Old Friends....Here and There!!

Well it has been a whirlwind down here which is why I'm so tardy with the blog - when old friends are in town there are just lots of better things to do than sit at a computer screen and blog - it's time to play!!! First into town was our friend Captain Laura who lives up in Tampa but was in town with some friends for a weekend. Capt Laura was the one who came down to Rock Hall, MD when we first got Gypsies to show us a thing or two (or a hundred) about our new boat - 7,600 miles under our keel later we are still friends and really thankful we had such a great teacher and now have such a great friend!!! Despite the rain and wind (which seems to be ever present this winter in KW - what's up with that??), we had a party on Gypsies - I know, there's a shocker!!

One of these days we'll actually get some nice weather so we can all hang out up on the flybridge - but that was not to be the other night. No matter - we had a great time catching up and having fun!!

We had a free day to ourselves so took the scooters into town for some fun and festivities - starting out at Guy Harveys, we then stopped into Irish Kevin's to see Bil Krauss who was as fun as always!

Bil Krauss

The place was hopping with the usual collection of drunk tourists off the cruise ships who had no hope of making it to even 2:00 pm before passing out given their state of sobriety when we got there around noon!!! Bil was having a field day with many of them but especially the guy with the bright purple mohawk who sat at one of the front tables (now that's just asking for it!!!!) We had lunch with Bil at Fogarty's, one of our favorite Duval people watching haunts, and then finally got over to Kelly's Caribbean Bar and Grill for some happy hour wings and brewed ales (this is Kelly McGinnis' joint and the southernmost brewery)

Kelly's

- the thai chili wings rocked although it is unclear whether they top Schooner Wharf's Caribbean spice wings - I think much more field research will be needed to resolve this one!!!

Happy Hour at Kelly's

A T-shirt at the Southernmost Brewery

The next day our great friends from Kennebunkport, ME, Francesca and John Spain who drove down from their winter pad in Sebring, FL, arrived in town for a several day stay, just in time I might add for the weekly sunset party on Coconuts which we decided to have despite the threatening weather!!! John and Francesca got to bundle up and meet all our dock buddies while enjoying some wonderful appetizers including some delicious Key West pink shrimp thanks to Loie!!!



Bootsie loved having Aunt Francesca to play with in the morning as the boat rooster struck again!!! After many pots of coffee for John, we trekked into town for the Duval Crawl although we strayed off the beaten path somewhat as well - lunch at Fogarty's,

Lunch at Fogarty's

music at Irish Kevins, a walk along the docks with coldies at Schooner while listening to Michael McCloud where we showed them the historic southernmost broken cleat,

The Southernmost Broken Cleat...Only in Key West!

a little hat fashion show by Doug at Fast Buck Freddies (he was channeling Bob from September Song who we think has a hat fetish - missing you guys!),



and then we finally wound up over at Kelly's for happy hour wings.

Thai Chili Wings at Kelly's

But the night was not over until we headed down to the sunset pier to hear a little of Scott and Dave's gig!!! If today sounds eerily like the other day and many days before, well that's life in KW - it's pretty much just one fun day after another but when you have friends in town, it's even better!!!! The next day was surprisingly beautiful so we took full advantage of the sun and warmth with a pool day - we haven't had nearly enough of those lately!!! That afternoon we met the dock gang at the Green Parrot for sound check to hear Jason Ricci, a very hip harmonica player and his band. The Green Parrot has this great thing where some of their bands will play for an hour or so around 5:30 for a "sound check" and then again that night at 10 - for us old farts that means we get to hear some seriously great music and not have to stay up until way past our bedtimes - only kidding - maybe!

Jason Ricci Performs at the Green Parrot

We dodged the raindrops to run over to Fogarty's again for dinner - Francesca really likes it there!!! After a great dinner where the boys had a ball swapping iphone aps and getting a little silly,

John Demonstrates One of His iPhone Apps

John was gracious enough to run back for the truck and pick us up out front so we didn't get drenched!!! Now that's friendship!!!

