MORE HANGING OUT IN MARATHON

He Said:   

Since it has been nearly 6 weeks since we shouted out I will begin with my biggest news, and of course it comes in the world of college football.  One word explains it all -  UNDISPUTED!!  For us Buckeye Fans it appeared that after the Virginia Tech game we would be in for a long season.  I was one of those fans who was feeling not so good after the VT loss, especially since it was in Columbus.  Late in the season after 2 big wins, Wisconsin and The Tide, I really did believe we could beat the Ducks.  And guess what??  What an exciting year, and I believe the next couple may be just as exciting.  OK, enough football.  Let’s talk boat stuff.

 

We are really enjoying our time here at Marathon Marina.  We believe it is the premier marina here in Marathon.  Everything is nice and clean, there’s a great restaurant with a fun HH, a gr8 laundry facilities, a work out room and of course a pool with a great view at sunset.  We have met some really terrific people here.  Bob and Sue, although Seattle and Oregon fans, were lots of fun to get to know. We also have become friends with Kenny and Kathy.  We have done several boat and music things with them and really enjoy their company also.

 

Enjoying the Howard Livingston & Mile Marker 24 Band at Boondocks in Ramrod Key with a group of boaters

Along with that we had our friends Kim and Nancy from Phoenix come visit us for 4 days here at the boat.  We all had a terrific time here in Marathon, and since they had wheels we spent the day in Key West.  They were there about 35 years ago during their honeymoon so it was great memories for the 2 of them.

 

Nancy & Kim at Southernmost Point Marker

Kim, Nancy & Jack, Mallory Square, Key West

Happy Hour!  In the front basket are Florida Stone Crabs.  They're in season and they are tasty. 

 

After they headed to Miami for some business, my younger twin brothers arrived to celebrate their big 60^th.  Terry was here last year with our nephew, but Jerry had never been to the Keys.  We played some golf, went on a dingy poker run to the beach, took the fun bus to Key West. 

 

Celebrating Jerry's & Terry's 60th birthday!

On their last full day we went out in the big water on a 21 ft. fishing boat.  It was a little bouncy, but we had fun.  They caught about 20 fish or so and we have had them for dinner already - delicious.  Our friend Ron was so nice to take the 3 of us out on his boat.  He is a fishing machine and always looking for fishing fellas to hang with.

Jerry catching an eel

Terry catching a Parrot Fish

The day's catch.  They tasted great.

The pelicans waiting for the scraps.

 

We had a mechanic come out and take a look at our impellers.  These are an inexpensive part that could nearly cost you a motor if not replaced when needed.  Guess what, if we had traveled to the Bahamas our port engine would have overheated without a doubt.  Some things are just Meant to Be.

 

Sunset in the mooring field

In the next few days we have Gary and Kathy coming from Phoenix.  Gary has family in Naples who they are visiting for a few days then they will be arriving here and staying with us on the boat.  After they depart we will have a day or 2 before our friends Cindy and Joe arrive.  They will be with us for about 5 days then heading back to Phoenix.

 

Our plan is to leave here on the 2^nd of March and head to Marco Island, Naples, and Sanibel Island. Following that we will head N along the gulf coast towards our final destination of St. Pete where we will put the boat on the market.

 

We have nearly been talked into the Bahamas many times in the past month or so.  It has been a difficult decision but we are sticking to our guns so far.  Nothing is 100%, but we are still leaning towards Phoenix.

 

I forgot to mention that we are playing in a little fun golf day every Wednesday at a little par 3. We have met some great people, normally about 20 or so golfers and at least that many more for HH.

Jack on one of our golf outings

We’re still enjoying Florida, and will probably see you Phoenix people sometime in 2015.  The average boat is on the market about 200 days - that could take us well into this year.  Time will tell and we will keep you posted.  

Take Care, Jack  

 

She Said 

We have really enjoyed our time at Marathon Marina.  It’s been a fantastic move and an entirely different boating experience.  We’ve stayed at a few marinas for a month in the past, but we’ve never been in one place for 3 months.  And, most of the other boaters here are vacationing and also staying for 3 months.  There’s much more of a community feel than we’ve experienced in the past.  There are a lot of planned and spontaneous events – everyone is here to have fun. 

 

The Queen P is traveling the same fairway that MTB entered.  (See MTB on the far left of photo.)  It is a little tight in places.  Not looking forward to our departure. 

