Pensacola, Fl - Luck of the Irish!

     Wednesday in St. Andrews State Park, was not the nicest of days.  It poured rain most of the day. Utilizing some old Adirondack camping tricks developed by Uncle Jimmy, Debbie deployed our table cloth from our awning, and we were able to block the wind and rain enough to successfully cook up some Oscar's bacon and eggs.  We try to cook as much as we can outside to keep the moisture out of Weezy.  The park has been getting some heavy rains the past week, and there were several campsites flooded from the runoff. We took a drive into town to see the sights, as a nice easy drizzle seemed to keep most people at home. We thought this time of year would be a little busier, but Panama City was nice and quiet.  To the north we found a good size shopping area with lots of little shops.  We checked the movie theater but we had missed the movie we were interested in seeing.  We thought Monument Men would be an enjoyable film to see on a rainy day.  Down the street Debbie spotted a German Beer Garden!  Can't go wrong there.  So we parked the jeep and headed in for a cool one.  It reminded us of our visit to Germany years ago visiting Ben and Joanne. On our way out Debbie popped in to a Kilmans Chocolate Store just to finish off the day.  They were selling chocolate for $29 / pound!!  No sale today!

  Thursday morning we awoke to a chilly 38 degrees.  Something has gone terribly wrong!  Only a week or so ago we were basking in the mid 80's.  So a command decision was made to move westward.  There were still plenty of beautiful Florida beaches to see.  The panhandle has beautiful white sandy beaches, although the water is cooler than down south.  I understand why they call this the Forgotten Coast.

     St Andrews had plenty of open camping spots, and a check on the parks to the west showed a few sites available.  I figured with the cold weather, local Floridians would rather stay home.  We were checked out and on the road by 10:30 CST, having crossed into a new time zone a day earlier.  As we approached Destin, Fl, Debbie started calling parks, and all were booked solid.  Nothing available!  Not good!  What we had failed to realize was this weekend is Mardi Gras weekend, and I guess it is celebrated in more places than New Orleans.  Evidently, Pensacola is a big party town, with a huge Mardi Gras parade on Sunday Well we had one last chance.  A National Parks campsite located out on Gulf Islands National Seashore. Their website said they had 4 walk-ins available.  Debbie called and spoke to the Ranger at Fort Pickens Campground who said he had 3 left, but they were going fast.  We were 60 miles away, but a decision was made to go for it.  Arriving at the Ranger Station to pay the entry fee, the Ranger asked if we had reservations.  "No" I said, "but we were told there were some walk-ins available."  The Ranger replied, "Must be, they haven't told us to turn people around yet."  We're in!  Three miles further to the campground registration office, and on to the site.  Amazing!  We have water and electricity, and we're surrounded by water.  The Gulf of Mexico on one side and Pensacola Bay on the other.  Beautiful white sandy beach all around us.  And very few people out here.  Debbie and I walked over to the beach, and we were the only ones out there.  We sat for a while, soaking up the warmth from the sun, enjoying the tranquility of the waves.  A little cool, but not bad.    

     Again, I forgot my camera when we went out to the beach, but I'll get some pics today and include them next time.  And probably the best part of getting to Pensacola, was getting the opportunity to visit with my cousin Annette.  She's been telling us for years to get over here, every time we stop and visit in Gainesville, but we have never been over here.  We left her a text telling her we were over here, and she called as we were out visiting the fort.  Arrangements were made to meet for dinner at McGuires Irish Pub, so we hustled home to clean up.  We met Annette, and had a great dinner.  Debbie had fish and chips, and I had their pork chops with Jameson's sauce.  Way more than we could eat, and very tasty.  The place was packed, but we met Annette at the bar. (The last place I'd look for her!!!)  We were soon seated and had a great meal and conversation, and made arrangements to get together again this evening.

     Tonight will be an early night though.  Tomorrow we head over to Smiths Station, Al. for a visit with our friends from BP Campo days, Ted and Maryanne.  We've been looking forward to seeing them for a long time.  

