On the water at Ft. Zach

Sunset Key in the background

Sunset Key as seen from Ft. Zach

Sugarloaf Key: Did something to my back and have been gimping around. Taking lots of drugs. Just laid around most of the day. Only slightly better. Fortunately it’s cool and windy so staying inside was okay. Really cold tonight and tomorrow. But warming up by the weekend. Lots of activity still going on in this park. The new owner is making all kinds of improvements. However, he’s already sold a bunch of sites on the other side of the lake. Some of them are the sites of work campers who’ve been coming down here for 11 years. Not sure what our future is here at this point.

Cruise ship going past Fort Zach

Sugarloaf Key: A really cool day that never really warmed up. Tried to sit outside and read but the wind drove me inside. It was nice and sunny, but cool. Our friend, Jo Cryder, and her friend, Gloria, stopped by in the afternoon and we all went over for the Tuesday dinner at the clubhouse. Peel and eat shrimp tonight. Jo Cryder stayed at Lazy Lakes last year and both of them are thinking of staying at Venture Out next winter. They’re in a Hyatt timeshare in Key West for three weeks. I think they only have a week and a half left.

Canadian Frigate leaving Key West

Schooner Adirondack

Sugarloaf Key: Mike not feeling real great, so he didn’t go for donuts this morning. He slept in a little bit. When he got up I showered and changed and headed to Big Pine Key for groceries and to get my hair cut. Got the groceries and then went over to get my hair cut. Came back and put everything away. Mike was playing shoes. He came back while I was putting things away. Around 5:00 we headed to the KOA for happy hour. While we were there the front came through and we had a thunder storm and lots of rain. Only had a couple of drinks and came home around 8:00. Watched a PBS special on the American eagle. Interesting. Still a thunder storm going on.

Historic Home--Truman Annex

(circa 1918)

Truman Annex

Sugarloaf Key: Superbowl Sunday!!! Watched Death Wish I and II just waiting for the game to start. Mike went up around 4:00 and got a pizza and some wings and chips and we pigged out watching the game. It’s now halftime and the Cardinals are down 17-7. Waiting for the second half and we get the ball. I’m exhausted already. Hardly went out today. Cool morning but warmed up a little in the afternoon. I think it hit 71 today. Another cold front coming later in the week.

Original Marine Hospital--Truman Annex

(now upscale condominiums)

Private swimming pool--Truman Annex

Sugarloaf Key: Cold and windy this morning. Worked on the computer most of the morning. Mike slept in. He went over to the office to pay for our shrimp dinner on Tuesday night and came back and said they had food going and a couple of members of the MM24 band was playing. Great I thought. Won’t have to worry about what to cook for dinner. I guess the new owner is going to have a party every Saturday afternoon. And it’s for anyone who wants to stop in. Can’t beat that! So we started walking over and Charlie (our new Canadian friend) came by on his scooter and offered me a ride. So off we go. Ate and sat around talking with everyone and enjoyed the band. Still cool but really sunny. We just love living on Key West time.

The Historic Strand Theater (now a Walgreens)

Stairway inside the San Carlos Theater

(all hand-painted tiles)

Sugarloaf Key: A really nice morning that went to hell around 2:00. Fortunately, I went for a walk early. Brought a treat for Daisy the German shepherd. She’s really a big baby. We decided to go out and grab a quick lunch before the bad weather hit. It hit while we were just finishing up lunch. Got drenched in the downpour. Since then it’s been really cool and windy. Thought about going to a movie, but decided to just stay in.

San Carlos Theater

circa 1871

Sugarloaf Key: Another beautiful morning. So we put the bikes on the back of the truck and drove to Middle Torch Road, parked the truck on the shoulder and biked all over Big Torch and Middle Torch Keys. No bike path, but the road isn’t heavily traveled. It’s mostly a wildlife refuge with a few homes here and there. A beautiful ride. We saw a raccoon, a Key Deer buck, hawks, ospreys, and lots of water birds. We biked for two hours straight—stopping only once. Back home and relaxed for a while and then showered, changed and headed to Key West to the San Carlos Theater where Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 band were performing. We had dinner at Kelly’s restaurant on Whitehead. Then we walked down to the Key West Speedway and Mike did a couple of races. Walked up to the theater and waited in line for the doors to open. This theater is very historic. Built in 1871 by Cuban cigar makers, it was the San Carlos Institute—a school for the children of the cigar makers. It was the first bilingual school and the first biracial school. Pretty impressive building with beautiful hand painted tiles adorning the inside. The show was great. The Travel Channel was there covering the event. Enjoyed walking back down Duval after the show. Still 73 degrees. Another cold front coming through tomorrow sometime.