26 December 2022 - 3 January 2023
No "big" boat travel.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was quite cold and windy. Although the temperature was reported to be 55 or so, the wind chill dropped the temperature down to downright cold. Of course, since the temps in New Jersey were reported to be in single digits, we dared not complain about the weather to our northern friends.
26 December 2022
No boat travel.
We tie up with our starboard side to the dock because if we want to use our dinghy, we must lower it on the port side. When we dock, we stern in, so the marina gave us a stern-in, starboard-tie slip. That is great unless we have a north wind, which we had all this week, and the wind pushes us away from the dock. With winds steady at 25 mph and gusting to 35 mph, we had a battle on our hands to get the boat near enough to the dock to disembark.
Both Clark and I have been wearing work gloves to pull on the lines against the wind. Today the wind was so strong that we could not get the boat close enough to the dock for me to get off. I decided I had plenty on board to entertain myself; I had no need to risk life and limb for a walk on the docks.
To pass the time, I pulled out my Janome sewing machine to make my American Girl Doll a dress for the New Year. Clark pulled out his guitar and serenaded me while I worked.
27 December 2022
No boat travel.
The sun came out! The wind dropped down to a measly 17 mph, and I managed to get off the boat for a walk on the docks. On our walk, we met Adam, Deanna, and their dog Watley whom we met here last year. They are on the boat "Saltaire". Watley is very friendly until you get too close and then he barks and barks and barks. I love Watley! He's adorable. His barking makes me laugh and smile.
28 December 2022
No boat travel.
Once again it is cold and damp. The sun which appeared momentarily yesterday deserted us again today. Clark went to physical therapy for his finger, and then we spent the rest of the day on the boat doing whatever.
29 December 2022
No boat travel.
I put the finishing details on Rosabella's New Year's Eve costume today. Now she is all dressed up and no where to go! Making the "go-go" boots was the most difficult part, but I am happy with the end result.
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| Ready to party for New Year's Eve |
Since we have been doing our grocery shopping by bicycle, we have been buying items on a 'need-it-now' basis. Unfortunately, whether I want it now or later, pizza is hard to carry on a bicycle. Fortunately, "Upper Crust Pizza" is a short walk away. It costs a lot more than a frozen pizza - almost 5 times more expensive.
However, I decided I had cooked way too many times on the boat and wanted a break. Upper Crust is just a couple of blocks away, but by the time we got back to the boat with it, it was no longer hot. Regardless, I enjoyed the treat of someone else cooking.
No boat travel.
Clark decided to buy me a membership at the Monroe County Library for my upcoming birthday. We biked over to check it out and signed up. The building is new and very modern. With a branch in several locations in the Keys, they appear to offer plenty of media including books, eBooks, online movies, and DVDs to check out.
Since the library is relatively new, the facility is quite modern. The library manager spent a considerable amount of time showing all the library had to offer. Since it was late in the day and just before a holiday, the place was very empty.
As we biked back to the boat, I grabbed a sunset picture.
No boat travel.
On the 26th the farmer's market was canceled. The folks who bring in the food said they are too old to stand out in the cold and wet weather. Clark and I were not disappointed, we stayed in bed and snoozed. Today, however, the farmer's market did not get cancelled. We got up and biked there to be on site by 9:00 for the best selection.
The food goes fast. Since everything is so fresh, i.e. just picked the day before, I went crazy with stocking up on veggies.
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| Just some of my stash from the Farmer's Market |
Since the market is close to Publix, we stopped there afterward to get a few essentials. Poor Clark was already weighed down with several pounds of veggies before I added even more stuff to his backpack. My backpack was also full as were the carry bags I have attached to the bikes.
The Marathon Publix parking lot seems to have been taken over by a number of chickens and roosters. In past years we saw two clucking and crowing. Today Clark counted at least nine. They did not like our bikes as we rode past. They scurried out of our way in a hurry. I saw one hen with her two mid-sized offspring run in front of me as we left the store.
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| Someone spilled something - on purpose? No matter this guy is chowing down! |
A BBQ / pot-luck dinner at Marlin Bay scheduled for today caused part of our need to go food shopping. For Christmas we had to be inside due to the chilly wind. Today, however, we could cook and eat outside on the docks. Many of the boaters attended and we had tons of excellent food. We got to chat with folks we already knew and, of course, met a whole new set of folks as well. Our boat card collection grows in leaps and bounds at such an event.
Once again we had a gorgeous sunset.
People starting disappearing around 8:00 including me. I went to bed well before midnight. Clark however stayed up to watch the fireworks near Faro Blanco.
Dinghy to Faro Blanco
Clark decided he wanted to take advantage of the pool and swim laps. I brought my Kindle and sat by the pool while he swam. The sun was warm and the breeze was cool. In the shade the weather was ideal. The water temperature in the pool is quite warm. Clark would prefer it a bit cooler to swim laps.
Since we are still treated as part of the Faro Blanco family by our boater friends located there, we attended their "Low Country Boil" New Year's Day event. Here again we saw old friends and made new acquaintances.
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| Mia and Wendy |
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| Wendy and Ella |
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| "Morning Star II" |
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| Cooked in a big pot |
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| and transferred to a "cooler" for serving |
Since the shrimp and crawdads were the main course, folks brought side dishes and desserts to share. As always there was a huge amount of food available.
Ella has her license, so she piloted the boat while Clark took pictures and videos.
Mia wanted to drive, so Ella gave her the wheel and then helped steer.
As we left Faro Blanco, the sun was setting, so we got a sunset picture Faro-Blanco style
2 January 2023
No boat travel.
Having used the dinghy yesterday, I added to my to-do list an item: "Clean Dinghy!" It turned out to be a beautiful day weather wise. The sun was bright and hot but the cool breeze made the day lovely.
After lunch I decided it was time to go tackle this job, I changed to get-dirty clothes and boat shoes, grabbed a bucket and sponge, and a jug of "Totally Awesome" cleaner and went to work. The change from before to after was remarkable. When I was done cleaning the top and sides (everything I could reach), Clark took over and cleaned the bottom of the dinghy. That requires some boat yoga I am not interested in performing.
No boat travel.
Having noticed that the library offered an adult art class, I decided to attend this morning to check it out.
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| Modern Library |
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| List of Adult Activities |
Today's session was painting. Attendees could choose either water color or acrylic painting. I chose acrylic. The art teacher displayed two pictures on a screen, and the attendees could pick the one to work on. I chose the lighthouse.
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| Photo Displayed |
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| My rendition. |
The session lasted until 11:30. I biked back to the boat and got back in time for lunch. Afterwards I decided to work on my to-do list -- organize our dock box storage as well as a set of shelves in the salon. With those tasks done I got on the computer for the rest of the day.
Clark had his own set of tasks to complete. He spent a considerable amount of time talking with a company about replacing our hynautic steering cylinder on the boat. He has been finding fluid leaking from our current unit. Once he receives a new unit, he can return our old one for a refund.
He saw a critter with a long tail roaming the docks.
Later, Clark pulled out his guitar to practice and exercise his fingers for a while.
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