St Andrews State Park / Panama City, Fl

     Debbie and I departed Gainesville on Monday morning, which is always a little sad.  The Doody's of Gainesville make us feel so welcome, and it seems that every year when we return for a visit, it seems like we never left.  But we have to keep moving if we are ever going to get out of Florida.
     We anticipated a late departure, and planned to stop at the Ochlochonee State  Park near Sopchoppy, Fl.  The road over was very nice with little traffic.  Fifteen minutes after leaving Gainesville we were in the country traveling down tree lined roadways with farmland and small towns.  Debbie checked "the Google' for the history of each town if she saw an historical marker which made the trip much more enjoyable.   Along the way we stopped and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Forest Capital State Park before moving on to Sopchoppy.  Weather threatened for just a minute, but then the sun came out and it was a beautiful day.  After settling down at Sopchoppy, we packed up and headed further up Florida's Forgotten Coast.

     We worked our way along State Route 319 through Carrabelle and on to Apalachicola.  We had checked with the Ranger at the state park and he described Apalachicola as "a drinking town with a fishing problem." Sounded like out kind of place!  We arrived in about 50 minutes and walked around the waterfront where we found some fishing boats tied up at the fishing pier.  The town was founded after the sponge industry took off in the early 1900's but it only lasted a few years.  The downtown area had several art galleries, restaurants, and drinking establishments.  We made a tour through the "old town" portion and saw many beautiful old homes.  It looks like the area is struggling, but the waterfront all along the coastline is spectacular.  White sandy beaches, and piers reaching out into the bay.

 







On Tuesday morning I noticed an Allegro Breeze, quite similar to ours, parked a few sites away.   wandered over and met a couple from Ohio who also had a 22011 Tiffin.   We had quite a visit, each asking lots of questions, before time forced us to get moving.  They also have a blog which they are going to invite us to join, and we look forward to following their travels around Florida.  Around noontime we headed for our next destination near Panama City, Fl.  Around 3 Pm we arrived at St Andrews State Park.  After settling into our site, which is a little damp due to recent rains, we went for a ride to get a good look at the beach area.

     We went for a nice walk down the beach, working up an appetite for dinner.  We were told that there must have been quite a storm in the past year as the beach erosion was quite significant.  Down along the rocks we watched a few fisherman trying their luck.  We also visited with a couple from Iowa who planned on visiting upstate NY next year on their way back from Maine enroute to Niagara Falls.  Debbie made sure to get a plug in for a visit to Lake George.  Dinner was another piece of #16 from the Pelky Cattle Ranch as we settle in for the night.  Tomorrow there is rain predicted so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Gainesville, Fl

     Friday, as expected, we awoke to a beautiful morning at Ft Desoto. But this was going to be a travel day, so we aren't going to be able to enjoy the sights.  It was now time for our visit with the Doody's in Gainesville which seems to be a yearly event, and something we really look forward to. Quite a severe thunderstorm struck Gainesville prior to our arrival, but the drive up was uneventful with only a nice easy rain.  Traffic was not too bad, and my navigator was able to find an easier route than Satellite Sue was showing.
      Aunt Anita  resides in Gainesville and is extremely fortunate to have family living close by.  Patricia (Tish) and her husband Bob are the explorers in the family, with yearly pilgrimages  to Ireland.  They have done extensive work over the years researching the Doody/O'Driscoll  family, and Bob has actually written several books on the subject.  We call Bob our "Italian Tour Guide" as he and Tish have lead us and numerous family members all around Ireland over the years.  It is really a treat to sit and listen to Bob driving down the road, relaying a running narrative of the history around us.  He's now building a chart of the family, pulling years of research into one document showing the family back to our great-grandparents in Ireland.
      Cousin Johnny and his wife Pam (you remember him from previous writings), live close by, and he seems to enjoy the arrival of his cousin from N.Y.   This year, shortly after our arrival across the street, he arrived carrying a welcome bottle of Irish Whiskey, which we've been into just a little bit this weekend.  I usually try and synchronize my whiskey drinking with cool weather, but I don't want to insult the relatives.

