Tue, 2/16/10

Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Rained during the night. The sun finally came out later in the afternoon. We both felt like hell—mine surely alcohol related. Esther dropped by to see how we were doing. She wasn’t feeling so great either. I made a salad to take over to the dinner tonight at the clubhouse. They’re grilling some pork loins and everyone is bringing something. Think we will eat quickly and leave.

Mon, 2/15/10

Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Sunny and nice today—but still only in the upper 60s. Felt pretty good in the sun though. In fact, it was pretty hot in the sun. Mike played shoes in the afternoon. I sat outside reading. Finished “Last Train to Paradise” which was a great book about Flagler and the amazing overseas railroad he built—much of it with his own money. He used to quip that he was a rich man until Florida. This amazing engineering feat was wiped out with the category 5 hurricane that struck the middle Keys in 1935. The eyewitness accounts were horrendous—like bodies found with their faces literally blasted down to the bone by the driving sand. One victim was found the day after the storm, impaled by a piece of two-by-four that had passed completely through him, just beneath his ribs, somehow missing his kidneys. He was still living and appeared very calm as a doctor prepared to remove the length of timber. The doctor offered him a shot of morphine to dull the pain, but he refused, saying that the operation was sure to kill him. He said he’d rather have a couple of beers. They gave him the beers, pulled the timber out, and he died. Jeeze and I thought going to the dentist was bad. After shoes, Esther, Gerald, Sally, Mike and I went over to Mangrove Mama’s for happy hour. Sitting there drinking under the coconut palms, we all got pretty drunk—except for Mike as he was the designated driver.

Overseas Highway--built right on top of the railway--using the rails to make the guardrails