The Weather is Here......

I just don't even know where to start on this blog as we've had so much fun the past week or so....OK let's start with the weather which has finally turned a magnificent corner. After a fairly regrettable winter of northers and cold, we've had pretty much nothing but sun and warmth the past week - now that's why we came south for the winter!!! Doug and I took advantage of one beautiful day to tour the botanical gardens over here on Stock Island - now that the sun is shining and we've packed away the fleece, we want to be outside and there is this sweet little preserve in the middle of our ghetto over here. There are trails lined with hundreds of varieties of local and indigenous trees and flowering plants, ponds full of wild birds and art sculptures and neat little resting spots hidden amongst the flora and wildlife. It's a very cool little peaceful oasis set back off the beaten track amongst all the craziness that is Key West!!!









Can anyone tell me what this bird is???

The start of the nice weather is also the beginning of a sad time here at the marina since we lost our first boat last week as Sonya and Paul on Event Horizons (our next boat neighbor at the dock) pulled out with Brett as crew for a trip up to Charleston.
Soon enough other boats are planning on heading out - we've been so lucky this winter to have had so many wonderful, fun and exciting people at our dock who I know we will be friends with for a long time. But as in this cruising life, all things are transitory and there are new places to explore for everyone and usually you go your separate ways at some point. However as we have also found, you often find a way of reconnecting in some other port at some other time and you pick right up were you left off - that's the great thing about cruising friends. See you on the water somewhere, sometime guys!!!

And just like that our great cruising buddies Bob and Stephanie breezed back into KW the other day with Bob's brother Ron and his wife Rena in tow. Well it was only fitting that we cram as much fun as we possibly could into the three days they were here so our whirlwind tour of all the local KW high and low spots commenced (I'm not going to run through the litany because frankly I'm not sure my liver could take the replay but there was music at most of our stops including Scott Kirby, Michael McCloud and Bil Krauss our favorites, throw in happy hour oysters and pitchers at the Raw Bar, sunset at Mallory Square, roadies from Guy Harveys, tattoos for the girls and an earring for Ron, popcorn trips to the Parrot and the Chart Room, bull riding at Cowboy Bills, late night cigar adventures at Schooner Wharf, the Georgia girl at Hogs Breath, an electric car ride around the island, cocktails on the after deck, and a drag show with Inga, Faith and Sassy and you'll probably get the picture - it wasn't pretty!!!!) So instead of boring you with the details (or making everyone incredibly jealous, for once I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Ya think they had fun?????

We Started the Festivities with Cocktails and Apps on September Song

Stopped at Guy Harvey's for Roadies on the Way to Mallory Square for Sunset

Rena Gives the Tip to the Dog Who is the Performers Helper

Some Performers Juggle Flaming Torches

On to the Chart Room for Drinks

Then to the Sunset Pier to See Scott Kirby and Country Dave

We Ran into Friends from Annapolis, Tom and Regan, at the Sunset Pier

Everyone Met at Irish Kevin's at Noon Thursday for the Bil Krauss Show

Bil Got "Shrek" from the Audience to Dance on Stage with Him

"Shrek" and Bob, aka "Spartacus", Bond at Irish Kevin's

Rena and Her New Best Friend from Scotland

After Lunch, Stephanie and Rena Got Tattoos to Match Tammy's
That Night We Met the Group at Aqua for the Drag Queen Show
Inga REALLY Liked Ron!!!!!!!

Sassy Chocolate Was Equally Interested

Inga has a New "Tiger Would" Routine

After the Drag Queen Show, We Went to Cowboy Bill's for Dinner and "Bikini Bull Riding"

Friday Afternoon We Met the Group at the Green Parrot

Ron Rented a Tourmobile so We Could Show Them the Island

First Stop, Of Course, Was the Southernmost Point

Then to Louie's Backyard for Drinks

After Completing the Loop Around the Island, We Went to the Raw Bar for Happy Hour

Where We Had Oysters...

and More Oysters...

and More Oysters!!!

We Turned in the Tourmobile then Went to Hogs Breathe for...You Guessed It, Drinks

Where We Met Very Exuberant and Friendly Lindsey, the Georgia Girl

Our Last Stop of the Night was Schooner Wharf for Wings and a Visit with the Cigar Guy

Tammy Decides to Enjoy a Vanilla Flavored Cigar

Yesterday was a day of rest - and paying attention to Bootsie who made sure we knew that we had been ignoring her terribly (that 3:00 am kitty rooster wake-up call to play was not appreciated!!) We launched into a Harry Potter movie marathon (yes we have all 6 and have only seen them several times!!) complete with homemade pizza, popcorn etc....you get the picture!! Back to the gym this morning - the elliptical groaned at me - it was Rena's fault really since we didn't need yet another dozen oysters or another pitcher of beer and that last batch of wings at Schooners (after the first 30) were a true killer (although with the cigars from the cigar man, they did go quite well and we managed to eat them all!!!)

Tomorrow it's back to boat chores and starting to get the resume back into shape for the start of our job search ..... that is until our cruising buddies Todd and Brenda on Life's2Short pull into town this week sometime!!! Yippppeee - here we go again!!!

By the way - Happy Birthday Stephanie - yeah, yeah, that's why we were partying so hard!!!!