Saturday January 23: Still Blowin' in the Keys

The wind continues to blow through the Keys - today is 30 mph with occasional gusts higher.

Doesn't make me want to ride around on a bike as it feels as though I'd just get blown right over!

Today it's from the west - which is good for us on the boat as the trees in front of us block much of the wind. The worst is the north winds  which create some interesting wave action in the marina basin.

Not sure how that pelican can even fly! Good job Steve getting the pelican in the picture :-)

But it's warm (mostly), sunny (some days) and no snow - unlike the East coast. We've been watching the weather channel lately for it's entertainment value. Some of the boater's here have greater concerns though. At least one that we know of that still has a home in New Jersey - and the power is out.

So we use the time to continue maintenance on the boat - both in and out.

Steve's replacing both swing lights as they are showing both rust and wear. About 3 years old which is actually pretty good in this salty air environment.

Recovering the dinette seat bottom and back as well as the bar stools is also an ongoing project.

Same material that I used last year to make the new cushion covers for Guppy. There is still tons of the material left from our $35 bargain at the fabric store in Cleveland. 

Seat bottom is for another day ;-)

And as I was working on recovering the bar stools - I decided owning these bar stools for 16 years and one recovering was enough! They made the move through 3 homes and one boat. Time for new ones!

So, armed with Amazon Prime, the new pair arrived in a very quick 4 days.

Ten minutes to assemble and we're good to go. Smaller and lighter but not as comfortable.

No one really sits on them unless we're eating so no issues there. And taken apart they are much easier to store.

Most fun over the past week? Joining the marina community in a "Pierogi Night" put on by Randy and Cindy (I Think I Can ...), and George and Pat (Reflection). 

Cindy

Lots of work cleaning  up the 'work room' next to the laundry (too cold and windy to have the gathering outside) and then hand making close to 100 potato/cheese pierogi. 

George and Pat

Plus Cindy made dill pickle soup - which sounds weird but was incredibly good! All in all a great time :-) Steve will definitely be getting THAT recipe!

Wildlife spotted around the marina: a green heron taking a break from the wind on our neighbor's swim platform. These birds are very skittish and it's unusual to see one just hanging around. 

And wading around just off shore is a white heron. 

These birds are quite a bit larger than the smaller green herons. It's always fun to spot them!

Well, that's all the educational stuff I can muster today :-)

My brother Pat and his wife Becky are due in Monday from the northern tundra of Ohio. Hopefully the wind will decide to play nice when they are here .....