Leaving Key West

This will be my last posting from Key West. The Captain and the First Mate have decided that there is to much happening back in Texas...our little jellyfish should be making his or her grand entrance into the world in early September. First Mate/Grandma-to-be is just to anxious to get home and tell Captain Jr. and First Mate-in-law how to do everything. Just kidding!!! Well...maybe not!

Jellyfish


We should shove off from Key West this coming Sunday, July 19, and hope to make Port Aransas in five to six days. Going to cross the Gulf so need to get going before hurricane season kicks into high gear.

All in all our trip has been memorable, full of fun, laughter and joy that we have been able to share with friends and family. We have been blessed!

I will miss Tami, she is more then a friend to me and has kept me laughing. She loves to garage sale/thrift store shopping as much as I do, she just gets it!!! We are only an e-mail/phone call away and we will have lots of grandma comparing notes to share. Love you Tami :)!!

Tami

Underwater Wonderland

I decided to do a separate post of all the beautiful underwater pictures taken by Howell. He had a waterproof case for his camera that we all envied giving him that National Geographicish ability to take some great pictures.

Enjoy!

The Fun Continues Part II

We headed back to Key West from the Dry Tortuga's after a fun three days of snorkeling, swimming and just being lazy.

In Key West we met up with the Captain and Crew of Safari, Robert, Angela and Boomer along with Tami, Thane and Mike at the Schooner Wharf. Had a great gab-fest and catchup session along with dinner and a few brews for some. After dinner Thane took us on a guided tour of Duval Street...but it had been a long day, coming back from the Tortuga's, stopping at the reef for a couple of hours of snorkeling and partying with friends took it's toll on us all.

On the 4th of July we all decided to take Liberty Call back out to the reef and snorkel some more, have lunch and just enjoy a day of celebration on the 233 birthday of this great nation!!!
That evening we watched fireworks from the upper deck of Safari. I think a great time was had by all.

Sunday, the 5th, we took Liberty Call back to Boca Chica and just spent the day resting up. It takes a lot out of you having fun. That evening we joined Mike at his marina for dinner. Then early to bed....so we thought! Had a little electrical problem on the boat, after some frantic tearing things apart and a few colorful words muttered...the first mate, that would be me, saw our neighbor outside looking at his electric box...seems the problem was not Liberty Call but Boca Chica Marina. Thank goodness!! It was just strange, because some of the electric worked on the boat and some did not. I never figured that out but the guys tried to explain it, but it was to complected for me.

On Monday, before Howel and Jo needed to be at the airport we took a little trip to the Mel Fisher Museum. Mel Fisher and his crew discovered the mother load of treasures from the sunken Spanish ship the Atocha back in the 70's. The museum give the history of the years of searching


A fish's eye view


Howel in deep water...again


Tami, me and the captain looking like professionals


4th of July



At the Schooner Wharf


Meeting up on Safari


The Captain in front of the Mel Fisher Museum


Howel and Jo in front of the Mel Fisher Museum


Headed home...don't they look tired?

Port Aransas in Key West, Part I

I think I have recovered from our week-long/non-stop/whirlwind fun with our dear and close friends Howell and Jo from s/v Why Knot berthed in Port Aransas. When they arrived Sunday evening we hit the ground running. Tami and Thane met up with us at the airport so they could give a big Key West Welcome to Howel and Jo also. We then decided to head over to the Turtle Kraal down by Key West harbor for a few drinks and catch up before heading over to Pepe's for dinner.

Arrival

Catchup Session


After a good nights rest...Monday morning, Jo and I headed to the local grocery store to stock up on food and stuff for our trip out to the Dry Tartugas. After cruising the isles of Publix I think we had found enough to outfit a small navy. I had already hit the commissary soooooo we were not going hungry or thirsty.

The Captain wanted to leave as soon as we got back. We had decided after a fuel stop in Key West we would head over to our favorite snorkel place and spend the night, get up early the next day and make our journey to the Tartugas.

On the way!


Coming up on the reef where we snorkeled and spent the night on our way to the Tartugas. Okay after close inspection of this picture it appears to be the chanel leaving Boca Chica.


Howell had a great underwater case for his camera and took a picture of the Captain right after he jumped in.



The water was murkey that day, but I think this is a picture of fish and some stingrays taking a snooze on the bottom. The rays like to cover themselves up with sand and all you can see is an outline of their body, their tale and blinking eyes.



Jo the next day on our way to the Tartugas.



We arrived at the Dry Tartugas early afternoon. It did not take us long to load up and head for shore to get some snorkeling in before the day ended. We started off in the lagoon at the side of Fort Jefferson and the Captain and I snorkeled over to the old iron post that have now turned into a reef. The fish were beautiful and the colors vivid. We joined Howel and Jo back at the lagoon.

SHARK ATTACK!!!!

