Changing my blog site!

Hello folks,

I've decided to change my Blogspot platform to Wordpress.com! Come and visit my site at https://2boomersonthemove.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/wintering-in-key-west-florida/


Thanks for your support!

TravelmanNH Aka Lucien F. Langlois

Social Life in the Keys

Veterans Day November 11, 2016

We’ve been in Key West for approximately a month and a few days. It is a magical place to meet people. It’s like migrating birds that come from all over the country on a migration. The birds migrate further south into Central and South America. We humans, are tethered to the earth for the most part and wind up here at the end of the road on US 1 mile marker zero! The neat thing is that most of us didn’t know each other before this migration south. The nesting place, for us is Trumbo Point. We all park our campers here, close to one another, set up our little home away from home compounds and then start to notice our neighbors. A friendly, hi, hello, how are you doing and next thing, we have new friends! We all have different stories, different places of origins but the common bond is that we all, or at least half of the spouses, served in the military. This is what makes us nearly family.
When I was in the Army their seemed to always be a rivalry between all branches of service. That doesn’t exist here! We are all “US Retired Military”. It doesn’t matter if we were privates or generals, we are retired military! Key West stands out as a military town that dates back well before the Civil War. The local economy does depend on tourist, but it also depends heavily on military and their dependents. A perfect example of this was November 11th, Veterans Day. It is without hesitation that I say that this was the finest military parade that I’ve seen! I was really impressed with the number of military personnel in the parade. We, here at Trumbo Point Campground, even had a float in the parade!
The parade naturally march down Duval Street. Key West has a beautiful monument park. On Veterans Day our fallen comrades were remembered at Bayview Park. The parade didn’t come close to Bayview, but flowers adored the memorial. After the parade we rode our bikes on the back streets to Bayview. A tour bus had just dropped tourist. Many of these were veterans who looked at the inspiring plaques with engraved scenes from all of the wars. I asked one vet, looking at the Vietnam plaque, “Where were you stationed?” He replied, “up north” another here in Bien Huh. We remembered many things from our active military careers.

Daily Routine

We have pretty much settled into daily routine now.

• Early risers around 6:15am (Later than the 5:15am back home in NH)
• Shower
• Breakfast around 7:30am
• Exercise (Helen walks with one or two girls…3 to 4-1/2 miles) I ride my bike on Fleming Key 12 miles…gold for this year is 1,000 miles…840 left to go.
• Coffee break around 9:30 am
• Depending on which day of the week it’s Bocce Mondays and Fridays 10am to 12noon Tuesday and Thursday our Tai Chi classes at 11:30 am
• Most everyday we bike to these classes and games. From the classes and/or game we bike another couple of miles to check our mailbox down on Whitehead Street.
• Afternoon are reserved for groceries or anything that needs to be done.
• Normally we eat at home in the evening, except for Friday nights when we make it a point to go out to a restaurant and reflect on the pass week.

Volunteering

If there is one thing that you can do as much as you want in Key West is volunteering! Every single day there is another type of activity, parade, marathon. You name it and Key West has it! All this leads to the need for volunteers.
Last week our latest volunteerism was the Key West Film Festival. Another free tee shirt to add to our collection. It is interesting and fun to do these events, we see and meet lots of people, both participants and spectators.

That is what we saw and did!

ROTC Cadets!

Trumbo Point ...Our Float!

KW was a Sub Base in "Years Pass"

Looking Sharp US Navy

And The Beat Goes On!

36 annual Key West World Championships Super Boat International

Super Boat 1st ~ Little Bird ~ Helicopter 2nd!

I never realized how retelling one’s daily activities would be so difficult with all of the events that continuously happen on down here in Key West, Florida. We just finished Fantasy Fest week. Next, the International World Cup Speedboat Races this past week. I’m not a connoisseur of any boat racing, or, for that matter anything to do with boats.

Race Start

It was truly an eye opener to view, not so much the races, but to explore the staging area where all of these boats and trailers, trucks and equipment parked. This was open to the public, but at an entry fee. This event took place on Navy property and with our, handy dandy, military ID we walked right in. On racing days, they charged $20.00 a person. “Thank you very much for the ID cards, Uncle Sam!” If you bought a pass for the week, it was a mere $800.00!

Tilt Super Boat

If you owned a boat, it was $$$$$, but who’s counting. Speaking of money, these racing boats do not cost thousands of dollars, but millions. They are not made of fiberglass, but of carbon fibre…same stuff as the stealth fighter planes. They have specially designed trailers that tilt the boats nearly vertical. so they can be transported down the highway. Why would they have to be tilted, you might ask? They are 12 feet wide and some 50 feet long. The trucks pulling them are show pieces in themselves. Some owners have matching color show cars that enhance both the boat, truck and poshness of the rigs. Most of these racing teams are large corporation sponsors, hence an advertisement right off. An example of this would be “Stihl”… you know, the chain saw people.

Stihl Super Boat

They’ve been racing every other day with the last big event tomorrow. I’m not sure how everything is talied, but winning points play a big part in the scheme of the winning. The Super-boat heats are capable of hitting speeds of 180 miles per hour. On the day we watched, they were doing 140 miles per hour. It’s the wave conditions that limit the speed. Even at 140 mph, we often saw them getting airborne as they screamed by. There average speed was 111MPH on the 4.2 mile course. It was a cool sight to see! Actually, I should rephrase that and say it was a very hot sight to see, as we were on the Mole (pier) watching in the very hot sun!

