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| Big Iguana blocking path to restroom |
10 March 2025 - Monday
This morning I (Ev) updated the Blog with news from the past few days. While I did that, Clark was busy repairing our propane stove. It has a recurring issue whereby I have to light the burners manually with a lighter. They should ignite from a spark generated by a stove mechanism. Clark has addressed the issue multiple times during this season. Last time it was a bad battery holder that was replaced. With this current problem, I thought he said a repair could not be made. Apparently, what he told me was a repair would require a bit more work to open part of the stove. I had been fighting the stove for the past few weeks! I had stopped complaining because I thought it was a lost cause. He did not fix it because he forgot it needed to be done. This time it needed a new battery and one of the switch contacts had to be opened and cleaned. Also, one of the thermal sensors was slow so all the thermal sensors were cleaned for faster lighting.
As I composed my Blog entry, I was interrupted a few times as he asked me to clean the various parts he removed from the stove in the process of addressing the issue. Now that it is back together again, we have a working stove that is way cleaner than it has been for a while as I got to clean places I cannot usually get to.
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| Almost like new! |
Later in the day, Marcy from "Heart of Gold!" stopped by with a puzzle in hand to say she was walking up to the Marlin Room in the Club House to start a puzzle. I said I would be up shortly to help! By the time I got up there, she had all the puzzle pieces out of the box and had started on the frame.
Marcy, her husband Jeff, Robin and I worked on the puzzle until almost 4:00 and time for Bingo at the Bar. With rain predicted for late afternoon and dark clouds appearing in the sky several times throughout the afternoon, we received an announcement that Bingo would be held in the Marlin Room. As 4:00 rapidly approached and no rain appeared, it became clear that Bingo would be held at the Pool Bar as usual.
All three of them left me working the jigsaw puzzle. Just when I had decided that I had had enough and my back was aching from leaning over the table too long, Clark appeared. He noted that the frame of the puzzle was 7/8 done, and he decided that we could not leave until we had the frame completed. We did it!
Stopping by the pool bar later, we found Marcy and told her we had the frame together! We arrived just as they called the last Bingo. Most of the prizes are 10% off coupons for merchandise sold by the marina. Neither Clark nor I have a real interest in Bingo or the merchandise although I did buy a t-shirt for myself with a coupon earlier this season.
After dinner, I put together materials for Art at the Library tomorrow while Clark watched boating / dinghy / outboard motor-related videos on his phone. I selected a photo to work on with acrylic paints while the majority of the class will continue their study in layering watercolor paints.
11 March 2025 - Tuesday
Today I had a full day of arts and crafts planned. I decided to ride my bike to the library again as it is so much faster than walking there. Clark planned to work on Steve's boat, "Journey", this morning, so I made sure he got my bike off the boat before he disappeared. When the wind pushes the boat away from the dock, I have some difficulty getting just me off the dock. Today was one of those days.
With my bike on the dock, Clark set off to work on Steve's boat. Steve had ordered breakers for the electrical panel, and they had arrived. A short while later, I grabbed my backpack full of art supplies and jumped on my bike to get to art class before 9:30.
I had a picture on my phone for the picture I planned to attempt replicating. I saw this piece of art at the Nearly New Thrift Shop when we visited there on Sunday. I decided I attempt my own rendition.
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| Original at store |
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| Ev's version |
Several of us do not work on the art instructor's task for the day. She does not mind at all. David comes and does pencil drawings that are breath taking. Pat P. did a palm tree scene today in black charcoal that was amazing. I managed to complete my parrot picture with time left over to do some drawing, so I drew the head of a heron. I am not quite sure where that picture is hiding but it is not on my phone!
My friend, Pat, attended art today. She half listens to the instructor but frequently wanders off to do her own thing as well. As today the library offered their crafts class in the afternoon, I did not plan to go back to the boat after art class. Instead, Pat and I planned to spend time together in between sessions.
Pat forgot her phone this morning, so she had to go home to get it before either of her sons found out she was out and about without her phone. They worry about her. JoAnne was at art today, so the three of us went for the ride to Key Colony Beach to get Pat's phone. I had brought a breakfast bar with me to eat for my lunch. Pat stopped at Wendy's, and the two of them got sandwiches before heading back to the library.
