Hola, everyone! Still in Marathon, FL and living the laid-back life. This is the longest we have been at one place, and we feel we might have forgotten how to drive the boat! The weather hasn’t been optimal for the Keys, but compared to what you all are going through I will not complain. Lots of HIGH-wind days and some rainy ones too….averaging low 60’s to mid 70’s. We now have an excellent plan for those not-so-tropical days. We lounge on the pull-out couch in our PJs all day and watch movies or read books. Sometimes we’ll brush our teeth, but it’s not a requirement! We have definitely learned that cleanliness, agendas and to-do lists are totally overrated.  We still never know what day of the week it is.

A lot of other Loopers have now made the trek to the Keys, and we’ve seen many that we haven’t seen in months. When the sun is shining we still meet up for docktails every night at 5:00. We were supposed to have headed towards Miami on the 15th, but the waves and wind were not cooperating. Luckily, the slip we are in became available for longer than expected. A local who normally has his boat in our spot full-time was going to return on the 15th, but he got delayed during repairs. It’s actually a crazy story….on his way back from the repair, a STUPID dockhand put 60 gallons of water in his fuel tank by mistake. So back to the repair shop he goes and we get to stay here longer. We have a projected date of the 20th to head back north now.

We made a  50-mile trip to Key West with Steve and Debbie (other Loopers) last week. We took a shuttle bus, so blessedly no designated drivers were needed.  We spent most of our time at a bar called Irish Kevins…a fantastic sing-a-long spot with a solo guitarist. It was one of those places where you’ll get called out and made fun of if you walked to the bathroom or used your cell phone. Lots of laughs, and beers. Moved on to a restaurant to meet other Loopers docked in Key West, then ended the evening at The Bite singing Irish limericks and playing passed-around tambourines and ‘music sticks’. By the time we got the last shuttle back, I felt like I had visited Dublin instead of Key West!

During a particularly nasty weather stretch, we rented a car and drove 5 1/2 hours to visit Dad again in Venice, FL. We shared some great meals and I was able to take another RARE hot bath. The highlight of the visit was going to dinner with 2 of Dad’s closest friends, Rollin and Shirley Granger, who were in nearby Punta Gorda. Derek and I have know them for 38 years, but rarely get to see them except for funerals. It was such a treat to spend time with them under happy circumstances.

Being in one of the fishing capitals of the world, Derek decided to commission a charter boat with 3 other Loopers last Saturday. Since they weren’t fishing for sharks, they didn’t need me to ‘chum up’ the  water for them, and I stayed home on our boat that wasn’t going out in 3-4 foot seas like they were. They hit the limit for yellowtail snapper within the first couple of hours (40 of them) and then caught 2 king mackerels on the way back. We made some awesome mackerel fajitas that evening with the help of Bobby Reed who lives on a boat in the marina here. It was a feast for everyone at docktails. And we have enough fresh snapper for 6 more meals for us. ​

On a much sadder note, Derek has tentatively begun his job search this week. Our journey’s end is on our mind, and we will soon have a long to-do list involving selling the boat, getting all our belongings home, reclaiming our house and going back to work. Our practice run at retirement was a huge success! But reality rears its ugly head along with a need for income. I’m hoping to find a full-time spot back at Circle of Life with my buds who can help me remember my nursing skills again. Also hoping my dog, Chance, still remembers his mama! But we’re totally stoked and looking forward to see our friends again!!!! We’ll be a little more tan, our hair quite a bit longer, and our livers quite a bit more shriveled, but our love for you guys is just how we left it!!!!

Happy New Year!!!! We have been blessed to have lots of friends and family come aboard in the past 2 weeks, and the boat has been filled with love and laughter. This particular update may also sound like an episode of ‘Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom’ due to all our encounters with wild beasts….not only us women on board after too much wine, but REAL wildlife too!!!!

