Ten Days in Key West and Marathon
Our time in Key West was spent doing just daily life mostly. Before Steve headed back to work for a few days, we were able to meet up with our friends Ryan and Shannon for dinner. Shannon earned her captain's license recently and is now running a chartering business. Proceeds she earns goes toward her Sailing for Soldiers charity. Check it out. She is awesome and you're sure to have a good time!
Once Steve left for work, the girls and I went back to our daily routine with one addition. Each morning if we weren't already up, the sound of the bugles announcing morning colors got them out of bed. They would run to the deck of the boat and stand with their hands over their hearts while the national anthem would play and then we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The F-18s would start their engines and would begin there flybys that would continue throughout the day. In the evening, the girls knew that as the sun was getting close to setting, it would soon be time for evening colors, the lowering of the flag, and listened intently for the bugles to signal the time they were to stand still once again and place their hand over their heart. It makes a momma proud that this was something they were so eager to be part of. MJ asked if Daddy could hear it in Colorado. I love her heart.
There was a little beach at the Naval Air Station, but the girls didn't love going there. It was a little rocky and hard to make sand castles, plus there were jelly fish in the swimming area. They did a lot of swimming around the boat until I mentioned possibly seeing a shark, which after days of seeing whatever it was, was more likely just a very large fish. You'd think after being a mom for nearly 20 years, I'd be able to watch what I say better than I do. Good Grief! I did get in with them to try to convince them it was safe, but I've got to be honest with you, with the water not being very clear, I kind of got the heebie-jeebies and didn't stay in very long either.
There is a very unglamorous side of living on a boat and I thought it'd be fun to share some of that with you. For one, with Steve gone, there was no one on board who could move the boat if we needed to. I've only been at the helm while out in wide, open areas. I mean, in an emergency situation, sure, I'd have done what I could. Probably would have crashed into a few boats, but I could have moved her under very dire circumstances. So being that we were on a mooring ball, this meant that the water we had on board needed to last 10 days, as well as making sure we used the restrooms up at the marina as often as possible to avoid filling the holding tanks. So after the Pledge, we'd track down shoes, get life jackets on, grab our shower bag, pile into the dinghy and make our way to the marina. We gave new meaning to the "buddy system" as any time during the day someone needed the restroom, we were, once again, getting life jackets on, finding shoes, and piling into the dinghy. I think I got pretty good at maneuvering the Brinky at the nice, "no wake" speed and Saylor was a good first mate catching the dock as we'd come in or the dinghy lines when we returned. I love her spirit and enthusiasm for wanting to help and, despite being told no every time, she never gave up on asking if she could steer this time.
The Naval Air Station marina was a very nice, little anchorage. Most of the folks there are retired, enjoying their quiet, slow, boating lifestyle. The first day we arrived, we pulled up to the dock with our girls swinging from the poles and squealing and hollering "Hello" to anyone that looked their way and there it was, looming, thick in the air, "Well, there went the neighborhood!" (Kidding... sort of.) We met more people the day before we were leaving than we had the previous nine days. Maybe they got wind we were gearing up to leave? There weren't many kids around and the ones that were there weren't all that interested in making friends, sadly. That was hard for Saylor to understand. She is such a social butterfly. She kept following this one family all over and the kids just continued to ignore her. Bless her heart.
While checking the weather one day, I found there was a storm in the forecast and I decided that'd be a perfect time for a girls' trip. I booked a room at the Skipjack Resort & Marina in Marathon. They had a pool and weren't too pricey. Our first stop was the Turtle Hospital where we saw firsthand what can happen to turtles due to the neglect of humans. The goal of the hospital is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release the turtles back to the sea. Worth the stop if you're ever in Marathon. We then checked into our room and the girls swam for about two hours before the sun went down and we went and got ice cream. We found a fun sweet shop, Sweet Savannah's, and went there two of the three days we were in Marathon.
We spent the entire next day at the swimming pool taking a 30-minute break for lunch. I have to say, I really enjoy watching my girls. They have such unique and very opposite ways of approaching life. MJ is more cautious, methodical, very much a rule keeper. Saylor is fly by the seat of her pants, carefree, act now, think later (if at all)! So here we are at the swimming pool and MJ is resisting my plea for her to stay in the shallow area. Just last year when in the pool, she was clinging onto me and crying if I'd try to get her to float on her back by herself. Now, she wants to go play in the deep end with her sister. So off she goes into the 8-foot deep end swimming away. Admittedly, a little awkward, looking like she's about to drown with her head above the water and her little body sinking as she swims with her feet under her rather than out behind her, but she'd tell me, "I'm fine! See, I'm fine!" if I got too close, so I backed off and gave her room to spread her little wings.
Before checking out the next day, the girls were able to get a few more hours in at the pool On our way to the pool, Saylor is running through the parking lot (cringe) and I hear MJ holler, "SAYLOR, You're in a PARKING LOT, no RUNNING!" And then under her breath, "That girl is going to get hit by a car one day." (Grin) There was a woman there and she says, "Yes, she is. Good for you to keep a better watch." I'm always so thankful for those folks that will engage and encourage my children. Little MJ was on a role this day because once we got to the pool, she says to me, "Momma, we need to use the potty before getting in the pool... Did you forget?" I told her she's going to make a great mommy one day and thanked her for keeping track of us. We headed back to Boca Chica stopping for a game of miniature golf and some dinner at Boondocks where they were given their dinner on frisbees. Once back in the car, we had on our little Maestro Classics, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, playing in the CD and it came time for the girls to play along with the music and I hear MJ tell Saylor, "I'm not going to be playing with the music, I've got a lot going on over here!" Tears, people, tears! Her "a lot going on" was her frisbee, her drink, and her chicken that she didn't finish eating at the restaurant.
We made it back to the boat in time for the lowering of the flag and were down to two days before Dad made it back to the boat. YAY!
