Marathon 2022 to 23.

      November started out extremely warm. New high-temperature records warm. We do like it warm but mid to upper 80s is beyond our comfort level. Waking up to mid 70s is nice, however. Playing pickleball above 85° is not so great either. I do it anyway 😓. 

     About 2 weeks into our season a tropical system developed in the Bahamas. Worried us for a bit but then it targetted central Florida after the northern Bahamas. We got wind but not too much. Got rain. But not too much. As mentioned in the previous blog posting, we got to Marathon early after mostly great weather after we left Annapolis. Folks travelling after us have not had the same good luck we had. Strong winds and storms in the Carolinas down to Florida have made difficult passages for many. Hurricane Nicole then messed up plans for a good part of Florida then up into Georgia and both Carolinas. This delayed many an arrival into the Keys and a lot of people had trouble finding places to safely hide. Happy to be lucky. For a change. The storm came ashore near Vero Beach and towns north of there, like Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, were hit very hard. Again. Glad that some shore based friends in those areas came through okay. 

     In mid-November we had to rent a car and drive to Miami for regular follow-up medical 'stuff'. We could not get a CT scan, Evusheld injections and my oncologist visit scheduled together so we spent 3 days and 2 nights in South Miami, Doral, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove for shopping, dining, touristing and the medical 'stuff'. The medical was all positive, the dining was interesting, if expensive, and the tourist exploration was fascinating. We went to a Peruvian restaurant and had ceviche and a fish soup that were both great. Hadn't had first rate ceviche since being in Ecuador in 1999. We also went to Fairchild Gardens and saw thousands of exotic plants, a rainforest, saltwater crocs and butterflies and moths bigger than your hand. We also chatted with volunteers there who do what I do at Crane Point here in Marathon... lead tours and educate visitors. Fun to be on the receiving end of the knowledge exchange.

The medical reports were great and we discussed with the doctor the likely timing of my future lymphoma return but also the likelihood of dying (well into the future, we hope) with lymphoma but not of lymphoma. An important distinction. 

     Thanksgiving went okay. We volunteered to help at the community dinner for the first time. We haven't participated in the meal every year we've been here due to guests aboard or Covid or other forgotten reasons. This year the number of participants was down a little but it seemed everyone had a good time. Carol's side dishes vanished quickly. I was unable to stuff myself as my weekly Ozempic injection for Type II diabetes really makes you feel full quickly and doesn't let you overeat. What's the fun in that? Of course, we don't eat dead birds or pigs but the side dishes were always the highlight for me at past family dinners. And the deserts. Somehow I managed to check out a few deserts in spite of being stuffed. No leftovers made it back to the boat, including our vegetarian stuffing.  

     It really didn't cool down much into December, just a few degrees but still above 80°. About a week before Christmas it got a little cooler with some unsettled weather. We went to the Marathon Community Theater's Christmas/Holiday production of 'Sparkle', guests of our friend Gwyn. It was... uh... amusing. Fun and funny but perhaps not in the way they intended. A rare night out for us. We left the boat after our usual bedtime. Later nights became more frequent when the kids came to visit us for Christmas. It dropped to 60° for a few days in honor of their arrival and the weather was poor (by our standards) for two days but they got a trip to Key West and a couple of beach days in. The first full day of their visit was rainy so we were stuck aboard, cold and damp, with a restless 5 year old and a 10 month old expanding her mobility. What fun! Cobbe enjoyed his visit to our local aquarium and I got my usual activities in, pickleball and my work at Crane Point. Our friends Mike and Carol came down from Ft. Pierce to visit the kids while they were here and we had a pleasant lunch at Burdines. 

     Our dinghy transom was damaged by old age and overuse but I managed to make repairs after the family left. Poor quality dinghy brand (Zodiac) but we got it cheap. 

     So 2022 came to an end but we have half a winter season yet to come. The Celtic Fest is upcoming and more stuff will happen, I'm sure.