The day after arriving in Marathon Key, we had a surprise visit by manatees who swam to the side of our boat in our slip. We were so excited to get a close-up look of these gentle giants. So imagine how thrilled we were when we discovered their love of fresh water (which they need sources of to survive) from our hose. For 5 days straight they would come by for a drink after they discovered it’s always happy hour on the Donna Mae! One big guy of about 1200 pounds actually let me rub on his face as he was drinking from the nozzle like it was a baby bottle. Unfortunately they have moved on to other sea grass pastures and we haven’t seen any the past 10 days.

On the 22nd, Derek’s dad, John, joined us again to stay with us through Christmas. Lots of hours were spent just lying in the sun and reading books. On Christmas day, while you all were picking up presents from under the Christmas tree, I was learning how to pick up iguanas from under the palm trees! They were big and fast, but once you catch them and pick them up they become docile. A few days after my first iguana, I caught a BIG red one. I pretty much stunned the other tourists who were watching. They stood there staring with their hands over their mouths and eyes popping out like I was insane. I asked one man if he wanted to touch it, and as he did the iguana jerked in my hand a little and he screamed like a little girl!!!! HA HA HA!

During the time that John was here, we also got a visit from my sis, Julie, who drove down from Lauderdale for 2 days.We had a great time, especially when the 2 of us took the dinghy out a few times to explore the Gulf. And just as she left, our friend, Kim, from Deltaville, VA came to see us. In an earlier blog, I mentioned the sudden death of Lou, Kim’s boyfriend, who we came to know and love during our 4-week-stay in Virginia while our boat was being repaired. Kim brought his ashes to Marathon to be scattered in blue water off the coast of the Keys. It was a bittersweet reunion and a privilege to be with her during this time. There was lots of drinking, reminiscing and laughter. Lou would have loved it.

Then Gypsea turned into one of the wild beasts we’ve encountered in the past 2 weeks when she became a ‘woman’ on the 27th! Hell hath no fury like a cat in heat who’s confined on a small boat!!!! She was screaming and shaking and sticking her butt up in the air constantly. Whenever we opened the door to go out, she would dash out too and immediately jump onto the docks looking for a tomcat. One time she took a flying leap off the upstairs flybridge to make a run for it. Needless to say we got her spayed by the local vet, and life is once again under control. There’s only room for one female with hormonal issues allowed on this boat, and that’s me!

Then the long-awaited day to see Trevor, Connor, and Emily finally came on the 28th. I knew I missed my boys, but didn’t realize how much until those first big hugs. I have to give so much credit to Emily, Connor’s girlfriend, for agreeing to stay with 4 crazy Gamradts for 4 days in only 400 square feet of space!!!!! She’s definitely a keeper! We all relaxed by the pool and the beach and played lots of Yahtzee and Farkel. Emily and I really got to know each other over 2 bottles of red one night, and now poor Connor has no secrets! The only thing that would have made the visit better would have been if Chase and his fam could have joined us too. But we’ll all be together again soon in a short 5 weeks.

The highlight of the week was the 5 of us going to Looe Key on the boat and staying overnight on a mooring ball. Looe Key is not an island, but a reef. In fact it is rated as the best reef to dive/scuba in the US other than Hawaii. We have snorkeling gear and wetsuits and the kids got to spend time in the water 5 miles offshore. We got to see an amazing sight just before sunset on New Year’s Eve. A Goliath Grouper came to visit. Goliath groupers can grow up to 9 feet long and up to 900 lbs, The big guy we saw was the size of our dinghy!!!!! Unfortunately we didn’t have underwater cameras, so I’ve attached 2 internet photos for you to get an idea how fantastic they are. We had some bait fish onboard, so he hung around for about 20 minutes at the surface eating our morsels.

The swells were terrible and running abeam overnight, so none of us got much sleep. This boat was ROCKIN’ side to side to the point of the water being less than a foot from coming over our sides. But we were rewarded with another dolphin running at our bow on the way back to the marina. No seasickness, so we’re all real sailors now!

The kids left today, and it’s back to just me and Derek again. Our boat feels huge! A front came in overnight with gray skies, temps in the 60’s, and wind gusts up to 30mph for the next few days. BUT, I won’t complain after seeing the weather for the rest of the world! Stay warm.​

Much love to all.

