Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year came quickly and departed in the blink of an eye. We are now in year 15, or is it 16, of the new millenium. Scary thought to us golden agers. I have to say here that I am not feeling particularly golden these days. Too many of my friends have serious ailments. Too many faces are not here any more. The New Year brings reflections and memories of the way we were; it doesn't seem all that terribly long ago. And then I see pictures of myself and my contemporaries. Oh my!
The unbearable cold of the past few days has not helped brighten my mood. Nor the fact that both Joe and I are recovering from a mild case of flu. Housebound, bored and yearning for warmth. It is definitely time to decamp for warmer climes! Changes in latitude, changes in attitude!
My next post will probably be from a boat in a marina in Key Largo. We have rented a trawler for the month of February. The boat does not leave its slip in the marina, but we hear that there is a great bar with live music at the end of our boat row. Should be fun. Buddy is coming with us and I think the warmer weather will be good for his aches and pains too.
The next few weeks will be spent getting my house in order and packing my flip flops. Goodbye winter, at least for a little while!
Key Largo!!!
Here we are, ensconced in our boat at the Pilot House Marina. The glass bottom boar is about 50 feet away and we have spent a bit of time there. I have found a yoga studio close by and am going every few days. Today, Joe has gone deep sea fishing on a charter.
I had reunited with a childhood friend on Facebook a few years ago, and we discovered that we would both be staying in Key Largo at the same time. My friend and her husband invited us to dinner on Saturday night at their very lovely rental house. I had attended their wedding almost 53 years ago, but had not seen my friend for probably thirty years and her husband I had only met at the wedding.
It was great fun to spend time together, and we had dinner again at "our" bar last night. As we all grow old, it is really special to spend time with someone who remembers you as a child. We all get on well together and will be getting together again this weekend.
We find that we are very relaxed and grateful to be away from the frozen northeast, but even in paradise there are a few glitches!
Yoga is great, but the studio is very warm and I tire easily in the heat. The classes are pretty advanced and filled with twenty somethings who can stand on their heads for long periods of time. There is a young man with his right arm in a sling who does better than I.
Our runaway dog has only done so once, but it was dramatic, as he went into someone's house through an open door. Joe and I were chasing Buddy, looking for him when we heard a scream. Fortunately, the screamer likes dogs, and was very nice about it all.
The last, and perhaps most hideous, glitch is the marine toilet. It must be gently used. In other words, no poop. There are very nice bathrooms and showers available, but still...! Last week, in spite of our respectful use of said toilet, the holding tank got full and we had to refrain from using it until pump out, which is Fridays. It is now Wednesday. I am casting baleful glances at the toilet, wondering just when it will betray us again.
Otherwise, life is good! The sun is out and there is warmth in the air. We will probably have happy hour at the glass bottom bar and have $2.50 well drinks.
Cheers!
Here we are, ensconced in our boat at the Pilot House Marina. The glass bottom boar is about 50 feet away and we have spent a bit of time there. I have found a yoga studio close by and am going every few days. Today, Joe has gone deep sea fishing on a charter.
I had reunited with a childhood friend on Facebook a few years ago, and we discovered that we would both be staying in Key Largo at the same time. My friend and her husband invited us to dinner on Saturday night at their very lovely rental house. I had attended their wedding almost 53 years ago, but had not seen my friend for probably thirty years and her husband I had only met at the wedding.
It was great fun to spend time together, and we had dinner again at "our" bar last night. As we all grow old, it is really special to spend time with someone who remembers you as a child. We all get on well together and will be getting together again this weekend.
We find that we are very relaxed and grateful to be away from the frozen northeast, but even in paradise there are a few glitches!
Yoga is great, but the studio is very warm and I tire easily in the heat. The classes are pretty advanced and filled with twenty somethings who can stand on their heads for long periods of time. There is a young man with his right arm in a sling who does better than I.
Our runaway dog has only done so once, but it was dramatic, as he went into someone's house through an open door. Joe and I were chasing Buddy, looking for him when we heard a scream. Fortunately, the screamer likes dogs, and was very nice about it all.
