Sometimes you just want a plain donut

      I was reading a blog the other day that I found interesting. The woman was taking pictures of her free donut on National Donut Day. She commented that her favorite was a plain glazed donut, but she wished she would have taken a picture of something prettier, like a sprinkled donut, for her blog. Her end point was simply this, we shouldn't pick something just so it will appear pretty in pictures or look great to everyone else. She liked a plain ole donut and that is what she chose to keep on her blog. That got me to thinking about how many pictures that I leave out of this blog for fear they aren't pretty enough or adventurous enough? You know, a good ole plain day at sea sure beats the heck out of a crazy day at work! I imagine though, that sometimes it must seem as everything goes smoothly, the sun always shines, the waves lap at the hull, Ray and I agree on everything, my bathing suit never gets put on inside out...... okay TMI, but come on, things happen on Nu Trix just like they do to everyone else. Sometimes, the waves are so scary that I get a panic attack, sometimes the storms seem as if they'll never end, sometimes the sun doesn't shine for days and sometimes Ray thinks that I am wrong???  I like my life though! I like the days of swimming and sailing, exploring and being scared out of my mind. I don't want to sugar coat or sprinkle pretty lies into my blogs. I want my family and friends to experience what living aboard a sailboat for 8 weeks is really like. So this is my blog.... a plain donut with a little glaze and because I am dairy free, it is a vegan plain donut with a cup of hot coffee with almond milk..... forevermore!!

The Everglades ( not for the weak of heart)  

We dropped the anchor in Indian Key and had a place where the wind would keep us cool and hopefully keep the mosquitoes away. As soon as we got comfortable in the cockpit and were talking about dinner on the grill, the wind picked up. Nu Trix was stern to the wind because the current was running so strong. I asked Ray if maybe we should pull the anchor and go further up the river towards Everglades City. Ray was concerned but  with the wind picking up, pulling the anchor would be a pain. The wind kept growing and growing and the sky was getting very dark. The waves started pounding over the stern and covering us in salt spray. Finally, Ray said that we needed to pull the anchor because the sky was looking ominous and the waves and wind kept getting stronger. He went up forward and I watched for his signals. I have been at the helm so often in way worse situations, so it was not really a problem for me. The anchor came up and I took Nu Trux further up the river.

The wind was still up when we dropped the anchor again and we hoped that it would be enough to keep the mosquito at bay. Well, it did not happen. The night was hot and sticky which sent me to the starboard settee to try and sleep. Brisa, our seafaring kitty, came and curled up near me. Ray tried to swat and cover up but those little buggers are relentless!!  We left Indian Key early because the mosquitoes were just too brutal. We didn't sleep very well because it was hot, stuffy and itchy!  We set our sights for Little Shark River because we were tired and the Keys would be a 14 hour day. We pulled out the head sail and still only got up to 5.5 knots. The wind was not cooperating with us at all and when we made a course correction for Little Shark River, the wind was right on the bow. We pulled in the sail and motored the rest of the day. We decided that to go up into the river, though protected 360 degrees, would be suicide. We have weather on our Garmin and it looked as if the weather would be okay for the night. We anchored about a mile from the entrance and put all of the mosquito netting up. Ray then took duct tape and went around the hatches.

Ray don't play!!! haha   We put together a nice dinner of kielbasa and baked beans... also known as beanie weenies!! We fell into the bunk and slept like the dead. When we woke up, the mosquitoes were covering the ports and the hatches. We wanted, no we needed coffee but the fuel had to be turned on outside! I pulled the netting away and Ray ran for it, albeit it covered in bug spray. But it was for a good cause...... coffee!! He flew back into the galley and we sat and drank our liquid speed of the gods. Finally we decided that unless we were going to put down roots among the alligators, deer flies and mosquitoes, we were going to have to make a run for it. It was decided that Ray would pull up the anchor alone and get us the heck out of dodge while I made sure Brisa was safe..... After about 30 minutes, when we were well off shore, I thought I would go up top and be with Ray and give him his breakfast. Hey, I'm good for a thing or two..... Well, the mosquitoes were still there!

Those crazy little stowaways were clinging to everything. As soon as I lifted the netting over the companionway, they swarmed down below. I spent the next 12 hours killing bugs, getting Zika and wiping dead carcasses off of the walls, ceilings and floors. No sprinkles on these donuts, people!! Brisa, the kitty, was up in the bunk laying on Rays clothes. She glared at me when I would go check on her. I think she is not a fan of the engine, the boat, us........ who knows with cats. I'm pretty sure that she would have called the Coast Guard if she had a hand held VHF. We purposely hid them for that reason. Anyway, Brisa wasn't happy with us and I knew we would pay for the long and loud ride south. Finally we saw land and I had obliterated all of the bloody, literally, mosquitoes. Ray dropped the anchor and we tried to coax, Brisa out of her fortress of solitude. She wasn't having it though. That night we had a grilled pork tenderloin, yellow rice and black beans. We hoisted the Conch flag and as the sun set, the conch horn blew to herald yet another beautiful day. Her we were, once again in the Keys.

My husbands home.... the islands that held such memories for him, the winds that still  blow with whispers of days gone by and adventures, that are etched upon his soul, still ride the waves that pound onto the shores of the mangroves. I listen to the echos and breath them in as we watch the sun get swallowed up by the ocean.
Our trip is just getting started, but already we have formed memories that will forever run through our days.
When we are back at the dock, both hard at work, the whispers of our adventure will sprinkle the plain glaze with the thoughts of the lazy days of summer and both  the horrors ,( lack of air conditioning,  holding tanks that need pumping, no bread, no more fresca, sheets that need laundering) and also the wonders (hikes to long ago homes,  snorkeling trips to caves, the perfect sailing days, spending time with each other). I am so happy to be here. I love our boat, our life, our love. Tomorrow we leave for Angelfish Creek and Friday we leave the States for the Bahamas. I am so anxious to be in our beloved Exumas with the clear water, friendly people and nothing to do but be with one another. I guess even when you are happy with the plain, life sometimes gives you a good dose of sprinkles. I'll take them, but I promise not to make anyone think that's all there is to life.