full of the food we needed to keep cool. I made sandwiches in the morning for our lunch on the road. We got dinner when we arrived in Harrisonburg where the play was performed. 

Having spent 20 hours in the car, we decided to walk to Joe's Diner located a few feet from the hotel. Sadly, this was a poor choice as it was a sad excuse for a truck stop. They did not have some of the items on the menu, and the ones we ate were poor quality. As Crocodile Dundee would say, "You can eat it, but ...". 

The play, being performed at Eastern Mennonite University, started at 7:00, and Clark wanted to get to the college campus early to walk around. As it turned out, getting there early was essential as we had no idea where the theater was located. We picked a less-than-ideal parking lot that said "Permit Parking Only" located near the auditorium.

When we found the auditorium closed down tight, we decided to ask someone where we could find the theater. The campus looked deserted, but eventually we found someone to ask who had no clue where to send us. The next person we found fortunately pointed us in the right direction. 

When we arrived at the theater entrance, we found several people talking in the lobby waiting for the box office to open. As we stood behind them, Clark leaned over to me and whispered, "I know these people!" When one of them noticed Clark, he immediately recognized him. It helps that Clark looks very much the same as he did 40 years ago - just slightly older. As I talked to his friends, one of them, Patrick, walked with Clark back to our car to move it to a more appropriate parking space.

Description of the Play

The autobiographical performance lasted about 80 minutes with a chat-with-Ingrid session immediately following the show. Ingrid  teaches acting and is a very talented actress. She seamlessly changed roles as she took the part of each character. The show was well-performed and the content thought-provoking.

When all was said and done, attending the play cost us over $1200. That included the rental car, the three hotels, gas, and $34 for theater tickets. After we enjoyed the deep and interesting performance, the playwright / actress in the play invited us to attend the cast party at a person's home near the university. There Clark got to talk to his old-time friends and meet some new people as well.

The food spread at the party was amazing.

Yummy Chocolate Cake

Great food spread

Some of Clark's Friends:
Kathy (Ingrid's sister)
Katy
Ingrid (Playwright / Actress in the Play)
Debbie (Katy's sister)

The trip to Virginia gave us a chance to see some scenery without saltwater for a change.  Google Maps did us no favors for our drive. It shut down at inappropriate times and stopped navigating when we needed help the most. Given that, we got the scenic tour for our drive and managed to add extra driving time both going and coming home from the play. At least the out-of-the-way route on the return trip took us past some gorgeous scenery. Too bad the season meant there were almost no leaves on the trees.

No farms on Route 1 in Marathon!

We inadvertently found the Blue Ridge Parkway 
on our way home! We detoured slightly to get a peak 
and then got back on the "highway".

Cows!!

Rolling hills! 

History!

Amish Horse and Buggy in a No-passing zone!
That was fun.

Sunset on the Highway

By the time we entered the Keys, it was already 7:00 p.m.  Having been in the car nonstop since 9:00, I was so done with sitting in a car and desperately needed a food break. With a recommendation from a friend, we headed for a place in Key Largo to eat dinner and stretch our legs. 

As we turned onto Route 1 at the beginning of the final stretch through the Keys to Marathon, the GPS made an announcement that made us both start laughing. At that point we needed something to bring smiles to our faces. 

GPS: "On the way to Marlin Bay, traffic is light as usual. You might want to take the route via US 1 as it may be slightly faster." 

Anyone who knows the Keys knows that there is no alternative to US 1 - faster or otherwise! 

Years ago we traveled to the Miami Boat Show with friends. At that time, when we reentered the Keys, the GPS instructions said, "Drive 100 miles and make a U-turn." Everyone in the car cracked up as that meant driving to Key West through our destination of Marathon and back to Marathon going an extra 100 miles out of our way!  The GPS is a prankster.

Ev at the Lazy Lobster

After enjoying a delicious dinner at the Lazy Lobster restaurant that our friends recommended, we reluctantly climbed back into the car to continue on our way. Only one more hour to go! Arriving at the marina at nearly 10:00 at night, we dragged everything out of the car, threw it in a cart, pulled it through the marina, and chucked it on the boat. We dealt with the minimal amount required to make it through until morning, e.g. put cold food in the fridge, turn on water / hot water heater, etc. After a brief recovery period, we headed for bed.

