Once we picked Deb and Mike at the dinghy dock, we continued north. They were please to check out new real estate. They have traveled via water, but not usually by land. Since Bass Pro Shop is on Islemorada, they suggested Lorelei"s Restaurant, which they were able to get to via dinghy when then came down the bay side of Florida.
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| Interesting car in the parking lot |
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| Mike, Debbie, Pete and Kathy |
We said out good-bys around 3:30 and headed home to ckeck on Bailey. There will not be a dinner in our future for tonight; we are still stuffed.
After Bailey was fed and walked, we sat in the cockpit and read. The catamaran next to us is once again occupied by a group of twenty-somethings. They are courtious and polite; even asked if the soft music would bother us. They will be with us for the next 5 days.
Once again, at dusk, the No-Seeums announced their arrival, so we headed down below and watched the final 2 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery. It is a great series, but we hate having to wait a year for this season's episode to be released on disc.
Sunday, 2/16/20 ~ Pete started working at 9:30 this morning. The client isn't having a good day. Pete and George were able to work with him to smooth things over until they complete the job later in the day.
I stayed out of his way working, on the blog. I am just about caught up with the writting, but I have downloaded photos that still need processing before posting. I learned NOT to save my photos as TIFF files to use on the blog. The files are huge. One photo was 63 mb! I had to go back and convert all today's processed photos back to JPEGs. By dinner I was able to publish our first week here in Key West along with all the photo. I hope to finish up week 2 tomorrow.
We opted to watch a new series called Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. It has an interesting storyline. Zoe has a "super power" that enables her to hear peoples thoughts via song. No one else can hear. They have mixed humor and real life issues. It will be intersting to see where to story goes.
Monday, 2/17/20 ~ Pete had another crazy work day. He also had to buy more data. Apparently when I tried to upload the 2 tiff files before I realized there was a problem, ate up almost a gig of data; lesson learned! I did simple house chores and laundry in preparation to leaving later tomorrow to head to Delaware for a number of medical appointments for the three of us. Otherwise it was a great day in Paradise.
THE ROAD TRIP NORTH ~
Tuesday, 2/18/20 ~ I packed up for Bailey and
me, and prepped the other stuff needed for traveling north: Snacks, made sure
the audio books were downloaded, sodas and water chilled, food and water for
Bailey, coats for the 3 of us (Yes! Bailey needs a coat when the temps drop
below 40. She is the first dog we have
had the shivers in the cold!), plus our hats and gloves. (Traveling at this
time of year, temps in Pa, DE, and NJ could be anywhere between 70 degrees to
0, rain or snow…) Pete had some work projects that needed attention today. He still managed to pack around working. We were ready and off the boat by 4 PM.
We should be at
Chris and Kel’s by about 4 tomorrow. We
have the last 3 books in Dean Koots’ Jane Hawk Series on audio and
should last the entire trip. Each book
is about 14-15 hours long. We will drive for about 8 -10 hours, stop and nap in
a security patrolled rest stop, then continue on. Thursday and Friday Pete, Bailey and I have
medical appointments, plus we need to stop in and catch up with Pete’s Mom.
It is going to be
a rather busy visit.
Wednesday, 2/19/20 ~ We stopped as planned
around 4 AM somewhere in South Carolina, knapped for about 2 hours, then
continued. We managed to miss most of
the traffic and only had one 20-minute slow down. We arrived around 4:30 pm with having listened
to one full book and half of another. It definitely kept our minds engaged
during the ride.
Can’t wait to hit
the sack. It will surely be shortly
after Hadi and Riley go to bed. They
have school in the morning. Chris ordered pizza as Kel had to work late
tonight. I didn’t check, but I think we
were in bed by 9 and asleep by 9:03.
Thursday, 2/20/20 ~ We were up to see the
girls off to school with Kelli. Since
Pete had a pretty busy workday, I headed off to my appointment with the
neurologist. It is time for the 3rd round of Botox injections for my
migraines. Hopefully, this will be the
last of them.
Chris had
arranged with Pete to meet the UPS driver around 9 this morning. Hadi’s birthday present was being delivered.
It will be heavy, so help is needed to unload it off the truck. They were right it was HEAVY!
Chris was home
around 1, having completed a training seminar.
With Pete’s help, they got most of the trampoline assembled before Pete
left for his medical appointment.