Cowgirl ~ Racing Fan

Earlier during the week, in the early evening, the racing teams had a parade down Duval Street strutting their stuff, with trucks, trailers, cars and boats! Money, money and more money to advertise their companies and/or products!
Sunday rolled around and the final day for racing was here. Before getting into the racing details, I have to mention that it’s not only the racing boats that show up for this week’s festivities, but several dozens, so called “Cigars” boats made their way down from the Miami area to watch and run around the Keys. These smaller boats are not your typical 75 HP outboards, but usually two automotive type engines “300HP” each. Even at idle, these guys sound very powerful! One night, at three in the morning, most likely after the bars on Duval Street closed, one of these “Cigar” boats, cruised the channel between Trumbo Point and Fleming Key.

The rescue

At first it sounded very much like a diesel locomotive chugging along until it passsed the bridge pillions. It rounded the corner, parallel to Fleming Key with exhaust pointed towards the campground and the guy or girl hit the throttle. At three in the morning, with the windows opened, it sounded like I was at New England Drag-Way, with a Dragster coming off the line!

Back to Sunday’s final race

In the morning, we weren’t sure if we were going to attend. The temperature would be very hot and little wind on that side of the island. This is such a difference from the Northeast side where the campground is located!

1500 HP Super Boat

Well, our neighbor Lou Schadie came over and was telling us that some of the other Trumbo campers were there early to get good shady site at Fort Zachary Park. Before we knew it, we were pedaling over across the Island to the State Park. Lou, a disable veteran has a “Veterans Disability State Park Pass". He was able to get as many as eight people on his pass. Once in the park, we were amazed at how many thousands of people lined the beach!
The race started, with three helicopters flying low covering the boats as they flew by at ear piecing noise! With only a dozen boats in the race, the engine noise doesn’t last very long.

Turn Three

The pack soon spread out as two boats took the lead. The 4.2 mile course is visible nearly from one end to the other. My 18 to 300MM lens got a good workout. From our position, I could get some good shots as they turned from turn three. I really won’t get to see exactly which photos will be the best of the hundreds that I took until I get home to my large monitor and Lightroom software.

Closing In !

In turn two, I was able to get one of the boats getting air borne and flipping over! It was a mass confusion from the air as well as from the water. Rescue personnel, from one of helicopters performed the rescue of the two crew members. They (the rescue team) have things pretty well covered in that department.
That is what we did and saw!

Rain in Paradise?

Thursday, Oct 27, 2016

The Eyes have it!

The local radio station 104.1FM weather forecast this morning was for rain. A low pressure in the Caribbean to our East and a Hi pressure to our West in the Gulf met over the Key West today, resulting in rain off and on for the last few days! It hasn’t dampened the Fantasy Fest activities because they were able to have the daily parades without getting wet.
Last night, we saw the “Locals” parade. Very interesting! I always wondered why they called it “Fantasy Fest”. I don’t have to wonder any more. If you can get my drift about body painting, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Using an expression from an old friend, “Unbelievable” is the least I can say. I took many pictures, but unfortunately, I can’t publish most of them for ethical and moral reasons!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Did I say the eyes have it?

Finally, Saturday night has arrived. The “Big Final Parade”! The crowds predictions were to be arounds 80,000 people, but the latest estimate was around 60,000 spectators…whose counting. The parade went off smoothly with no rain!
One had to think, at the beginning of the parade, as two bomb sniffing dogs made their way along each side of the packed street. No devices were located and no major incidents occurred. I found a good place to take pictures, or, at least I thought it was a good place. Just as the parade started, an EMT, ATV type, vehicle parked right in front of us. I asked the guys if they could move and they said no matter where they parked they would be blocking someone’s view. So, I did get pictures, but mostly after they had gone by our location. Some of you would say, “why didn’t you move” the answer was that 60,000 people were standing next to me.

Colorful Costume

The parade ended around nine-thirty, but we made another miscalculation earlier in the evening. We had crossed the street before the continuos barricades had been closed. We had to walk in a different direction from our campground, circle around towards the waterfront and then head home. Remember, we were walking, no bikes or vehicle tonight. It was a good experience in any event to witness Fantasy Fest for the first time.

Floats...Fantasy Fest Parade 2016!

Tuesday Nov. 1, 2016

A new adventure started today for both of us. I read an add in the paper that stated a Free Tai Chi class was starting on Tuesday and Thursday. I called and got us signed up! Tai Chi as explained by Will, our instructor, is a martial art that does nearly everything in slow motion. Unlike Con Fu, which relies on force and speed, Tai Chi relies on control balance and putting your opponent off balance. No, we are not looking for martial art for defense, but better body balance and muscle toning. Will is very good at explaining the warmup exercises, breathing required to improve body mobility. I think we are going to enjoy these classes! If we wanted to really get into the martial arts, he also does another class on Higgs Beach on Sunday morning.

Wednesday Nov. 2, 2016

I spent the morning cutting grass, removing sod from our rear concrete pathway and just getting things looking good. By mid morning, it was contagious! I was the first to mow grass since the campground opened and after I finished my lawn, all three mowers were going in the park for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon, I was beat and sat, in the shade, got my whittling tools out and did some carving on my Eagle Head Cane project. It is the first time I ever tackle wood carving. It is relaxing. I also enjoy being able to sharpen my tools razor sharp with the help of a buffing compound and a leather strap.

Thursday Nov 3, 2016

Bright sunny, warm day, no or little humidity! Started the day by washing camper windows again. I like clean windows to lookout at the sunrises. It’s a 10 minute job with my squeegee. Next came the truck…Looks like “Coral Dust”…Better wash the truck! We are not allowed to wash vehicles with a hose in the park. Our alternative is to fill one pail with soapy water and another with rinse water for the other chamois. It does take very long to get that big F-250 shine up.

