Back in Coconut Grove...

 ...after 2 days at anchor at Elliott Key. We were the only people there! And the water was about 80 degrees so we spent a lot of time snorkeling.

Before this, we stopped at Molasses Reef in the Atlantic for a quick snorkel stop.  It was the most amazing snorkel spot we've seen here --  TONS AND TONS OF FISH!  It felt like we'd jumped into an aquarium.  We couldn't stay long though, because the sea was a little swelly and the boat was pitching side to side.

We dingyed to the key yesterday morning to walk the trails, but they were not well marked, there was no breeze because the vegetation was so dense, and the mosquitoes freaked us out!  So we hung out in the water. 



There was a large school of fish that hung out in the shadow of the boat and dingy.  I later learned they did this to hide from birds who were looking for dinner.  When we got in the water to snorkel, the fish followed us around.  It was so cool!.



I don't know their name, but they are gray fish with yellow and blue stripes.

Taste of Islamorada

 Day 2 of DEAR GOD IT IS HOT!!! Today was Taste of Islamorada at the beach and we had a great time!  Seven different restaurants were there, and it was a nice smallish event with live bands.

 

I think this band was called Rodeo Cowboys. They were great! I think Thelma would have liked them.

The hula hoop competition was fierce! The girl was the returning champion. The boy in the background won this year.

The little girl was a hula hooping machine! But the boy won this year.

Some people beached their boats & kept coolers full of beer in them -- so they had a steady supply.

 



Remember the sand castle from yesterday? This is the completed castle! It reminded me of Gaudi - it reminded John of Game of Thrones

Sand Castle artist collected tips in a small treasure chest.  The Spanish helmet is a nice touch.

 



Little kids got to make their own sand castle.
 

The kids building their own castle did not collect tips.



Restaurant Booths. John and I sampled: Pan Seared Scallops, Jalapeno Mango Pulled Pork Sliders, Steak Au Poivre Kabob's with Crazy Taters, Mango Mary's Key Lime Ice Box Pie with Macadamia Crust, and a Lobster Roll.  Everything was delicious!! !

Tomorrow we leave to go snorkeling and spend the night at anchor somewhere.  Either Elliot Key or John Pennekamp.  Then on to Glory Days' home at Dinner Key.

Weekend at Plantation Key

I like pelicans

We were going to leave yesterday for  Molasses Reef to snorkel and spend the night. As we were preparing to leave we realized DEAR GOD IT IS HOT!!!!!! AND HUMID!!!!! IT IS FAINT-AND-FALL-OVER-HOT!!!!

Also, it is Island Fest at the park next to the marina. Craft booths, music, food --- so we changed our minds pretty fast.
I checked out the booths, we had a fish sandwich for lunch, and spent the afternoon at the FABULOUS pool in the park.  Today (Sunday) the Fest will feature food booths and we will try not to be such Pacific Northwest Wusses. 

This guy had a jet pack that let him zoom over the water

It was a crazy thing to watch



Sand Castle Artist



I'll go back today to photograph the final creation

My second camera battery died

I'm afraid I can't post the pics of our last days on Marathon. We tried leaving twice and the engine kept overheating.  Got the problem solved yesterday - faulty impeller that had been installed ONLY 2 months ago!!!!  Captain John NOT HAPPY about that.  Fortunantly our attorney Jamie Baker of
Baker Botts was visiting us.  ;-)

Back at Plantation Key now.  Pool time tomorrow, not sure what the next stop will be...

Banana Resort in Marathon.

Sombrero Beach

Yesterday it poured rain ALL DAY. But today is gorgeous! John & I had a good breakfast this morning at the Stuffed Pig. Then feeling a little like stuffed pigs, we walked about a mile to rent bikes and rode to Sombrero Beach which is a SUPER NICE beach.  Nicer than Bahia Honda and anything we saw in Key West.  It was not busy at all for a Saturday.

On our way to the beach we stopped in at the Marathon Library.  I told them I was a librarian, and they gave me a free pencil :-) 

Captain John is so happy at the beach.

This is Rusty. He decided he wanted to share our shade with us.

Our friend Jamie might arrive tomorrow to visit for a few days. 

This is Rusty's pal Rosco. He wanted to share our shade too. 

2 days at anchor at Bahia Honda State Park

We had to go under US 1 to get to Bahia Honda.

Captain John was nervous, but we had plenty of clearance.

We tied up to the only buoy in the bay. I guess I should have seen the word GOVERNMENT on the buoy, but I didn't.



We dingyed in to talk to the dockmaster, and he said the buoy belonged to NOAA, so we had to anchor elsewhere. Captain John says, "Bahia Honda (Deep Bay) not so 'Honda'". The bay is sandy and shallow, so it took about an hour to anchor and dingy back in.  Swimming at the beach was fantastic! The water was perfect!

This is a very nice state park with interesting wildlife - including a butterfly garden.

That's Glory Days.



We left Bahia Honda yesterday and are now at Banana Key in Marathon. It's going to be HUMID today - supposed to rain tomorrow.

Monday at Bahia Honda

The crab pots in the keys are like land mine fields. They are EVERYWHERE and make boating a little nerve-wracking. We ran over a line that didn't have a weight on it, and the rope wrapped around the propeller. John had to dive with a knife and cut the rope off.  Fortunately, there was no damage. And unfortunately, there weren't any crabs in the trap we could steal!

This is the line John cut off.

Left Key West (a work-free drug place) yesterday and anchored overnight at Tarpon Belly.

Sunset at Tarpon Belly. It was prettier in person. We are at Bahia Honda now, and will dingy over to the park tomorrow to check it out.