Key West…Blog Writing

Last year, it seemed that I had more time to blog about my travel adventures than this year. Some of this lag is due to a couple of reasons. The first is my new IPhone 6 picture uploads to the laptop. Data usage is one issue. I’ve been doing “Drop Box”, but that involves going online and to the cloud. The next inconvenience is that my laptop, I think, is on the way out. The top of the screen has a 1” black strip across the entire top. That makes it difficult to “X out” or minimize an application. I also have a more busy schedule this year. Bocce, Yoga and some Pickle Ball have taken up a good part of the week’s schedule. Meeting with friends for lunch or dinner also has cut into my blog time. All of the above are fun activities to do and so is blogging about our daily routine in the lower Keys.

Our private security Coast Guard Cutters in the background

Thursday, Jan 22nd                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Started late morning and biked over to have lunch at Martins on the corner block of Duval and Truman Ave. Martins’ is one of many restaurants that do half price appetizers if you mention that you are local. Now, the appetizers are large and getting a couple will more than satisfy

Paulette buying cigars for her son!

both of our combined lunch appetites. From the restaurant, we biked over to Truman Annex NAS (Naval Air Station) checked out what was playing for a movie, nothing we wanted to see and we peddled back over to Trumbo Point and visited with my classmate, Paulette Lowry and her sister Jeanette Morneau. Late in the afternoon, the four of us walked over to Mallory Square.

Sunset amusement at
Mallory Square 

The sunset didn’t materialize and actually we had a good shower. To escape the rain shower, we ran into “2 Friends Patio Restaurant” for Lobster Bisque. The rain soon ended and we walked back to our campsite at Trumbo Point.
Friday, Jan 23rd
This morning our bikes were on the road to the Bocce courts on the Atlantic end of White St. Some of the teams were milling around when we got there. George, in his 80’s, the guru of the Bocce here in Key West, said that the courts were too damp from last night’s rain showers. They postponed the game until Sunday night. Paul mentioned that we should visit the West Martello Tower Gardens. This is an old Fort that had been abandoned and had nearly been totally looted by locals for bricks. The site was taken over and converted to a partial museum and gardens. Admission is by donation. We strolled among the Fort’s many arched rooms and admired plants of every descriptions.

Rain Shower hideaway at
Two Friends Restaurant

My favorites were the Orchids growing high on the tree limbs. This garden has little nooks that some families were having a lunch picnic. The views from there are of the gardens and the ocean.This is in perfect harmony with the natural surroundings.
It was now a little past lunch and my tummy was calling. I wanted to checkout a bike shop downtown and hence would have lunch at “Five Guys”. The  “Little Burger with the works” is my favorite! It seems that I write a lot about eating in this blog, but we may eat, but we walk and bike off the pounds. So far, I’m five pounds lighter than I was before leaving the North Country.

No I'm not going to jail! Just a famous photo
opportunity!

My odometer has registered forty miles of bike riding and I haven’t really devoted any time to my power bike around the Island of Key West.
Saturday, Jan 24th 
This was a predicted day of sporadic rain. We spent most of the day reading in the camper. I’ve been reading Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Patton” a very interesting view of World War II behind the scenes. Later in the afternoon, I got a text message from Paulette who invited us to dinner in her luxurious motor home. We accepted!

Jeanette, Paulette, Helen and I walking
down on Truman Annex...Truman
White House

It was an enjoyable evening and dinner was first class. Paulette was in the army when she met her husband Richard. Richard made a career in the army and they both retired from postal service. He passed away and Paulette has carried on touring with her motor home when not home in New Hampshire.
Sunday, Jan 25th
This morning, I shuttled Helen, Paulette and her sister Jeanette over to church. St Mary Star of the Sea is a beautiful Basilica, as I have mentioned before in previous blogs. After mass, we took advantage of the coffee and donuts at the church Community Center. The next on the schedule was to drop Paulette and Jeanette  off at the corner of Eaton and Whitehead Streets for their walk

One never knows what you'll
see driving in KW

around the Arts and Craft Fair event. We would check this street event later this afternoon. We wanted to Skype the kids from the “Fly Navy” hotel. Lunch in the camper today and off on our bikes for the Arts and Craft Show. I’m always impressed with the quality of the Artisans crafts. The Artisans come from all over the country to this event. They have to be good to compete with others to sell their crafts. I took a few pictures to remember some of the items I’d like to try and duplicate when I get back home. Actually, who am I kidding! I usually get home and never think of doing those neat crafts.
Monday, Jan 26th

Bocce is the name of the game this morning. The camper is off the truck

The Meteor from George Town, S. Africa
is for sail $258 million asking price!
Any takers out there?

and we had to do grocery shopping and errands so the truck was our transportation to the Bocce courts on the other side of the Island. We each won a game and lost a game on different teams. Maybe, we will be good enough to eventually ask some local village Bocce players in Italy for a round or two (ha, ha!). After the game, we headed over to the Fly Navy Gateway Inn to upload, download photos into Dropbox  and publish a couple of blogs I had in the draft mode in “Live Writer”. I’m glad to report that I’m slowly improving in that department.

Tuesday, Jan 27th
The Yoga class this morning was skipped because our friends from Congress, AZ were here at the Fly Navy Gateway Inn.

My favorite biking partner!

Rex and Jodi, our neighbors picked up Dan & Jan Yochum and we followed them to Big Pines Key for lunch. This is about 30 miles north of KW. In Big Pines, they took a left and we followed them to “No Name Key” which is the location of the “No Name Bar”! Confusing isn’t it? This bar has good food and even on a Tuesday noon was packed! The walls, ceiling and just about everything else has dollar bills stapled to them. It is a neat place and we had a good time conversing for a good part of the afternoon. Two

Hockey in KW

Harley bikers from Trumbo joined us. It wasn’t too long before Ron told the waitress that his buddy John wanted to marry her. We all had a good laugh on that one. The party broke up mid afternoon and Rex told us to go across the bridge and checkout the deer on the other end of No Name Key. The deer are a species that only are found on this Key. The deer are small and as we approached their habitat, many signs said “Absolutely no feeding the deer”. Several deer were on and next to the deserted highway. We stopped and to our surprise they didn’t scatter. Helen held out her hand and the deer was soon were

Yes, It's on inline roller skates, Dede

licking her hand. I guess people don’t follow the regulations and must hand feed them.
Returning to Key West, I got a call from Paulette and Jeanette who were at the “Margaretville Bar” wanted us to join them at Mallory Square for the 6:08pm sunset. We left Trumbo Point and walked to the square just in time to catch the sunset. I got a few good photos.

That is what we did and saw!

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