Tai Chi class at 11:30am

Tai Chi… A Chinese martial arts and system of calisthenics consisting of sequences of very slow controlled movements. Will Soto, our instructor, is by profession a tight rope walker. Checkout his link: www.willsoto.net Back to Tai Chi basics! I am very impressed with the class. It is very interesting to learn how balancing of your inner circle (body movement) can be used in either defense or offense. The warm up exercises stimulate your body. It is easer to balance one’s body actions.

That is what we saw and did!

Trumbo Point ~ Friends

Wednesday, Oct 19, 2016

In the last blog, we were waiting for Trumbo Point campground to open. We were the second campers to checkin. Our preferred site was waiting for us along with the 102 other sites. As I said, at 9am, only two of us were here, but by the end of the day 46 other retired military campers invaded the giant field. A couple of these campers are active military.
When you arrive, it seems that there is a million of chores to tackle for the setup. By late morning, I was well established on my site. I volunteered to help a few of the other guys. I gave Willy a ride back to Sigbee to pickup is car. He has a motor home and he was having a very difficult time of coming over here with three flat tires! Yes, I said (three) flat tires! Another guy needed a ride, but I had a conference call (Water Works Board meeting at 12pm). I did the meeting despite all of the commotion. The afternoon was spent helping and talking to old friends as they rolled in from all over the country. Helen and I actually talked to a gal from Australia. She is married to an American Navy guy. It is truly amazing to meet and chat with people from all over.

Horrifying 

Last night, I would put our GoWiFi internet to the test. I streamed the Presidential Debate live on my computer. From the computer I cabled the debate over a HDMI cable to our digital TV, for a larger screen view. I ran the sound to my Pioneer car stereo in the camper for a surround sound experience. Hillary and Donald came through loud and clear! I would say, that my site, literally next to the WiFi repeater, is going to work for me just fine. I even streamed a movie from Amazon Prime with no problem in buffering. I’m a happy camper so far.

October 20, 2016

This morning, it was time to wash the camper windows and remove the road grime that followed us down that long road from New England. I have a squeegee that makes this a quick job of doing all the windows including the pickup truck. It seemed that the rest of the day just flew by.

October 23, 2016

The weather changed last night. The wind is out of the North and the humidity is gone. Temperature is in the mid 70’s…reminds me of New England weather in the fall.
This afternoon, I moved another 5th wheel from the storage area over on Fleming Key to here at Trumbo Point, a total of about 1,300 feet. This is the third 5th wheel that sat on my hitch. They all seem to pull alike. Paul, the owner, has a Ford 250 with a truck camper on it. With me moving his 5th wheel, he didn’t have to download the truck camper, just park it in his storage area.

Very Festive

This is the beginning of Fantasy Fest week in Key West! It is a crazy week with a lot of activity. Tonight it was the bike Zombie Parade with thousands of Zombies riding all kinds of bikes and wearing bloody costumes! We were there taking pictures for about an hour until it really was getting crowded.
Back at the campground, we were surprised with the arrival of two couples pulling in with their 5th wheel and motor home. John and Cheryl, who stopped in for a visit back in New Hampshire and Paula and Charles who have two Shar Pei show dogs. Shar Pei never has an “S” even in plural form. Paula explained that very clearly to me last year.

Monday Oct 24, 2016

You Name it...And They Came!

The weather is still perfect. Low humidity, mid seventies, slight breeze still blowing from a northerly direction. A good day to play Bocce. We play Monday and Friday over at the end of White Street. They have outstanding courts which are City owned. It is our chance to meet and play with locals. Most of the locals belong to a league who play four nights a week. It is a lot more serious on those leagues than our 10 to noon play for fun.

A Pretty Bloody Mess

We spent the afternoon doing groceries, checking our Post Office Box for mail and then relaxing around the camper. I did manage to lube both bicycle chains and adjust and tighten odds and ends to keep both bikes in good shape. Tonight, was a good time to bike over to Truman Annex (the Navy Side) of the Island. To our surprise, the usual gate was shut down because of major construction, just outside the gate area. The City of Key West is building a large amphi theater and other improvements to the State Park entrance. Well with the gate closed (for a long time), we were directed to use the United St gate. We biked through the Bohemian village to get to the other gate. Now this could be a little scary, especially in early evening with a lot of people sitting on the sidewalk drinking. We’ve been there before and had no problems and we didn’t either on this occasion. The United Street gate is normally never open, so we got to ride into an area that we never had access to on the base. It brought us to “Southern Joint Force Command Headquarters” a highly restricted area. By now, it was already past sunset as we arrived at the Truman Annex beach. There was only one other couple sitting at one of the picnic tables. Even though the sun had set the blue/orange of the sky was mesmerizing. I had my backpack with my trusty D-7000 Nikon to grab a few memorable shots.

An Estimated 8,000 in the Parade

Wednesday, Oct 25, 2016

Started the day, detailing my truck. It is such a joy for me to relax and tend to such activities. It took most of the day! Well, it works like this; someone walks by and a conversation starts up. A little later a neighbor needs help with his awning, and so goes the day. Life in Key West…the way it should be!

That is what we saw and did!