Thanksgiving was awesome! We got to spend time with our favorite little people (nieces and nephew), Derek’s Dad, bro and sis-in-law in Orlando. It’s the first time we’ve left the boat all by herself in a different city since we started in April. Although the company and food was spectacular (had my first taste of a $200 beer, a 24-year-old Sam Adams Utopia), we actually missed being on our little house on the sea. Wish we could have stolen all the fam to bring back on Donna Mae with us, but we’ll be seeing them again in the Keys. Yay!

Derek and I also got to meet up with a very good friend, Ellen, from our ‘olden days in Texas’ who now lives in Tampa. Don’t you just love when you can get together with friends after 23 years and pick up right where you left off? We got to meet her husband, Murray, and laughed the night away in Clearwater Beach.

Next we spent 2 days with Derek’s Dad at his winter home Venice, FL. Another chance to sleep in a ‘real’ bed and have a long, hot shower in a ‘real’ bathroom for a few days! We repaid Dad’s graciousness by having him join us on the boat for 2 days anchoring off Punta Gorda and Boca Grqnde.

Sadly, our time with Tim and Patti, our faithful companions since Illinois, came to an end. We left them in Punta Gorda as we have different destinations for the winter months. We’ve been so blessed to find soul mates along the way who have made our journey truly special. The Franchies, and now the Crackers (Tim & Patti), will be friends for life.

The following week was spent at the Pink Shell Resort & Marina in Ft Myers. It was pricey, but Derek and I (OK, just me!) are in the mood for splurging since our remaining time on this adventure is running out. Three pools, a private beach, and good restaurants spoiled us. The shelling on the beach was fantastic. I was up before dawn (can you believe it!) to comb the beach while the tide was out. A cold front had dropped the temps into the 50’s, but me and a few other white-haired old ladies were not deterred as we did the bent-over shuffle for miles to find the sea’s treasures. There’s a pic of my booty (not bootie!) attached.

The weather warmed and the waves calmed, so it was time to head for the Keys. Once you head south from Ft Myers, you find yourself in the Everglades….and alone! We anchored 3 nights in a row as we worked our way down to Marathon. The wildlife was INCREDIBLE! We had 8 manatees, dozens of dolphins, and huge flocks of sea birds all around us. At night the stars were awesome with meteor showers every evening. Absolutely no cell coverage, internet or TV signal, so basically, no one can hear you scream if something happens! A lot of time was spent reading and playing games like cribbge, Yahtzee and Farkle.

After 3 nights in the everglades, the winds had calmed down enough for the final push.  45 miles and 4 1/2 hour later, we are now in the Keys at Faro Blanco Marina in Marathon. We have spent so much time looking forward to getting here that being here is almost surreal. It’s our last hurrah before we’re done. Derek and I have been in a very reminiscent mood lately and find it hard to believe that just around the corner we will cross our original wake. We don’t want it to end. But before I get all teary-eyed, we will soak in the thrill of having lots of family coming to see us over the holidays in our tropical paradise! FYI….January 6-14 is open for friends who might like to join us before we head back to the mainland!

Have a very merry Christmas, everyone! Give lots of hugs to each other from us!

PS> Just as I am about to post this, Derek says “Maybe we make a quick run to Cuba after the Keys…”  Maybe…. ;)​