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     When I left Mooers a month ago, the taillights on the jeep were all working properly which, as many of you know, is quite unusual for me.  I really don't recall too many vehicles being towed by me, having operational tail lights.  And the last week or so, I started developing a ground problem between Weezy and the jeep which of course caused the jeep's taillights to quit working.  But in a moment of brilliance before departing Mooers, I packed a second, more durable, wiring harness anticipating this type of problem.  So Saturday, I casually mentioned by tail light issues to Bob and Johnny, and pretty soon the tools were out, and the troubleshooting began.  The above photos are the wiring diagrams Bob and Johnny drew for me, since we were going to change the plug on the new wire harness.  We were going to change from a 7-wire plug to a 4-wire plug, and a wiring diagram may come in handy someday.  When the job was complete, Bob handed me the paper, and told me to never lose it.
      Now, ya'll remember that after my visit with Cousin Tim in Port St Lucie a few weeks back, I wrote that Timmy was my new favorite cousin. But now I was in Gainesville, and cousin Johnny seems bound and determined to win back my favors.  For dinner last night, Johnny came over with fresh baked biscuits still hot from the oven and placed 2 of them on my dinner plate.  Now Johnny seized the opportunity to jump in and help with my tail lights.  Now ya'll be the judge, cause pictures don't lie.  You can see Bobby diligently working on the wiring harness.  Wiring chart close by...multi meter in hand.  Unfortunately I'm taking the photo, but if you could see me, you would see the sweat rolling off of my brow also.  Cousin Johnny appears to be quite comfortable doesn't he???

And I believe he's resting his bottle of Jameson's  on my rear bumper!  There's the photo.....you be the judge!  

     OK, here's another photo of Johnny providing significant assistance with the project.  Maybe I was the one who was the slacker in the bunch.  The lights are working fine now.  My thanks to both of them.  I think this Gainesville crew is going to be  my favorite bunch.  

     Actually, coming to Aunt Anita's is just like coming home.  Hours are passed on the back porch, reminiscing about days gone by, as well as future prospects.  As more and more Doody's gather out there, the stories tend to get a little more flamboyant.  Should the Jameson start flowing, one needs to follow the stories closely, because the story may change just a little bit tomorrow.  

     Tonight Debbie and I will be paying the group back with a pork loin dinner cooked on my Holland grill.  I need to do something since 'Tish came through this morning with a wonderful breakfast for everyone. Scrambled eggs with bacon, and a hash brown and cheese casserole.  Delicious!  This afternoon we're enjoying some nice thunderstorms.  It makes for a nice lazy afternoon.  A little Irish tea and a little more visiting. Tomorrow we head over toward Pensacola and we'll meet up with another cousin, Annette later in the week.  I know that's going to be a good time.     

Ft Desoto and a visit with the relatives

     Wednesday we woke to another gorgeous day at Ft Desoto.  The evening before we had been entertained by several racoons who tentatively encroached our campsite staying just outside the lighted area.  We had been warned by the ranger a check-in that the park was home to some very smart racoons, and they advised keeping everything picked up and put away.  So we were a little cautious about having them running through our campsite since we always worry about rabies and racoons up north.  I kept the spotlight MaryAnne gave me for Christmas handy, and it proved to be very effective in keeping them away.  But we got through the evening meal without incident and settled down to an evening of watching the Olympics on TV.  Incidentally, we've discovered that there seems to be plenty of tv stations broadcasting their signals for free.  Seems rather silly to be paying for cable or satellite.  At this park I'm able to pick up 52  stations from my roof top antennae.  There's not really much worth watching anyway.  We've been on the road just about a month now, and I don't believe I've watched the evening news yet.  It's amazing what you discover in life that you don't really need.

