Wed, 2/8/12
Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Cloudy and nasty looking most of the day.  No rain to speak of though.  It even chilled off some.  Gerald stopped over on his bike to get some Vaseline to lubricate his brakes.  Then he and Mike biked over to the KOA.  While there they stopped to see Mark who makes fish out of coconuts and sells them at various craft shows.  He’s very creative and even has a helper this year.  When Mike finally got back we headed over to the clubhouse for the annual shrimp dinner, provided by Nels and Joanne.  He’s 90.  She’s not far behind.  Nels is a former NY stockbroker.  Very interesting, well-traveled people.  They provided the whole dinner—even the wine. 

One of Mark's fish we bought back in 2006

Tue, 2/7/12
Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Very humid today.  Didn’t take much to break a sweat.  We headed to Big Pine to do the laundry and grocery shopping.  Did all the bedding (bed spread and blanket) as well since they have the washers to accommodate large loads.  Got that done and headed to the Galley Grill for lunch.  The sky to the west looked very ominous.  But by the time we finished lunch the storm clouds had moved on.  Came back, put everything away, and sat outside reading for a while.  No wind at all and the no-see’ums were out in force.  But the lake was like a huge mirror.  Not a ripple.  Walked around the lake and stopped at Char and Jerry’s site.  They’re in the process of putting pavers in.  It looks great. Stopped at Esther and Gerald’s site, but they were nowhere to be found.  Headed back home and who do we run into--Esther and Gerald who had just walked over to our site but we weren’t there.  So, we went back to their site with them and they asked us to join them for dinner, which we did.  We brought a bottle of wine and some snacks.  Very nice dinner of baked chicken served over a bed of rice topped with julienne vegetables.  Oh, and Esther and Gerald won $250 in the football pool!

Eduardo Gato Cigar Factory--circa 1871

We discovered this historic building walking around one day.  It's just off Duval--on Simonton I think.  The original, wooden building was destroyed by fire in 1915.  This building that replaced the original was supposedly hurricane and fire resistant.  Well, it's still standing.  It features large windows and a central, open-air courtyard to provide the best light for the workers.  The factory employed 500 cigar artisans and produced 60,000 hand-rolled cigars by 1890.  It's now a municipal building.  I'm so glad they didn't tear it down.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Our usual Monday—cleaning, shoes, and happy hour.  Came home after happy hour and had left-over Mexican lasagna for dinner.  Watched TV.  Went to bed.  Upper 70s today.  And no rain!

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  The rain came down in waves today.  Poured for a while and then drizzled and then poured some more.  We drove to Key West to see “The Grey”.  Should have saved our money.  Not a very credible story.  Mike liked it.  I thought it was terrible.  Drove back under low grey clouds.  The fly boys were out there in their trainer jets.  They would drop down phantom-like out of the clouds one by one.  All of a sudden they would appear—like magic.  Went over to the clubhouse for dinner.  One of the guys cooked ribs and everyone brought a dish to pass.  A lot of food.  But I was stuffed on popcorn.  Ate a little and then we went home when the game started.  We’re rooting for the Giants.  So far, they’re ahead.  Lots of puddles around.  The birds are having a great time taking baths in the fresh water.  Mid-70s today.

Go Giants!

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Got up at 8:00 this morning feeling pretty good—considering all the wine and other things I imbibed last night.  Walked over to pick up our mail.  That was the most physical thing I did all day.  Ray stopped by for a while.  And Richard as well.  Read for a while.  Cleaned up a little from last night’s dinner.  Cloudy and windy again today.  Upper 70s.

Schooner America

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Mostly cloudy again today.  Didn’t do much. Esther and Gerald came over for dinner around 5:00.  Drank a huge bottle of wine, some Bailey’s Irish Cream after dinner, and Gerald had some brandy that he brought.  Esther and I drank most of the wine. I’m sure we’re all going to feel great tomorrow.  Even though it was mostly cloudy and windy today, it was still warm.  Upper 70s.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Pretty cloudy most of the day today.  Last night when we got back from Key West, we walked Bastion—our neighbor’s dog.  They worked all day and late into the evening.  He’s a great dog.  We walked around the lake and stopped at Esther and Gerald’s.  I walked him again today.  Pretty humid today.  We stayed home all day.

Esther and Gerald at the Roof Top Cafe

Stopped at Esther and Gerald's site while walking Bastion last night.   
Picture by Esther