Mon, Mar 5, 2012:
Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Our usual Monday.  Mike went over for donuts in the morning.  I did the cleaning.  And in the afternoon Mike played shoes.  There were so many people playing, Mike didn’t get back until 5:00.  Had to scramble to get over to the KOA for happy hour.  Our last, since we leave here on Friday and head to the Everglades for a week—with no hook-ups.  Looking forward to it.  After happy hour Mike and I and Esther and Gerald went over to Mangrove Mama’s for some dinner and more drinks.  Well I’d had enough to drink at happy hour, but Gerald bought me a margarita—just what I needed.  Put me right over the edge.  Back to their site and more drinks.  Carolyn and her niece who is visiting for a few days joined us.  It was like 1:00 in the morning when we stumbled back to our site.  Esther gave me a really nice jeans jacket with lots of bling on it. 

Carolyn, her niece, Michelle, and Mikey

Esther and Gerald

See how I get after a few too many?  Embarrassing I'd say.
(Picture by Gerald)

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Nice and warm this morning.  After breakfast I walked around the lake. Stopped at the clubhouse.  The biker guys were carving with their chain saws again.  They are really creative.  Came back and sat outside reading my book and the sky got really dark and the wind picked up.  Back inside just before the rain came down.  Esther stopped by for a while.  After she left we watched golf for a while.  Then drove to Key West and saw the movie “Safe House” with Denzel Washington.  Pretty good action flick.  Started out really warm and ended up in the 60s.

Sign at the Stuffed Pig

Ibis and an Iguana--Key Colony

Marathon Home & Garden Tour

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Headed out early (for us).  Left around 9:00 heading to Marathon and their annual house and garden tour.  Had breakfast at the Stuffed Pig and then stopped at the Marathon garden club headquarters at MM50.  Bought our tickets and then headed out.  The first property, owned by Franco D’Ascanio, we’ve seen a couple of times before this.  He owns D’Asign Source.  This is an amazing gated property in Key Colony at the end of a dead-end street.  This time, however, we got to tour his 85-foot yacht.  It’s available to rent for only $27,000 a week—plus expenses. After leaving this property we stopped at a little bar/restaurant on the Atlantic and had a couple of drinks before heading out to the rest of the properties.  The other three were all on Gulfstream Drive which is on the bay behind the Marathon airport.  The first property was a stunning contemporary built on three lots.  The outside walls were all glass.  The living area, bedrooms and baths were all glass.  And the property is surrounded by a lush tropical forest, and of course the beautiful azure waters of the Gulf.  Every room you enter has views of the tropical forest and the bay.  Beautiful! The second property was right next door to this contemporary.  A much more modest property on the outside, but the inside was amazing.  She’s an artist and painted tropical scenes in the baths and the guest bedrooms had her hand-made, embroidered pillows and quilts.  Very creative.  The third property on this street was several doors down and was built by the husband and wife and constructed to withstand a category 5 hurricane.  After the tour we had a late lunch at Lazydays on the Atlantic with stunning views—the lowering sun sparkling off the water.  Back home and relaxed the rest of the evening.


D'Ascanio Property:

The gates on this property swing in.  This is one half of the award-winning ceramic gate.

Grounds and pool

The 85-ft. yacht

Stone path through the lush tropical garden.

Contemporary property on Gulfstream Blvd.

Two-story atrium is the living room and dining area.

Pool area with a beautiful view of the bay.

One of several outside living areas.

Property next door...

Screened-in living area off the master bedroom with amazing views of the bay.  Love this!

Nice little outside eating area.

Great spot for curling up with a book, or a nap.

Finally, the category 5 house...

Outside grilling area.

Outside dining area.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Another perfect day.  Warm and sunny with clear blue skies and very little wind.  After I made my smoothie I walked over to the office to put our Netflix in the mail.  Took my smoothie with me and stopped at Esther and Gerald’s site and sat with them for a while.  After lunch we walked over to the clubhouse where a guy was sculpting an eagle with a chain saw.  These biker guys came in a couple of day ago and the park paid for them to do their sculpture.  Amazing artists!  We dined alfresco at ZaZa’s in the Sugarloaf Lodge.  Back in time for the evening news.

Sculpture in progress.

Entrance to "Music Row" at Lazy Lakes

That tiki hut back there on the peninsula is where they hold concerts.  On March 24, Blood, Sweat, & Tears will be performing, along with Howard Livingston, The Doerfels, and others.  It's a benefit for Care Camp that sends kids with cancer to camp.  

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  I know I sound like a broken record, but another perfect day today.  We took Mike’s bike to the bike shop in Big Pine to get his rear tire fixed.  They took care of it while we waited.  Then we drove to Key West to see “Iron Lady” at the Tropic Cinema.  Meryl Streep is truly amazing.  What an artist she is!  After the movie we drove back and explored around Sugarloaf Key a little.  We drove out to a spot we usually bike to on Sugarloaf.  It’s a property on the Atlantic side on a canal.  There used to be a rundown house on the site.  The owners of this six-acre property donated it to the county or state and it’s now a park.  What a generous gift!  Back home and I went over to see Bastion.  He was absolutely joyous to see us.  Took him for a long walk. Well, actually he took me for a long walk.  Mike caught up with us on his bike.  We stopped at the KOA and had a couple of sodas and gave Bastion some water.  Then walked back, gave him treats and got him settled.  Shortly after that Michelle and Doug came home.  They always take him for a walk when they get home.  Poor dog is going to be worn out!  I sure am!  It’s always a very brisk walk with him.  Mid-80s today. 

Courthouse in Key West

Coast Guard cutter docked by the old sub base in Key West.

This osprey had just caught himself a fish.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Another really warm day today.  After lunch we planned on going for a walk.  I was sitting outside waiting for Mike to finish what he was doing so we could get going when Esther stopped by on her bike.  Sat around talking with her for a while.  Gerald had taken his Harley up to Big Pine to pick up some groceries.  Pretty soon he showed up as well.  Going over to the clubhouse for the dinner tonight.  Meatloaf.  We’re taking a corn casserole and some fixings for mimosas.  Another fun night.  Mid- to upper-80s today.  What a great winter!

We noticed there are a lot more ospreys nesting this year.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Domestic day today.  We did the laundry and grocery shopping.  Had lunch at the Galley Grill.  Came back and put everything away.  Mike went off to the doctor since he’s still not feeling great.  He’s back on antibiotics and hopefully he’ll be feeling better soon.  While he was gone I walked over to the office and picked up our mail and walked around to see if anyone was out and about. Came back and sat outside reading and watching the buzzards making big, lazy circles up in the sky.  It looks so effortless—just soaring around and around going ever higher and higher until they’re just specs.  Sometimes I wish I could fly around like that. In the evening we watched a PBS program on the Amish that was really interesting.  Mid-80s again today.