January 30th- Boot Key Harbor, Marathon FL

Life in Marathon moves at a different pace. Some of our neighbors have left for the Bahamas, others have just shown up. We’re still on the list for a mooring. No one had moved for a while due to the winter winds but they seem to have calmed down lately. The moorings are closer to the dinghy dock (and showers). We also plan on exploring some of the surrounding islands with Catalpa. We’ll be able to use the Boot Key mooring field as a home base once we actually get the mooring. I’m looking forward to some sailing. We’re at the top of the list now.

Some more exploration. The bridge crosses from Vaca Key to Boot Key but the center span was removed. Boot Key is abandoned. I believe the state owns it now.


The bridge to nowhere.


Dad, we’re not going to live on this bridge with the pirates?


The harbor entrance.


Marathon (from the bridge).


The harbor.


Catalpa is anchored in the middle of the shot.


I think it took me about a week to get used to this island. I pictured a tropical paradise but Marathon is much more “gritty”. It was really beat up by hurricane Irma. Of the 250 boats in the harbor, only 50 were left after the storm. The school was destroyed as was the hospital. Both are still housed in temporary structures. Many businesses are shuttered. I’ve been told (by the guy at the coffee shop) there is a labor shortage for those businesses that are left. Last year they lost 700 housing units, more the year before. Much of the land was purchased by resorts.

Tiki boat.


Most days I do a little boat maintenance. We’ll run a few errands if we need to. If the weather is good (it usually is), we do a little site seeing.

Beach day.


Ollie pursuing one of his favorite pastimes- chasing the ball. I need a new arm.


Lynne has volunteered her services at the marina community garden. We pick fresh herbs for meals.


Ollie and I doing some dinghy exploration. We ventured to the other end of the harbor and went up a canal.




Another restaurant to try. They have “All day happy hour” on Mondays and Tuesdays.



We walk a little further down route 1 each day. Oliver doesn’t really like the traffic but we need the exercise.


The Turtle Hospital. There are 7 species of Sea Turtles. They are all endangered. This was the first certified medical facility, for turtles, in the world.



Not much to report on down here in Boot Key Harbor. We’re living on island time. Last night we went out with family and friends to Keys Fisheries. They have “sunset happy hour.” The sun did not make an appearance but everyone was happy. We had drinks and local appetizers. Of course we had more peel and eat shrimp. We also indulged in copious amounts of mussels and stone crabs. It’s the first time I’ve had mussels or crab. Both were delicious.

Another sunset from Catalpa.




We don’t have any plans at this point. We’ll probably be here for most of February.

Note: While typing this post I got the call from the marina. We’re moving to a mooring. I hope the anchor isn’t stuck on a sunken boat or something!

January 22 – 23rd – Boot Key Harbor, Marathon FL

The temperature was 49 degrees. It was the coldest Keys temperature in 5 years. According to the radio net iguanas are falling out of the trees. Normally I wouldn’t consider 49 degrees to be cold but I seem to have become acclimated to the 70 to 80 degree temperatures we’ve been having.

We are getting some extra anchor practice in. We vacated our previous location as we were swinging into the main channel when the wind direction changed. Our next spot was a bit shallow and had no room for error. I didn’t like it. We finally found another spot in the harbor and dropped the hook.

All of this moving around was due to another strong front scheduled to move through the Keys. This time we put out a lot of rope and chain (called scope). This allows the anchor to have a better angle to penetrate the ocean bed. We also deployed our second anchor. The sustained winds increased to around 28 with gusts approaching 40. Catalpa’s gear held us through the night. Confidence restored.

A clear and cold morning.

This sunken vessel is near us. I wonder what the story is?

We ran into a few sailors we’ve met in the past. Ollie got in a play session with Wilson. They met in Vero Beach. There is no dog park nearby. There are sports fields with No Animals Allowed signs. There might have been a few animals on the baseball field in the evening.

We’ve explored more of the town. We have a marine chandlery (West Marine), grocery store, and Home Depot with in walking distance. Walking around here is a little difficult. Route 1 runs right through the middle of the island. It’s a 5 lane highway with almost no crosswalks. It seems like the county could make an attempt to make it more pedestrian friendly.

Today, the wind has calmed down and the temperature is getting back to normal.

Not stars. Anchor lights.

Catalpa anchored in Boot Key Harbor.

