The Sea Cruise Ends and the Land Cruise Begins

Erin, Leslie, and Randy on their boat

There are pirates in Nassau

We hung out and said farewell to our Nassau friends on their beautiful boat. If you go to Nassau take a day charter on Barefoot Charter.

Atlantis in Nassau

Disney Cruise coming in

We left Nassau and avoided the incoming Disney Cruise ship to start our cruise to and across the Bahama Bank. We crossed the bank at night and, just after dawn, we sailed around the light house at the south end of Cat Cay.

We round Cat Cay

 

Bahia Honda

 

The beach at Bahia Honda

We continued on crossing the Gulf Stream that day and sailing down the coast of the Florida Keys in the Hawk Channel all night to anchor early the next morning at Bahia Honda. It was a good sail with good weather and the anchorage was off a park so there was a beach and stores on the beach. 

We needed to get to an oral Surgeon friend to get Leslie’s tooth repaired. So we left Midnight Rambler the next day, saying our thanks and well wishes for a good final cruise to Tampa to Aug, Peg, and Bobby. We then caught a bus to Key West.
We had e-mailed our sons Eric and Aron at the beginning of the trip to tell them of our plans to come to the mainland and stay there until January when we would go back to the BVI to continue cruising. Apparently that had triggered a conversation between them discussing what we would do for those 6 months because when I called Aron from Key West to tell him we were in Key West the following conversation occurred. “Hi Aron it’s Dad and we are in Key West.” Aron’s guarded voice replied, “Hi Dad, what are your plans while you’re in the states?” Carl playfully responded, “I thought your mother and I would spend 3 months with your brother and 3 months with you.”A horrified voice stated, “ NO DAD! NO! Not 3 months!” Carl let him up saying, “Just kidding.” We told him we plan on driving around to visit friends and relatives, and fit a trip to Australia to do the same, but we plan to spend 2 or 3 weeks with him over the period.

Our digs

Key West

 The bus dropped us off in the middle of town where we walked to our nearby accommodations. We were surprised after checking in to find the pool and hot top clothing optional! Carl loves this place!  

The famous Mallory Square

Key West is a busy fun place and we caught the sundown at the bar and visited the Mel Fisher Museum, along with a number of shops and stores, before we rented a car and headed up the Keys to West Palm to visit my brother and his family.

The story of the Conch Republic

Bret's family and friends

Bret's family

Over the next week we traveled north on our way to our friend the oral surgeon and getting Leslie’s tooth repaired. On the way we stopped to visit my brother and his family, my cousin Anita and her family, and Aron's family.

Anita and her husband Paul

They have a car like ours!



Leslie, niece Juli, and friend Apple

Strawberry fields Madison and Cole

Cole in the Car

Madison and Katie dance through the
fields

Dave's girls

The waterfalls

Monday, Memorial Day, we arrived at Eric’s friend Dave, the oral surgeon. Since office was closed and it was early, we went hiking at one of the many nearby parks. We hiked up a river with his wife, Jessica, their three young daughters,and his little son, Davidson, to a big beautiful waterfall. A fun day was had by all!


We walk along the stream

Davidson shares his cowboy hat



Leslie recovers from the tooth

Tuesday Leslie started her three part procedure and had her tooth extracted and the socket filled with bone material. Now she waits for 3 months to have the metal post put in and then another 3 month wait for a crown.

Tali does a nice cartwheel

Tali gets her gymnastic metal

We drove to St. Louis to visit Eric, Kelly and the girls for Leslie’s recovery. Next is on to the West!

Tali ready for her recital

Tali and Cloe at the club pool