At Home in Marathon!!

Last Sunday, Daren and I realized that we really DO like it here in Marathon! I keep hearing that old Jimmy Buffet song in my head... "I Have Found Me a Home..." and may even get myself a "big red bike"! It's nice not needing a car and having a private island for Libby to run on...if I can just keep her ON it and out of the water! $300/month for a city mooring is actually a pretty good deal in Florida, and there'll be no anchor-anxiety. With Daren commuting for awhile (depending on the Election results!), it makes sense to stay in the States. He loves Southwest Airlines, and they're starting service to Key West November 1st, so we may move back there. The Keys will be hard to beat in the winter....we're below 25 degrees latitude. For comparison, Stuart's above 27, Rockport's at 28, and San Diego's at 33! Not that latitude is everything, but neither of us like the cold and got rid of our winter clothes!! We've sure enjoyed Daren's time off. Summer's officially over, so it's cooled down and we're having wind and rain. Sorry the blog kind of bogged down! I'll let you know when we next move the boat! In the meantime, have fun, stay well, and keep praying for our Country!

Hooray! Daren's Home!

I picked up Daren at the dock yesterday (9-11) at 2 AM, and Libby and I are thrilled to have him back home! He had his rental car all day yesterday, so we had a fun day on wheels! Just after we got back to the boat, a big squall came along and dragged our anchor! That was exciting, as Daren had to pull it up and re-set it twice, but I kept thinking, WHAT IF HE HADN'T BEEN HERE?! I can barely lift the 48-pound jerry cans of water, much less the anchor and 200 feet of chain! Daren thinks I "horrible-ize", which is worrying in retrospect, but he WAS here, so thank God for that! He sure looks out for Libby and me! I'm real glad Tom's offered to let us stay on his mooring when we get to Stuart! It's always good to minimize potential problems! : ) Marathon had beautiful calm weather the whole week Daren was gone! Tracy drove down from Stuart Sunday and we had a great time! She is SO entertaining with such funny stories! We had a big dinghy ride Monday, chasing Libby who was chasing birds almost out of the harbor! Libby just wouldn't listen to either of us, but we're both big dog-softies, and need sterner voices! Tracy's from Stuart but has only been back there about a year. We were next-door-neighbors in Denver about 10 YEARS ago! Her childhood friend, Colin, has a world famous sail-making company in Stuart...Mack Sails! (You've seen their full-page ads in sailing magazines!) Tracy brought me a cool Mack Sails hat and a great big tote bag made from sail material! It's my new favorite thing! Daren has 2 whole weeks off, so we plan to move the boat up to Stuart as soon as the weather settles in a few days! We are ready for a change of scene!

Isaac Gone!

Just realized I didn't post this! It was in the drafts! Isaac came and went, Sunday night and Monday, (Aug 26&27) and we are very happy to be just fine! We're in a very protected place here in Boot Key Harbor, and have decided it's a good place for Libby and me to be while Daren's in CA. I've got a new library card and a good dinghy to take Libby to shore, so she and I will be just fine, other than missing Daren.! He's leaving Monday morning, and Libby and I will take him to the dock to meet the Keys Shuttle at 6:30 am for his noon flight out of Ft. Lauderdale. We're very excited about this new adventure and it will be tricky to move much, but we are determined to get to Stuart and then the Bahamas! Stay tuned... : )

Company Coming!

Glad I found the Isaac post! No wonder people were confused! We moved back to the anchorage on the 30th, and Daren went to Modesto Monday morning 9-3. I'm happy to report he's having a great time with lots of design projects that should keep him busy for a few years! Libby and I are keeping the boat afloat, but we're glad he'll be back home Monday night, with 2 weeks off so we can re-locate. We're not sure whether to go to Stuart first, or straight to Bimini or West End in the Abacos from Miami. There are lots of flights from Marsh Harbour, and Nassau and Georgetown when winter arrives. Tracy e-mailed today and said she'll drive down tomorrow for a visit, in case we don't make it to Stuart! That's awfully nice of her, and we'll have a blast! We haven't seen each other in quite a while!