Unfortunately, it was only after Pete left that Chris discovered that
the enclosure had to be done prior to attaching the springs. That meant that Chris had to undo all the
springs and reattach them by himself. He is in good physical condition, but it
was a real challenge.
I went to meet
Hadi at the bus stop after school. She
was really surprised to see me in her Dad’s “Go-Go”. (Hadi likes to name things: the cats, the
dog, the cars- Kelli’s SUV is “Stephanie” and since Chris’s car has great
pick-up and go, she and Riley named it “Go-Go.” I don’t remember the name of
the previous car.) As we pulled into the driveway, she wanted to know where was
her trampoline? Since it is supposed to
be a surprise, I asked her, “what trampoline?” to which she replied. “I asked
fort one for my birthday!’ I assured her with crossed fingers, I didn’t
know. I managed to keep her occupied
walking into the house. Thankfully,
while catching up wit her day, Kelly, Riley and the cousins arrived. Kelli reinforced that “just because you ask
for something doesn’t mean it will happen.”
However, Hadi was escorted to the back yard and the shrieks and fun
began! Despite the 40-degree temps, they
all jumped for the next 2 hours.
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| Chris was sore from assemblying the trampoline. The dogs offered support. |
Included in our travel plans: I was
supposed to see the cardiac pacemaker tech next Tuesday morning and then see
the cardiologist on Wednesday afternoon. We had made reservations for our
return south for a hotel for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, north of Miami,
with Bailey boarded for that time nearby.
Unfortunately, the Wednesday appointment had to be postponed for 2
weeks, but the Tuesday one could not be changed. Reservations were canceled,
and Pete was able to make hotel reservations in Fort Pierce for Monday night at
a La Quinta so Bailey can stay with us.
By 8 pm the kids
were overtired, crying their parents took them up to bed. The crying didn’t last very long!
Friday, 2/21/20 ~ Pete completed his work
commitments early and offered to take Bailey to the vet as I was still tender
after my shots yesterday. There is no
big change in her ears, the vasculitis intensity varies, but it will never go
away. As to her stress while underway or in the car, she now has a new
prescription that will hopefully help. Her hips are showing her age. Bailey will self-regulate activity when it is
needed. Otherwise, she is doing well.
We decided to do
takeout from the Mexican restaurant. Dinner was very tasty.
Saturday, 2/22/20 ~ Chris, Kel and the kids
headed to an RV show outside Baltimore.
They are investigating an RV trailer for camping. They tried it last year with a couple of
friends and really liked it. They came
home with information, but not as much as they liked. The girls were a real challenge due to the
excitement.
We headed down to
visit with Pete’s Mom. At 93, she is remarkably sharp, but her body isn’t
living up to her standards. She has her good days and bad, unfortunately, the
good ones are getting less and less. Even
with her limited movement, we were able to take her out for her favorite fast
food -Burger King. She really
enjoyed every bite. Unfortunately, the time passed quickly and all to soon, we
had to say good-by.
Once back, Chris
and Kel introduced us to a Netflix series, The Ranch. We enjoyed the program’s quirky humor,
especially with the cast of Sam Elliott, Debra Winger and Ashton Kutcher. We
caught about 5 episodes before heading to bed.
Sunday, 2/23/20 ~ Pete and I headed out around
10 am, so that we could meet up with our boating friends for lunch in Annapolis;
Jeanne and Gerry, SV RAGTIME, Martha and Dan, SV BRUNELLE, and Betty and John
from SV ANDIAMO. They are members of our sailing club, CCYC, who have also
cruised with us in the past. We have
become not only good friends, but also great resources for boating and other
things for each other. We met at Grump’s
in Annapolis. They have wonderful offerings for breakfast as well as lunch all
day on Sunday and there is always a crowd.
They have managed the lines very effectively. As your party check in, you are given a
number and a copy of the menu. When you
get up to the counter you place and pay for your order under the number for
your group. Usually, by the time you get
to the counter, a table will have become available. Today, 2 tables, next to
one another became available. (It is hard to get a table for 8 in such a small
place.) We ladies are at one and the fellas at the other. As usual, the time goes too fast. Too soon we were saying our good-byes. The next time we will get together will
probably be once we are back for summer on the Chesapeake.
