What can happen on a mooring? Yikes, live and learn!

Yesterday, St Patrick's Day we drove to Marathon, Boot Key in THE Keys, FL (2 hours south) to have a wonderful corn beef and cabbage St. Patrick's Day dinner with Steve and Merry and friends on moored Alobar (yes, after the character in Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.), a beautiful 41' Lord Nelson sailboat.  Tons of beautiful old teak in the salon and on topside.  Blue skies and friendly fun loving folks.  Had a great time.

Steve wore his authentic kilt.





















It was such a great Irish day with some step dancing by relatives to celebrate too.

Watched a regatta of 40 sailboats coast in from a race with colorful spinnakers out on all of them.

As you can see the water is not the clearest here.  We can only make water with our Spectra water maker at high tide and clean our filters daily or change to new ones often.  Not like New England with deep constantly changing water with the big deep water and higher tides.  I'd say you can see your hand about 3' deep maybe.  I still did try to swim with the new ladder, but it didn't work -- waaay too cheap.  Drew couldn't haul himself up either.  The weather continues to stay around 80 but the winds are a-blowin' 20 most days.

Time for a return to the store...again.  This cost $40.  I think I need the solid one that costs about $150 and hangs off the side.  We have finally figured out a way to set the dinghy up with the stern ladder down that allows swimming by scooching under the dinghy,  down the swim ladder, or jumping off the swim platform.  The swim ladder is there to get back on.

Yikes, for Mazu will not be starring in any more happy dance videos soon.  She has come down with everything the tropics seem to offer.  Where there is no lyme disease here there are bugs and fungus galore that run rampant in the warm, humid conditions.  She contracted fleas that are resistant to her Advantix II monthly dose.  We need to not only treat her with a monthly pill that killed the fleas instantaneously, but we have to fumigate the boat and wash all of our clothes -- ALL, throw out her dog bed and the rugs.  We did find a super vet service, Banfield Pet Hospital, that is in Pet Smart Stores around the country. With all she has and our traveling, we signed up as a member to get a "discount."  She also has ringworm that required her to be shaved.  It is supposed to be very contagious, but we have not gotten it after she's apparently had it for weeks.  I just didn't know the stronger thing to treat her with.  The treatment is baths 3X a week with special shampoo for 6 months or until her fur grows back.  She has an ear infection that is caused by wet conditions and humid climate.  After the  dog attack she is a mess.  Fortunately her mood is still very upbeat, but we know she can't feel great with all this going on.  I think the immediate remedy of destroying the fleas made her feel much better.
But her cuddling she loves to do is not going to happen for a while.  Since I am leaving in a week for NYC Drew is going to be left with administering all the meds.

Fun on the mooring is taking out the 77 key piano Drew got me for Christmas.  Picture of that later.

We attended the orchid festival at David Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables.  To get there we drove one of the prettiest streets in America, Old Cutler Road, that is covered over like a tunnel with Banyon trees. [Talked about it last year too.] At the same time we experienced an amazing Dale Chihuly glass blower exhibit throughout the grounds.  Here is some of what we saw.

More Chihuilly

And then we came upon this fuzzy sort of giant seed or fruit hanging from a palm tree.

I have no idea what it is. Research time.
Presently reading Pocketful of Names by Coomer,  about an 81 year old uncle lobstering with a 19 year old niece art student.  Really quite good. Set in coastal Maine - that alone makes the setting great.