3/19/16        Saturday       Ft Pierce, FL    Riverside Marina


I've been a bit "kurphlumped" all day, a bit melancholy, a little sad...heavy sighs if I were a person given to heavy sighs. Many reasons: those memories tickled by the sound of ocean breakers on the outer island, the book I finished had the heroin die (duh), parting company w/Wendy and Dan, remembering some special friends who have passed over, leaving the Keys, raining most of the day...another heavy sigh from one not given to heavy sighs. Several moments of tears of gratitude to have so many wonderful memories of so many joys and experiences in my short life so far. Wow. No one can challenge my good fortune.

David and I were talking while waiting for dinner to decide to get on the table about how we've begun to enjoy ourselves and each other more, recently. Discussing the change and how/when it happened. For me it had to do with arriving in/being in Marathon. Marathon was not what I expected. I anticipated much more wild and woolly, lawlessness and confusion...not the neat rows of moorings, the communal spaces, the garden, the community. But Marathon was, in my mind, the destination, the place I'd heard about and the place we "have to visit."When we arrived, in the mooring field, then we'd arrived! Reached our goal. Accomplished much through hard and frightening work. And it was work. And it was risky, often frightening work. Not to say that I was frightened all the time, or even much of the time but I'd never done this before. It is/was dangerous. I'd never tested these skills. I didn't even have these skills when we left Maine. I didn't even know about these skills - boating skills, navigation skills, friend-making skills, living in small and floating space skills. But, you know, I'd never lived in NYC either or had the skills to successfully ride the subways when I arrived there. And I/we integrated and became valued and contributing members of the Boot Key Harbor/Marathon community during the short time we were there. I'm pleased. I'm proud. I'm grateful. I'm more relaxed and confident....about many things, thanks to this journey. And, I've had and am having a BLAST. I'm sad to leave. And, I'll be pleased to have returned to our Freeport home and community and family and friends. But for now I'm kurphlumped.

Some photos left over from yesterday before moving onto our overnight accommodations here in Ft. Pierce.          

Lawn chairs in the shallows of the canal

Wendy, Dan, Nan

Breakers

So, parted ways with our Nova Scotia friends at St. Lucie inlet where they turned toward Stuart and we continued to Ft. Pierce. We watched the weather closely as rain and maybe thunder was predicted. We got rain! In a big way, but only rain. I did most of the helms work today while David figured out where and how to get the pump we need. We made our way to Riverside Marina. This place is a trip. Sort of two parts to the marina, due to a divorce we're told. One party got a better deal. Parts of the marina remind me a bit of the movie, The Beast of the Southern Wild, a movie I totally loved, and I'm loving this place, too. Its oddness is compelling and unsettling. Derelict boats next door to quarter million dollar boats, people living aboard used-to-be boats, live aboard people spreading out onto the docks and creating back/front yards and playgrounds. Creative.

Our front walk is a little rickety 

Vertical lines are roots of Red Mangroves growing down twd water

Abandoned

Ditto

other area of marina

Day watch bird

night watch bird

And finally my aunt Betty's favorite lighthouse. Cousin Nancy identified it for me. We passed so many bridges yesterday I couldn't remember where this beauty was. Jupiter, FL