 

The pool here is great.  It’s heated in the chilly weather and cooled in the warm weather.  In the afternoons the pool is packed.  It’s a great place to watch the sunset, read a book, or socialize with the “neighbors.”  Three days a week there’s a water aerobics class (sometimes it’s more social than workout).  I like water aerobics, but I’ve only gone a few times because it’s been too cold for me at 10am.  So instead, I’ve been using the gym which is so convenient it’d be a disgrace not to use it.  We also have access to three bicycles.  We now take the bikes to the grocery and hardware store for quick shopping.  With the high winds, it’s quite a workout!

 

We’re part of golf group – you definitely can’t call it a golf league.  There are typically 15 – 25 golfers.  We play a par 3, 9-hole course – twice.  It’s a scramble and the winning team gets bragging rights at happy hour.  More people join us for happy hour – which changes venues from week to week.  It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve got the golf bug again!

 

Our team came in second place with 4 under par.

 

Our dinghy continues to be a challenge.  Most of the time she runs like a charm, but there are times when she gets fussy.  We’ve found that if Jack starts her up every couple of days she happier.  We need to keep her running because we use her a lot.  We take the dinghy to visit friends, go to restaurants/bars, and the beach.  On one outing we rescued two boys and their kayak.  We brought them back to MTB to warm up before taking them to meet up with their friends.  They capsized while fishing and spent 2 hours trying to get back to shore.

 

Our rescue mission

We had two fun dinghy events.  About a dozen dinghies got together and caravanned to the beach for a potluck lunch and day of sunshine.  Another day more than 20 dinghies met up for a poker run.  It was a lot of fun even though our poker hands were worthless.  There were four of us in our dinghy and our 3.5HP was struggling, so we grabbed a tow with another dinghy for awhile.  One Saturday night we took the dinghy to the Boot Key Harbor potluck.  It was a huge event at the City Marina.  One of our favorite bands, Corey & Ty, was the entertainment. 

 


Jack captaining the dinghy



Enjoying the beach

Some of the dinghies getting ready to leave for the beach.  We're third from the left



Poker run.  Heading to card #2

 

Our losing poker hands.  Why do we look so happy?

We’ve found a lot of live music and that always makes Jack happy.  We went to Boondocks on Ramrod Key to hear local superstar Howard Livingston.  He’s a TropRock musician who does mostly his own music – it’s a big production and lots of fun.  We hope to hear him again before we leave.  A lot of the musicians we like are funny entertainers (like Bil Krauss) more than serious musicians (like Myles Mancuso).  Most are in Key West, but some make it up to Marathon.

 

Listening to music at Willy T's in Key West

 

Speaking of Key West, we’ve been there twice in the last month.  We drove down with former Phoenix neighbors, Nancy and Kim Elliott, and took the bus with Jack’s twin brothers, Jerry and Terry.  It’s always a fun day and a more interesting night. 

Here we are in Key West

Sunset set in Key West - we're 10 deep

 

Back home at the marina, there have been three parties since we’ve been here.  Some are arranged by the marina, others are arranged by boaters.  There was a surprise birthday party, a Super Bowl/Chili Cook-off, and a Full Moon Party.  Let me tell you, us old people know how to have a good time.  

 

Another gorgeous sunset from our marina

 

We’ve also participate in some smaller scale entertaining.  Our first attempt at a dinner party was a total bust.  We had to cancel it because no one could get to MTB on their dinghy due to high winds.  A fun event was a progressive quasi-dinner party.  We went to one boat for appetizers, another for salad, MTB for chili, and another boat for dessert.  The food, drinks and parties are never ending.  There’s as much or as little to do as one wants.

 It’s not all fun and games.  Boat maintenance and repairs are ongoing issues.  Jack has tried so many compounding and waxing products on the boat it looks like we could open a small detailing shop.  I think he’s finally found the right combination – MTB is really shining!  When Jack’s brothers were here we got some other minor household issues addressed – most exciting was improved water flow in the shower!  We’ve got the fridge problem diagnosed and have the parts on order - just waiting for them to arrive.  We also had our impellers replaced – they needed it.

 

We really enjoyed visits from The Elliotts and Jack’s brothers, Terry and Jerry.  We enjoy sharing this unique lifestyle with our family and friends and appreciate their efforts to visit.  We look forward to more visitors over the next few months.  Hope to see you!




The Belt boys enjoying the pool



Happy Hour at Cabana Breeze, Marathon