A Long Ride to "Mile 0"

We made Key West, Florida this morning at 9:30am. Wow, I was tired and still winding down from four and a half days of driving. I averaged over 500 miles everyday! My total for the trip was 2,153.7 miles. Last year it was 2,003 miles from Berlin, NH. The reason that it was 150 miles longer was the recent hurricane that havoc North Carolina. On the radio today, I heard that North Carolina still has 620 roads closed due to flooding. We stayed in the Appalachians Mountains on I-81 to skirt around the flood area. I-81 is a good road, but it is hilly and is also a heavy truck route. My F-250 Super Duty had no problem going up the mountain passes, but some Diesel trucks pulling larger 5th wheel up and over the passes left me chugging along at 38 miles an hour on some of the extreme mountain ascents!

Sunset at Sigbee's Naval Air Station Key West, Florida

I did have a few close calls with people drifting into my lane. I honked on the horn a couple of times and they moved over. Another time, I had to really stomp on the brakes to avoid a tractor trailer that just pulled out from a construction area. I smoked the trailer tires! No damage done. Other than that, the weather was good, the Cracker Barrel Restaurants that we selected were excellent! Quiet is the main requirement. We only rejected a couple that were located in large cities with no easy access for our RV parking. It is sometimes very stressful to be trying to maneuver a 53 foot truck and camper in city traffic, trying to turn into small parking lots with vehicles and curbs all over the place. In any event, we are here safe, sound and happy.

It Doesn't Get Any Better !

Our arrival at Sigbees RV campground was another first experience for us. One of the whole ideas of coming early to the Keys was the chance to get a prime RV site at Trumbo Point campground. Some campers prefer different sites for different reasons. Some like to be next to water, some like being close to the restrooms. My favorite site was to be closer to the WiFi repeater to get good internet reception.

Double Rainbow at Our Destination in Key West

Here is how the process goes. You arrive and sign-up on a (non official) sign sheet and put your name and site number. The catch is that you have to stay at the signup station until they call your name on Monday at 9 am. Yes, that means sleeping at the office outside! That’s the price you pay for first come first served! So, sixteen of us spent the night sleeping in lounging chairs, trucks or what ever was comfortable. Helen was in the 5th wheel and I stayed and slept in the cab of the truck. It wasn’t that bad, I had a sleeping bag (not needed for being cold, more for added padding) I actually slept most of the night, only waking up when I rolled over. I sort of enjoyed looking straight up threw the windshield and watching the stars above. On Monday morning, at 9am, my name was called and we got our preferred site number 522. We can’t move over there until Wednesday when the campground opens, but I did manage to go checkout the site and mow the grass at our site.
Our next to do, on our checklist was a few groceries. A stop at the Sigbees’ Exchange was to see if we could get a PO Box. The last box was sold just before we got there, but we are first on the standby list. The clerk said that if a guy didn’t call in by the end of the day, we would be next. Time will tell.

Thats what we saw and did!

"On The Road Again" The Journey!

October 12th and 13th

Two days of 500 miles a day has put us on the Virginia~Tennessee border. This may sound like a long day behind the wheel, but in reality its just like a normal 6am to 5pm work day. It is about 8pm, sitting here in the camper at another Cracker Barrel restaurant, writing the first blog of the snowbird season. I can honestly say that last night’s stay was ultra quiet. I only mention this, because five minutes ago, a truck pulled up next to us here in the parking lot. A couple of guys went into the restaurant. I couldn’t imagine what kind of noise I was hearing from what I thought was a camper. Our shades were drawn and it was dark outside. Finally curiosity the best of me and I took a peak. It was an aluminum trailer filled with cattle! They weren’t mooing, but were walking around on the aluminum enclosed trailer deck. Thankfully, the cowboys had just gone in for a meal and weren’t staying the night. In the meantime, I turned the radio on, tuned in to a country western station and listened to cattle footsteps and country music! This is a sure sign of an adventuresome, upcoming season.
This trip south is a little different from in years past. Hurricane Matthew has flooded parts of Interstate I-95 near Lumberton, NC. This made us stay north and west of the coastal areas, at least until we were safe from detours and closed highways. Tomorrow, we will take a left and head into North Carolina and catch I-85 towards Atlanta, GA. We won’t enter the heavy traffic in Atlanta, but take the beltway and catch I-75 into northern Florida.
Our plans are evolving as we move south. We are fortunate that we have friends (Lou and Sue) that are already Key West and are keeping us abreast of campground openings and other pertinent information. We also got a phone call from Fr Serious Gerkin (a former neighborhood neighbor) He lives in Inverness, Florida. We might stop in and say hello. He would only be 20 minutes out of our way. Maybe, if the arrival time there is late in the day, we might stay the night in the church parking lot.
We really don’t have an exact date on the opening of Trumbo Point campground. The fire department has to do a pressure test on all of the hydrants around the park. This has to be scheduled sometime next week. It isn’t like we would be out in the cold…that’s not right…it doesn’t get cold in Key West, FL. Well, what I meant was that we’d have to temporarily set up at Sigbee’s campground with full hookups!
Thats what we saw and did!

The Last Full Week!

Reflections

1,000 mile mark ~ 500 this season 500 last season

Yes, as I sit here composing my words, on Easter Sunday, I can’t help thinking how short of a time we have here in Key West. My mind is racing of things we’ve done and things I wanted to do, but just couldn’t find a minute in the so called “Island Time” schedule. My biggest “to do” is to complete my bike odometer reading of 1000 miles. That’s actually 500 hundred bike miles here in Key West this season and 500 miles last season.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Happy Biker ~ 1000 miles in Key West