January 17th- Islamorada to Boot Key Harbor, Marathon FL

Despite the electronic chart showing that Catalpa would be crossing land, we instead found well marked channels. Steamboat was deeper than the rest of Florida Bay. Bowleggy Cut was a little shallower but we always had a couple of feet under the keel. Today was a combination of sailing and motoring. We kept Catalpa’s speed up to keep ahead of the approaching front. The only challenge was dodging crab pots. The weather was good most of the day. The last hour or so it deteriorated.

Florida Bay. Gotta stay ahead of those clouds.

The old and new 7 mile bridge.

Weather catching up to us. The wind had picked up but the sea was still pretty flat. The picture is 7 Mile Bridge taken from Hawk Channel.

Almost there. Marathon.

Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) is loaded with boats. The city administers 226 moorings. Besides that, there are at least another 150 boats at anchor or tied to wharfs.

Burdines Restaurant, tiki bar, and fuel dock. Looking forward to dinghying over for a meal. They put diesel in the mixed drinks.

Lynne called the City Marina for a mooring but there were none available. We dropped the hook in the very crowded anchorage area. We only had about 30 minutes to get over to the marina before it closed. We wanted to get on the mooring waitlist and take showers. They wanted vessel documentation papers and money. The sky opened up. The wind increased. We made it over to the office before it closed.

I mention the weather and the rush to the office in an attempt to explain what happened later in the night. Perhaps I was not 100% diligent in setting the anchor. This is a process where you back the boat down to bury the anchor in the bottom. I usually do this and increase the engine RPMs until I’m completely sure it’s set. Our anchor is sized for a 45′ boat (Catalpa is 28′). The anchor is also backed up by 50′ of chain and around 300′ of rope. We never move. We’ve sat out a few storms with no problems. We’re both sure of our gear. This time we were in a rush and it was raining. We quickly backed the boat down but I didn’t pay attention to the RPMs. In addition there was not much room to anchor so we were on somewhat short scope.

Eventually we headed back to Catalpa for the night. We were happy to have made it to a good harbor so we could relax for a while. Dinner, wine, and sleep.

January 18th & 19th – Boot Key Harbor, Marathon FL

This entry starts at just after midnight.

BANG. 24 hours later I still don’t know what made that noise. Did we hit something? I awoke from the racket, just after 12:00am, to wind howling through the rigging. I looked out the hatch to see a boat just feet away from us. Did we hit the boat? No one was on deck. I think the dinghy may have acted as a fender. The mangroves were much closer. The wind had increased to 25 knots with gusts from 30 to 40 knots. Catalpa was yawing wildly back and forth. Spray was kicking up. It was pitch black. No visibility. I knew our anchor was dragging and we had a big problem. All hands on deck (except for Oliver).

Somehow we got the the engine started and the anchor up. The wind was gusting so strong we could barely keep Catalpa under control. We managed to blindly steer through the crowded anchorage to the channel. My plan was to leave the harbor and anchor in the lee of the island. There were too many boats around and it was very dark. The gusting winds made the navigation more difficult. The crew threatened to mutiny. Luckily, before we had a complete breakdown of command, I saw a decent spot to drop the hook. The gusting wind made it difficult to re-anchor the boat. A couple more attempts later we were securely anchored for the night. We kept a watch for a few more hours. The drama was over by about 3am. Later that night we saw a dinghy fly by. Other boats had dragged around the harbor and were re-anchoring in the morning. It was a difficult night.

The next day I was a little rattled by the whole event. A day after that, the sun, salt, and sand have helped us to recover. We’re planning on staying here for a while. We have fresh fruit and veggies from a farmer’s market. We also ventured over to Keys Fisheries for some Mahi Mahi to grill. I now have our spare anchor (with chain) tied to the bow. It’s ready to fly if we run into a similar situation. We’re on the wait list for a mooring.

This morning we listened to the local cruisers net. This is a local VHF radio network that takes place in various harbors. It got us into the spirit of Boot Key Harbor.

Off the back porch today.

Ollie approves.

The old bridge to Boot Key. The center span has been removed.

Channel marker #16. This was extremely important when I was trying to locate myself during the night. I referenced this marker to determine whether our anchor was holding during the squall.

