It's another Sunday, and as I'm casually shuffling down the boardwalk of the Historic Waterfront District, watching pelicans, mouth full of seawatery oyster aftertaste with a hint of Jack Daniels, a familiar thought breezes through my mind. "The blog, yes, I should update the blog."
If you want a culprit for the lack of updates, I might start with the Waterfront. Every single weekend (and admittably, some weekdays), I've patronized Schooner Wharf, or slightly less often, Conch Republic Seafood Company, or Half Shell Raw Bar. I have myself a table for one (Grace works on weekends for now), and thoughtfully slurp raw oysters and Jack-and-Cokes while Michael McCloud strums and sings, and the boats come and go. Schooners, Twin-Vees, Walkarounds, Cuddies, Center Consoles, Cabin Cruisers... All the names for different hull and layout types that I didn't know (and better yet, had no interest in) just a few months ago. If you really want to find me, Sundays at Schooner Wharf between 2pm and 3pm is a really good bet. If I get in a little late, it could be that I've let myself get distracted by jet-skiing for an hour or so. Yeah, Duval Street is fun, Fort Zack is pretty, Mallory Square is interesting, but the Waterfront has emerged as my home base in Key West, and sometimes (rarely), people even recognize me.
I've also purchased my first registered-and-titled boat hull, a 12-foot Porta-Bote which presently lacks a motor. A Torqeedo 801 (3HP electric outboard motor) is on its way from Canada, and it is sure to give the ole Porta-Bote a swift kick, which will be welcome as I am tired of standing up and paddling it with a kayak paddle in a manner not unlike that of a gondola driver. I have also dived deep into huge books filled with information about boats, navigation, safety, rules, you name it. I got the (admittedly very easy) BoatUS online powerboating safety certification too. I often think that after a few weeks of putt-putting the Porta-Bote around Saddlebunch, I'll probably go down to the marina and get a Boston Whaler, which would enable cruising the whole of the Keys, as well as Naples, Miami, and perhaps even the Bahamas. Just call me Captain Chris.
We also anticipate signing a new lease this week, to get ourselves a nice stilted canal house on Cudjoe Key for the next two years. The location and the stilts are very reassuring. Whereas in the present location, a total loss of property is relatively likely due to bayfront location and lack of elevation (a fact not lost on property insurers, whose actuarial tables demand in excess of $3000 per year, when they're willing to insure at all), the new place offers a much larger degree of comfort during the summer months, and the canal ensures that my future Whaler will be able to take us from home to Islamorada for lunch at Lazy Days.
There have been some other interesting things, I got a brand-new Escom Amiga 1200 (like I said I wasn't gonna, still waiting on the RAM from Germany to run OS 3.9 though). I finally joined Facebook (add me using the email address on the About Chris page). But from Monday through Friday, most of my life is spent in some manner of distress, tapping busily on a computer. I should be thankful that work really doesn't show serious signs of slowing down, but it's hard to remind yourself of that on Monday night.
That's all for now, I'm sure the wheels will turn some more soon and give me more to write about.
-Chris