Fantasy Fest Parade 2023

Not sure if you remember The Saint's entry in to the parade last year.  We had Bill's beautiful car and 6 angels all dressed in white.  This year we had 9 angels - we are a movement! Lol

The FF theme this year was Unicorns and Uniforms (celebrating 200 years of the Navy in Key West) so we went with sexy Top Gun/Flight suits type costumes. We were able to reuse 6 of the wings from last year...which is good...they cost $80 each!!!

I think the photos below capture the fun had by this great group of girls. See you all next year Angels of the Saint! 

 

Fantasy Fest - Tutu Tuesday, Friday night, Saturday Parade - Costumes!

Tutu Tuesday is one of our favourite's and strangely enough we nearly didn't make it this year.  We were both crazy in work and it was a last minute decision to just pop down on our bikes and go for a small stroll up and down Duval Street to feel the vibe.  Hence the haphazard costumes lol.  I recycled my parade outfit from last year, it has a tutu afterall! Patrick threw on his captain's hat and I dug him out a light up tutu from the wardrobe.  And we were off!  Happy to report a nice atmosphere downtown and we enjoyed it as much as any other year.

Bill dropped by the hotel on Wednesday to show off his beatiful 1974 Corvette Stingray's new costume: beautiful Saint branding.

Buddy said she didn't want to wear her hat and dress up as a pint of Guinness this year.  She also said she did not want to wear her "Mommy's Little Pumpkin" dress either. But here we are.

Friday evening, Patrick came downtown and met me after work.

He planned to wear his boat captain costume, I wasn't really bothered to wear anything...  But then the night before he asked would I throw something together so he wouldn't be dressed up on his own. I spotted his old captains hat (cheapy one that came with another costume from a few years ago) and figured a pair of shorts, white blouse and I was set. For a man who doesn't like couples costumes he said he didn't mind this one lol. I thought we looked cute!

And the big one!  The Saturday parade.

I will post a load of pics in my next blog post but you get the gist of from this!   So much fun as usual, but jeez, a long tiring day!!

A long tiring week in fact.  But so good.  Until next year Fantasy Fest!

Diana Nyad in Key West

On Saturday, the city of Key West held a reception to honor the 10 year anniversary of the momentous feat by Diana Nyad - swimming approx 60 hours straight, 110 miles between Cuba and Florida, landing on the beach of Key West.

I met her! I cannot pick a favourite photo so you get all 4 below.

I took a photo of these two kayaks which were part of her support team along with the big boat where most  of the team were.  At the time I took the photo I did not realise the significance until I saw the film the next day:  these two kayaks each had an electric current on them, forming the electric shield which deterred sharks.

Next day, Sunday, after a morning of fishing with Joe, Dave and Patrick I went to the 3pm showing of the movie: Nyad.  I cannot recommend it enough.  Inspirational. Motivational.  Also, a wonderful film about friendship and support. Go see this film!!!

After the movie, I went and met Patrick for dinner in Half Shell Raw Bar where I told him my ambition that I could do the Key West 12 mile "Swim Around the Island" before I am 50 years of age (just over 4 years away...)

Boat Services

The Salty Grunt 2.0 was dropped off at Boat Services for her 300 hour engine service. 

It involved us getting up before sunrise.  Patrick drove the boat from our dock over to Stock Island and I drive the jeep and met him over there

Reversing the boat on to a boat lift/fork lift

Up she comes!

Scary seeing our little boat being bounced around the yard

In to Boat Services for now, hopefully will be getting a call for pick up!

********

Job done! 

Time to go home, back to our dock, boat is all good and ready for some more adventures!

Stone Crab!

 Coming in hot!  

After a 10 day soak we pulled up our traps for the first time and were delighted with a haul of 7!  7 beauties - nice size - it has to be said.  We are well on our way to some very good dinners if things continue this way.

We put them back down in a very similar spot - we like the depth they are out.  With the bait of the big old gross pigs trotters.  And for the first time ever we zip tied the traps closed: this won't prevent them being pirated but at least we will know.... We did suspect last year, on rare occasions, had our traps been raided and crabs taken?

Bel Mare, Key West

It's taken me a while to get there but I can confidently say that Bel Mare is my favourite restaurant in Key West.  We treated ourselves to a bottle of wine, a mussels dish, Italian cheese and meat board and of course the bread.  We sat at the bar and had a lovely chat with a very nice bartender and an equally nice couple from Ohio.  

Co-incidence or Synchronicity....or Twinchronicity?!

 As you might know, I have an identical twin back home in Dublin.  People ask me all the time do I miss her...it is a hard one to answer: of course I do, but equally, her and I, are just getting on with our lives - and me being happy and enjoying myself here with Patrick.  But omg, sometimes, out of the blue something hits hard and I really feel the pain of her not being close.  This morning we were chugging along on the boat, nice and slow, pulling into the gas station and out of NOWHERE a sudden memory popped into my head of how every Christmas, a few days before Christmas, Enid and I would always go for a lunch together to a fancy restaurant in Dublin (a different one every year), an event we used to call our "Boozy Lunch".  Out loud, I announced "I miss Enid".  

She also has a blog.  Actually, it was her who got me into recording and documenting my life - thank you Enid!  How about this for a co-incidence?  I noted one of her blogs from last week was talking about leaving her bike in for repair.  Which, I did last week too!  Now that is not the co-incidental piece. Afterall, we both use our bikes alot, and after time bikes needs repairs/tune ups.  The co-incidence is what specifically we got repaired.  Hers need a puncture repair and mine needed a new chain.  And THEN both of us, separately, without discussion with each other, talked to our bike guy about getting a new seat (saddle) post replaced.  Now, this you will agree is not a "normal" or standard bike repair request?!  Her reason for needing a new post is detailed here in her blog post.  My reason was I have been cycling for a few months now with a dodgy post that keeps moving position/dropping down while I cycle (my post + seat were stolen when I parked it overnight at the airport) and while I have been using a freebie donated one, it had reached the peak of what I could tolerate! 

What are your thoughts?  A bit eerie, yes or no?!

Christmas 2017! Traditional Christmas Lunch (aka "Boozy Lunch" lol)

This was in Amuse on Dawson Street, Dublin.  The year after we went to The Ivy in London - just before I moved to the US - we were in London for a Pigsy art show.

Off the top of my head other locations for the Christmas Lunch were L'Ecrivain and Thorntons Restaurant in Dublin. Oh! How could i forget! Patrick Guilbaud's in The Merrion. All wonderful.

And a few twin bike pics!

These are the days

Fabulous few days out on the water...

The crab traps are down since Thursday.  Lovely conditions out there and we were delighted with our "line" of traps.  We then had a lovely picnic dinner of prosecco and sushi while drifting around and admiring the sea and the sky.

Since then we have been out three times.  ZERO fish to be caught but very beautiful.  And hey a bad day on the water, sure beats a day in the office!