Lorenzo & Delois Johnson

We  have been docked here in Marathon for almost two weeks, and we have fallen into a semi-routine.

First, let me assure You that we are very glad to be here, and that we are really enjoying ourselves.  The weather is perfect. We have not had any rain since we left home, and we have not needed the heater since the first week of our travels. 

We walk 2 miles every morning.  We start at 7.00 am to beat the heat.  Our path takes us through some beautiful neighborhoods.  There are lots of other old people out walking also.  We return to the boat for coffee and breakfast, but sometimes we go to McDonalds for breakfast.

There are four boats in our little group, docked close together , and we all met while we were doing the Great Loop.  We have a palm tree on the dock near the stern of our boats, and we call it “1 Palm Tree Court.”  This is our meeting place, and we bring our folding chairs out to sit and relax and visit.  There is a lot of eating and wine sipping that happens under this tree.  It is very relaxing, and we have lots of people stop by to visit.

We frequently prepare community meals, and we often go as a group to have meals at unique restaurants in the area.

Our day to day transportation is by bicycle and dinghy.  There are lots of canals here, and most places can be reached using the dinghy.  We have a folding grocery cart that we tow behind our bicycle for grocery shopping.  This makes it easier to transport bottled water and other heavier items.  Most things (grocery store, McDonalds, K-Mart ) are close by so we do not have to travel a long way to get the things we need.

We have two automobiles available to us, so we crowd 10 people into 2 cars when we need to stray further away.  We have been to Key West to spend the day and watch the famous Key West sunsets.  We have visited the Dolphin training academy and visited numerous interesting places during our time here.  One of the places we visited was the “No Name Pizza Parlor” on No Name Key.  It has by far the best Pizza I have ever tasted.  It is located in a really remote location, and has been in business since 1936.  The most unique feature is the wall paper.  Patrons write their names or whatever on $1 bills and staple them to the walls, ceilings, or on any available surface.  The bills are stapled by the very end to make room for more bills.  No one has an accurate estimate of how many dollar bills are stapled and taped there, but it is difficult to find a place where the bills are not too thick to prevent stapling another bill.

This is a very enjoyable lifestyle.  We are surrounded by good friends, we eat extremely well, and we do not have many obligations or things that we must do.  It is rare for us to know what day of the week today is, and it is not important to know.  I try to spend at least an hour, most days, doing something productive.  I often fail in that regard, but failure is not a concern.

We should have one of our cars here tomorrow, and that will be a big help.  We are planning to go to Miami this Weekend for the Miami boat show, and we are really looking forward to it.

Lois really loves it here, and we will make reservations for next year before we leave.  We are very fortunate to be able to enjoy this time in Sunny Florida in the middle of Winter.  We are planning to make this trip an annual event.

 This week, we are planning to spend lots of time on the beach, and spend more time riding our bicycles.  Riding bicycles is hard on the waistline, because we stop at too many places that sell ice cream. 

We made it!! We are docked at Sombrero Resort Marina in Marathon , Fl.  We are at MM 1195, and we covered the final 35 miles today without incident or major concerns.  We actually are now on the Atlantic side of the Florida penisula, even though we have been traveling in the Gulf of Mexico for the last few days.  We passed under (barely) a low bridge (19′) to get from the Gulf to the Atlantic side.  The marina is on the Atlantic side, in Boot Key Harbor.

We are planning to stay here for the next two months and enjoy the weather and the Florida Keys atmosphere.  Today it is 85 degrees, sunny, with a slight wind from the SE.  The A/C is running and we have not had to use heat for the last 10 days. 

All of the expected friends are here, and we are having a pot luck dinner on the dock this evening.  Trying to get setteled in.