Our last few days in Marathon were busy. We went to the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key with Marc and Michele. It was a very nice place and a great way to spend a few hours watching dolphins and listening to the trainers give talks. They have programs where kids can stand in the water and shake hands with the dolphins and adults can swim with the dolphins. We had a nice lunch at the bar next door and then returned to the boat to see another wonderful sunset.
We were going to leave Marathon on the first of February but the weather was a little snotty so Roy said we could stay another night. We were glad we did because I got to play golf with the guys and there was a Looper potluck at Marathon Marina on Wednesday night. My team lost in golf but the potluck was great. There were about 50 people and a ton of food which of course was gone by the end of the night. We met some Loopers that we had not seen in a while and many others that we just met. All of the food was great but there were two things that stood out for me. Someone made jalapeno bread which was quite spicy but great and there was a delicious cherry crumb cake.
The next day was Thursday and we had to say goodbye to Marathon. We were ready to leave but it was sad to say goodbye to the people we shared a dock with for almost a month. We said goodbye to Marc and Michele and headed out of the harbor, under the bridge and East along the Intracoastal to Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina in Islamorada. There were a lot of crab pots but Ginny did a great job of not hitting any and staying in the channel which was very narrow and shallow at times. The depth finder alarm was buzzing the last hour of the trip and we were stirring the sandy bottom but we didn't touch. The marina is very nice and is part of a large community park called Founders Park. They have an Olympic size pool, a private beach, dog park, two baseball diamonds, several soccer fields and a lot of walking trails. The park is not really close to anything so you either have to have a bike or a car. Of course I chose a car. We rented a car from Enterprise for a couple of weeks and it has been so nice to be mobile again.
The weather has been a little windy and rainy but we are still having a good time. We did take the dinghy out one day to a place called Toilet Bowl Pass. It is a cut in the water that is lined on both sides with toilet lids on stakes. They are all decorated and from all parts of the country. I am not sure of the origin but it was a fun trip. We are also right next to the Snake River which is a crossover between the Atlantic and the Gulf with some very nice homes and a restaurant that has a dinghy dock. There are other Loopers here so we tend to do a nightly happy hour to catch up on the days important activities.
Wednesday we received a random call from a friend of our daughters who said he was in Islamora and was getting married the next day - could we come to his reception. I checked my busy calendar and was able to squeeze him in. His name is Sam and his new wife is Cristina. Cristina is a marketing director for a clothing store and they were here for a photo shoot for the catalog and Web site. Sam and Cristina decided on Monday to get married on Thursday by a judge and have their reception at their hotel. Cristina's mom was there but nobody from Sam's family so Ginny and I were really happy to represented his home town. The next day our daughter Stephanie arrived for a long weekend. She flew into Miami so we picked her up at the airport and will take her back on Monday for the flight back. She looks great and we are so happy to have her here with us for a few days. Sam and Cristina were still in town for one more night so we met them for drinks and gossiped about their friends.
The next day we went shopping and then had a wonderful dinner at the Green Turtle Inn. Green Turtle Inn is at mile marker 81 and if you are near there and want a great dinner (not cheap), go there. There is a branch of Bass Pro called the World Wide Sportsman at mile marker 81. It is a large Bass Pro kind of store and they have a replica of Ernest Hemingway's boat called the "Pilar" inside the store. We are going to be here until February 27th when we will begin our trip to the Bahamas. I hope to go to the Miami boat show on Friday with some of the guys here so that should be a lot of fun and I am sure we will be checking out some other good restaurants along the way.
Dolphin Research Center
One of Flippers relatives
Begging for fish
They can really jump high
One of our last sunsets in Marathon
Quite a spread at the pot luck
The other half of the table
All packed up and ready to leave Marathon
Michele and Marc waving goodbye
Rocco's bar and grill at the marina
Heading under the 7 Mile Bridge again
A nice old Trumpy named Tireless docked across from us at Islamorada
Our view onto the Gulf
Anything to attract tourists
Toilet Bowl Pass
My favorite
The lighthouse marking to the entrance to the harbor
Cristina and Sam on their wedding day
Doesn't she look great?
The "Pilar" inside the store
Glad to see your time at Marathon was enjoyable, we may be in the marathon area in a week or so ourselves. We are planning a stop over at plantation hope to see you there. Hey how long are you planning on spending in the Islands?
ReplyDeleteIf we do not see you, have a great rest of your loop.
Jim and Dale