The last two days, I’ve been pushing hard on the bike. I’ve covered 50 plus miles in roughly four hours. I’m running out of time! The wind picked up late this afternoon. This is not the ideal biking weather. The wind did wonders to cool things down, but as for biking, well it would be great going in one direction, but not so in the other. If the wind is blowing at 20mph and I’m pedaling at 10mph that’s a 30 mph head wind.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Another early run on the bike. Started at 6:45am after breakfast. Goal for today another 50 miles which I completed by 9:15am. I can now see the finish line! The weather looks promising, at least in the wind forecast. By Friday, I should be up to and over my 1000 mile goal.
This workout is doing the trick, because after the 50 mile jaunt, I tackled some of the pre-packing chores without any lost of stamina. I took everything out of the truck, installed my homemade tondo cover, packed away the BBQ grill, stored a half dozen folding chairs, dismantled an old radio and many other little to do things on the check list. I was careful not to dehydrate and drank plenty of water. This afternoon, we went over to Truman Annex (Navy side) and walked the beach. The ocean water is getting perfectly warm to the touch! My kind of water to swim in. I collected more coral sample to bring home. Oh, on the way to the beach, Helen stopped in to Kino’s and finally got a red pair of sandals. She had gone there three times, but her size was always out. For those of you that don’t know about Kino’s, they make leather sandals right there in the store.

April 2, 2016

Air Show at Boca Chica NAS! Great air show, got interesting photos! On the down side, it was boiling hot! In the 90’s with a humidity to match. The skies were hazy white, not the best for a Blue Angle background. A crowd estimated at 36,000 endured the heat and watch the show. Besides the Blue Angles, several outstanding stunt planes performed unbelievable maneuvers in the sky above. My face got sunburned, even though I was wearing a large bream hat, but it was worth it.

Sunday April 3, 2016

Went to mass this morning and spent the rest of the day picking up odds and ends around the 5th wheel. Still recovering from sun exposure, but not in any discomfort. Went for a long walk in late afternoon around the permanent military housing area here at Trumbo Point. Watched videos on You Tube Sunday evening. Also watched our local, back home, TV stations on the internet. Time is really winding down.

Monday April 4th, 2016

Last Happy Hour at Thai Restaurant ~ Garrison Bight, KW

Programed our RV GPS for our trip home. This time I divided the trip into segments to better adjust more stops and options, in case we want to divert from our planned route. I’m still experimenting with the software.
We might be joining up with our camping friend Sally in Jacksonville and convoy North together for a ways up I-95. We might also divert to Columbia, SC to visit Helen’s aunt Simone and cousins Chris and Sandy. Ironically, we might visit with another KW camping friend, Joannah, who lives a mile and a quarter from Chris and Sandy. It’s not that we are not anxious to head home to New England, but as I type this blog update, the forecast for New Hampshire is 4 inches of predicted snow. No rush to get into shoveling!

Tuesday April 5th, 2016 (3:30am)

As I had planned a few days ago, we would be leaving mighty early and we did at 3:30am. The plan was to drive up through the Florida Keys before the invasion and exodus of hundreds of cars that come and go into and out of paradise everyday. I also wanted to make it all the way to Mayport Naval Station. Our friend, Sally, said she would be there and we could link up and possibly convoy home for part of the way.
The trip was 513 miles and took, give or take 12 hours. Upon arriving at the Naval Station, at Pelican Roost, we discovered that they were booked solid with no sites available. I asked what we could do and the office girl said that Walmart was available or we could drive out the main gate and take a left to the “Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park Campground” (City Park) next door. We did and were surprised at the 420 acre campground. Full hookups and needless to say happy campers tonight.
Sally, who was at her cousin’s home, 20 minutes away, drove over the next day and we got sites next to each other. That evening we ate at Singleton Seafood Shack down on the waterfront. The next morning, we headed out together for Fort McAllister State Park on the South side of Savannah, GA. The campground was well laid out with large, tall pine trees and live oaks trees. A large visitor center, with a historical museum was at the entrance to the Fort. This Fort was strategically placed along the Ogeechee River. From this location, the river bends back and forth three times in front of Ft McAllister. Its cannons could engage enemy ships three times before reaching Savannah.
The guided tour was long and a major drawback was the no-see-ams that attacked us tourist who were wearing shorts. We finally retreated to our campsites. After going to dinner and coming back to the campground, we all did some exploring down at the river, walked the many loops of the campground and finally hit the sack.

That is what we saw and did!

Waning Days in Key West

Waning Days of Key West

Lunch at Salute Restaurant with L-R Me, Helen, Georgio, Paul, Sharon, Jan & Rich

It seems that over night Key West has changed, at least in the weather department. The wind is now out of East and very steady and strong, I mean a good 20 miles per hour with gust to 30 mph. This isn’t totally bad because the temperature now climbs to the upper 80’s and the strong wind keeps us cool. Because we are located on the easterly side of the campground, next to the paved tarmac, we don’t experience the slight dusting of Coral dust that blows off the gravel streets downwind from us.
I have mentioned, in a previous blog, that our friends are leaving daily for their homes, in the southern parts of the US. I believe that about half of the park is now vacant. It is sad to see them leave! I know that leaving early would be a mistake because even thought it was a mild winter in New England, winter isn’t over until the middle of April. Maybe April will be wet in New England?

Night Riders

Now that the weather is hotter during the day, it is a perfect time to bike in town at night. People are out and exploring the inner city neighborhoods and this gives one a completely different perspective of the homes and landscaping. Many have landscape lighting that is very cool. Some have stained glass front doors that pop with Key West colors. Most of these back or interior streets have little or no traffic. Our bikes are well lit front and rear. We set all of our LED lights to a blinking pattern. If they can’t see us, it is because they are blind!
Tonight, we biked across town over to the end of White Street to the Bocce courts. At night, the pros gather for intense games. Unlike our leisurely morning games these are serious and cut-throat. Sharon & Georgio play on Thursday nights. I was amazed to see how many teams and people playing. I counted over a hundred players. After watching for a short period of time, we headed towards our campground. Helen’s headlight unclipped from the handlebar at an intersection, I was able to pick up the pieces before any vehicles destroyed the five pieces on the roadway. I couldn’t get it to work, so I had Helen follow me closely. Her red blinking rear light along with mine kept us safe. Back at the ranch, I was able to reassemble the light and got it to work perfectly.