Ft Desoto was really the first park we've found where we can set up camp the way we like.  Get the stove out / park the chairs / and watch the world go by.  We like to get the coffee started in the morning on the stove and just let the day unfold.  We found that we were soon joined by herons, egrets and white Ibis, all working the shoreline for breakfast.  Occasionally a squirrel would come looking for something to steal, and Debbie would send them scampering.

      Wednesday afternoon we were invited over to Cousin Mary's camper over near Wauchula.  Cousin Evelyn and her husband Tom came down from Orlando which was really special.  It had been several years since we had visited.  We had a great visit with several of the Sutliff clan from the towns of Hadley and Day up in N.Y.  Mary and Evelyn put on a great luncheon with some French hamburger rolls from Walmart which were absolutely delicious.   We were amazed to learn that cousin Billy will be celebrating his 80th birthday in April, and since the VanDenburg's are involved, it will be a grand celebration.  We stayed way later that we probably should have and left nearly at dark with a warning from everyone to watch out for the wild pigs in the road.  Seems like they have a wild pig problem in that part of Florida.  So as I was leaving I told Mary's husband John that if I ended up with a contribution for their upcoming pig roast on the bumper of my jeep, I would give him a call.

      Now, my ramblings would not be complete if I didn't take credit for stopping at the outlet mall in Branden before going over to Mary's.  That event needs to be documented cause I may be a few good deeds short on judgement day.  I've also included a photo of the Skyline Bridge we had to cross to get to Branden.  Debbie does not like crossing that bridge, but she knew the outlets were on the other side, so I think she just closed her eyes as we were crossing over.  It was much more exciting in Weezy the day before. Debbie was good about watching the clock and making a quick sweep through one of the stores.  I guess a little retail therapy does a body good!
     Thursday was a nice relaxing day at camp, making preparations for our next excursion north to Gainesville.

     

Ft Desoto County Park, St Petersburg, Fl

     Monday we departed Everglades Isle for the 200 mile trip up to St Petersburg, Fl and Ft Desoto County Park.  First of all, let me tell you that you will be hard pressed to find a nicer county park to camp at.  It is just over 1000 acres with pristine beaches / fishing piers that stretch out 100 yards out into the bay, and magnificent sunsets.  Alert - Reservations are a must and need to be made about 6 months in advance.

It is truly amazing how everything seems to stop on the waterfront each evening as the sun sets.  Last night we watched dolphin's in the bay and shorebirds working the water just off of the sea wall.   Some little fish was acting like Nemo repeatedly jumping out of the water as if to say, "take my picture...take my picture."  It was interesting to watch some sort of cruise ship pass behind that island on which the sun is setting, and the only part visible was the ship's smoke stacks.  Camp was all set up, and we threw a couple of steaks on the grill from #16 at the Pelky Cattle Ranch in Malone, and settled down to watch some of the Olympics from Sochi.
     This morning we awoke to what seems like a typical Florida morning.  Lots of sun / cool, but the promise of rising temperatures throughout the day.  We've been working the calender pretty hard the last few weeks, so today we decided to let the day unfold and just enjoy it.  We went for a walk around the park to see some of the sites, and really couldn't find any bad ones.

     This seems to be the typical view from all of the sites and each has
water and electricity.  The most popular state seems to be Ohio, but our neighbors today are actually from Germany.  "Paul" and his wife Gisla are visiting the U.S. for a few months and traveling around by RV.  He's a retired Chief Investigator with the German Police near Schweinfurt, Germany.  We've had a nice visit with them, and got them hooked up to the internet so they could get some emails back to their son in Germany and work on some Google maps.  I didn't know my jet pack spoke German!

     Tomorrow we're off to Wauchula, Fl for a visit with Cousin Mary and cousin Evelyn from the Vandenburg side. Should be a great time.  Friday we're heading up to Gainesville for the weekend with Aunt Anita and the gang.  It's nice not having to worry about snowstorms.                    

