Weather forecast for March 5, 2019:
Skipjack Marina, Marathon, Florida
Low 73 high 85
North winds, 10 to 15 kts
Captain’s Log: February 21, 2019 thru March 4, 2019
Shirley flew back to Key West from Raleigh, North Carolina, on the night of February 20th. The next day we had to be in Ft. Lauderdale to catch an 11:30 flight to Detroit as we were scheduled to watch our grandson Paxton while his parents went on an eight-day cruise.
We booked a one-way rental car from the Enterprise office at the Marathon Airport and were supposed to pick the car up at 8:00am, when they opened, on February 21st. Knowing that our time to make the flight would be tight, we arrived at the Marathon Airport just after 7:30am; our hope was that the office would open early and we could then get a little earlier start.
That was not going to happen! The Enterprise office opened at 8:25 and we did not get on the road until almost 9:00; our flight left at 11:30.
I drove like a "bat out of Hell" for over two hours. We pulled into the rental car return building at the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 11:10. Our flight was scheduled to leave the gate at 11:30. We had less than 20 minutes to get from the rental car building to our terminal, get our tickets, check our bags, get through security and get to the gate. I told Shirley "NO WAY"; I was really pissed off.
Then, everything changed. We got on the wrong shuttle but the driver dropped us right in front of our ticket counter. Shirley immediately shared our predicament with the nearest Delta employee who grabbed one of our bags and said "FOLLOW ME". We went straight to the front of the ticketing line and then, with tickets in hand, were escorted by the woman from behind the ticket counter to the front of the security line while someone else called the gate and asked them to hold the door for us. We blasted through security and then sprinted to the gate. We somehow made it. Shirley is convinced that all of her praying while I was driving like a maniac had paid off. I think that she was right.
Our reserved seats had already been given away so I ended up in a middle seat in the back of the plain while Shirley was in an isle seat about ten rows in front of me. My heart was still pounding as I settled in; I was still a bit jacked-up when we landed in cold, gloomy Detroit almost three hours later.
We arrived at Rachel and David's house just before sunset where we were greeted by our little gentleman Paxton, who would become my constant companion for the next week.
We had not seen my Mom since Dad's funeral so, after a few days in Detroit, we decided to drive down to Cincinnati with Paxton in tow. Paxton's mother had warned us that he occasionally gets car sick, especially on longer trips, so Shirley devised several plans to address this possibility; the plans included plenty of distractions and even more barf bags. All went well for over 200 miles but, just as we were pulling up to my Mom's assisted living facility, Paxton let go with projectile vomiting. I assessed the situation and then immediately disappeared, thanking the Lord that it was not my car. Shirley handled the mess; I was fine.
Paxton and my Mom really hit it off. Being surrounded by adults most of the time, Paxton is a smart little guy and has developed a very large vocabulary for a 3-year old. He can speak in complex sentences very well and has no problem expressing himself. He was not intimidated by, nor shy with my 92-year old Mother.
We took Mom for a day trip the Cincinnati's Union Terminal, which is now a wonderful museum. I think that Mom and Paxton truly enjoyed each other's company over the two days that we were in town.
While in Cincinnati we stayed at Rick & Bebe's place, once again. Paxton really enjoyed the hot tub.
After two days in Cincinnati we had to get back to Detroit; Shirley had a big date with her hair dresser, Mr. Simon, who coiffed her mercilessly.
The remainder of our time in Detroit was spent doing chores around David and Rachel's place, finishing up our tax returns, drinking alcoholic beverages, watching kids cartoons and visiting our other Detroit-based grand children. Paxton was my constant companion the entire time.
We were completely exhausted when we got back to the boat.
Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas.