Waiting Patiently

We've been doing a lot of waiting these last six months! Waiting to get Dave into Mayo clinic to have the bad hip replaced so we can start to plan our return to cruising aboard our Alberg 35, Mystic. Waiting, waiting...waiting! We've been staying super busy with home projects, trade show adventures, and enjoying the holidays with family. We've also been buying things for our boat, working on improvements, and planning our next adventure. It has been a productive time for us.

Magma stacking cookware for Mystic

Hook and Moor boat Hook

We bought the longer version on sale at Defender Marine

Charts and Tide Tables

Inflatable Dinghy

Inflated Dinghy
Photo by Cruising World

We booked two nights at the historic Kahler Hotel in downtown Rochester, a stones throw from the entrance to Methodist Hospital where Dave would have his hip replaced. Check in for surgery was at 6:30 am so we were up early. He wasn't taken away for pre-op until 8:45. The time in between was filled with questions, a change into compression socks under non-slip socks and finally a lovely new purple gown. An IV was placed which seemed to make Dave sleepy; I was antsy knowing this would be a long day! They wheeled Dave away on a bed; he was mortified but submitted to the comfort of warm blankets under him and warm blankets draped across his body. He smiled at me and said, "See you soon, go get some coffee", which I did. And then, I found myself alone, and I waited.

Dave all hooked up

Purple gowned Dave smiling before surgery

Silly Non-skid socks

Waiting rooms are intense, often filled with family members, some alone, others in large groups that seem to hug a lot. Everyone is in the same boat; waiting for loved ones to come through surgery; not saying much, just anxiously waiting. I sat in a chair, glancing at the clock that was directly in front of me. I swear it took a half hour for five minutes to pass. An electronic board allows family members to follow their loved one. Each patient is given a six digit number. The board changes status as the patient makes their way through the surgery process. The unique patient number flashes with a color coded notice of what's going on at each moment. It doesn't take long for me to be sent to Dave's room to wait for him. This is good news!

Color Codes

Surgical Board Tracker

The surgery took only one and a half hours but I didn't get to see him for five. The time passed slowly but I was blessed with a visit from our friend Tiffany Whiting. She kept me distracted and just shy of panic! We went on long walks through the Subway or lower level of Rochester, and the Skyway or the upper level of Rochester, both through inside walkways. We managed to have a fun adventures together, in spite of my concern for Dave. Tiffany took us to Chester's the night before surgery. We joked about it being Dave's last supper with his old hip! We also had lunch at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center and dinner at The Loop.

Mayo Art: Blown glass with metal frames by Dale Chihuly

Plummer Building night view

Plummer Building Entrance

Plummer Building ceiling

Plummer Building elevator door

Plummer Building door details

Chateau Courtyard, Rochester, MN

Chateau Theater

Chateau Courtyard

Glammed up storefront window
Rochester, MN

Beth and Tiffany in White Bear Lake
She's the girl you want to have around when
killing time is the name of the game!

The surgery went well, with no surprises. The surgeon informed us that his hip was in terrible shape! Dave had some post surgery challenges, including chest pain and fever. They did a lot of tests and found that his lungs were filling with fluid. He improved greatly after using a breathing exerciser. I was at the hotel during all the excitement. Dave didn't want me to worry so he handled the scare on his own. He had considerable pain that led to a 40 hour stretch with NO sleep. I watched my strong, independent hero get more and more distressed until they found the right cocktail that helped him relax! Once we got that right, things improved!

Dave on his first post-surgery walk

Post-surgery, not feeling so great

Feeling better wearing Beth's hat

View from Dave's Room

I brought him home on Sunday, two days after surgery. We had waited so long to get this done and now we were on the other side; grateful to have this surgery behind him. I felt great about being there to help him through the recovery. Now, we wait for him to heal!

Florida Keys Strong

We drove through the Florida Keys on our way back to the airport in Orlando. There was damage from Hurricane Irma all along Route 1 with the worst of it in the middle Keys. The foliage in Big Pine Key was shredded! The road was lined with piles of garbage and debris. The Marathon mooring field in Boot Key Harbor was almost full during our visit with friends aboard Mucho Gusto. During Irma, there were 300 boats in the harbor. Over 200 were lost in the storm, or salvaged after recovery. It is estimated that 1,300 boats were sunk in all of the Keys during the storm. Boot Key Harbor was hit the hardest! Second was the Key West anchorage. The "Welcome to Key West" sign was found 300 miles North on Ft. Meyers Beach. It was loaded onto a private boat and returned to Key West. A group of AGLCA Loopers are helping with the clean up. There is much yet to be done. The people of the Conch Republic are resilient and proud. They are Keys Strong and they will recover!

Damaged Boats

Debris pile

Cleanup work along the Keys

Damage to buildings

Boat on southbound side of Rt. 1

Cleanup piles lining Rt. 1

Sidewalk covered by trees, tipped over in the storm

Northbound trash piles

Pieces of a trailer

Active cleanup

Sand piles on Rt. 1

Shredded trees

Piles along the median, waiting for pickup

Brush piles

More garbage including mattresses and personal belongings

It will all be gone soon...