Everglades Isle / Everglades City Fl

   

      Since our arrival at Everglades City on Friday, Debbie and I have been on a constant state of alert trying to see everything that this area of Florida has to offer.   We also had to get readjusted to the sudden drop in temperature we have experienced since returning to the mainland.  Friday night we actually had to turn on the heat in Weezy as the temperature dropped down into the mid 40's.  Our trip up U.S. 1 was uneventful and we arrived at the  Everglades Isle RV Resort around 3:00 PM and were immediately invited to join everyone at the Happy Hour in the clubhouse at 4:30. The clubhouse is a beautiful building with a movie theater and spa.  The floors are made from wood imported from Honduras and are absolutely gorgeous.  There's a lookout way upstairs that provides a 360 degree view of the area.  The original owner/developer of the property was the Heinz family, and they did a marvelous job.

Debbie and I finished setting up camp, sat down for a little happy hour next to Weezy, and were soon joined by a wonderful couple out walking their Labradoodle, Rufus.  Geoff and Cindy are from NY/NJ, retired teachers, and stopped to get acquainted. Geoff is from Britain, having become a U.S. Citizen in 1974.  He was quite familiar with Rouses Point, having crossed the border from Canada there many times while attending McGill University in Montreal.  He assured me that he had never been arrested by me for jumping the border up there.   We ventured over to the clubhouse and enjoyed a couple of Bombay G&T's before venturing over to one of the local eateries with a live band, and relaxed to good food and good music.

     Saturday morning arrived, and Debbie and I decided to backtrack about 40 miles, and visit Shark Valley, part of the Everglades National Park.  It was named Shark Valley by the Conquistadors back in the day after discovering it was feeding the Shark River to the south. There are no sharks out there!                                                                                              

 But there are plenty of alligators!  And it's mating season!  And they're not really keen on the tourists out there bothering them as one would imagine.   And about the only alligator that the tram driver decided to stop and let those of us in the rear of the bus get a look at, decided to hiss and arch up on his back legs at a distance from me of about 7 feet. Ask me and I'll show you the video sometime.  As we inched away from Mr. Alligator, I looked back to watch numerous other tourists on bicycles trying to figure a way of getting around him, as he lay next to the road.  Hope they made it.                                                                

We also heard stories of pythons which were illegally released into the Everglades decimating the rabbit, raccoon, deer and panther populations withing the Everglades.  Doesn't sound like there is any way to stop them.  Fortunately we did not see any snakes on our 15 mile tram ride around the park, but did view an abundance of birds and other reptiles.  We also got our national parks passport stamped twice.  We picked that up at Ft Sumter and hope to have collected lots of stamps by the time this odyssey is finished. 

Egrets and Herons were plentiful and didn't seem to be bothered by the alligators lying around watching. 

We finished our tour of shark Valley around 3:00 PM, grabbed a quick burger across the street at one of the restaurants operated by the Miccosukee Indian Tribe.  We worked our way back to camp, opened a bottle of wine and sat outside Weezy enjoying the full moon coming up over the park.  Even tried to take a few photos using various shutter speeds, but never was very successful.  

On Sunday after Mass, we settled down for lunch, and our friends Geoff and Cindy came by to let us know that the pontoon boat excursion planned for 1 PM had been pushed up to 12 noon.  Looking at the clock I could see it was 12:03 PM!  There's nothing Debbie likes more than a boat ride, so we quickly cleaned up and headed over to the boat dock.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera.  but Debbie saved the day with her brand new iPhone.  This is a nice photo of the rigs looking out over the water, with Weezy in the middle.  

We had a wonderful boat ride out on the bay, and took it out to the ocean where we could see the skyline of Marco Island up in the distance.  We even got a glimpse of some dolphins out in the bay. They'd be really neat to see on Chateaugay Lake! The tour boats from the Everglades National Park were out with us.  (Debbie and I took a ride on one of them last year.)  It was a beautiful day, and Emerald Isles was very gracious to take us out for a ride.  

