2024: January Activities in Marathon FL

 January 2024 

January kept us busy with a variety of activities. The weather this month offered  a larger than normal number of days of high winds and chilly temperatures. More than one day found the boat rocking and bouncing in the boat slip. On occasion we found days to enjoy the pool. The boaters tend to congregate in one corner of the pool, so visiting the pool is a socializing event.

A variety of wildlife has joined us at or near the marina.

Flock of Ibis at the marina

Walking back to the boat from the library, I passed by the fishing boats at Keys Fisheries. Men were loading a boat with traps to go out for the day. Pelicans sat on and around the boat ready to take the ride out with the fishermen. 

Back at the marina, we had our own pelicans to contend with. They frequently stand on our dock fishing for their dinner. 

They usually move out of the way, but the one below refused to yield the right of way as I walked right up to him and politely asked that he let me pass. When I was about ready to step on him, he flew off in a huff.

On my birthday I got a nice surprise, a manatee came in to get a drink of fresh water. Someone "accidentally" left their hose dripping off the side of their boat. The manatee was practically high on the supply of water for no work on his part.

Later, he swam right next to our boat and under our neighbor's boat.

Besides watching the wildlife, we have had some fun outings. For my birthday, Clark took me out to lunch and to dinner. What fun not to have to cook at all that day! Best present ever! The pictures below are from our lunch at Overseas Pub.

The library in Marathon is second to none in its free offerings. I noticed an announcement for a free concert, listened online to hear a sample of the music, and convinced Clark we should attend the event.

"Hungrytown"
visiting FL from Vermont

A couple with one of the larger boats here invited a number of us to join them for a potluck dinner on board their boat. The majority of the attendees planned to go to the theater to see "Barefoot in the Park" performed live. Clark and I as well as one other couple opted to partake of the dinner only. 

Scrumptious dinner is served!

I continue to attend the art classes every Tuesday. The instructor has continued to promote learning the use of Chinese brushes for water color and ink art. I decided that this form of art was not my "cup of tea" and bring my acrylics with me to work on pictures of my choice. Several people in the class "do their own thing". 

One person sketches, one works on more traditional water color pictures, and another is working on a mixed media piece of art consisting of a bizarre collection of items from cardboard to string and anything in between. I am not sure even she knows what this piece of art will look like when completed. For someone who says they live on the road in a small trailer, and knows they will have no where to put this huge piece of art when completed, it seems like a strange undertaking, but she is having a great time doing it.

These are my most recent pieces of art that I created during class. 

not great lighting where I took photo 

For my birthday, our friend Allie whom we met here at Marlin Bay brought coconuts for us to paint. She had one and gave me two to paint.

Allie and Eve
getting ready to paint coconuts

When looking for inspiration, I found a number of coconuts painted online. I used one of them as a model for a beach scene. 

The other idea came from an unlikely source. That morning I noticed the beach towel hanging in our head, and it gave me a plan.

Our finished fish!

One day I got a text from another boater here to say she and and one other person were working on a jigsaw puzzle and invited me to join them. It turned out to be a devil of a puzzle with the weirdest shaped pieces in matching colors. The sky was the hardest part! We worked on it over a number of afternoons.

While I work on NY Times online puzzles (Wordle, Mini Crossword, Connections, Spelling Bee, etc) or my various forms of art, Clark has been heavily involved in playing his guitar. Besides playing at the church as part of the band every Sunday, he gets together with the band members on Tuesday to learn the music and practice. He and the person who told him about the church get together at other times as well just to play for fun. The folks at the church have thanked me several times for loaning Clark to them! 

The stained glass at the church is quite amazing. The piece below is located in the dining area of the church. After service the congregation is invited to partake of the lunch and desserts provided. As we ate lunch one day, Pastor Deb talked to us about the stained glass window below depicting St. Columba himself. St Columba (521 to 597 AD) lived in Ireland and Scotland. It makes sense that the church hosts the Celtic Festival every year in his honor.

The word "St Columba" appears in white over his head
Doves appear on either side of him
He sits at his desk as a scribe

When not playing guitar, Clark continues to be the "go to" man for questions about boat problems of an electrical nature. He has looked at everything from LED lights to bad wiring resulting in house batteries not being charged and anything else that might come up in question. Word has gotten around and even folks we have never met stop by the boat asking for his help. He takes no cash payment for any of his services. Sometimes we get a free meal out of it. Recently, an ecstatic recipient of his time and expertise donated money to St Columba as a show of his appreciation.

I find unusual pictures on Clark's phone. Many of them leave me scratching my head as to what I am looking at.

Engine oil pressure sensors and switches
responsible for port engine charging failure
and erroneous oil pressure meter readings

Misadjusted Smart battery combiners
responsible for house battery charging failure

He even helped the church fine tune the sound equipment as some of the instruments could not be heard during the services. 