The William Trump

Our Tour Guide

I had heard from the camp host that one could setup a tour of one of the Coast Guard Cutters. Well, I went over to the Coast Guard Headquarters and the tour was setup for last Friday at 11 am. I had three couples going on the tour. Friday morning was hectic! Before the tour, I moved our 5th wheel to a new site closer to the internet repeater. I did manage to be ready for the 11am tour. One couple backed out, but four of us showed up. Our Coast Guard guide started by explaining what their mission was down here in Key West, the Gulf and even on the Atlantic side. He then started at the bow of the ship and explained all of the surface compartments and functions. Entering the ship, I was sort of surprised that most of the interior was air conditioned. As we continued the tour, I was also surprised to see what powered this “Intercepter Cutter”…two four thousand horse power turbos with each having twin turbo chargers. On the electrical end, the William Trump can produce enough electrical power to power three sister ships at once. We were allowed to take some photos, but on the bridge, which is pretty sophisticated, we could only look and gawk! Impressive, I would say best describes the bridge.

Ready to launch!

Our tour ended on the aft deck. This happened to be at the exact time of a launch of their well boat from the interior of the ship. The rear gate opened and the powerful fast water craft moved out into the water. I was allowed to video this part of the tour. Hopefully, I will be able to insert the link to this launch in this blog.

That is what we saw and did!

US Coast Guard ~ "The Boarding"

US Coast Guard ~ Boarding

US Coast Guard ~Safety Inspection

Pano View of Key West

Last Friday, after our Bocce game, we were invited by Sharon and Georgio, our local Bocce leaders/organizers, to an outing on their pontoon boat “The Captain Groovy” . Eight of us were onboard as we left the Stock Island Marina. A quick note about the Marina; The docking area is somewhat limited, but through clever design, it accommodates many vessels of different types. A giant forklift wheels around and picks your boat from large enclosed buildings. It then brings your boat to the water’s edge and lowers it down some ten feet into the water. It is a neat operation!
Leaving the Marina, I got my bearings as to where it is located in relation to Key West and Boca Chica, to the North. Georgio headed along the Easterly side towards Key West. This gave us a good view of the beaches along Atlantic Boulevard. By now the munchies were out along with drinks, which we all brought. The ocean was relatively calm and as things settled down we could appreciate the clear water below. I asked Georgio how deep the water below us was and he looked at his depth gauge, he said, “17 feet". We could see the bottom like it was only two feet deep!

My mind was racing with these thoughts

Looking around, one could also see several types of boats on the water… jet skis, fishing boats, sailboats and a little further out, a Coast Guard patrol boat. It was apparent that the patrol boat was also eyeing us. It was quickly closing in on our pontoon boat. US Coast Guard safety check came over the loud speaker. Georgio shutoff our 75 horsepower motor. The Coast Guard idled their 900 horsepower three outboard motors. A Coast Guard crew member hollered out. “Any weapons on board”, “No” replied Georgio. What followed was a routine Coast Guard Safety Check, but my mind was racing with all kinds of scenarios! Would they send us back to Cuba like the refugees that don’t make land? Helen asked if we could take pictures of the safety check. They said, “yes, no problem”! That was my cue to start taking pictures. The pictures that I took were of a serious nature at the time, but as I started to look at them later my mind exploded with all kinds of bullet statements!
In all seriousness, the US Coast Guard crew were very professional and did an outstanding job of keeping us safe with all of the requirement papers and safety devices!

Key West ~ From the Gulf to Atlantic

After the boarding and a good safety check experience, it was time to get back to exploring the rest of Key West, from the water side. When one rounds the point, by Fort Zachary Taylor, where the two bodies of water meet, it became a little choppy for about three or four minutes. At this time, we, who were sitting towards the bow of the pontoon got a few splashing waves. I’m glad I had left my wallet back in the truck! My iPhone was secured in a plastic baggy.
Two cruise ships were docked down by Mallory Square and made for a nice panorama picture. We continued to Sunset Key across from Mallory Square. Sunset Key is where the rich and famous live. A restricted ferry is the only access to this Key. There are roads, but no vehicles allowed. There is a restaurant which you can make reservations for, but if you’re not on the restaurant reservation list, you not going on the ferry. It’s easy to lay down $100 for lunch! I’ll stick to “Five Guys”.

Doesn't Paul remind you of the
movie "African Queen"

The next closest Key is Christmas Island. Ironically, this is inhabited by vagrants. Go figure! From the richest to the poorest, nearly within shouting distance.

"Angel" come on in!

Sunset Key to the right!

Angel the retriever! 

From the tour around the westerly tip of Key West, we headed back towards Stock Island, but with another destination. Georgio took us to a sand bar. Unfortunately, the tide was higher and about two feet of water was over the sand bar. This didn’t deter our sand bar adventure. Paul took charge and jumped in. He grabbed the anchor and pulled us in closer and set the anchor into the sand. A few of us got off the pontoon boat and walked and explored this “island in the sea”. Angel, the Lab, was pacing back and forth and finally took the plunge and joined into the fun. Sally had brought a ball catapult and Angel had a “ball” retrieving. Reed, Ginny, Sharon, Helen and I stayed on board to take pictures. We weren’t the only ones on the sand bar. A bunch of jet skis were on the far side and were also frolicking in the knee deep water. I’m told that when the tide is at the low point, one can actually have a picnic on the pure sand bar. It’s ironic that Key West doesn’t really have any sand beaches. The sand is brought in, I’m told, but just off shore there is plenty of this commodity. Go figure!