I missed the crafts class two weeks ago as we spent the day with our friends were visiting from New Jersey. Today's craft class was part 2 of a 2-part class. At the last session, the attendees poured paint over canvas and caught the drippings that would be used this week to make jewelry. The paint needed time to dry fully before the jewelry class.
Pouring the paint resulted in some great works of art.
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| JoAnne's Art |
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| Pat's Canvas |
A piece of wax paper in a basin caught the drips and produced the material used to create the jewelry. We picked the jewelry pieces we wanted to decorate. I selected a turtle necklace and earrings to match.
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| Ev's Jewelry made from Poured Paint |
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| Pat's jewelry from the same Poured Paint |
Craft class ended just before 2:00. The teacher, Angela, shooed us all away. Since I was on my bike, I got back to the boat quickly. I called Clark to be sure he was still there and said I would be back fast. I knew he had guitar practice at the church at 2:30, and he frequently leaves to get there early.
As he helped me get my bike onto the boat, he said he was still finishing up with Steve's boat - cleaning up and returning tools back to our boat. "Oh, and by the way, I did not yet eat lunch, and I have to leave at 2:15." I had hoped he had fed himself, but alas, I dropped everything to make him lunch PDQ. He inhaled his 2 sandwiches and was on his way by 2:20!
At 5:00 today, a MTOA boater's meeting was being held at the Marine Park across the street. Clark planned to go there directly from guitar practice. Having been out and about all day, I had no interest in attending. Instead, I decided to work on the jigsaw puzzle for a while and then go to the Pool Bar to check out "Yappy Hour" with the dogs. Today the dogs needed to perform tricks, and the winner got a coupon for the Marina Store. Several dogs performed.
"Phoebe" won the competition as she knew the most tricks including "lie down" followed by "time out". For time out, she put her head down on her paws!
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| Phoebe ready for her reward |
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| Trevor and Bok Choy |
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| Caroline and Tiller |
Yappy Hour is held every Tuesday. Last week they all dressed up for St. Patrick's Day. Sorry I missed that.
12 March 2025 - Wednesday
If it is Wednesday, it must be laundry day. We started that routine when our washing machine on the boat started leaking and we took our laundry to the laundromat. Now that the marina offers a washer and dryer, I just have to drag it up to the Boater's Lounge to get it done. Typically I bring my phone / book to entertain myself while the clothes spin around and around.
After Clark helped me get my "Dolly Trolley" full of laundry off the boat, he went over to "Journey" to continue doing something with Steve's breakers.
Once again I had a full day of activities planned. Every week at church I see a sign advertising Knitting at 1:00 on Wednesday's. I wanted to attend last week but had too many things going on to fit it in to my plans. (Good thing really as I discovered today that last week's session was cancelled due to church services for Ash Wednesday.)
I grabbed my crochet hooks and headed off to find out what the knitting group was like. I had no yarn but had heard that was not a problem. Five women including me attended today. Sure enough they offered up an entire bureau stuffed full of whatever I might need to knit or crochet. I picked out two balls of yarn to work on making a turtle.
These women have been knitting together for as much as 15 years! They fell into chatting about this that and the other. I mostly sat back and listened while I struggled to interpret the instructions for a crochet turtle I found online. Although I was trying for a "mini" turtle, I find myself working on a "small" turtle instead. I got the back and the belly completed. Now it needs a head and four legs!
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| Beginnings of a Crochet Turtle |
Knitting lasted from 1:00 to 3:00. As I walked out to my bike for the ride back to the boat, I started chatting with one of the attendees, Betty. 45 minutes later we finally said goodbye. She claimed that we were "sisters" since we have had so many similar things happen to us. No sooner did she leave than "Johnny Live" walked by and then I talked with him for a quarter hour before I got on my bike to finally make the ride "home".
When I got to the boat shortly after 4:00, Clark was gone again - working on "Journey", and I wanted to get my bike on board. A fellow boater was walking by, so I snagged him and asked him to help me with the bike. As he handed my bike to me, he told me he was having docktails on his boat this evening, and we should come by around 5:00 / 5:30. His boat is just a little further down the dock from us named "Soul Mates".
