3/12/16        Saturday           Boot Key/Marathon, FL


Preparing the boat to leave. Sigh.  Coffee on the aft deck to discuss the day and how to not do/plan sooooo much that we get totally frustrated or injured.  Then we're off like a herd of....something faster than turtles but not quite rabbits.  David tackled the bilge pump switch that hasn't worked in a while, automatically, the manual turn-it-on-daily works fine. Several hours to success but success never the less and that's what counts in bilge pump switches.  I stored, rearranged, stored, rearranged, even managed to get rid of a couple of things, make the grocery and other provisions list, FOUND the zine I'd borrowed to copy some charts from and that I had temporarily lost. Thank goodness for St. Anthony.

Then we both tackled the potential dinghy hoisting device. We tried this way. We tried that way. We tried another way. We sweated as it was getting pretty hot and muggy by 2 PM. Finally, to my relief, David determined that it just wasn't going to work. So we'll pull out the cargo net we used coming down and just use our muscles again. We keep trying to find techniques that use our brains since our brawn is diminishing with age.

Then Alex, solar panel cutie, arrived to tell us how well our panels were working and to get paid. "You didn't turn on the refrigerator?!??", he asked incredulously. "You have to demand electricity or the panels will think you don't need it." I went right down into the galley and turned on our refrigerator, first time in more than a month. Wow! Frost in the freezer compartment and cool temps all over. Then I plugged in my computer, too! Turns out that was a little too much...leaving it plugged in all the time we were away.  So when we returned we turned off and unplugged again. Expecting full sun tomorrow and we'll recharge!

So errands, groceries, photocopying (took three different self-service copiers to finally complete my job, not my fault) complete, we returned our bounty to the dinghy and entered the world of the annual Marathon Seafood Festival held in the City Park just beside the marina. This Festival is a bit like the Maine Festival w/less arts performances, less art, generally, but really a great fun festival. Stuff for all ages. David and I were starving. Sausage heros and conch fritters! Hurrah! Lots of vendors, for food and for things to buy for fun, decoration (body and home/boat), various local charities and non-profits. I spent money as I'd promised David I'd probably do. We've been pretty frugal, except for boat improvements and careful to spend well even there, but now we're getting ready to return, so...... It's now or never...for this year in Marathon. Then we danced the night away...well, a good 45 minutes from 7:45 - 8:30 PM to a terrific band with an amazing lead guitarist. Covering music from 70s forward.

Guitarist started the Jimi Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner as most of us faced the large but flaccid flag in the center of the park. As he/we got to the "Oh say does that Star Spangled..." the flag lofted and streamed straight out. Beautiful! Stunning! Lots of tears from lots of people, no doubt having many different thoughts, hopefully of gratitude, at that moment. I hope we were all affirming our best, most generous, highest good thoughts and selves. It was a magical moment.

The only thing the band didn't play that David and I hoped for and sang ourselves on the way back to the dinghy was "Pinball Wizard."

Back on Grace we sat with Amelia on the aft deck and delighted in the warm night, our anchor light star field, our extreme good fortune.