Unlike prior years where we took the boat out every 7 to 10 days, we have hardly moved the boat this month. We did take it out for fuel on the 26th. We were gone from 10:20 until 12:30 as we went under the 7-Mile Bridge to Boot Key Harbor to get fuel at Marathon Safe Harbor Marina. While there fueling up Sunset Delight, we got gas for the dinghy as well. 

We have an ultrasonic system, Hull Shield, to keep growth off the bottom of the boat. The diver that comes each month to clean the hull says it is doing a pretty good job. We may need to add more units to cover a bit more area. 

Folks come and go here at the marina on the 1st or 15th of the month. Our neighbor with the dog, Captain Sully, left a couple of days ago with hopes of getting to the Bahamas. Clark grabbed a picture as Sully sailed away.

"Captain Sully" on "Dreamer" with his dad Scott

We are facing the wrong direction on the boat to see the sunset. Several times I have poked my head out to take a peak but not a picture. In lieu of a sunset, here is a novel picture of a cloud that looks like a feather / pen quill!

2024: Marathon FL Celtic Festival

 4 January 2024

Festival Set up

Setting up the park for the Celtic Festival for the coming Saturday and Sunday started early in the morning on Thursday with volunteers busily loading trucks at the church. Work continued into the afternoon at the park where even more volunteers joined in to unload the trucks, hang signage, and construct tents. 

This is the eleventh year the festival has been presented by the St. Columba Episcopal Church in Marathon, Florida. Proceeds go to support The Hammock House where local children are provided with a healthy environment where they can thrive emotionally, artistically, and spiritually. More information on this charity can be found on Facebook at #thehammockhouse.

In preparation of the event, signs were hung,

Clark and Polly

the stage was prepared,

and tents were constructed across the park.

Decorating at Gate #1

Saint Columba Church hosted a number of tents including the Tea Garden, the Knitting Tent, an Irish Pub, a children's tent including a petting zoo of stuffed animal rocking horses, and others. While church volunteers set up the church-provided tents, a crew from a tent rental company added other. The field was abuzz with activity. By 3:00 the work was mostly done, and volunteers were congratulated on completing setup in record time. 

6 January 2024

Opening Day

By Saturday morning the vendors had arrived, the food tents were supplied, and everything was ready for the big event made possible by the St. Columba Episcopalian church and their numerous volunteers. Today was a long day with the program offering many interesting events including field shows and musical stage performances. 

A map of the park showed the carefully laid out grounds for the festival.

By 10:00 Saturday morning the Festival was ready for patrons.

Vendor Tents

Vendors manned their booths with many wearing or displaying traditional garb reflecting their Celtic heritage.

Despite the heat, the costumes remained authentic. Many volunteers and participants wore kilts.

Soup and other fare could be found at the pub. Hot dogs, popcorn, and many other festival-type foods could be obtained at the various tents. For those wishing for a more unique experience,  tea could be taken with Mary, Queen of Scots at the Tea Tent.

Tea Garden Tent

A couple of scenes were in place for photo opportunities. One could present themselves in a flowered wreath, 

or place themselves on the grounds of a castle for their pose.

While wandering the vendor tents, posing for pictures, or consuming festival food, patrons could enjoy the lively music and dancing coming from center stage. For those wishing to sit and relax while watching the show, a covered seating area provided protection from the sun overhead. Some folks planned ahead and brought their own chairs to guarantee seating.

7 January 2024

Church service and Closing of the Festival

Sunday morning included an al fresco church service hosted by St. Columba Episcopal Church in Marathon, Florida. Many other churches from the Keys area partnered with St. Columba in presenting the service. 

Reverend Debra and visiting pastors

Reverend Debra

Congregation

As a bagpipe played and the congregation sang "We Three Kings", a visiting "king" from St. Francis Episcopal Church and his retinue, including a camel and an ass,  progressed into the area.

A small band including a keyboard, fiddle, banjo, and guitar, as well as a choir from St. Columba Church, accompanied the congregation while singing a variety of hymns including "Morning Has Broken" and others.

Sunday's festival events, similar in nature to Saturday's, commenced at 11:00 and concluded at 5:00. Unlike Saturday when the weather presented a beautiful, sunny day, a squall came through the area around noon bringing with it a cold front. Rain poured down for about 20 minutes. As wet and chilly patrons ducked into tents out of the storm, the Pub found many more people interested in the hot soup than had been prior to the storm.

The storm passed and the festivities continued throughout the afternoon. At the end of the day's events, the "demolition" crew  came in to take down signs, decorations, and tents and load everything into storage or onto trucks to be returned to the church to be unloaded Monday morning. 

As the crew worked, the sun set over the fairgrounds bringing the day to a beautiful close.