Key West – Settling In

I feel as though I am starting to settle in now. I have found a nice comfortable bar where I can just “hang out”. Note that we still must were masks. That just adds to the mystery.

And I am taking care of my health by staying hydrated.

I’m joking, of course. Surprisingly, we have not yet made it to Mallory Square for the famous nightly Sundown Ritual, nor have we actually set foot in any of the Duval Street bars. We’ve been enjoying the prettier parts of town during the day and having a glass (bottle) of wine on the boat in the evening. If you are reading this blog, then you know me; and I know you are scoffing in disbelief. But it’s true!

We just got $250 in groceries, water and wine delivered right to the boat. I don’t mind shopping for smaller, lighter items, but having the heavy items delivered is a blessing.

PLUS, the dock master just brought me $300 worth of cigars, sent to me by my friend Larry Brotzge.

AND my Amazon order just arrived (tubing for windshield washers).

AND remember I mentioned laundry service? Here is the mark of a life well-lived:

Can you imagine how good it feels to get EVERYTHING clean again? We did some “catch-up” loads at our family stops on the way down, but this was BOW to STERN. Aaahhhh!

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We’re also making friends with some of the other boaters. Last night, we were invited to have dinner on an adjacent boat, by Steve and Jane, a couple who own a restaurant in Beach Haven NJ. “Home cooked” food. Porterhouse prime steak. Really!

They just sailed back from Panama…hmmm. Maybe that’s next?

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Guinness actually requires more settling-in and more maintenance than I do. I could probably just hang out by the pool and the beach all day. But Guinness isn’t allowed on the resort property per se, so he needs a different regimen: morning and evening walks; visits to the dog park so that he can get exercise by running with other dogs; a beach for swimming. And we are hooking him up with a vet and a groomer.

There is not a lot of grass in Key West, so we are doing a LOT of walking to address his needs. I think we can eventually get into a nice rhythm of walking to the east side of the Key for sunrise, and going to Mallory Square or to the huge park on the west side of the Key for sunset. About a 4-mile round trip each.

All things considered, Guinness may provide some much-needed structure and exercise. Here’s a shot of our little guy – all tuckered out after a morning at Dog Beach. It’s a small beach on the east side of the island, where he does not need to be leashed. When he curls up like this, he’s just 18″ long. So how come at night he takes up half the berth?