We're back in the Keys. Time to start living on island time...leave your watch and your worries behind, taking life where it falls with a grain of salt and a wedge of lime...we're living on island time in the tropical zone. There's no place like home just living on island time.
Dec. 29 – Bridges, Bridges, Bridges
Marine Stadium – Anchorage
"In today's rush we all think too much, seek too much, want too much and forget about the joy of the just being." - Eckhart Tolle
Bridges, bridges, bridges...today was all about bridges. We traveled 72 miles between Palm Beach and our anchorage in Miami and we went under 34 bridges. Sometimes it pays to be a smaller boat, by removing the isinglass and lowering the bimini we were able to get down to 12'. That meant we only had to have two bridges open for us to pass under, although our timing was pretty close to most of the bridge opening times. Three of the bridges were very close, very VERY close, we felt like we had to duck as we went under (see pictures below).
We're a slow boat, but today slow and steady (and short) proved to be quicker than the large faster boats. Today the tortoise won the race. We definitely couldn't have covered as much ground today if we had been in our Hatteras.
Here are a few of the more interesting bridges we saw today. The first one is Ocean Ave. Bridge in Ocean Ridge.
Venetian Causeway Bridge, MacArthur Causeway and the Dodge Island Bridges...all located in Miami
Dec. 28 – Palm Beach, FL
Lake Worth – Anchorage
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” —Marcel Proust
It felt amazing to be on the move today. Just as we entered the ICW from Stuart our friends on Amici were coming by from Ft. Pierce. We literally had to slow down to keep from running into them. Our timing couldn't have been better. We are both on our way to Marathon.
It was a busy day on the waterway...lots of people still enjoying the holidays. Between no wake zones, slow zones, people in kayaks and fishing, bridges and other boats our progress was pretty slow. We've been through this area many times and recognize a lot of homes and landmarks...mostly the homes, the gigantic homes. We anchored in Lake Worth in the middle of the afternoon and had plenty of time to catch up with our friends Ted and Sally. We haven't seen them in person since March 2014. It’s always nice to get together with old friends.
Amici with her crew Ted and Sally
Dec. 26 - On The Road Again
We're on our way back to Stuart, FL...where The Pearl is waiting, provisioned and ready to head south to Marathon and the Bahamas.
As happy as I am to be heading back to The Pearl...I really don't know how I'm going to get a long without spending time with our little grand wonders, watching them play, listening to their little voices and collecting all those wonderful hugs and kisses. Leaving them makes my heart feel like it's breaking.
Merry Christmas
2015 has been a wonderful year. A nice mix of boat time and family time. We began the year in the Florida Keys enjoying the warm weather, the beautiful water and the company of old and new friends. Marathon is home to hundreds of cruisers during the winter and there was always something to keep us busy.
In March we crossed the Gulf Stream and spent six weeks exploring Abacos. We enjoyed beautiful white deserted beaches, small quaint towns and wonderful clear water that ranged in color from beautiful shades of blue to turquoise. We felt like we were cruising in a huge swimming pool. We truly enjoyed our relaxing warm winter, but by spring we were ready to reconnect with our family...especially our grandwonders.
We returned to our home and the Texas Pearl the middle of April. We spent the remainder of the year bouncing back and forth between Port Lavaca, Rockport and Temple. In the past eight months we've finished most of the major projects we wanted to do on the Texas Pearl and she definitely feels like home now.
The best part of our year has been filled with lots of family time. We welcomed our third grandchild into the world on July 9...her big sister's birthday. We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. We've really gotten to enjoy watching the grands grow this year. Every minute spent with them is a true blessing. They are all wonderful loving little people…full of hugs, kisses and wonder for everything they see. I have no idea how we're going to get along without those wonderful little hugs and kisses when we return to The Pearl after Christmas.
We also had a chance this year to catch up with old friends we haven't seen in a long time...some as long as 30+ years. Hopefully it won't be so long between visits now. We look forward to spending Christmas with our family and watching our little one’s excitement for this amazing time of year.
We are excited about new adventures in 2016 and hope it brings all our friends and family good health and good fortune.
