May 11th: Sure Feels Like Groundhog Day

We've been at Banana Bay since December. That's the longest we have ever stayed in one spot on Yesterday's Dream. Especially given the snow birds have all left, every day seems pretty much the same. Even the weather seems very consistent, 10-15 knot winds and temperatures in the low to mid eighties. There is just enough wind to prevent us from taking short trips in the boat. We could go but it's not terribly comfortable.

We are getting to the gym almost every day. Linda can ride the reclining stationary bike because she doesn't need to use her hands.



As we were leaving for Linda's latest Key West Physical Therapy appointment, we saw this little guy sitting on the dock sunning himself. We love seeing their curly tails. This one is about 6 inches long. There are a lot of them around and they are not very skittish. We decided to visit the Eco Discovery Center in Key West before our 12:00 PM appointment. Might as well take advantage of the drive.




We were glad we went. There was a topographical map of the Keys which showed details of the immense Eco System in which we are spending the winters. There were many models of sea creatures and some dioramas showing the different landscapes. I have always liked the Roseate Spoonbills with their unusual beaks. We've seen a few in the wild but not in the Keys. Apparently if you get away from civilization they are out there.









There was another display about the Aquarius Undersea Lab. The actual lab is 63 feet below the surface near Key Largo. A lot of research is carried out there as well as astronaut training.The astronauts remain in the lab for ten days. Before they come out and up they must spend 17 hours in the decompression chamber! Not sure that sounds like fun.







The replica of the living space of the lab was interesting. The residents have full internet accessibility, a microwave and cell phone connection. The actual lab remains stationary off Key Largo.

The Aquarius Lab Replica

Linda inside the lab replica pushing buttons

As I was walking away from the Aquarius Lab I noticed a large screen with underwater movies but it was all blurry. I looked closer and saw the 3-D glasses on the table. The 3-D was some of the best we have ever seen. We both found ourselves reaching out to touch things. A little girl came by with her father and she just kept trying to touch the fish, the coral etc. It was very well done.

We left the Eco Lab and moved on to the physical therapy. Linda's therapist Rosie said she was doing great. She fitted her with the new mechanical splint she'll wear during the day for the next two months. Then both hands should be good to go.

This splint, like the last one, holds the fingers in the correct position for the soft tissues around the knuckle replacements to heal correctly.






Speaking of her hands, this picture shows that the time spent here is well worth it. Linda is at the point she feels like she should be able to use her left hand. But not yet! We can both hear physical therapist Rosie saying, "NO NO NO. The soft tissues are still healing, you should not use that left hand yet!" But it sure looks good.







Getting the mechanical splint certainly feels like we're getting there. That allows her to bend her fingers while still keeping the knuckles supported. Of course this splint is just like the one she had for her right hand, hence reinforcing the Groundhog Day feeling. She needs to wear this splint two months to insure her knuckles are properly seated.

By now we were hungry. Rosie recommended a Thai place nearby. It was a challenge trying to get in to the parking lot but we finally made it. We ate on a balcony that overlooked the harbor. The food was great as were the view and the weather.

One of us, (I won't mention his name), thought about the expiration date on our passports. We'll need the passports to go to Canada on Guppy. Turned out our passports will expire this summer so we renewed them. They sent the old ones back along with the new ones. They punch holes in the old ones! Now we are all set go to Canada on Guppy.