Boating with Sunset Delight: 2025 November: Getting into the swing of things fast

30 November 2025

We started the day with a stroll up to the marina office. As we walked past the pool, I felt I was being watched and turned to see a reptilian gaze focused on me. A few steps down I found another one with his eyes on us. Neither one was disturbed enough by our proximity to scurry away. Yesterday it was ibis; today the curly-tailed lizards had their turn!

Today, being Sunday, we went to the contemporary service at St. Columba. We arrived in Marathon too late for Clark to attend band practice, so for today he sat in the pews with me. Next week I expect to see him up front with his guitar.

We found the church in full swing of event planning for the holiday season. The first thing I saw as we pulled up on our bicycles was the sign advertising the Christmas Bizarre scheduled for next weekend.

Having attended services all last season, we were warmly greeted back to the church. As soon as I saw the sign for the bizarre, I knew help would be needed for this major undertaking and decided before being asked that I would be spending time at the church this week helping with the bizarre setup.

After church services, members of the congregation meet in the adjoining room for a complementary lunch and light chitchat. Pastor Deb has apparently been anxious for our arrival. She approached me with a request to help out with a new initiative - setting up a crafting group to meet weekly. My friend, Nancy, offered me up as a likely person to tap for this activity.

Pastor Deb took me on a mini tour to show me the various stacks of crates full of crafting supplies. Her office was part of that tour. It looked more like a storeroom with all the items she had tucked away in there! So, we have lots of supplies and just need ideas to go with them. I will have to get busy on the ideas part of this!

We ride our bicycles for transportation in Marathon. As we biked back to Marlin Bay, Clark suddenly stopped and asked if I wanted to stop into the Banana Bay marina to say hello to Paul and Michele. Paul is the one that haled us as we came in on Wednesday, and thus the first person to welcome us back!

Clark and Paul got into a detailed discussion on boat repair of our autopilot and an analysis of the issue Paul worked on with Clark previously related to the wiring in his boat along with a new electrical issue. I finally had to tell Clark we were done and had to get going!

When we were at church, we found out that they planned a fund-raising dinner at a local restaurant for tonight at 5:00. Clark asked me if I wanted an evening where I did not have to cook. I was not going to turn that down. We got back to our boat from Paul's at 4:15 and left at 4:45 to bike to the restaurant.

Dinner started at 5:00 and we knew we would be biking back in the dark, so we had to set up our bikes with clip-on headlights and taillights. Fortunately, Clark had already worked on our lights to make sure they were in working order.

We have never been to Herbie's before. With a large, neon sign out front that says "SMOKE HOUSE", Clark wasn't sure he was going to like dinner.

Fortunately, the rain had rained itself out as the event was held outside behind the restaurant. Had it been last night, it would have been a washout as it poured buckets! Today the weather was perfect for dining al fresco.

The event called "Kilts in the Keys" was a church fundraiser to support several of the churches activities including the annual Celtic Festival and the Hammock House which offers free daycare for children of workforce parents in Marathon. Pastor Deb explained that it was held tonight as it is St. Andrew's saints day. He was from Scotland. It is also the first Sunday of Lent.

The event had a all-you-can-eat buffet dinner including sliders (chicken, tuna, and pulled pork), black beans and rice, mac and cheese, and coleslaw. While we filled ourselves with delicious food, we enjoyed a variety of entertainment.

Someone came through playing bagpipes.

"Adrian Z" played a nice collection of songs and took requests.

"Adrian Z"

We enjoyed the evening reconnecting with friends and meeting new folks. Finally, it was time to head back to our boat. Having gone earlier, Clark could advise me on where to find the restrooms before we left. He said look for the door that says "Inboards". The men's room is labeled "Outboards". I have often seen "Buoys" and "Gulls", but that is a new one for me!