January 15th- Coconut Grove to Black Water Sound, Key Largo, FL

It was time to get out of the Miami area. City life was fun but I enjoy being “out there”. We stocked up with food, water, and ice over the past couple of days. We didn’t fill up on diesel but I feel we have enough. Time to go.

Lynne with morning coffee.

We had a weather window for moving south. We have approximately three days till an approaching front will bring winds gusting to 30 knots. It’s been windy around here lately. Maybe it’s part of Florida’s winter weather pattern. Just like Massachusetts, only 80 degrees instead of 20.

Plan A was to go around the outside of the Keys via the Hawk Channel. This channel is bordered by the Keys on one side and a giant reef that separates it from the rest of the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream. The waves are less due to the reef. Plans change. The problem was an East wind. Good for pushing us along but our evening anchorage was open to an East wind. There are limited anchorages on the outside route and most are exposed to ocean breezes. Plan B, the inside ICW route has more anchoring choices BUT it gets very shallow. The navigation is more difficult. The charts get worse further south. The company that produces my electronic charts actually removed the Magenta Line which is the recommended ICW route. Meaning: It’s not recommended. Choices. I don’t like the idea of being in an open anchorage. Plan B it is. Inside route. Hopefully I don’t get stuck.

After making the actual decision I felt better. I’d been thinking about it for a day. This day actually turned out to be one of the best sailing days of our trip. We had a great breeze. Both sails up. Catalpa moving along at 5 to 6+ knots. We flew down Biscayne Bay. We probably burned a gallon of diesel all day. Days like these are why I sail.

Good bye Miami. You can barely see it on the horizon.

We had a few different anchorages to pick from after exiting Jewfish Creek. We chose to anchor off of a big park (in Key Largo) so Ollie could get a workout.

Sunset at Key Largo.

January 16th- Key Largo to Barley Basin, Islamorada, FL

Four months. We’ve been living on a boat for four months. I’m starting to feel like I’m on a whaling voyage. Today was challenging. It was very scenic. It also got very shallow. Today also introduced us to extremely clear water. It’s amazing.

We navigated some narrow cuts through the mangroves. I felt like I was piloting the African Queen on the Ulanga River (I’ve never stepped foot in Africa).

Before we hit the section that I was really unsure about I almost grounded Catalpa. With the clear water I could see the bottom easily but I just couldn’t find the deeper water. I pushed on. We left a lot of mud in our wake. We then hit the spot that was notoriously shallow but it went well. I could see the sand and rocks so I just kept to the deeper water. I don’t think a keel depth over 5 feet would have made it. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. My electronic chart has me crossing over land but an internet search says there is a dredged channel, Steamboat channel. There is another spot called Bowleggys Cut that looks bad but I’m getting used to it by now.

Clear water.

The end of the day had us at Islamorada. We had plans to have a late lunch at Lorelei’s but the dinghy motor had problems. After a long row back to the ship I fixed the motor and we stayed onboard. We were serenaded with music coming from the restaurant. Maybe we’ll eat there another time. I heard they have a good conch chowder.

January 12th- Miami Marine Stadium to Coconut Grove, FL

Saturday night in the stadium was entertaining. It basically turned into a big party zone. We had about 1/2 dozen boats rafted up near us. They all had similar but different dance music playing. It was all over by 10:00pm. The rest of the night was quiet.

Ollie had a great time at the stadium.

We needed to get provisions (healthy food) before heading further south so we took a short sail over to Coconut Grove. It’s part of the city of Miami. We had a choice of grabbing a mooring at the City’s Dinner Key Marina. It has good moorings but they are somewhat exposed to the wind (still blowing around 15 to 20). We took a chance and called the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. They have limited transient moorings available to sailboats only (under 40′). We got lucky. We were escorted into a really protected mooring field right in The Grove. It is one of the tightest mooring fields I’ve ever been in. Comparable only to Vineyard Haven (inside the breakwater). If Catalpa were a few feet longer we wouldn’t fit. I was informed they were turning away most other boats due to lack of space. I had to push a boat out of the way while Lynne tied to the mooring.

A sea of masts.

January 13th and 14th- Coconut Grove, FL

We’re feeling quite cosmopolitan. The sailing club has 24 hour launch service to bring us to shore. Lynne and Ollie have been going to a cafe in the morning (the Captain has been sleeping in). We’ve toured much of Coconut Grove. Had more conch chowder and shrimp. We even had our laundry done. To clarify: we didn’t do it!