Unfortunately on Saturday we had to say goodbye to Francesca and John - we were headed up to Tampa for several days and they were headed back to Sebring for the the rest of the winter. The really, really hard part was leaving Bootsie for several days - she was not happy with us although our friends Jill and Brett had promised to take good care of her and spend lots of time with her!!! We tag-teamed our way up through the Keys and had a final goodbye lunch at John's favorite all time restaurant - Cracker Barrel!!! We had such a wonderful time with those guys catching up and just having fun - we plan on doing it again before they head north in the spring (after all we never had time to make it to the drag queen show at Aqua - we've learned our lesson, it is a drag queen show not a tranny show!!! Thanks for clarifying that Aqua with your comment to our last blog!!) Thanks guys for coming down to see us and for all the wonderful citrus!!!

Doug and I road trip together pretty well so the 8 hour drive to Tampa passed before we knew it - well OK our butts knew it but we were in good spirits!! A wonderful dinner at the bar at PF Changs was a great way to kick off our visit!! The next night was the Superbowl which we spent munching on delivery pizza and fries in our hotel room - go Saints!!! We were in complete sympatico with the who dat nation so while we had some tough moments in that first quarter, the rest of the game was just awesome!!! Good thing the walls were thick because we got quite boisterous!!! What a game and we even got to see Peytie Pie throw his helmet!!!! If you can't guess, being from New England we are not real big Manning fans!!! The Tampa trip was a whirlwind but we did sneak in an evening to catch up with our friends Todd and Brenda on Life's2Short who were in St. Pete - we last saw them over in the Bahamas back in June!!! We hung out for a couple beers at the house where they are staying for the winter (Life's2Short is tied up in the canal out back!!) and then hit Crabby Bill's for some great seafood - after all we had wheels so we could venture out!!!

Todd, Brenda and Doug at Crabby Bill's

Dinner at Crabby Bill's

It was way fun to see those guys and catch up on everything - they plan on heading down our way sometime in March/April so we can't wait to show them around KW!! See you soon guys!!! We had hoped to catch up again with Capt Laura who lives in Tampa but just simply ran out of time - too many friends, too little time!!! next chance we get!!!

Finally, as if that wasn't enough fun and games for one week, on our way home to KW from Tampa we stopped in at Sarasota to see our friends Stephanie and Bob (and Cassie and Godiva too!!!) on September Song - yippee the gang was back together even if just for one night!!!! Man it was so good to see those guys - after lots of hugs and kisses (especially from Cassie and Godiva!!) we had a great time catching up and making plans for their trip south later in March to KW!!!! Joe from Sea Pearl was also in the marina so joined the festivities - we even got to see his boat dog Salty!!! We dodged the raindrops for a quick walk into town for some cannolis (what are the odds of Bob finding the local bakery in town - pretty darn good!) - wish we could have spent more time there since Sarasota looked like a really cool town to explore with lots of local color, funky ethnic restaurants and dive bars side by side with wonderful stores and galleries - next time through!!

A Bicycle on the Streets of Sarasota

For now we had way too little time to spend renewing the party with our bestest boat buddies ever!!! After several rounds of app's in the pilothouse, chef Stephanie outdid herself with some linguine and clam sauce (Joe had brought the clams fresh from Pine Island!!!) - the night was way too short to have all the fun we wanted to although we sure did give it the college try!

Dinner is Being Prepared in the Galley on September Song

Dinner on September Song

While it was sad to say goodbye in the morning - at least we know we'll see them soon on their way south!!! We have yet another date for a drag queen show!!!! Thanks for everything guys - see you soon!!

The drive home yesterday was long (why does it always seem longer on the way home??) so we broke it up with stops at Walmart (there aren't any in the Keys so we take advantage of them when we have a car and can!!!) and a late lunch at Hog Heaven in Islamorada!! We arrived home back at Gypsies just in time for the sunset party on Coconuts which had been moved inside due to the cold weather - but we didn't have it in us! Yes you heard that right!! We had lots of time and loving to make up for with the Bootser after being gone for so long - although she told us that Uncle Brett and Aunt Jill had taken really good care of her (thanks so much guys!!!!)

