NxNW neighbors at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West, Fla.
Cherlyn Conway
There is a saying, “The family that prays together stays together.” Our version of that saying here in the NxNW neighborhood is, “The family that cruises together, stays together.”
As some of the folks on Osprey, Willet, Brant, and Cinnamon were trying to protect their pipes from freezing and staying warm with the 20– to 30-degree temperatures, 16 of the 20 people who signed up for the Road Runners’ 2025 annual cruise were enjoying 80-degree weather and sunny days. As we cruised to Key West, Fla.; Bimini, Bahamas; Turks and Caicos, BWI; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, we dearly missed the four who had to stay home due to last-minute health concerns and endure the miserable weather that the rest of us left behind.
As with family reunions or gatherings, we often gathered for meals, happy hours, game shows, dances, theater shows, and pool time on the ship. When in port, it was common to find a group seeking out who had the best piña colada. It didn’t matter that it was 11 a.m. “Hey, the business was open, so it must be acceptable,” was our thinking!
Key West found the biggest group together at one location. There were 14 of us out of the 16 who were on the cruise who gathered for food and drinks at the best-known watering hole in Key West, Sloppy Joe’s. This was just a different version of the monthly Dine Around when we are back at the Ranch. The server provided excellent service by ensuring all our orders were accurate and the checks were correct when presented. There is no doubt she was compensated for her good service.
This is just another event that strengthens the NxNW bonds. A sizable number of neighbors have already registered for the 2026 annual cruise. We will have some neighbors/family going on the 2026 cruise who did not make the 2025 cruise. They must have gotten FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when they kept seeing the social media posts of all the fun we were having.
I recently saw a sign that read, “We didn’t know we were making memories. We just thought we were having fun.” From this writer’s point of view, this sums up what a special place it is to live in the north/west part of the Ranch and in our little neighborhood known as NxNW.