Coconut Grove was also the home of yacht designer, Ralph Munroe (mentioned in a previous post). His home (The Barnacle) is now a national park. I now have a Barnacle hat.

The workshop.

Marine railway for hauling boats out.

A gazebo with a proa on the ceiling. A proa is a South Seas sailing canoe. This is a replica of one Munroe built. Apparently they are very fast.

We toured the waterfront of course. Miami City hall is surrounded by a park and Dinner Key Marina. It used to be the Pan American terminal building for sea planes.

What the hell is that??? I must not be in New England any more!

There are many parks in the area. Ollie had a ton of exercise and met many people and dogs.

We saw a lot of sailing going on. A nice change. These were the smallest. They are remotely controlled models.

January 9th – 11th: Miami Marine Stadium, Virginia Key, FL

The wind has been gusting up to 30 knots out of the East (and SE) for the past few days. This anchorage is sheltered from the wind. We can hear the wind whistling through the upper rigging but the harbor is largely flat. There are many boats anchored in here but it is a big space and could fit more. After some of the tight anchorages we’ve been in, over the past few days, it seems capacious. There are a number of unoccupied, derelict, boats. This is a problem we’ve noticed in most of our travels through Florida. Some of them seem like they’d be decent “fixer uppers”.

Virginia Key is connected by a long causeway to Miami. While we can see the city in the distance, there really isn’t much here. On one side we have a peninsula. It has a long jogging trail. Good for walking Olliver. We had to curtail some of his athletic activity. Much of the ground here is broken coral. His pads take a beating when he starts flying through the air.

Blocking the wind…

Please throw it.

On the other side we have a variety of things. There is a big crew installing floating piers for the Miami Boat Show.

Then there is the grand stand for the Miami Marine Stadium.

The stadium was originally named the Ralph Munroe Marine Stadium (a better name in my opinion). Commodore Munroe was the Nat Herreshoff of Florida. He was friends with Herreshoff. For those that don’t follow early yacht design (who does?), these guys were giants. Captain Nat designed sleek, deep keeled, ocean boats. Munroe designed sharpies, suited to Florida’s shallow waters. Munroe was an early settler of Miami and lived in Coconut Grove. Enough about boat designers.

The Stadium was built in 1963 specifically for powerboat races. Many famous performers had concerts here. It was closed down and condemned in 1992. There have been various attempts to restore the stadium.

Next to that is the Marine Stadium Marina (run by the city). We’ve been going over there daily for water, ice, and provisions. Not much in the way of provisions. Mostly beer, wine, and potato chips. They don’t have regular milk but they do have both vanilla and strawberry flavored milk. This morning I had vanilla milk with coffee and strawberry milk with cereal. Probably not the most healthiest choice. They make a great Cuban sandwich.

There is a rowing club whose rowing teams compete in the Olympics. We see them rowing back and forth or jogging on the trail.

Then there is the Miami skyline across the bay.

Today is Saturday so we expect the harbor might get a little wild. We are going to head over to Coconut Grove either tomorrow or Monday when the wind subsides a little.

A big longboat filled with paddlers. The water is very blue, even when the sky is grey.

This little island looks beautiful but it is a popular party spot so we didn’t anchor near it.

January 5th- Lake Worth to Lantana, FL

We woke to another windy morning on Lake Worth. At least the wind was out of the North so we’d be getting pushed in the right direction.

Rybovich Marina. Mega marina for mega yachts.

5 bridges later we were in Lantana. The anchorage is right in front of the Old Key Lime House. We had evening music from the Tiki bar. There was a bakery nearby so we picked up some fresh bread and pastries in the morning.

Old Key Lime House.

Lantana Bridge

Catalpa anchored at Lantana.

January 6th- Lantana to Lake Boca Raton, FL

Originally the plan was to head down to Fort Lauderdale. With all the bridges we had to pass through I decided to split the difference and end the day early in Lake Boca Raton. There are bridges over the ICW that are less than a mile apart. There are far more draw bridges in Florida than the rest of the entire ICW.

Today’s list

• Ocean Ave
• South East 15th St
• George Bush
• Atlantic Ave
• Linton Blvd
• Spanish River Blvd
• Palmetto Park

This whole portion of the trip is through mansions and condos.

Do they have this many Spanish mansions in Spain?