     Now Debbie and I are not ones to let grass grow under our feet, and we were soon headed to the north over toward Marco Island.  We had heard stories previously of a little party that occurs at a place called Goodlands at a bar named Stan's.  About a 1/4 mile from the bar we encountered cars parked on both sides of the street.  Looked like there was a party ahead.  As we approached the center of town and Stan's bar, we could hear the band in the distance.  Suddenly there had to be a thousand people spilling out into the roadway and crowded into the area around the marina/bar.  

 I have to be honest with you...it looked like "Parents Gone Wild"!  Looks like the baby-boomers still know how to party.  The children would be so proud.  The band was doing a pretty good job of controlling the masses, and keeping the nuts off of the stage.  Parking close to the bar was $10, but they advertised it was for the scholarship program at the local school.  I bet it does quite well.  The beer was cold, and Debbie and I stuck around till the crowd started to thin.  Then back to "the home" for a little peace and quiet.  Tomorrow we're heading for Ft Desoto County Park near St Petersburg, and a visit with Cousin Mary on Wednesday.  I hope Debbie makes it across the Skyway Bridge!!!

Last post from Key West, Fl.

 

      Last night the rains that were forecast to arrive at 11 AM, did arrive at about 8:30 PM.  I'm glad to see that the weathermen in Florida are no better than the weathermen in NY.  Which is why, up in NY, we simply use an old mop head as a weather predictor.  If you touch it and it's dry, then it's not raining.  If it's wet, it is raining.  Much simpler!  Now I see that my second most favorite cousin, John, and his wife Pam, are reading my ramblings.  You remember that my most favorite cousin is Timmy and his wonderful wife Norma  up in Port St Lucie.  He promised to let me move in with him when I'm old and decrepit.  (You do remember that don't you Tim???)
     So today is our final day at Blue Water Key.  Debbie is definitely going to miss this place.  The sites are wonderful with lots of space.  Our tiki hut on site 81 was magnificent.  Since we're not sun worshipers, it was great having a place to get out of the sun, but still enjoy the water.  We were able to swim in the bay off of our dock, which would have been a great place to dock cousin Johnny's boat, if he had brought it down.  I'll have to take that up with him when we see him in a few weeks.  Key West proper is only 14 miles down the road, which allows us to get away from all the craziness down there.  Today we're scheduled to get Weezy washed and waxed although that may be a little iffy with these scattered rain storms still threatening us.  But the weather the past 12 days has been truly remarkable and we're actually a little concerned  about returning to the mainland since it's about 20 degrees cooler up there.  This crazy weather which is again effecting the entire east coast with ice and snow is actually quite fun to watch from Blue Water Key.  We truly do feel bad for all of you who are putting up with that mess!

     The last few days we've spent enjoying everything Key West has to offer.  While dining the other night at the Schooner Wharf Bar, we started  visiting with 3 sisters from Minnesota about the best key lime pie in Key West.  Even our waitress joined in the conversation.  Both agreed that the best Key Lime pie in Key West can be found at Blue Heaven.  So on Tuesday, Debbie and I included Blue Heaven in our stops.  We were destined for the beach again at Fort Zachary Taylor, but stopped for lunch at Blue Heaven.  A little parking tip for those visiting KW.  There seems to be ample free parking over near the CG vessel Ingham which is located right at the entrance to Fort Zachary Taylor.  We parked the jeep and walked a few blocks over to Blue Heaven for lunch.  Then we returned and drove into Fort Zachary Taylor.  There were no signs saying we couldn't park, and everything worked out fine.  The only problem was I forgot my camera (again!) so I don't have any pictures of the beach area.  You'll just have to take my word that it's a great place to visit.  We had a great lunch at Blue Heaven.  It has quite a history with it.  It's open seating in the backyard which is also the home to numerous chickens and roosters.  We paid no attention to them, and they payed no attention to us.  There was live music playing...bluegrass...which I love.  The menu had a history of the restaurant on the back which is always a must read.   It claimed that Ernest Hemingway used to referee boxing matches in the courtyard which is now the dining area.  And the roosters are the decedents from the cockfights that were held in KW.