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| I noticed this as we were passing the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis. This new addition to aa sitting wall is called "White Sails." |
Kel once again
made the delicious one dish dinner of chicken, green beans and potatoes baked with
Italian seasoning and butter. YUM! Once finished, we loaded up the car so we can
leave quietly.
We were able to
view a few more episodes of The Ranch, but too soon it was time to say
our good-byes, and head for bed. 2 AM will come very quickly.
Monday, 2/24/20 ~ Up at 1:30 am and out by
2. Unfortunately, once out the front
door, Bailey realized we were leaving by car.
She stayed on the doorstep and when I went to get her, she ran around to
the back of the house. I had to drag her
back to the car. Not a great way to
start a long trip, but she ain’t no dummy!
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| Dawn as we refueled somewhere in North Carolina |
Tuesday, 2/25/20 ~ We were up by 6 am and on
the road by 7. GPS has us getting to
Miami in about 2 hours, but it is commuter traffic time. We arrived with about 20 minutes to spare for
my 10 am appointment. Today, I was the
first one seen by the tech, so I was out in about 20 minutes. When I texted Pete to let him know I was done,
he had just found a parking spot and set up his computer to get some work
done. Needless to say, he now had to
repack everything and pick me up. Before heading out to Pete I stopped and
picked up drinks from both of us.
With the original
plans for two appointments, I had also made an appointment for my hair. We decided that I should keep it. So, after lunch, we headed up to the salon I
have used numerous times while in West Palm Beach. Since we were an hour early, Pete was able to
work while I read until my appointment time.
With only having a dye, wash and bang trim, I was done in about 90
minutes. Even with a wet head, Travis did a great job on matching the color.
We heard from my
sister, Debi. She got the results of her scans today and the new was very
good! The immunotherapy seems to be
working. The oncologist is very pleased. The traces of disease are currently
gone! She will have to have a lifetime
of immunotherapy and scans, but this is really GREAT NEWS!!!
So. . . we were
on the road again. Since it was now 4:30
pm and commuter traffic time again, we opted to head directly over to the
Florida Turnpike. Wise choice! We didn’t
hit traffic until the lower end of the turnpike. It was about an hour delay in total, but the
final book is really good! We even
though about sitting in the car back at the marina and listening to the last
few minutes. Unfortunately, we still had
90 minutes and NO WAY was this day getting any longer! It is 10 pm and the unloading will wait until
tomorrow. We only grabbed the dog and
what we needed tonight.
Definitely, good
night!
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| The new docks between Coconut Row and the Salty Oyster are now in use. |
My Mom has oral
cancer and it appears to be contained. She was cleared for the surgery, which
was done this morning. Mom is doing so well, after eating at the hospital, they
sent her home. The surgeon feels that he
was able to get all clean margins. We
will have the lab report at her checkup in 2 weeks.
After dinner, we
decided to listen to the end of book from our travels. It was definitely worth waiting to
finish. We might have missed something
being so tired. It then was a good way
to insure getting to bed early.
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| Sea Slug in our slip. |
Friday, 2/28/20 ~ Key West has only 2 medical
labs, Quest and the hospital. I have
been using the hospital for the last two blood tests, but I have to go through
the admission process each time. Pete
noticed that LabCorps is now open inside the Walgreen’s. I was able to go there
for testing this morning. I really like
the way LabCorps uses the driver’s license to bring up my records, which makes
check-in very easy. Apparently, it has
only been open about 3 weeks.
Since Publix is
on the way home, I stopped there for some provisions. Once back, groceries put
away and lunch finished, I took a nap. The skies became overcast, the winds
picked up, the temps dropped, and the rains came. We chilled (literally!) and read for the rest
of the day. We are so glad we will not be traveling on the water for the next week or so. Heavy winds and waves will be constant.
Pete also found out that he will not be heading out to California next week. With the winds for the past week or so, I am so glad we were hunkered down here. If we had left on the 1st, we would have been scurrying to find a protected harbor. It is hard to find negitives when in Key West!
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| Lime green means 25-30 knots (28-34 mph)! |
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| Hourly Reports don't show gusts! |
Pete also found out that he will not be heading out to California next week. With the winds for the past week or so, I am so glad we were hunkered down here. If we had left on the 1st, we would have been scurrying to find a protected harbor. It is hard to find negitives when in Key West!
~ ~ ~ /) ~~ P & K
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