Floridays - Blue Skies and Ultraviolet Rays

Day 273  |  Marathon    

Today's title is from a Jimmy Buffett song and it just seemed appropriate because it was a beautiful day in the Florida Keys. The low early morning sunlight gave us a good look at Seven Mile Bridge across the Atlantic Ocean from our slip. Our first order of business this morning was to bring the dinghy down and do a little maintenance on it. While down, Barry scrubbed the upper deck where the dinghy sits and then continued on, scrubbing top down and bow to stern. We didn't get an opportunity to wash down Crossroads when we arrived yesterday. She was covered in a heavy, slimy salt scum that we avoided touching. While he was washing I worked on our freezer, refrigerator, and commissary inventories to come up with our final grocery list. That done, I headed to the pool. I had the place to myself in the beginning, but by the time I left around 1:30, all the chairs were taken and folks lined the edges of the shallow end with a beverage of choice in hand. Christmas came just before lunchtime as Barry went to the office and picked up some packages that were waiting for us.

Got Milk? Our major task of the afternoon was getting Barry some milk. The gas station/convenience store was only a mile away, but that involved walking along A1A. Thats a lot of traffic to deal with, so no extra sightseeing for us. We'll save that for when we get the rental car tomorrow. To all the folks back in Virginia and North Carolina, I'm sorry to report that it was sunny and 86, with a heat index of 92. I dare say it was a little warm. The heat did not stop me from a little reading on Fiberglass Beach as the afternoon closed. With the sun dropping fast in a cloudless sky, I climbed out on the pilothouse roof (my new favorite spot) for the best view I could get, still hoping to see an elusive Green Flash. Tonight, however, the moon was the main attraction even though it was only 96% full. On Tuesday the moon will reach perigee, its closest point of approach to earth, and will be totally illuminated at the same time. This combination creates an ultimate brightness scenario -- a Supermoon.

Tomorrow we will pick up the rental car, do a little exploring, and prepare for our trip to Key West and the Dry Tortugas.