Ahoy, maties! The last 2 weeks have been spent traveling down the Tenn-Tombigbee Waterway through Mississippi and Alabama. The river was scenic, but uneventful…except for the logs that we had to constantly be aware of floating along the way. Our travel buddies, Tim and Patti, had an unfortunate run in with a big submerged tree trunk and it’s now their turn to get new props. There were still barges to maneuver around and we never knew what might be coming at us around every bend. Since the barges are usually the size of a football field, we were always prepared to turn on a dime and head for cover to let them pass.
The most sentimental moment on the river was cruising under the same highway bridge we drove over when we headed out to Florida 8 months ago to move onto the boat. It was actually 8 months to the day! We remember looking at the water while we drove on the bridge and couldn’t imagine that we would one day be looking up from the boat at that same spot. The journey seemed unattainable at the time. But here we are…over 5000 miles later…and we haven’t killed each other yet!!!
We had beautiful anchorages along the way. We were in the boonies with no cell coverage or TV signal, and no other boats around. I would like to say it was peaceful, but it seemed every anchorage had either cows mooing or coyotes howling during the nigh! As soon as we passed through our very last lock in Alabama, we spotted 5 VERY large alligators. So our days of going in the water were over until we get to the ocean. I had a sit down with Gypsea and told her that this would NOT be the time to decide to test the water. If she was going in, we would not be going in after her! She agreed and stayed inside the cabin most of the time.
In Demopolis, AL we had a costume party at the marina. Derek and I dressed up as red and green navigation buoys! Halloween is great fun when you don’t have to drive home and can just stumble to your boat on the dock.
We finally got back to saltwater again 2 days ago when we came through Mobile Bay. A school of dolphins greeted us and swam along our boat in our wake. Pelicans and sea gulls have replaced the eagles, hawks, and ducks. It’s very strange to have been in narrow waterways ever since leaving Lake Michigan and then the water suddenly opens up to a huge expanse. We’ve been at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach for a few days to get more provisions and clean the boat from all the billions of bugs that hitched a ride along the river.
We had to say goodbye to Edouard and Sabine in Orange Beach. They are flying to see their new grandson in California, then to France for the holidays. By the time they get back to their boat, we will be heading to Ft. Lauderdale. Our time together, since Georgia, has been an absolute treat. The trip would not have been as fun had we not met them. Our next big vacation will find us reunited in Cannes, France with our Frenchie friends!
After going through 2 countries and 16 states, we will be back in Florida again tomorrow. It is starting to hit us that we are almost done with our adventure. This trip has changed us both so much for the better and we have no regrets (and no money!!!!). We will stay along the Florida panhandle till we get to Carrabelle, FL. Then we may do a 21-hour crossing over the gulf to Tarpon Springs. I’m trying to get my head wrapped around crossing the ocean at night with no land in sight. I need all our prayer warriors to ask for travel mercies during that time next week! We missed the travel window this week to make the run with a full moon to guide us. We are now waiting for another high-pressure system over the Gulf with low waves and a few buddy-boats to travel with along the way. We may decide to take a slighty different route but who knows! The weather is in control of these decisions.
We miss you all so much. I’ll toast all of you when my butt is planted on the beach with a icy drink in my hand!

Taken on the Tennessee River by a fellow Looper. Don't worry....we have autopilot!

Ohio River

Rollin’….rollin’….rollin’ down the river!!! We have navigated the Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland rivers, and now have entered the Tennessee River. Currently we are at Grand Rivers, KY in Green Turtle Bay Marina. These areas have been setting record-high temperatures (mid to high 80’s) and they have been dry as a bone until today. Water levels are way down, and unfortunately, these are not good conditions to get pretty fall foliage.  But this part of Kentucky is beautiful and reminds me SO much of Beaver Lake that I find myself a little homesick. We will hang out here a couple more days until the rains from Hurricane Nate have passed.

Along with Edouard and Sabine (the Frenchies), we have been traveling alongside a couple from Ohio who are relatively new to the Loop, Tim and Patti. She was a hospice nurse, so we have that same sort of twisted (?) humor that comes along with the profession. They have a labradoodle named Riley who is getting to know Gypsea in small increments….more for his benefit than hers!

Our friendship got physically close to Tim and Patti when our boats collided on the Mississippi River! Donna Mae was already anchored facing the current in an area that was once 15 feet deep, but now only 5-7 feet due low water levels. Tim and Patti were the last to arrive at the anchorage. As Tim was searching for an adequately deep spot to anchor near us, and listening to directions from Edouard, he ended up perpendicular in front of us with his beam (side) against the strong current. The current carried his boat  about 50 feet sideways right over our anchor line  which caught his rudder which swung his boat into our bow. Patti and I, thinking we had super-human strength, were trying to push 24,000-lb boats apart at the railings while Derek was frantically dropping the anchor line with the windlass. Luckily, our anchor line didn’t get wrapped around his propellors which would have caused both our boats to be hooked together, incapacitated, and moving down the Mississippi at 5-6 knots into the barge traffic. The damage is only a small gash on our bow at the water line made by Tim’s swim platform as the boats made contact. We’ll fix it when we can, but for now it serves as another war wound with a story to tell and a lesson to remember about NEVER underestimating how the current can take total control over a boat.