Before I forget, Debbie says the Key Lime pie was the best she has ever tasted!  Oddly enough, the waitress recommended the Key Lime pie at Publix as a close second???
     Yesterday we spent a very nice day on the waterfront of KW.  It's amazing how many nice rainy days we've experienced over the years.  Debbie was on a mission to find the best ice cream in KW.  And by the time we found it, I was definitely ready.  The humidity was up a little yesterday, and us Northerners are not quite used to this weather yet.  Our search down Front Street was successful and we both enjoyed the homemade ice cream at the Key West Polar Bear Homemade Ice Cream Shop overlooking the waterfront of KW.  We stopped later on for a cool one at the Rum Barrel, one of the many taverns located along Front St.  It is probably famous for it's rum flavored drinks, but Debbie and I both settled for a nice cold beer.  We were the only ones up on the rooftop, and we had a nice view of the "tourists" enjoying the beautiful "rainy" day in KW.  As we were leaving, we warned the waiter that the thunderstorms were scheduled to start in about 3 minutes, although there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
      While downtown, we wandered into a little park and Debbie soon found a plaque "honoring" my last visit to Key West in 1982.  Actually the plaque commemorates the secession of Key West from the U.S. after the U.S. Border Patrol erected their checkpoint on U.S. 1 and questioned everyone leaving the Keys.  April 18, 1982....I remember it well!

      Tomorrow we're headed back to the mainland, destined for  Everglades City.  Debbie just finds this are of the Everglades fascinating, so we're going to spend a few days there.  Let's all hope for nice warm weather!

"Commotion on the Ocean" at Key West

     Yesterday was a relax day as we prepared for our evening cruise along the waterfront of Key West.  The event was called Commotion on the Ocean as Debbie and I, along with 136 other “tourists” took a 2 hour sail to see the sunset on Key West.  The vessel was a 59 ‘ Catamaran, with live entertainment, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  We traveled down to the waterfront to board the Fury, and found a section of Key West that we had previously missed.  The marina was alive with hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes.  There were charter fishing boats parked along the wharf, with each Captain hawking the tourists about their vast experience on the waters surrounding Key West and the exorbitant amount of fish they catch. They make their living off of the tourists, so I guess you can’t blame them.  There were 70’-80’ yachts which were absolutely magnificent.  Of course our eyes focused on the smaller trawlers since we had previously thought about going that route before switching our plans to the RV.

 
     At 5 PM we all boarded “Fury” and eased our way along the waterfront past hundreds of tourists who were gathering in Mallory Square enjoying the nightly tradition of “Sundown at Key West.”  We waved to the people on shore, ( I think that's Debbie's hand in the photo!), as Debbie recalled her days on Lake George watching the tour boats traveling up and down each day.  She certainly does enjoy being on the water, and we seem to take every opportunity that crosses our path to get out on the water.

 
      Once onboard, we settled down in some comfortable seats along the stern of the catamaran.  (This nautical talk reminds me of my days cruising the Mediterranean.)  The hosts on the boat were very cordial and came around quite regularly to refill our glasses.  I tried the margaritas, but soon switched to a light beer.  Debbie seemed to settle into the margaritas, and we both passed numerous times when we were offered glasses of champagne.  The music was lively, and you'd swear Jimmy Buffet was aboard.

     We met another couple, Fred and Mary Lou, who were visiting Key West for a few days.  They had many stories to share regarding travel around the U.S. along with travel around Europe.  They highly recommended the Viking Cruise Lines which offer river cruises throughout Europe and Asia.  Debbie and I had been thinking about trying Viking in a few years, and had hoped to meet people who had traveled there previously.  Trip Advisor is useful, but the opinions tend to range from wonderful to lousy, so it’s hard to gauge the legitimate response. Mary Lou is from Jersey City and Fred is from Augusta, Ga.  She's been trying to convince Fred that he needs to travel to NYC and see the Christmas decorations, which he is dreading because of the cold.  So we helped him along, saying we'd meet them in NYC in Jan 2015 if they decide to go.  As you can imagine,he was very grateful.   After the cruise, Fred and Mary Lou joined us for dinner on the waterfront at Schoonover Wharf Bar where we continued with our questions about Viking Cruises.  After dinner we walked along the waterfront and found several huge tarpon swimming next to the dock.  We were told that the blue lights from the boats attract them into the harbor.  Gotta keep those fish in mind next time we go snorkeling!