While we were just having a leisurely time...a young couple started yelling and pointing from the beach. SHARK! SHARK! we all just said "no way" but then we looked. We saw two big fish fighting until the death, shark 1, tarpon 0...when the large ring of blood appeared, well Jo and I got out of the water. The guys just shrugged and snorkeled away. Said the shark was no longer hungry.



Arriving at the Dry Tartugas


The Captain with his head in a cannon.


The girls looking at a different cannon then the one the Captain put his head in.


Howell and Jo in front of Fort Jefferson, Dry Tartugas.


This is the end of part one but there is more to come!!

Family Time

Valerie/Bathing Beauty


As I posted earlier my little brother, Sam, and his wife, Paula, and kids, Nathan and Lindsey came to Key West for a short Vacation. Valerie showed up the next day to spend a week with us soooooo we were busy last week having fun with those we love.

We spent one day swimming at the marina, Boca Chica, where we keep Liberty Call. The kids practiced snorkeling so they would be ready the next day to go to the reef to see sharks and stingrays.

We ate a lot of meals downtown Key West, saw the chickens and enjoyed the sunset and street performers at Mallory Square. My sister-in-law was a little weary of spending to much time on Duval St. Did not want to educate the kids to early on some of Key West local flavor...you know whata mean!

Anyway, I think a good time was had by all.

I loved spending time with Valerie. She is so special to me. We saw a movie at the Tropic, an old restored theater downtown, then we had a yummy vegan meal at The Cafe. In fact it was so yummy we talked the meat-luvin-captain into eating dinner there on Valerie's last night. He had tuna steak!

Enjoy the pictures.

Holland Family
Snorkeling the Reef Lindsey taking a snooz...something about sailing just puts you to sleep. Nathan at the helm. The captain is keeping a watchful eye on him. I think Nathan is interviewing for the First Mate job! Captain doing his Sea Hunt interpretation Captain/Dad and Valerie looking like navy seals. Valerie made us some vegan bloody mary's. Pretty Tasty
Captain and Valerie at the helm.


It was a great week! Everyone has gone home and I miss them all. Hope they come see us again. Now we are resting up for our friends, Howel and Jo, from Port A/San Antonio to come for a week visit. Mike and Donna are here as well as Tami and Thane and the Harts may be coming next week also. Port A party!!!!

Sunday Afternoon

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon here at the Boca Chica Marina. The Captain is scrubbing the bottom of the boat and...well I'm blogging.

This week will be a busy week, my little bro, Sam, and family are coming to Key West tomorrow and then on Tuesday my favorite and most beautiful daughter is coming for a visit also. So it looks like a week of beaching, swimming, snorkleing, and visiting the sites of Key West.

This is a picture of Valerie and Curtis. Curtis can not make this trip, his band, Theater Fire, will be on tour. Curtis stay safe and good luck err...break a leg.

Where Have I Been?

Well I see I have let time go by and I have neglected my blog. I have only one excuse, I am on Key West time and if you have ever been to Key West you will understand, if not...hmmm I guess you need to come on down!!!

The Captain and I took a road trip to Bremfield, Mass for a big flea market. A friend of ours sits up there and invited us to come up and see what was happening. What a blast it was, and shopper overload. So much to see.

We took Liberty Call over to the Dry Tartugas with Mike and Donna for some RR from our RR. We snorkled, explored the old fort and former prison. The only famous prisoner ever there was Dr. Mudd, the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth's leg after he shot Lincoln. The old saying...your name is mud comes from that time.

PICTURE TIME

Pirate girl picture I found at the big flea...I got to take her home.

The one that got away was this cute little shelf shaped like a sailboat and painted red. Oh so cute. If I had a real kitchen I would have bought it in a heartbeat. Can't you just see it? Well I could!!

Flea Market shot, does not do the place justice.

The marina on Memorial Day. A few boats had their signal flags up...looked very patriotic.

Big Fluffy Cloud on Memorial Day

We flew our Signal Flags for the first time on Memorial Day

A dang big fish off the back of Liberty Call...see how clear the water is!

Approaching the Dry Tartugas

Mike, Donna and the Captain inside the fort at the Dry Tartugas

Liberty Call anchored at the Dry Tartugas

The Captain and First Mate at the Dry Tartugas...someone has been eating tooo much Key Lime Pie! The state pie of Florida, not sure if that is true but sounds right!

I never had my senior year yearbook until I found a copy on e-bay for a $1.99. Yeap thats me!!!

One afternoon the Captain and I were sitting outside when a group of old, salty Marines came by, they saw our Marine Corps flag flying,and invited the Captain to the bar for a drink and swap old stories. I got to go along because the Captain told them I was a former Marine also. What a hoot these guys were.

I took this picture because he was my favorite old guy, infact he was a corpsman in Korea with the Marines, and any good Marine knows corpsmen are their best friend and they are very brave.

These are a couple of starfish that we found outside our marina in the saltgrass. Donna dived in and got them. We took them back to the boat, but decided they were to lovely to keep, because they would die, we decided to take a picture and set them free. que...BORN FREE music.