Christmas Candy Land Mansion.

The end of the day had us in Lake Boca Raton. The anchorage was a little crowded but we found a spot for Catalpa. I was able to get Ollie to shore over in Palmetto Park. Other than that, there is limited shore access. The lake is extremely crowded on the weekends with partying day boats but supposedly quiet during the week.

My Boca story- Around 3:00 A powerboat with a bunch of people on it anchored next to us. Soon after another boat tied up to them, joined by a few jet skis. Then the party started. It turned out to be a loud Monday afternoon. We didn’t really mind. I figured they’d leave around sundown. They didn’t. The party continued into the night. Eventually one of the boats left but the one that stayed had the loud dance music and booze. Around 9:30 or so the music cut out and the revellers seemed agitated. There were no lights on. No music. They drained the boats batteries with the stereo. Eventually they towed the boat (around 30′) off into the night with a jet ski. In lieu of running lights, they danced on deck with flashlights by some auxiliary music source. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned. Probably not.

Boca Raton

January 7th- Lake Boca Raton to Lake Sylvia, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Onward south! We feel like fish out of water down here. The phrase that comes to mind is urban sprawl but it’s more of a “wealth sprawl”. How many mansions and super yachts can there possibly be? Up north big houses are generally on large pieces of land. Down here they seem to be piled up on one another.

This one was unique.

Approaching Ft. Lauderdale

The bridge list.

• Camino Real
• Hillsboro Blvd
• NE 14th St
• Atlantic Blvd
• Commercial Blvd
• Oakland Park
• Sunrise
• Las Olas Blvd

The plan was to grab a mooring at the Las Olas Marina in Fort Lauderdale. The mooring basin was totally empty so we felt lucky to be able to grab any one of their 10 moorings. We called the marina to let them know we’d be in shortly to pay for the mooring. They informed us, the mooring field is closed for repairs. We felt less lucky. We dropped the mooring and headed a little further on to an anchorage in Lake Sylvia. The books say there is room for about 10 to 15 boats at the anchorage. I counted 36 before losing count. We wedged Catalpa in. I anchored with short scope and tied out a few fenders “just in case”. A few other boats came in after us. The lake was packed. Thankfully it was a calm night (and quiet).

Ollie’s commando runs lived up to the name. There is nowhere to go ashore in Lake Sylvia as it’s surrounded by big houses. A trip down 2 canals and across the ICW had us at a seedy boat ramp. It was a long ride and we are running low on dinghy fuel. I tried to find fuel but didn’t want to leave the dinghy for long. Maybe the next stop.

The next morning I had a different plan for the shore run. We had to get the dinghy under a road bridge with only a couple feet of clearance. I’d done it the day before so, no problem? The tide was up. We didn’t quite have enough clearance. Everyone layed down in the bottom of the dinghy. We got through. The top of the outboard housing has a little more character now. We went down a different canal and found a convenient spot on the side of a road to stop.

Lake Sylvia.

January 8th- Lake Sylvia to Miami Marine Stadium, Virginia Key, FL

Originally this was going to be a shorter day to end at Oleta State park but I pushed on further due to some upcoming windy weather. We wanted to get to an anchorage with some access to ice, water, and fuel. Miami. A measly 1700 miles from Buzzards Bay.

Port Everglades.

We continued down the ICW and negotiated more draw bridges.

• 17th St (56′ clearance so we didn’t need it to open for us)
• Dania Beach Blvd
• Sheridan St
• Hollywood Blvd
• Hallandale Beach Blvd
• NE 163rd St
• Broad Causeway
• West 79st
• West Venetian Causeway (I believe this is the last one)

We went under other bridges over the past few days but they were fixed bridges with enough clearance for us to pass under. The West Venetian is the last ICW draw bridge for us until we turn North.

The fabled Biscayne Bay. This picture was taken near the Oleta State Park. A fun little tidal island for locals.

The buildings are getting bigger.

The little West Venetian Causeway bridge.

Miami.

At the end of the day we anchored in the Miami Marine Stadium. It is in Virginia Key which is right across the water from Miami (it’s part of the city). It’s an interesting place and a good, well protected, anchorage.

….and WHAT A VIEW

January 2nd – 4th. Lake Worth, FL

After a fantastic breakfast at the Paris In Town French cafe we moved Catalpa about 5 miles south down Lake Worth toward West Palm Beach.

