I took off after work and headed down to Ft. Lauderdale to meet up with my dad. I threw my bag in his truck and we were on our way down to my uncle's place in the keys. The car ride was perfect. We caught up on everything. I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time because it was the first time in 10 years that I spent time with just him. We stopped at a little local joint for a fish sandwich and continued on our way to Sunshine Key. We sat on the patio and discussed everything and nothing over a couple of cocktails. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.
The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and headed to the marina to rent a boat for the next couple of days. We spent the whole afternoon snorkeling and lobstering. We were only able to come back with one bug but it was a great size. We found a couple of great holes for the next trip down there. When the sun started to set we headed in for the day. It was a little overcast, but feeling the cool breeze while smelling the salty air on our way back to shore was the prefect end to a day on the beach.
That night we grabbed some pizza at No Name Pub, then headed to a local bar to shoot some pool. I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend that I haven't seen in a while. We headed home and I quickly passed out. It had been a long (fun) day and I was exhausted. The following morning we woke up nice and early to head to the marina. I was getting my sunrise! Just as we started to pull away from the dock and headed through the channel, shades of pink and gold started to fill up the sky. The water was glass and the only sound that could be heard was the soft hum of the motors. It was so peaceful. We took in the morning sky as we headed back out to the spot we were the day before. While lobstering we saw some nice snapper and wanted to see if we could do a little fishing. Unfortunately, the only thing biting were little grunts.
The rest of the day was spent snorkeling and lobstering. I discovered, I am awful at lobstering. I cannot hold my breath long at all so when I get down there I end up poking them with a stick until they go so deep in the whole I can't reach them. Luckily, my dad has a little more experience then I do. We were able to add only two more tails, but found some great spots for the next visit. We hung out on the boat until around 4 when we got cleaned up and headed down to Key West for the night. We grabbed some great seafood on Duval followed by beers at Irish Kevin's. I was terrible company on the drive back because the numerous hours we spent on the water the past two days caught up to me and I passed out on the way home.We woke up early and headed back home. It was just the right amount of time that we needed with each other. I have a new appreciation for where our relationship has evolved to. It is always a strange transition when you stop looking at your parents as the 'authority figures' of your life and see them as friends. The truth is that the mutual respect that we have always had for each other has not changed, even though our circumstances have. I am looking forward to the next time that Logan and I can get together with him and Lily, and am thankful we both are able to get away like that once in a while.
