A tremendous storm moved through in front of a cold front this weekend. We knew something was up when people began coming into port for the weekend rather than leaving the dock. When a new-to-us family with 3 little boys (Homeschooled! Hurray!) showed up on Dock A and told us they'd cut short their time in the Dry Tortugas in anticipation of the blow we got out the extra dock lines and tuned in the weather radio.

Which, if I'm being honest here, I detest. You have to wait for the robotic voice to cycle through in his disjointed, jerky sentences that I tend to tune out, realizing that I've done so just in time to miss out on my location and instead hear something completely irrelevant to the situation like the location of the Gulf Stream. Click on the Wunderground Button in the sidebar, folks. When you get to Key West's page click on the Marine Forecast if you're interested. In 10 seconds you can be up and away from the computer filled with the knowledge you need.

So after checking the location of the rainbands Marianna and I attended a fabulous mass on Divine Mercy Sunday with a guest priest, a Dominican! I thoroughly enjoyed his homily on Perpetual Adoration and Marianna especially liked seeing his habit (Is it called a habit on a guy? Total mind blank here.) white with extremely long rosary beads tucked into his belt. It hasn't changed much in the 800 years the Dominicans have been around. We vowed to check out our Perpetual Adoration Chapel this week.

By the time she and I arrived home the sky was beginnng to darken and the wind was really kicking up. I helped Hal stretch a dockline across the neighboring slip to help hold us off our finger pier and we closed all the hatches and zipped the isinglass just as the skies opened.

As I was descending the companionway an intense bolt of lightning struck a light pole on the bridge which is not nearly far enough away for my comfort! Especially as it was very hard to tell with my light blinded eyes if it was a light pole or the mast of a sailboat in the anchorage for a few moments! Our favorite little island was also reported lightning struck though I did not witness that, I was buttoned up safe below by that time!

And just what might we have been doing below decks? Holding our own little celebration!

The S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen won!!!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the support you have shown us, I've gone about in wonderful warm glow ever since that has nothing to do with our Geographical Location, and everything to do with you!