What an amazing and unexpected weekend!

2023: Busy times at Marathon

 2 February 2023

Our friends, JoAnn and Jim, from Michigan finally arrived. I have been counting the days and hours waiting for them to get here. Their dog, Sammy, travels with them, and she is a real sweetheart. We have known Jim, JoAnn, and Sammy since we met them on the Great Loop in 2015.

"The Concession" docking at Marlin Bay

My friend Sammy

I had homework to do today in preparation the library photography workshop on Friday, so I took some pictures around the marina paying attention to picture composition.

Closeup on bushes in marina

Not-so-secret passageway 
to get from back of marina building to front

Closeup of foliage lining
not-so-secret passageway

At 4:00 Clark and I loaded up our dinghy with us and his guitar and headed off to Banana Bay for docktails. Unlike previous times when we found an empty slip to tie up the dinghy, this time we tied up to our friend's dinghy and dock. A boating friend used to refer to the contortions we have to get into when getting on and off boats as "Boat Yoga". Climbing over and around dinghies to crawl up onto (and later off of) the dock is one example of this activity.

Walking around Banana Bay Marina, I spied some Christmas ornaments that have been forgotten. Taking a picture of Santa swinging in the breeze turned out to be a challenge. From my photography class I have learned that I can tell my phone to take pictures by talking to it. Wish I had known that when I took the "Flying Santa" shot. I had to hold the tree branch still in the wind while getting the shot and needed a third hand!

The reason we were walking around the marina at Banana Bay was for Clark to collect Pat from "Reflection" to come sing along with the guitar players. On this occasion they had 4 guitars and 1 singer. They did not do much socializing at the gathering - they were having too much fun jamming!

Paul - "Agape"
Pat - "Reflection"
Clark - "Sunset Delight"
Jeff - "Indecision"

The corner of the Banana Bay Marina where we have docktails offers an excellent view for sunsets.

Sunset over Marlin Bay Resort 
as seen from Banana Bay Marina

3 February 2023

Karen from "Arabella" suggested we walk over to the photography workshop together. We met at 10:45 for the short walk over there. I really missed out last year when we stayed at Marlin Bay by not checking out the library early on. We stopped in for a tour just before we left to head back to New Jersey. This year I am spending several hours a week taking advantage of what they offer.

We had a new crowd of folks for today's photo workshop. Two Spanish-speaking folks came to the class, so the instructor said everything in two languages. Once again she covered f-stops and depth of field. I am slowly becoming more familiar with how to work with these settings though my phone and camera are both limited in setting options.

Jim and JoAnn had friends on board "The Concession" when they arrived yesterday. They invited us to join them for dinner on their boat tonight. JoAnn's friend, Debbie, made the meal which consisted of make-your-own chicken taco bowl. The base of which was a delicious rice with seasoned chicken and many toppings to choose from. We had a lovely time eating and talking.

Clark insisted on a photo shoot with Sammy!

We had an opportunity to grab some sunset shots as we walked over to dinner.

4 February 2023

Today was an overcast day. My friend Sandy was away for the week in Fort Meyers, so I was on my own for the Farmer's Market. Clark and I planned to go there shopping. However, perhaps due to windy weather, my weekly FM email that normally tells me what they will have on hand said that the market was closed for today. Clark grumbled, "You mean we woke up early for nothing?" We had other shopping to do, so we eventually got our bikes out and went to Walgreen's and Publix.

When Clark walked up to use the marina head, he found an egret wading in the marina pool! Clark put the phot on Facebook with a caption saying "Hey Dude - you won't find breadfast in there!"

In the afternoon, while trying to decide on something to do, I decided to try to sketch Whatley. I took the picture I had of him looking at me from the dock and worked in colored pencils.  I was happy enough with the end result to gift the picture to DeAnna afterwards.

Adam and DeAnna took Whatley to Miami with them for the weekend to celebrate their Grandma's 91st birthday. I missed Whatley so I drew the picture of him. I gave the picture to DeAnna when I saw here a couple of days later. Unbeknownst to me, the day I gave her the picture, it was her birthday! Well, how's that for perfect timing?! 

6 February 2023

Clark went off on his bicycle to physical therapy for his hand this morning, so I was left to entertain myself. Given that, I decided to go to the 3-D Printing workshop again. Using what I learned from the first session, I did my homework before class and picked out what I wanted printed ahead of time. Looking at potential projects on thingiverse.com I found a set of earrings with matching necklace that I thought would be a cute gift for my granddaughter's birthday that I figured would be a quick print. 

Unlike last time where a couple of folks trickled in and out of the workshop, today we had a full house and, of course, everyone wanted to have something printed. The instructor changed the format to more of a classroom lecture where he explained the process and the tools used to do the 3-D prints. 

I was glad I had done my homework as I was quickly able to show the instructor what I had selected. He gave out library-owned laptops where we searched for and chose our object to be printed. In no time, while others were still deciding what they wanted, I could hand him back the laptop, and he could download the file to a thumb drive and start the printing process. 

For the earrings, I had 3 choices: 1) quick print in 23 minutes would yield something very thin in plastic and extremely fragile, 2) normal print in 45 minutes would yield fragile but not super thin, and 3) high quality print in 1 hour 55 mins. I chose option 2 partially to open the machine up faster for other projects and partially because I wanted to take the printed objects home with me as opposed to coming back another day to pick them up.

I just happened to have the necessary "hardware" on board the boat to turn the plastic pieces into jewelry. DeAnna kindly offered to sacrifice her earrings from our jewelry-making session if I did not have what I needed. Thankfully, no sacrifice was required.

7 February 2023

I woke up this morning and decided to hold a dinner party tonight. I sent text messages to three other couples and all immediately replied in the affirmative. We did a pot luck of sorts. One couple brought deviled eggs. Another came with a veggie / fruit plate. The third brought a salad to go with dinner. I made teriyaki chicken stir fry with rice and served cookies and ice cream for dessert. 

Our dinner party was a little out of the ordinary as we invited Whatley and Sammy to join us for the evening. When Adam and DeAnna arrived, I disappointedly said, "Where's Whatley?" Adam thought he should leave him on their boat, but at my urging he went back to get him whereupon Whatley and I were both happy.

Whatley and Sammy
like each other

JoAnn admiring my doll's dress I made

Brenda admiring Sammy

Sammy chilling out

Adam and DeAnna - "Saltaire"

Jim and JoAnn - "The Concession"
Brenda and Scott - "Heliopause"

We all had a lovely time as we formed an interesting group. We are from New Jersey. Brenda and Scott are from Ontario, so we learned a lot about Canada as we talked during dinner. JoAnn and Jim are from Michigan, and Adam and DeAnna are from Florida. Whatley and Sammy took turns patrolling the boat.

When she arrived at the gathering, DeAnna presented me with a ready-to-bloom tulip plant. Plants are not usually my friend, but this one seems hearty enough to withstand my care.

8 February 2023

When I walked up to visit the marina heads, I found a bird wading in the marina pool. For Clark it was a heron. For me it was an Ibis. With no people in the pool, he must have thought it the ideal time to go wading.

While I was in the head, the ibis invited at least 9 of his friends to join him. I grabbed my camera to get a group shot just as the head of marina maintenance clapped  his hands to get the birds to leave.

Ibis departing the pool enmasse

Clark spent today assembling, partially installing, and configuring a used satellite system that he got for free from a fellow boater. After spending the day playing with it, he decided he liked what we had already better rather than the alternate unit.

Since he was preoccupied, I wandered up to the pool and talked with DeAnna to pass the time.

Later, when I opened the refrigerator to find something for dinner, I quickly closed the door again. I told Clark I couldn't find anything in there I wanted to cook / eat, so we decided to walk to a local restaurant - Overseas Pub and Grill. They have loud, live music, so we picked a place inside in a corner away from other diners.