We passed the Port of West Palm Beach. It’s a busy spot where cruise and container ships come in from the ocean.

They exit through the Lake Worth Inlet. Near the inlet are many sail boats waiting to cross the Atlantic to the Bahamas. It’s only 55nm between West Palm and the Bahamas. I’ve been told that it has been a while since there was a decent weather window for the crossing. The Gulf Stream runs between Florida and the Bahamas. If the wind and current are wrong the ocean can produce big waves out there.

We decided to go out the inlet and bounce around in the Atlantic for a while.

Wait a minute! I don’t even have charts for the Bahamas! We turned around and went back in the inlet. The current was strong.

Our main reason for moving was the Palm Beach Sailing Club. For a fee, they allow visiting sailors to use their dinghy dock and facilities. We were also getting very low on water. We filled up. The anchorage area is a bit open to the wind but it is convenient to have a safe place for the dinghy and hot showers.

Ollie and I explored some of the surrounding neighborhood. There are a number of small parks along the waterfront. One had a dog park.

Scenes from the Palm Beach Sailing Club.

Club house.

Catalpa is in the background (somewhere).

Dinghy dock.

Catalpa anchored in Lake Worth (West Palm Beach).

This next picture was taken by my brother-in-law on Hobe Sound. It may be the only picture with all three of us on the boat.

December 31st- Hobe Sound to Lake Worth (North Palm Beach, FL)

We inched a little further down the ICW today. Being New Years Eve, it was quite busy with small boat traffic.

Jupiter Light

Jonathan’s Landing

Giant Banyan

This portion of the waterway is populated mostly with mansions and condos. From Jupiter to Miami there are 35 draw bridges we have to negotiate. Today we had 6.

• 707
• Jupiter Federal
• Indiantown Road
• Donald Ross
• PGA
• Parker

Many of the bridges have specific times that they open. We find ourselves either pushing Catalpa to make the next bridge or going very slow so we don’t have to wait at the bridge for too long. I think I’ve been over every one of these bridges when visiting Jupiter and Palm Beach (in a car).

Our anchorage for the evening was North Lake Worth. We had lots of distant fire works but otherwise it was a quiet evening. Steak on the grill. Fresh Ravioli. Salad. Eclair for desert and Champagne. A perfect New Years Eve.

January 1st, 2020 New Years Day- Lake Worth, FL

Happy New Year from the Captain and Crew of Catalpa.

So far we have no plans for today. We need both ice and water so maybe that’s the plan.

December 28th- Jensen Beach, FL

Not much to report on. The wind was still up with periodic rain squalls. The park is a little crazy so we didn’t really feel comfortable leaving the dinghy tied to the pier for long periods, unattended. The stop is not ideal but it does provide adequate protection from the wind.

December 29th- Jensen Beach to Hobe Sound, FL

Today the weather was more of the same. Wind and Rain. I felt the wind had moderated a little so it was time to go. From Jensen Beach to the St. Lucie inlet we had to contend with an adverse tidal current, a head wind, large boats, and rain about every 15 minutes. After the inlet we pulled into a narrow cut along Jupiter Island and everything calmed down. The wind was absorbed by the mangroves. It’s a “no wake, manatee habitat”, so the traffic quieted down. It was still raining but with the temperature at 75 degrees, who cares?

We went through the Hobe Sound Bridge. It’s the first of about a million draw bridges we have to pass under between here and Miami. Hobe Sound is bordered by a nature reserve on one side and Jupiter Island on the other. Jupiter Island is home to the rich and famous (Tiger Woods is on the list). We anchored on the nature side and were richly rewarded. I saw one manatee in Vero but we have both seen several while in Hobe Sound. When they surface, they exhale from their nostrils. They then begin their slow dive, exiting the scene with a lazy push from their big horizontal tail fin. They seem almost prehistoric.

We have our own private beach off of the back porch.

December 30th- Hobe Sound, FL

We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to stay another day. Today we had visitors! Some friends and family rented a power boat and tied up with us for the afternoon. Lynne served up some hors d’oeuvres. A fun time was had by all. The rain even stopped (mostly).

Ollie has been a swimming beach bum at this stop. Catalpa is a salty, sandy mess (as is Ollie).

More late day showers brought on the inevitable rainbow.