     Sunset on the ocean is always spectacular, and we enjoyed watching the day come to an end in such a glorious manner.  Mother Nature treated us well with calm seas and a warm breeze, and the evening was enjoyed by all.

Tomorrow Debbie has me headed back to the beach for some snorkeling.  She's forgotten about the tarpon already!  Actually it's gonna be great!

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West, Fl

     We enjoyed a nice quiet weekend here in Key West.  Friday night we wandered over to Geiger Key Marina which looks like it's going to be one of Debbie's favorite haunts.  They do a great job of welcoming everyone, and tonight they had live music.  He guitar player played lots of "oldies" from the 60's & 70's including some Johnny Cash tunes, and had a great toast in between songs.  He liked to hold up his glass and announce to everyone to drink on "three"!  Then he'd hollar "three"! Don't know what happened to 1&2, but after the first one, we all caught on quite quickly.  I even went with the hog fish platter which certainly surprised Debbie since I'm not much of a fish connoisseur.
     Debbie broke the cardinal rule about talking to strangers, and invited a group of people to sit with us since tables were getting scarce.  It's just picnic tables, so what's the harm.  The girl warned us that there were several included in their party, to which I responded, "we'll have to cuddle then" or something like that. Marie sat right down and was soon joined by her partner Mary, Mary's mother from Colorado and a mother/son duo.  I don't remember the relationship to the group the mother/son duo was but she may have been a sister to Mary.  Anyway....they were very pleasant and we had a great time visiting and swapping stories. Marie is an electrical engineer and is quite familiar with the north country, having spent time as far north as Rouses Point.  They live in New Jersey now.  Debbie was able to coax an invitation over to their house for a kayak trip.  Seems like they have several kayaks at their rental.  Haven't got over there yet, but they're only a mile or so away.  
   

Saturday we decided to return to Key West and do the touristy thing again.  We wandered down to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and ran into the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, WHEC 35.  She's now a museum, having been decommissioned in 1988. She had quite an amazing history, having seen action back into WW II.  She claims to be the only Coast Guard vessel to have sunk a German U-boat.  

 She was launched in 1936, having cost around $2 million to build.  Her service to the country continued beyond the Vietnam War, actively patrolling the Caribbean on search and rescue missions involving Cubans fleeing the the U.S. and interdiction of tons of marijuana destined to the U.S.

     After touring the Ingham, we wandered over to Duval Street to to check out some of the shops and find a little bite to eat.  Debbie like to work those tourist maps, and located a beach  here at Fort Zachary Taylor.  Doing a little research, she found that there was some great snorkeling off the beach and there was plenty of shade for me.  Everyone knows how I love the beach!  Anyway, we decided to check it out on Sunday.

Before head to Saturday Evening Mass, we just had to wander around the Key West Cemetery.  I'm thinking Debbie wants to do the Ghost tour around Key West before we leave also.
     Sunday we hit the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor.  I think it's going to be Debbie's favorite place in America.  $2 to get in and $5 to park the car.  That's quite a bargain for KW.  The water was great / lots of fish around to view while snorkeling. That was until Debbie ran into a barracuda.  He kinda got her attention.  We saw a ray jump out of the water just a short distance from where we were swimming.  That was pretty neat.  They had showers, snack bar and lots of pine trees offering lots of shade for me. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera with me on this trip, but we'll be returning on Tuesday for another visit.  I'll get lots of pictures.  Tonight (Monday) we'll be heading out for a sundown cruise off of Key West on a 37' catamaran.  Drinks and snacks and live music included.  Should be a great time.