Bootsie Letting Us Know She's Still a Little Mad at Us

We spent the night watching a movie with Bootsie on a blanket in our laps feeding her treats and giving her lots of love!!! She is almost over being mad at us - almost!! The boat rooster and I spent lots of quality time last night so I think we are good!!!!

Today is a stay at home, love Bootsie and try to catch up on boat chores day - we had thought about going to the Miami boat show but the four hour drive back up the Keys was not in our cards for today!!! The first time you do that drive it is fun and pretty, the second time it's OK but after that, it's just a pain in the butt!!! Maybe we'll go tomorrow but then again maybe we won't - we'll just have to see how the spirit moves us.

Freedom

It's been really, really cool to have our scooters - they give us the freedom to just take off into town on a whim (the only down side is when you get caught in a squall, there's no place to hide and trust me, you get really wet!!! Yes, this is said from experience!!!) Before it was a prolonged decision whether or not we had it in us to ride our bikes into town - the six mile ride in wasn't the issue, it was the killer six mile ride home always with the wind directly in your face and always after at least several cocktails. Now we don't even pause - we just hop on and go!!! This could be dangerous!!! And the gas mileage sure is great - I filled my scooter up the other day and it took 0.7 gallon for a whopping $2.13 and it will last me for weeks!!!

The other day we wanted to go scout out the local marinas in KW to "check out the competition" - we always love walking around looking at boats anyways (and besides there is always lots going on down on the docks in KW!!) In between several stops at Schooner and other local watering holes, we saw the usual huge tarpon swimming around the piers waiting for some tourist to feed them but what we didn't expect to see was this beautiful heron standing on the edge of the dock while this lazy old cat slept right nearby (brave heron? or just really lazy cat??)

Brave Heron

Lazy Cat

Several of the parasail guys really stepped up to help a poor pelican who had swallowed a large fish hook - lucky for her they were there and cared enough to help her as they successfully got the hook out of her mouth and let her be on her way!!!

The Pelican After the Removal of the Fish Hook

As usual the fishing boats cleaning their catch always attract a crowd - these guys were really hungry down by the Raw Bar!!

That evening we all hopped in Brett and Jill's van for a party over at Nancy and Bob's house (not only do they have a boat Sun Luver at our marina but they actually have a house in KW too!) The wine flowed (thanks guys - what a treat to drink good wine from a bottle no less!!!) and the food was to die for (that's one thing cruisers do really well - killer app's!!!)

The Gang and Apps at Nancy and Bob's House

We were joined by some of their friends from KW and then it was on to the Los Van Van concert out at Fort Zachary Taylor! Of course there were drink booths set up

Drink Booths

- the only issue was you had to wait in line to buy drink coupons which took awhile but since the band was over an hour and a half late arriving on stage we had plenty of time to fuel up (as if we needed it!!)

The Gang Stands in Line for Coupons

Doug, Nancy and Jill Waiting for the Concert to Start

Shawna and John Waiting for the Concert to Start

The concert was great - Los Van Van is a grammy award winning 14 piece Cuban jazz/dance band who are gearing up for a huge US tour. Without understanding a word they said (I really need to learn Spanish - yet one more of those things I thought I'd have time to learn while cruising that didn't happen!!!), we all just let the beat sweep us away!!

The Crowd and the Band

Los Van Van

We hit KW the other day for a huge craft fair out on the streets of downtown - that's part of what we love about this town, there is ALWAYS something going on!!!

