CORTADO, Family

Boats and Birthdays

Posted by Lynne Rey on
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“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” — Madeleine L’Engle
Turning 48 this year was mostly peaceful, full of natural beauty and much joy!  We left Coconut Grove and anchored off Key Biscayne on birthday eve.  Tony and I watched the sunset from the bow remarking on our journey so far and specifically the year prior.  It was a beautiful evening.  We grilled our dinner and enjoyed just being together with the kids in nature.  Little did we know our lovely anchor spot was a bit too close to the edge of a bouncy current. The boat was rocky and the lapping waves were like Chinese water torture for me.  At some point in the middle of the night I couldn’t take it a minute longer. I tore off my bedsheets and tore out of the stern cabin – soon realizing there was no where to go.  As I sat down outside, the early morning sky was beginning to glow and it was the most beautiful, calm and lovely sight. Tony joined me with sleeping bags and pillows and we slept the rest of the morning hours outside in the fresh sea air. I love sleeping outdoors on the boat, and it was a blessing in disguise to be able to wake up on my birthday in such a beautiful place. In the morning, the kids brought out flowers, small gifts and many hugs.  We looked out to see dolphins swimming past us in the crystal clear, calm waters… this was a great day!  We lifted anchor early and cruised to the quiet and ever lovely Elliott Key for a fun day of paddle-boarding, swimming, fishing and napping.

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Family selfies! 

20150224_124002sunset imageWe made our way to Key Biscayne for dinner that evening but decided to motor back to Coconut Grove at night. We wanted to share our birthday cake (a fresh fruit tart) with Tony’s Etchell’s teammate and friend Phil Trinter. Though about 100 yards from the dock we ran aground in the soft, sandy shallows at low tide…  We had no choice but to stay exactly where we were with mother nature as our mighty anchor. Luckily, we had plenty of wine and fruit tart!  The kids got into pajamas and we played board games while watching the sea rise to an appropriate level for docking. If there is one thing my 48 years, plus one rocky night and four months living on a boat have taught me, it is patience. 
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Thank you to my loving family for the best birthday a happy midwestern girl could ever want.
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Published by Lynne Rey

Homeschool-mom, Baseball, Sailing, Art, Books, Life!

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