Integrity Cruise

Day 296-302 - Another week in Marathon, FL

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Day 296-302 Thursday-Wednesday, February 16-22th: Each day here in "Paradise" we become more and more like beachcombers. The days start later and later, Happy Hour comes earlier and earlier, and our daily activities seem to be similar to the previous days.

We read a lot, do a little laundry, ride the bikes around new neighborhoods, meet new folks and enjoy the beautiful weather. It tends to run in the 80's during the day and near 70 at night. Slight breezes waft over us to keep things comfortable.

Most evenings we have enjoyed having Happy Hour with other boat crews in the marina, or the next marina, or with other Loopers we know have come into the area. We have eaten both lunch and supper out at various restaurants - mostly good.

Sad to say, Paradise is not cheap. But it is fun.

Here are some highlights of the week that we got pictures for.

Sunday, February 19th (Day 299) We rode our bicycles back over to the marina, Faro Blanco - Bayside. It had been decimated by hurricane Wilma last fall. They are famous for the lighthouse ("Faro Blanco" means "white light.")

The "Vacancy" sign tickled us. Look closely at the pier and notice the damage.

This was the seawall and docks before Wilma:

Next, we rode over to what was becoming our favorite seafood restaurant, Keys Fisheries. It is a sort of funky restaurant, fish market and tiny marina. The seafood is right-now-fresh and cooked perfectly - grilled, blackened, fried or steamed. Their signature dish is a lobster Reuben, and it is HUGE:

The signage around the premises is priceless:

You stand in line to order your meal..

..and if you don't know where the line forms, they give you a hint:

They kid a lot..

Each day they have a different theme for how to claim your order. When you place the order, they have you name a song, movie, cartoon character, favorite candy, or whatever. When your order is up, they announce your choice, "DAGWOOD! Your sandwich is ready!" Everyone eats at picnic tables around the marina. It's fun.

Monday, February 20th (Day 300) It's hard to believe we have been on the Loop for 300 days. It seems like so much less. And as we draw nearer to finishing the trip, we seem to be slowing down and digging our heels in. Interesting reaction!

This morning we ate the buffet breakfast at the marina restaurant, "Pizza and Pasta." Surprisingly, it was pretty good, and it was the best buy we have found in the Keys: all you can eat for $3.50.

The day turned out to be a workday. We polished, scrubbed, waxed and cleaned. We ran some errands on the bikes and in Dixie's car (next slip over). About mid-afternoon the local Great White Heron began watching Bill polish the railings. Bill discovered him and they had a staring contest:

The heron wasn't very afraid of people and let Ruth get really close with the camera:

We had 'burgers aboard Puff IV next door with Ralph and Dixie that night. Lotsa' fun.

Tuesday, February 21st (Day 301) We had made plans to go to dinner with other Looper friends at Cabot's, a restaurant at the far west end of Vaca Key (where Marathon is). We would have to get there and back on the bikes, and it would be after dark. So, Bill rode 7.7 miles to the bike store and bought headlights and taillights for the bikes. All set.

Dinner was a blast with Looper friends we haven't seen since being in the Tennessee River. Seated are Rick and Joan (Noble Lady) and Sara (Proctor Anne). Standing are Bill and Ruth and Gary (Proctor Anne):

Wednesday, February 22nd (Day 302) This was another quiet day. We rode the quarter mile over to the next marina where we had met Dick and Lynn on Ladyhawke a few days ago. They are planning to start the Great Loop this spring and were interested in our experiences and had a lot of questions. We enjoyed relating many of the good times and helping them with their questions. Their boat is a beautiful 42-foot Kady-Krogen.

All-in-all it has been a good week. We made a little progress with cleaning and waxing and a lot of progress in being lazy and having fun. Another great week in Paradise!

Position tonight: N24 42.676 W081 04.915

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