Clark and I were the first to arrive around 5:15, but that gave us a chance to talk with Jim and Tiffney before others showed up. By 5:30 we had a boat full of boaters. Jim tended bar and made two very popular drinks - Chocolate Martinis and "The Key West". The "Key West" is a variation of a Pina Colada that is less sweet. I had a Chocolate Martini that was very tasty but hit hard. It took a while for me to feel it would be save to attempt getting off the boat.
When we arrived, we were told we could swing over using a rope (like Tarzan) or we could use the steps. The steps sounded safer but there is no handrail with a broad step to the boat deck from the top step. When it was time to leave the party, I asked Jeff to help me off. He and our friend, Mike, had such strong grips on me, I was completely safe and secure! Clark meanwhile was up on the fly bridge having a great time with no idea I had left. He returned to our boat a while later saying "Soul Mates" was getting too loud.
13 March 2025 - Thursday
On Tuesday Clark wanted my help weighing our engine room fire extinguisher. I happily escaped that chore by going to the library all day. Well, today, I had no excuses, so I got to help him dismount the fire extinguisher from the wall, lift it down to the floor, and weigh it on our bathroom scale. The fire extinguisher is mounted with large clamps and always seems to get stuck, so it is not easily removed.
Clark used a crowbar to pry it loose from its mounting so we could lift it down. It weighed in at 58 pounds! He was hoping for 58.5 pounds which was the reading last time. After weighing, we had the fun of lifting it back up and inserting it into its clamps for next time.
Later, Clark went to "Johnny Live's" new apartment to help him install a smart TV. Clark took a couple of pictures of the place when he was there. The 1655 apartments are the ones owned by the St. Columba church to be used as Keys workforce housing. John said that it is taking him some time to adjust. Apparently roosters live in the area and like to cock-a-doodle-do at 3:00 a.m.!
While Clark was off working with John, I decided it was time to touch up the gray line in my hair and spent the afternoon reading a book while the dye set in. I use NaturColor which is all natural, herb-based dye. I have done it myself for years.
14 March 2025 - Friday
Art, art, and more art! That seems to be the theme this week. My library friend, Pat, told me about a group of women who get together every Friday at a local restaurant to work on art. She invited me to join. I packed paper and colored paper in my backpack and biked there to join them. Iries Eats is a 5-minute bike ride from the marina, and that was where they were meeting.
For today's project, I decided to work on another parrot picture. I drew it out in pencil and then used the colored pencils to bring it to life.
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| Picture found on internet |
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| My rendition of the one shown above |
The group did art at the restaurant from 10:00 until noon. Then we adjourned to go on a "field trip" across the street to see the Art Show at the Marathon Theater. Pat offered to drive me there, but I decided that I could most likely bike there just as fast as she could drive there. Since she refuses to make a left-hand turn on Route 1, I was pretty sure I would be faster.
Pat P. from library art class had some of her watercolors on display. She is a member of the Florida Keys Watercolor Society. who I believe hosted this show. I took pictures of the walls showing the variety of art. Most of the pictures were watercolor. We were given a slip of paper to vote for the "People's Choice" award.
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| Not included in the voting process (love the Hibiscus) |
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| Portraits - mostly done by the same artist |
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| I love the water motion shown with the turtle |
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| Picture bottom right done by same artist as turtle above |
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| The egret wading in the calm water was another of my favorites. |
After viewing the art, it was time for me to get back to the boat. I arrived there at 1:00. Neither Clark nor I had eaten (I did not eat at the restaurant.) so I jumped into the galley to prepare us some food.
While I was out and about, Clark was busy on the boat. Someone from the USCG Auxiliary called yesterday offering to due a complimentary inspection of our boat. She arrived at 9:30 and stayed about two hours. When she left, we had our four boats approved - "Sunset Delight", the dinghy, and our two kayaks. She gave Clark new stickers for the kayaks, since the old ones wore out, that say, "If found, return to ...". (fill in blank with name and number)
At 4:00 today, the marina had a singer at the pool bar. Clark and I decided to walk up and listen for a while. He played a mix of country and soft rock.
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| Dan Sullivan - guitarist |
Our son Chris, his wife Heather, and our two Connecticut grandchildren (Lillian and Jack) are scheduled to arrive tomorrow for a few days with us. When not busy running around, we have been preparing for their visit.
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