Life on Zingara

So, my birthday celebration continued!    Wahoo!   I went for a sunset parasail last night!  Am I ready for this???? (Note: Rick hooked up a Go-Pro camera on a bike helmet. We'll show you the video later)   Heading Up and Out!   Shenanigans on the boat, with Josh . Yup, that's me, up there!  It was amazing, fabulous, yet a bit terrifying!    the Landing is the easy part! Thank you, Rick, for a fabulous Bday present!

We enjoyed a lazy morning, and after we were both showered and coffeed-up, we walked down to the end of the marina's road, and headed to the 7 Mile Grill. The bus to Key West stops right out front. (Note: since it was my birthday, BOTH Rick and I got the $1/ride Senior discount!) Soon after we had ordered drinks, and then we got a couple of "to-go" cups, the bus pulled up. So much fun, chatting with, and getting advice from, other tourists and locals.  The hour + bus ride seemed to take no time at all. Once on Key West, we followed our own map, modified by the fellow-bus-riders. "Key West, Florida is a small 7-sq mile island in the Florida Keys archipelago.   It is home to the southern-most point of the continental US, residences of famous Americans, beautiful pastel Caribbean-style homes, dozens of bars on the famous Duval Street, and great beaches and snorkeling spots.  Due to its small size and high density of sights, it is an extremely walkable city...

My head cold got worse & moved into my eyes.  But I prevailed, took it easy, and hung out at the marina pool, but mostly on Zingara. Just another day in paradise! Iguanas around the maina A marvelous sunset form Zingara's Flying Bridge On Sunday, February 17th, Susan & Bill drove over from Islamorada, and joined us for a sunny lunch at on outdoor waterside restaurant, Burdines!  We all enjoyed our seafood, but my Grilled-shrimp Reuben sandwich was out of this world!  On Monday, we rented a car, and as Bill had to return to Detroit for business, Rick drove me to Susan, where we celebrated my early birthday, with fabulous food, drinks (at Robbie's), views, and an afternoon massage!     Thank you, Susan!   It was a fantastic pre-birthday party!

Happy Valentines Day! I spent most of the day calling around, looking for dockage on/near Islamorada. (My girlfriend from Michigan State & her husband are spending the long weekend at a resort there). I called over 25 places!   Ok, .... I'm getting nervous.  Most of the marinas were already full -- people come down in December, and stay for 4-5 months.  Other marinas had had hurricane damage.  A few never called me back.  So, .....   Let's go to lunch! Thank you, Holly Cope, for the recommendation for the best grilled Grouper sandwich I had ever tasted! So, now, back to finding a place to spend the weekend -->  I went on a FB page that is for ICW Cruisers.  People responded with sympathy, many recommendations (of places I had already called), and other suggestions.  We ended up reserving a slip at a marina on Marathon Key (an island farther south/west & a 50 minute drive to Islamorada).  Once at the m...

19-02-12 Tuesday We left Las Olas Marina, and continued down the ICW (IntraCoastal Waterway) towards Miami.  One of the many beautiful bridges, heading out of Fort Lauderdale. (enlargement of the bridge towers)  Lots and lots of high-rises as we travel closer to Miami!   Here is where we anchored for the night --- quiet (except for the tour boats going by), calm, and protected, right off from the Miami Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in Miami. The view from our anchorage:  Feb. 13th  It was hot and sunny here yesterday / just hot/humid /cloudy today, as we continue on south. 7:30 AM  Raining here today as we head out into open waters.  REALLY  sucks to be ME today.   As I sit in my corner,  trying not to puke. 10:30 AM  Whoosh! We made it!  It's still raining,  but the swells are small enough for us to drink our coffee! Life is good!  Hopi...