Two other blog-worthy incidences have happened during our week-stay at Green Turtle Bay. First, a few nights ago we had Edouard and Sabine over for dinner, and as always, imbibed in a couple bottles of wine. After dinner, Derek poured everyone coffee and went to sit down on the foot stool. He plopped on the edge of the stool, it shot out from underneath him, and the full cup of coffee came straight up out of the cup as he went straight down on his butt onto the floor. The scene ended with the coffee coming back down on top of him like an avalanche. We all couldn’t help but laugh, admittedly at him instead of with him, but he took it in stride. Soon after, the Frenchies left and I took Gypsea out on her leash to talk to other Loopers that were congregated on the dock near our slip. A lady with a black cat (also on a leash) had unknowingly walked up behind us. Gypsea turned, saw only the golden eyes of the black cat in the dark, and jumped right in the lake!!! Luckily, I could pull her out by her harness and leash. She looked pitiful, all wet hair and huge eyes, clinging desperately to my shirt. When I brought her back to the boat, Derek was lying down saying his head felt funny and there was blood on the pillow case. Little did we realize that he had hit the back of his head on the drawer knob when he fell. Now I had a traumatized cat, a wounded husband, and a wine buzz. I cleaned the cut, dried the cat with the blow dryer that made her schizoid, then went to bed praying that my husband wouldn’t have a stroke from an internal brain hemorrhage before the morning. Thank God, all survived the night!

The second incidence is even more weird. Derek and I went to a restaurant called ‘Patti’s” with 14 other Loopers. The restaurant looks like it once was a large house with many small rooms connected by hallways. It is famous for it’s 2-inch thick pork chops…and one of it’s bathrooms! Not knowing about the latter beforehand, I opened the bathroom door which triggered a life-sized Indian chief mannequin in full costume, lying in a claw-foot bathtub, to start talking and moving his head and eyes. It was like a Teddy Ruxpin meets Tonto with a little Chuckie thrown in!!!! After the shock wore off, Patti and I couldn’t help but go back in and take some pictures of us having a tete-à-tete with Chief Sitting-in-a-bathtub Bull… in the tub with him. All we lacked were some candles and bubbles!

I’ll end this latest blog with with our excitement yesterday. Derek needed to change out the macerator hose which had the small leak that I had mentioned in an earlier blog. Just to refresh your memory, the macerator grinds up and pumps our waste from the black-water tank to the sea when it’s turned on. Although the valve was closed on the tank (no dumping is allowed on the rivers), as soon as he took one end of the hose off, all of our pee/poop soup came flowing out into our forward bilge!!!! Now mind you, Derek starts gagging if he even has to pick up a small dog turd, so you can imagine how this latest snafu is affecting him. And perhaps you can imagine the smell. We still don’t know why the waste came out with the valve closed, but Derek finished the repair and we flushed out the bilge, but he is NOT gonna mess with it anymore to find out! All is now good down there and we hope to never have to talk about poop again in our future blogs. ​

Enjoy the pics and please keep us in your prayers. Love y’alls!

The Frenchies took this pic of us heading into Chicago River that winds through downtown.

Before I talk about our travels this week, I want to take a moment to give God my deepest thanks and praise for watching over our family. We had many members located in Irma’s path in different areas of Florida. All are safe and sound with only minor damages to homes and loss of electricity. We had a close friend in Texas come through a craniotomy for a bone tumor behind her eye with flying colors. And we were ecstatic to learn that our son, Connor, showed absolutely no signs of any returning cancer in his PET scan done on Tuesday. We are all so blessed to be able to continue our crazy and exciting paths through this life which often throws some scary situations at us. We learn, we grow, and hopefully live it to the fullest…. and never take it for granted!