Bike path branch piles

Key West With Mucho Gusto

When the KBIS show in Orland was wrapped up we set out for a week of down time. The goal was to recover from the hard work and the flu that plagued us in Orlando. Our friends, Scott and Rhonda Joiner invited us for a visit to Boot Key Harbor in Marathon. We were excited to see them. They completed the Great Loop the previous July aboard Mucho Gusto, their beloved catamaran and our beloved buddy boat! We traveled much of the inland waterway with Scott and Rhonda; Mucho Gusto and Mystic leap frogged each other from town to town on our way south to Mobile, Alabama. Most of our Great Loop memories include them. We shared stops at Hoppie's on the Mississippi River, Green Turtle Bay in the Kentucky Lakes and Bobby's Fish Camp. We experienced Flora-bama, and Mardi Gras with Scott and Rhonda. We dodged barges, ran aground, waited out fog and hid from tornados with them. We generated a lifetime of memories in a few months. They are special friends!

Our very first view of Mucho Gusto
Near Standing Rock Lock and Dam

Rhonda, Beth, Fern and Jean at Hoppie's

Beth & Rhonda aboard Mucho Gusto
anchored on the TennTom

Rhonda & Scott aboard Mystic
rafted on the TennTom

This visit, we spent two days with Scott and Rhonda in Marathon. They showed us around the Boot Key mooring field and marina. We understand why people come here and end up staying! It's a great community of yachting folks ready to help each other. Each morning the channel 69 cruisers net comes on at 9:00 sharp. You can learn everything you need to know about living on a mooring ball in the harbor from this network. The local services, events, sales and giveaways are included in the announcements. Each session ends with trivia. This is a tight community that has a community garden. They have domino competitions in the great hall where you can pick up your mail, rent a storage locker or borrow a bike. Friendly live-aboard boaters often offer rides to the store, craft gatherings and yoga in the park. You can hop on the bus to Key West for $4.00 or $1.00 if you are 60 years or older. This place is sometimes referred to as the 'Tar Pit' because people come and get "stuck" here; they like it so much that they never leave! It is also called 'MANathon' because there are so many single guys living on boats here.

Aerial view of the mooring field at Boot Key Harbor, Marathon
Photo by Huffington Post

Scott and Rhonda took us to Castaways, a canal restaurant that we would reach by dinghy. Castaways is one of Scott and Rhonda's favorite little hidden gems in Boot Key Harbor. Rhonda said we'd be traversing through "old Florida". The canal was definitely old and colorful! Castaway's is a cute little place with delicious, inexpensive sushi and cold beer. We sat at the outside bar and caught up on the eight months since we'd seen each other in Tarpon Springs. Scott and Rhonda spent much of the time since we last saw them in Ft. Lauderdale while we were landlocked in Minnesota. 

Marathon canal leading to Castaways

Scott, Dave, Rhonda & Beth at Castaways

Scott and Rhonda had never been to Key West so we drove down and experienced the Conch Republic with them. We visited the Southernmost point then made our way to Route 1, Mile 0 before stopping in at the Green Parrot for a cold beer. We walked Duval street and took in all the shops and activity. Key West certainly showed wear and tear from hurricane Irma however things were mostly the same as we remembered. If you'd never been there, you would not have known a major hurricane had blown through here. 

Key West Shop

Southernmost Hotel

Scott & Rhonda at Southernmost point

Scott & Rhonda at Southernmost Point

Key West Conch Blowing Greeter

Street Mosaic

Oh Havana

Key West Lighthouse

Monroe County Courthouse

Roosters Everywhere

Green Parrot Parachute

Green Parrot Bar

Scott & Rhonda at Mile 0

Key West Walgreens

Hmmm, graphic bottle openers

Keys Cutie

The Smallest Bar

Cruise Ships are visiting the Keys

Pinchers Crab Shack

Keys Pickup Truck

Only in Key West!

We finished our day with a stop at Hogfish, a restaurant which we were introduced to by friends, Halley and Ted, who live in Key West. Hogfish is off the beaten path and outside the tourist area; a local favorite. The food is good and the atmosphere laid back. We enjoyed crab cakes and hogfish tacos. It was a delicious way to end our short visit. We drove back to Marathon in time to beat the 35 mph winds that blew in the harbor all night. Mucho Gusto rode the winds with ease, she swung gently on the mooring but didn't rock or pitch like Mystic. We slept like babies and extend a huge THANK YOU to Scott and Rhonda for having us! We enjoyed every minute and can't wait for our next reunion!

Hogfish Bar & Grill

View from Hogfish

Weather Sign at Hogfish

As we sat at the airport, waiting to fly home, we realized that this trip was complex. It was filled with good, bad, sickness, a visit to the emergency room, camaraderie, reunions on two coasts and not one day that could be called a beach day. We traveled 1,700 miles, in essence, looping the entire southern part of Florida. If nothing else, we've been successful at making memories on yet another unforgettable adventure!

Sunset over Boot Key Harbor, Marathon