The Craft Fair

We wandered from booth to booth oohing and aahing over things that in our prior life we would have scooped up but which don't exactly fit on the boat (so we got out of there without buying anything - that never used to happen!!) We wandered the streets which in KW is a full time occupation for some as there is so much to see - we came upon the first well drunk from by pirates in the 1700's

Pirate Well

and the southernmost brewery (everything down here is the southernmost something which can be pretty humorous - outside Schooner Wharf is the southernmost broken cleat - gotta love people with a sense of humor!!!)

Entrance to the Southernmost Brewery

Finally it was back out to the SI ghetto to meet up with Brett and Jill at the Hogfish Bar and Restaurant where Raven was playing all afternoon.

Brett and Tammy at the Bar in Hogfish

Brett and Doug at the Bar in Hogfish

Hogfish is a local Stock Island bar and as such is home to an unbelievable array of local color and characters ranging from fishermen and shrimpers to artists of all nature - there's even usually a local contingent of boaters!!! On any given day you will see some of the funniest tee-shirts known to man since that seems to be the accepted dress code but this one and the character wearing it took the cake!!!
We have heard Raven before at Schooners and she has the most amazing voice - she can go from Latin diva to no lie Johnny Cash in a heartbeat. You'd swear if you weren't watching the sounds come out of her mouth that there had to be two singers!!!!

Raven

She rocked out the afternoon while we enjoyed a few cocktails along with a packed house - the Hog was a stop on the KW food and wine festival that was also happening that weekend (did I mention there is always something cool going on down here!!!)

Today our friend Captain Laura is in town so despite the fact it is raining, I'm sure we'll come up with something fun to do!!! Our friends Francesca and John Spain from Kennebunkport roll into town on Wednesday and will be here for a few days so we're gearing up for a really cool week. We haven't seen them since last year when we visited them in their new home in Sebring, FL!!!!

The Music Continues

But first I must tell you that we have finally become a two scooter family!!!! We just got the paperwork (so yes it's all legal now - for awhile there we were afraid the scooter had fallen off a truck somewhere and we'd never be able to register it....if you knew the players involved you'd question it too!) which enabled us to pick up Doug's new 150cc screaming yellow scooter!! So we are actually mobile now on more than our bikes and occasionally borrowing Brett and Jill's van (thanks guys!!) - watch out Key West!! It was a great lesson in how things get done down here on Bone Island - you hear about things from a friend of a friend, nothing happens fast or on your timetable, and everything is just a little bit out of the ordinary, funky or downright weird but eventually stuff works itself out. We may not be in the Caribbean but we are still definitely on island time mon - so just chill out, have a cold one and things will take care of themselves!!!

Our Two Scooters

We've been busy looking for jobs and think we may have some good news to share with everyone soon but for now enough said so we don't jinx it - you'll know when we do. Just wanted you all to know that not all we do is play and have fun!! Although we are certainly doing that too!! The other day we went with Brett and Jill out on Captain Ron's gorgeous CT 54 foot sailboat - would have been more fun with a little wind (of course it picked up right when we were coming into the dock!!) but we had a great day on the water anyways!!

Captain Ron Raises the Sails

Brett and Ron in the Cockpit

Doug Enjoys Being a Passenger With No Responsibilities

The sun was stoking, the beers were cold (it's great when you can actually have a beer out on the water - we never drink when we are out on Gypsies since we have to dock - but when someone else is doing the work, the beers seem to go down a little smoother than normal!!) and the water was a sparkling turquoise!! Oh to be down in the Keys!!! Capt Ron took us for a leisurely sail into Key West Harbor, past Fort Zachary Taylor and down past Mallory Square and the Sunset Pier where Scott and Dave play most evenings - what a different perspective it is from out on the water!!!

Sunset Pier from the Water

We dodged some topless paddle boarders (yes right in KW Harbor - hope she had sunscreen on!!!)

and the local tourist sailboats

as well as a number of race boats leaving after the end of race week - seemed like everyone was out on the water!!