After leaving Grand Haven (Michigan) we stayed a night in Saugatuck. The waterfront town was filled with great little shops and restaurants. The marina was filled with yachtsmen with too much money for their own good, and their wives trotted around draped in gold and jewels and drank wine from crystal glasses. Feeling a little ‘out done’ in our shorts and t-shirts and canned beer, we decided to take our slumming one step further and embark on a pub crawl….just the 2 of us. Four bars (from hipster to biker) later we found ourselves in a tiny piano sing-a-long joint. We haven’t sung that loud in public….ever. We met about 60 of our closest friends that night! Quite surprisingly, I was not one of the many people who stood on the piano to lead in a song. I think I might officially be getting old. We haven’t had that much fun since our own sing-a-long parties 20 years ago.

We are now done with the Great Lakes…..YAY! We spent 3 days in Chicago to celebrate getting the heck out of the land of shifting winds, tortuous waves and unseasonal cold. The marina was where Lake Michigan meets the downtown skyscrapers and the view at night was spectacular with all the lights. After being in very small towns the past 2 months, the city noise seemed so much louder! Sirens, the ‘L”, construction, and the constant hum of traffic noise 24/7 was disconcerting. Derek went walking to find an ATM, got lost, and found himself instead in the middle of the homeless living under the bridges. Ooops, wrong turn, baby.  It was also our first time in a downtown grocery store that had elevators and escalators to shop on it’s 3 floors. The city charges for grocery bags (plastic and paper) and adds 1 cent for every once of sweet soda purchased. Derek, of course, had to give the cashier a lecture on over-taxation! I guess we are true country bumpkins at heart!

The highlight of our stay was going to the Cubs vs Mets baseball game at Wrigley Field. The stadium was completely filled on a Tuesday night. Boy, do they love their team! Cubbies won 8-3. Even though Chicago is huge, we truly enjoyed the midwestern inclusiveness of all the people we met. Loved the chicago hot dogs, but sorry guys, thin-crust NewYork pizza still rules over deep dish!

We left the big city via the Chicago River that runs through the middle of downtown. What an awesome site with the buildings towering over us. We passed under countless fixed bridges that were ‘supposed’ to be over 18 feet high. Uh….NOT! With our mast down we measure 17 feet in height. Derek and I held our breath as we passed under many with only inches to spare.

We are now on the Illinois Waterway, heading for the Mississippi River. Our new challenge is avoiding HUGE barges headed north to Chicago. Some are over 600 feet long and 300 feet wide! We hug the sides when they pass and hope their wake doesn't push us into shore or suck us towards them. It takes over a half a mile for them to stop, and they probably consider us ‘speed bumps’! They have precedence in the locks, and sometimes pleasure boaters wait many hours for our turn. Every time we go into a big bend in the river, we hope a barge is not headed our way in the turn.

Another highlight happened when we were cruising about 10 miles out from Chicago on Lake Michigan.  A B-2 Stealth Bomber flew DIRECTLY over us at LOW altitude. It came from behind, following our same exact course. It was SO quiet that we didn’t even hear it till flew over us and filled the view out of our front flybridge window! Derek was as excited as a little kid. If only we’d had our camera ready. We did get a shot with it off in the distance. I wonder if he set his bomb site on our boat just for fun when he was directly above us!!! Someone later said he was  there to do a fly over for the Bears football game. ‘Merica!!!!

We are now in a convoy with seven other Looper boats, including the Frenchies. One family is traveling with their son who is around 6, and another with their grandson who is 18. Derek and I are no longer the youngest on the Loop! The temps are warming as we head south, but the trees along the shore have started their autumn color change already. Where did summer go? It will be weird celebrating the holidays away from home. I plan on decorating our boat like a Christmas tree! Several weeks ago we booked a month in a marina in Marathon Key for mid December to mid January. We don’t know if the marina is still standing after Irma plowed through, hitting the Keys hard. Among many other things, this trip has taught us to quickly adapt to changes in plans. You can’t change what you can’t control. A true lesson for this planning fanatic!​

Love you all and spend precious moments following everyone on Facebook. As Pink Floyd says….’Wish you were here’.