That what we saw and did!

Dusk to Dawn

Reflections

Living Room ~ Reflection

One of the most enjoyable “private of times” that I’ve experienced, here in the Key West, is my early, early morning walk to the washroom. What I’m talking about, is walking out of the camper door and looking up! The moon and stars are crisp and bright. The horizon has some dim city lights, but for the most part, the heavens are clearly visible. It was brought to my attention that the Keys are a perfect place to view the stars and firmament. This statement was said by 600 Astronomers, who recently descended on the Keys to view the planets. For a time, a long time, in the month of February, the planets were all lined up in a vertical line from due East to the West. Another reason for viewing the stars is the simple fact that the nights are not cold. I know if I was home up in New Hampshire, I certainly wouldn’t be outside at six in the morning with the temperature down to 18 degrees. In any event, I enjoy my little three minute walk up the shower room.
After doing my morning duties, the walk back to the camper is also rewarding. By now the sun has not risen, but the horizon is now glowing a very bright orange! Its even better if a few scattered clouds are present. The colors explode!

From the Bridge to Fleming Key

Back at the camper, Helen is usually already gone to the shower room. I like to cook my own breakfast and get that started. Coffee on, getting the frying pan on the stove and I like to “pan grill” my toast! I always have to decide what’s on the menu for this morning’s breakfast. Cereal, oatmeal, maybe eggsover easy with hash browns, it always works out.
By this time, I’ve got all the shades up and the sun is exploding light all over the living room, my breakfast is finished and than I take to my recliner in the living room and sip on my hot coffee and relax watching the birds start their day. Pelicans start in small groups of three and soar above the channel between Trumbo Point and Fleming Key. These Pelicans are juveniles, I’m told, and are just learning the migration ritual. They will be here until the end of March before migrating North. Soon many other species are flying above the campground. All are silhouetted against the bright morning sun light.

Daily Routine

During Lent, we attend 7:30 mass at Basilica St Mary Star of the Sea before starting the days activities. If other commitments don’t interfere, I will do my power bike run on Fleming Key. This involves pedaling hard for 12 miles, nonstop. This may sound grueling, but I’m getting used to it now and this 12 mile run takes around 50 minutes. My personal goal is to break the 1000 miles on the bike’s odometer. That’s not 1000 miles this winter, but a good 500 doubling last year’s goal. I feel confident that I will meet my goal. I’ve got over halfway completed already. If I ride another eleven days, I will be over my goal.

On the Beach or Lecture Room

Our Gated Community Security

One would think that we would be sitting on the beach all day soaking up the sun! That is not the case. Amazingly we are busy attending different activities from Bocce, computer classes at the Monroe County Library (free), meeting friends for lunch, maybe helping fellow RV campers with maintenance issues and so fort. We have also been interested in going to different lectures on different topics from photography of Cuba to history topics such as the “Spanish American War” which was very prominent in Key West history. The sinking of the “Battleship Maine” (which now is disputed…more likely an internal explosion in a coal bunker which further exploded the ammunition magazine.) I never realized that the Spanish American War resulted in our acquisition or influence of Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba. It’s interesting stuff, in that we are living in this area of history. As a quote, Harry Truman once said, “The only new history is what you haven’t read!”

Snowbirds are North Bound

Yes, it may be still winter in New England, but the mid and lower States must be warming. The annual snowbird departure has started. The camp host, Janet told me today that we now have 30 sites available here at Trumbo Point. Our departure won’t be until mid April (tentatively).

When and If ~ Not Cuba

Our minds are made up! We will not go on the “When and If” sailboat to Cuba this year. Instead, we will put in our names for a trip next year with a garden group!

That what we saw and did!

When & If ~ Cuba??

The "When and If"

This blog update starts off from the next upcoming blog! Confused? A few days ago, we did a dry run to the dock area to find the Appledore and Jeff. Jeff sold the tickets for our sail around Key West. I struck up a conversation with Jeff about going to Cuba. It was on my bucket list. What developed from the conversation proved to be very interesting. His son, Seth, is Captain on the schooner “When & If”, which is going to Cuba in late March. They will be taking six passengers along with a crew of four. Jeff gave us his son’s business card and location of the “When & If” over at the Stock Island Marina. We biked back over to Trumbo Point for lunch and you know the conversation was on a sailing trip to Cuba.
After lunch, our curiosity got the best of us and off we went in search of the schooner. I drove into the marina and parked the truck. The marina has hundreds of sail boats, but, to our luck, right there along the main dock was the “When & If”. A young male person walked by us and jumped onto When & If! I asked, “Are you Seth”? “No”, he said, but “He’s onboard”. I mentioned the Cuba trip and soon we were talking to the young Captain Seth. He explained the details of the trip, from the legality of the trip to accommodations.
A little about the “When & If”: Built in 1939 for General George Patton to sail around the world “When the War is over, and If I survive”.

