Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Wednesday, February 3.
Life has slowed down. Tackling the list of To Do's has been postponed again.

It's always fun to be with a group of Loopers, and we've made some great new friends. But still we know that dear friends at home are having difficult medical issues. We miss being there to see for ourselves that they are OK. Cell phone and email aren't always enough.

"One Palm Court," a collection of salvaged tables and chairs on the boardwalk right in front of a bunch of Looper boats, is where we cook out every Tuesday night. Last night about 44 people showed up for hot dogs and pot luck. All this started with Lewis and Larry dragging out discarded tables and chairs. Cleaned up and decorated with plastic tablecloths and lights, the resulting spot is "Keys fancy."

Morning walks feel good. That's the only thing keeping us from gaining 5 pounds a week while we're here. So much good seafood. So many restaurants to explore. So little willpower. Tonight we ate soup on the boat -- feeling virtuous.

Dinghying around is great fun -- looking at INTERESTING boats in the harbor, going to meals with Loopers (notice the Fried Key Lime Pie at Burdines), and exploring nearby Sister Creek.

We will be glad when we can finally move to our regular slip with the rest of the group. The Dockside Restaurant/bar is located about one foot from our boat windows. Fortunately, some of the musicians are quite good (and also loud). They stop playing by 9 p.m. How can we complain though! We are in the Keys, where daytime temperatures lurk mostly in the mid-70s.