One of the Race Boats Headed Home

It was sure the perfect day for it!! On our way back to Boca Chica Key where Capt Ron keeps his boat at the Naval Air Station marina, the sky started to darken but we beat the storm and were closely watched by a gorgeous bald eagle who was guarding the entrance to the channel. Thanks Capt Ron for a great day out on the water!!!

The Bad Eagle Watches Us Pass By

Last weekend was the Key West Harbor King Mackerel Fishing Tournament so we had about 100 go fast fishing boats in here all weekend with their bait nets and accompanying gear. Despite our misgivings, they were pretty well behaved and didn't even wake us up when they thundered out of their slips at 0 dark hundred with their 3 or 4 300+ hp motors revving in search of those king mackerel beasts! We watched the final weigh-in which was fun - boy do these guys and gals take this stuff seriously!!!

Sunday was you guessed it football day so we joined our dockmates Shawna, John and Jim down at the Shanna Key Bar (a great little Irish dive - yes we've scoped out a new hangout) for the second half of the Colts/Jets game. I really can't stand either team but I found myself routing for Indy because as a Bostonian I hate all NY sports teams even more than I despise Peyton Manning (and that's really saying something but I won't go there...) Besides I kept telling myself that I was only cheering for them so the Saints could beat them up and humiliate them in the Super Bowl. The game we all really cared about was the Saints/Vikings - John being from LA and the rest of us recently on the bandwagon with our teams out of the running. Brett and Jill joined us so it was a full on party and best of all the Saints pulled it out - go Saints!!!! While I felt bad for Brett, he really ought to have known better than to throw that ball - I mean really!!!! So anyways - the party is on down here in Southern FL for Super Bowl weekend - we haven't planned it out yet (after all it is 2 weeks away) but I'm sure it will be rocking!!

A grand bar scheme was hatched about a week ago when we were out at the Sunset Pier and Hogs Breath to have a party on Gypsies (yes I know, another one) by Brooke and myself - Brooke wasn't able to come to the last one we had so we figured we needed to remedy that!! Originally we had scheduled it for Sunday not thinking about football - this came about around midnight after key lime shooters after all - but it got rescheduled to Monday evening. The weather had been beautiful so we planned it for upstairs on the flybridge - unfortunately mother nature decided this was not to be as she served up a cold and rainy Monday. Oh well - the party moved inside and turned out to be one of those just awesome evenings (so good in fact that I completely forgot to get any pictures - not even a one!!!) We had lots of dockmates over including our new friends Greg and Karan who had a just arrived on their Sea Ray (yes we hang out with go fasts too - we just usually don't publicize that!) after spending a month up in Stuart with all our DeFever friends - Bob and Stephanie on September Song told them about our marina and voila, here we all are!!! It seemed somehow fitting that we had a party on their first night - welcome to the dock guys! Also at the party was the KW music contingent in Scott, his wife Michelle, Brooke and their friend Laura. No sooner had the party gotten started than Bob and Nancy (dockmates on a beautiful catamaran Sun Luvr) strolled by with none other than Freebo, the long time bass player for Bonnie Raitt. They came on board, joined the party and we wound up being treated to an impromptu concert in our pilothouse when Freebo asked if he could play us a few tunes!!!! WOW - how cool was that!! For anyone who isn't familiar with Freebo, check out his music on his website www.freebomusic.com - he is an amazing musician and really interesting guy - his music is just awesome!!! Not sure how these kinds of things happen to us all the time - just lucky I guess - but it made for one kickbutt party!

The last couple days have been pretty windy and cold as a front moves through but today is looking up a bit - hopefully it will warm up because we are all headed first to a party at Nancy and Bob's house (yes they have a real house here as well as the boat) and then we are off to a concert at Fort Zachary Taylor. But not just any concert - it is the kickoff of Los Van Van's 70 city US tour. Grammy winning Los Van Van is Cuba's hottest band - they are a 14 piece jazz and dance band who have garnered worldwide acclaim. Add in the fact that they are playing on Cuban national hero Jose Marti's birthday and it should just rock out the house (or the fort so to speak)!!!