February 15
Our second week in paradise was marked with finding an island rhythm. The touristy highlights having been hit, we are beginning to slow down. These were the highlights:
The laundry
Days lost to reading, crosswords, and conversation around the pool.
Boaty punch-list tasks, like polishing isinglass, removing rust, passing our Vessel Safety Inspection, and messing with the outboard motor again to finally determine that we need to buy a new one for the dinghy.
A solo escape for a haircut in Old Key West by a Hoosier stylist. We had an in-depth conversation about her girlhood experiences showing livestock at the fair!
Docktails with our dock neighbors from Evansville on Best Mate.
Two bike rides to Smathers Beach, one without and one with bike locks 🙄
Discovery of the nearby Cuban French bakery, which specializes in croissants—and toooo many tempting restaurants! It’s Steve’s and Mike’s mission to rate the Key Lime Pie at every one of them.
A Valentine’s Day dinghy flotilla “around the corner” to Hurricane Hole for lunch. After an unusually big lunch, we nixed our dinner reservation and enjoyed eclectic dining on leftovers, steamed mussels, and wild rice and edamame salad on Mike and Brenda’s aft deck. The girls whopped the boys at Bid Euchre AND Pinochle!
Here are photos of the dinghy flotilla:
Today we eagerly await news of our grandbaby’s arrival!….
Strands from Red Pearl 
I’m left wondering: Did the bike locks go to the beach on the first or the second trip? Did you wind up on the boat with 2 bike locks and no bikes?
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Hi, Mark! I was a purposely vague on that point, because we were embarrassed to have ridden all the way to the beach before realizing that we had forgotten our bike locks and so were unable to explore. The second time we went, we were sure to have them! Not a particularly important point, except that there are a lot of things to keep track of in this new routine.
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