Sun going down as we make our way to dinner

The restaurant has murals galore - outside and inside. I took a few pictures while waiting for our food to arrive.

9 February 2023

Every day since I got the tulip plant, I check how it has changed. I gave it water and put it out in the cockpit the day after I received it. The plant immediately reacted to the sun, and blooms appeared where none were expected to be.

DeAnna and Adam walk by our boat multiple times a day, so with the plant on the deck, they get to see as it changes as well.

Today was Clark's last session of physical therapy for his hand. Medicare will not pay for any more visits. Fortunately, they said that he does so well with his homework that it is a reasonable stopping place for their participation. They said they would send a copy of his records to the NJ therapist for continuity purposes.

I got more fun supplies in the mail including several variety word puzzle books and a set of watercolor pencils to entertain myself with. While Clark was away, I filled in the time by filling in crossword puzzles.

Today being Thursday, it was time once again for docktails at Banana Bay. Early in the  day, the weather did not look like it would cooperate for a dinghy ride there. When it came time to actually leave, however, it looked like we could have taken the dinghy. JoAnn and Jim planned to walk there after taking Sammy to the vet hospital across the street for a doggy flu shot. Since we planned to walk back with them, we walked to the venue. Clark found out ahead of time that the guitar jam would not happen this week, so we did not need to carry a guitar with us.

Sammy is 12 and not good at walking long distances, so she has a wagon to make life easier. It is collapsible for easy storage on the boat.

Last week I had leftovers in the fridge and said I should plan that way for dinner every Thursday. We don't get back from docktails at Banana Bay until 7:00. Having gone out to dinner last night, I had nothing leftover for tonight. I planned on throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, but Clark wanted me to cook the Bok Choy we were gifted by Sandy before it went bad, so I made a whole meal around that instead. 

10 February 2023

Clark decided that, even though he did not have physical therapy today, he would go there at his usual tie to drop off some cookies as a thank you to the staff that worked with him. I figured he would go alone, but he wanted me to come to have the team meet me. Apparently he has been talking about me (just a little he said). 

I planned to go to photography at 11:00, and he wanted me to meet them at 10:00. I worried I would not have enough time to make both as I told JoAnn we could walk to the library together. We left just after 9:30. Clark biked so slowly I almost passed him a few times. Usually I have to race to keep up. Turned out he was worried about arriving too soon. I actually enjoyed not feeling like I was chasing him the whole time. 

We spent no more than 5 minutes at the place because they had a schedule to keep with patients. When we traveled north on Route 1 we faced into the wind. Heading back to the boat, we had the wind to our backs. With no worries about arriving too soon and a tail wind, Clark flew up Route 1 and left me in the dust. Once again I was left chasing him!

On the bright side, I made it back to the marina in plenty of time to spare for the walk to the library. Along the way I stopped to take a picture in the marina.

Someone's toy guarding the walkway

I was relieved when we got to class that the instructor was not going to talk about f-stops and focal length. I had decided not to do my homework as I was tired of fighting with f-stops (or lack thereof) on my camera. She never mentioned f-stops in today's class, and I was a very happy camper.

Today's theme was doorways. We found pictures of doorways in magazines and then discussed them. Afterwards, we went out with our cameras to take pictures of doorways. It turns out doorways are everywhere!

doorway to the seating area

doorway on a toy barn

doorway to the library

doorway to the adult ed center

Lego doorway!

With doorways on our minds, we found doorways as we walked back to the boat.

I got back to the boat at 1:30. Clark had been busy on his computer the whole time I was gone. He was just making his lunch when I arrived, so we ate together. 

Before I knew I would have such a busy day, I had prearranged with our friend's Sandy and Bill that we would go out this afternoon for ice cream. Our treat; they drive. At 2:30 they picked us up for a trip to Sweet Savannah's. Afterwards they drove us to a place where we could stop the car briefly and get a view of the Atlantic Ocean. The water was unbelievably calm.