Sugarloaf Key: Key West hit a historic low this morning. Beat the 1898 record of 46. It went down to 45 this morning. It’s still really windy, but the sun is shining and the sky is clear. Highs only in the 60s today though. Add the wind and it’s not very pleasant. So we’re going to head into Key West and do our laundry and then see the new Tom Hanks movie.

Sugarloaf Key: The wind howled all night last night. Mike brought the awning in this morning before it got damaged. Needless to say, we stayed inside most of the day. Early afternoon we drove into Old Town Key West and went to the Tropic Cinema on Eaton just off Duval. Saw “No Country for Old Men”. As a friend put it, it was like Fargo on steroids. There was a lot of traffic going and coming. Must be a lot of vacationers here yet. Tonight is supposed to be the coldest night down in the Keys for several years. Supposed to be back in the upper 70s by Friday tho. On the walk back to the truck we found a bookstore on the corner of Simonton and Eaton and stopped in to see if they had the book “Matecumbe” which was written by Michener back in the 70s and just found. They didn’t have that one, but we bought a couple of books by a local writer. Stories take place down here in the Keys.

Tue, 1/1/08

Sugarloaf Key: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Our friend from Maine, Lance, stopped over for a while and his friend, Nancy, joined him. They stayed for quite a while and we blabbed about all sorts of things. Then we went in and watched the Missouri/Arkansas bowl game. Making a pork loin for dinner. No hangover. Life is good.

"Spy" baloon that is a constant presence in the lower Keys. This is the view from our campsite.

Close-up View

Mon, 12/31/07

Sugarloaf Key: Mike went over to the clubhouse at 1:00 and played shoes. I stayed and read my book. At around 5:00 we drove into Key West, parked and headed to the Roof Top Café which is around Mallory Square. But they were booked up with reservations. So we kept walking and stumbled upon a Jamaican place that had an upstairs deck, so we had dinner there. Not very good and pretty expensive. Last time we’ll go there. After dinner we walked around Duval for a while. While walking we found the Red Barn Theater on Duval. They’re putting on “Bark” right now. A canine cabaret. All dogs. We’ve gotta see that. Then we walked over to the historic seaport to see what was going on. Lots of boats all decorated up—leftovers from the boat parade a couple of weeks ago. Then we headed back home. We were supposed to hook up with some people and play Jokers, but there was no one around. Watched the ball drop. And in Key West they drop a drag queen, “Sushi” from a red stiletto. CNN actually had coverage of that also.

The Galleon Resort--Historic Seaport, Key West

Sun, 12/30/07

Sugarloaf Key: Went for a walk this morning after my shower. Should have done it the other way around. Really humid. We turned on the air conditioning for the first time. But I sat outside and read my book. At 11:00 Mike went over and played shoes with the guys. Another gorgeous day. I laid low since I had a little too much wine yesterday and was feeling kinda wasted. Guess after we all went home last night there was a domestic disturbance in one of the campers across the lake. One of the guys that works in the campground called the police and the guy was arrested. This happens very rarely. You have to be able to get along since you’re in such close quarters for extended periods of time. Relaxed the rest of the day and watched football.

Sat, 12/29/07

Sugarloaf Key: Floyd and Marty caught a bunch of mangrove snapper the other day so they decided to cook them up and invited us over also. So we headed to the grocery store to pick up some things since we’re bringing a green salad, a bottle of wine and a desert. Betty, Floyd’s wife, is doing the cooking. She’s an excellent cook. She prepared them Florentine style. I don’t know what that means, but it was delicious. After dinner we played Jokers for a while.

Wharfside--Historic Seaport, Key West

Sugarloaf Key: Drove into Key West and did the laundry this morning. The one in Key West is much better than the one in Big Pine Key. After that we stopped at the box office of the Tennessee Williams Theater and got a schedule. They have some good shows coming up. Went to Boondocks for their Friday pig roast and then played miniature golf. Mike usually beats me, but we actually tied. Came back and walked around the lake and watched the beautiful sun set. A fantastic evening—still in the 80s.