Anchored at Stock Island Marina

When and If has just undergone a two-year restoration and is open to the public for the first time this summer.
Designer: John G. Alden
Year: 1939
Length On Deck: 63ft
Length Overall: 80ft
Beam: 15ft
Draft: 9ft
Sail Area 1,700 sq. ft

"When the war is over and If I survive"

Just walking on the “When and If" was inspiring. I would have not, in my entire life, thought or dreamt that I would have walked the same deck as the famous WWII General. He didn’t get to sail around the world with his wife Bee, but did sail on the “When and If" before the war. For those of you who did not know, General George Patton was killed in a vehicle accident in Germany, after the war.
Captain Seth told us that we should change our American dollars into either Euros or Canadian dollars. American dollars are exchanged in Cuba at 13%. We have our passports and a Visa is available as we enter Cuba. Until recently, when Americans entered the country, the Cuban Customs would give Americans a paper stating that they entered Cuba legally. Today, with relaxed regulations, Americans can get their passport stamped without a problem coming back into the United States. It is still not 100% travel free restriction.
The trip down there would be a ten day trip, give or take, depending on the weather. At the end of March, the winds change from Northeast to the Easterlies, favorable for a good fast return to Key West, Fl. On the other hand, if the winds are still northeast the return trip would be slower. Normally going down to Cuba is about an 18 hour sail. On a return trip, the last time they made a nearly record 8 hour return trip.

At The Helm

Now comes the not so positive aspect of the trip. The cost and even worse…”The Obama Visit”. Yes, President Obama plans to visit Cuba on March 20th and the 21st. We would be leaving on the 28th. Knowing Obama, he will screw something up and could possibly effect our entry into Cuba or for that matter our return.
The cost per person for the sail is $2,200 per person. We could stay on board the “When and If" while there, but there is no A/C onboard and it could get buggy at times. Capt. Seth said that we could get a hotel room for $100 a night or rent a house for $300 a night. We could easily run up a $6,000 bill for just wanting to cross off a check mark on my bucket list!

The trip is not dead yet! I will keep options open and see if the “When and If" has its six passengers before sailing. Things will work out one way or another. As I always say, “We are in a canoe going down a river without paddles. Let’s see where it brings us”!

Captain Seth also mentioned that we would be going into three or four other ports in Cuba including Hemingway’s port of call.

That is what we saw and did!

Presidential Families

Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

My dear wife Helen said, “Why don’t we go over to the ‘Little Truman White House’ and see the ‘Presidential Families Symposium’…Harry & Ike: The Partnership that Transformed the World!” I said, “Sounds pretty interesting and the cost was reasonable.

Clifton Truman Daniels, Mary Lou Pfieffer and
Mary Jean Eisenhower

Mary Jean Eisenhower and Clifton Truman Daniel spoke about their grandparents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but to my surprise it was truly informative and interesting. Their grandfather’s roots as farm children growing up in the 1880s, the desire to serve in the military, their common views on rebuilding Europe following the war, multiple offers of Truman’s support for Ike as a presidential candidate and the feud during the 1952 election and the eventual reunion as close friends.

Mary Jean Eisenhower with the grey sweater
looks a lot like her grandfather Ike!

Professor Mary Lou Pfieffer, of Florida University, was the moderator. The information that was presented was too numerous to detail here in this blog, but I can tell you we listened to some neat stories about their grandparents! Mary Lou did a marvelous job as a moderator.

What I found the most fascinating was Mary Jean and Clifton’s recollections of meeting the grand children of famous world leaders: Nikita Kruschef (sp), President of Russia, Charles DeGault, President of France and Stalin’s grandson.

General McArthur’s putdown answer when asked what he thought of General Eisenhower running for president. His answer was. “He was a great clerk”!

When fishing was GOOD!

Mary Jean recounted that when McArthur was asked by the president of the Philippines to help buildup the Philippines Armed Forces, before WWII, he said, “If am going to act like a president, I should have better living accommodations. She said she visited his super luxurious living quarters at the best hotel in Manila. She couldn’t believe how much luxury he had swallowed up for himself.

JFK On tour after the Cuban Missile Crisis

Clifton recalled how Ike’s son was serving in the military in Korea during the conflict and he (the son) didn’t want to leave his post when his father was sworn in as president. Both Ike and his son didn’t want him to come, but Harry Truman said, “As president I ordered him to come”. That started a rift between Ike and Harry that lasted a long time. Eventually, both men became friends again. During the Eisenhower era, the Interstate Highway system was built. As one section from Harry Truman’s home state of Missouri to Eisenhower’s home state of Maryland was built, the name on the Truman end was called “The Truman and Eisenhower Interstate Highway”. On the Eisenhower end it was “Eisenhower and Truman Interstate Highway”. One wonders if this was still a tiny part of the rift between the two presidents?

The symposium atmosphere was very casual. I felt like both Clifton and Mary Jean were sitting in my living room having a quiet evening chat. Of course, my living room doesn’t hold 100 people, but the hundred were quiet as church mice.

President Jimmy Carter

One has to stop and think of how many world leaders have sat in this very garden. How treaties and world problems were discussed and resolved and some not.

The Little White House was built by the U. S. Navy in 1890 as the home, on the waterfront, to house the base commander and paymaster. Truman used the house for 175 days as both a retreat and functioning White House. He did this when the Big White House in Washington was being totally rebuilt.

Secretary of State Colin Powell

I discovered why John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Colin Powell visited and why the Little White House became a working Presidential Office where new policies and the Department of Defense came into being.

In March of 1918, Thomas Edison resided at the “Little White House” at the time known as Quarters A&B, while donating his services to the Navy. In 1912, President William Howard Taft visited the Naval Station on route to inspect the Panama Canal. There aren’t many dignitaries that haven’t been or stayed at this historic building (now a museum).

In summing up, we were impressed!

That is what we saw and did!

The first two top pictures are mine, the rest were taken from "The Little White House" publication