The last, and perhaps most hideous, glitch is the marine toilet. It must be gently used. In other words, no poop. There are very nice bathrooms and showers available, but still...! Last week, in spite of our respectful use of said toilet, the holding tank got full and we had to refrain from using it until pump out, which is Fridays. It is now Wednesday. I am casting baleful glances at the toilet, wondering just when it will betray us again.
Otherwise, life is good! The sun is out and there is warmth in the air. We will probably have happy hour at the glass bottom bar and have $2.50 well drinks.
Cheers!
We have been on the boat two weeks today, so we are halfway through our time here. The days have passed languidly, the warm weather and lack of any responsibilities making us content and relaxed.
Buddy has gotten better at walking the plank, and has claimed the master cabin as his own. When we try to get into the bed at night, he occasionally growls. He also has developed the unfortunate habit of waking us up at 5:30 am asking to go out. Joe does the honors!
Yesterday we went with my kindergarten friend and her husband to a bird refuge nearby. There is a nice boardwalk which winds past all the huge cages and enclosures where injured birds are recovering. Some are too handicapped to return to the wild, so they spend the rest of their days being cared for along with their feathered friends. Many pelicans and egrets hang around the outside of t
he cages, hoping for food. They are quite tame and let us come right up to them.
After our bird watching, we went to dinner. An appetizer of alligator was ordered and although everyone pronounced it delicious, I could not bring myself to eat it. One of the rewards of being a grown up is not having to eat anything you don't like!
Joe and I have happy hour from four to five every night we are home on the bridge of the boat. We have as good view of the marina, and it's not too hot. We are keeping up with the weather reports from home and feeling grateful not to be caught in the brutal weather there.
In the evenings we can watch movies or our favorite Brit shows on Netflix. Bedtime tends to be early and we sleep well. It is almost like sleeping outdoors, although the last few nights we have had to close the windows.
Near disaster after lunch! When I took Buddy down the gangplank to go for a walk, his foot caught in one of the openings between the slats. I tried to get him straightened out and unstuck while yelling for Joe. A small crowd gathered. Buddy showed his teeth. We couldn't get him free, and were terrified he would break his leg. Finally, we stopped trying and let Buddy try by himself. He was able to extricate himself and nonchantly walked off, to cheers. Joe and I immediately went to KMart, bought a rug and some duct tape and proceeded to cover the plank. Here are the before and after pictures:
Buddy has gotten better at walking the plank, and has claimed the master cabin as his own. When we try to get into the bed at night, he occasionally growls. He also has developed the unfortunate habit of waking us up at 5:30 am asking to go out. Joe does the honors!
Yesterday we went with my kindergarten friend and her husband to a bird refuge nearby. There is a nice boardwalk which winds past all the huge cages and enclosures where injured birds are recovering. Some are too handicapped to return to the wild, so they spend the rest of their days being cared for along with their feathered friends. Many pelicans and egrets hang around the outside of t
he cages, hoping for food. They are quite tame and let us come right up to them.
After our bird watching, we went to dinner. An appetizer of alligator was ordered and although everyone pronounced it delicious, I could not bring myself to eat it. One of the rewards of being a grown up is not having to eat anything you don't like!
Joe and I have happy hour from four to five every night we are home on the bridge of the boat. We have as good view of the marina, and it's not too hot. We are keeping up with the weather reports from home and feeling grateful not to be caught in the brutal weather there.
In the evenings we can watch movies or our favorite Brit shows on Netflix. Bedtime tends to be early and we sleep well. It is almost like sleeping outdoors, although the last few nights we have had to close the windows.
Near disaster after lunch! When I took Buddy down the gangplank to go for a walk, his foot caught in one of the openings between the slats. I tried to get him straightened out and unstuck while yelling for Joe. A small crowd gathered. Buddy showed his teeth. We couldn't get him free, and were terrified he would break his leg. Finally, we stopped trying and let Buddy try by himself. He was able to extricate himself and nonchantly walked off, to cheers. Joe and I immediately went to KMart, bought a rug and some duct tape and proceeded to cover the plank. Here are the before and after pictures:
