Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, Fl: This morning dawned a sparkling, sunny day. But cool. Headed to Key West and parked at the Old Town garage and walked down Eaton Street to the Tropic Cinema. Saw “Up In The Air” with George Clooney. Of the four movies we've seen since we’ve been in the Keys, this was our least favorite. There were some great one-liners, but it was very poignant in a way. After the movie we had a couple of hours to kill before the home tour so we walked down Whitehead to the Key West Speedway and Mike did a couple of races. Came in first on one of them. Then we headed off to the home tour which started at 5:00. Armed with the GPS, warm jackets, and the headlight from my bike, we started out walking. On the tour there were three homes in old town and two homes around the Flagler area. Five wonderful homes. My favorite was a one bedroom one bath next to the cemetery tucked down at the end of a neat little walking path. The owners of this cute little bungalow used to live in NYC near the World Trade Center. We did a lot of walking which felt good. And we discovered a new little restaurant on Margaret St. which we’re going to make a reservation for a New Year's Eve dinner. Back home and crashed.

Tucked back at the end of this beautiful walking path lies a well kept secret--an old 1918 cottage that has been transformed into a Manhattan apartment combining Asian, urban, and Key West motifs.

Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Started out cool and drizzly this morning which kept us inside most of the day. Nice and relaxing until Mike was moving the candle we had burning and spilled wax all over the carpet, walls, and the recliner. I got on the Internet right away and Googled hot wax removal and the two methods recommended was a warm iron or a blow dryer. For what it's worth, the blow dryer worked much better. We got the wax up but there were stains. Got the stains out of the carpet, but the chair and pillows still have residual stains. Hopefully we’ll get those out eventually. Went over to the KOA for happy hour and we were both ready for a drink. Linda and Joe were there and Ted came over also. They had a pretty good band and we all got on the dance floor and had a great time.

Ted at happy hour

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Drove to Key West shortly after noon to go see Invictus at the Tropic Cinema. Invictus (Latin for unconquerable) is the name of the poem that helped Nelson Mandela get through 30 years of imprisonment in a tiny cell with no bed—just a wooden chair. He slept on the floor—30 years. An inspiring, true story. After the movie we walked down Whitehead and stopped at the Key West raceway so Mike could do a few races. While he was playing I walked down Duval to buy tickets for the annual home tour on 12/28-29. It’s going to be held at night—I guess so we can see the Christmas decorations as well. Would rather it be during the day. Should be interesting. Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant on Duval and then headed home. Key West was packed. Will be glad when the holidays are over.

Banyon House--Whitehead Street

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, Fl: Chilly, but sunny this morning. Went to the Galley Grill for breakfast and then hit the flea market on Big Pine. Bought a couple of tee shirts, a DVD, and some spices. Ran into a guy with his pet cockatoo. After wandering around the flea market we drove by Howard Livingston’s place to see if any of the snow was left from the “Guaranteed White Christmas” competition. The gate was closed so we couldn’t see anything. Back home and relaxed the rest of the day. Pretty chilly most of the day. Think the high was 72. Better than 22.

Strange Bedfellows--the Iguana and the little Heron that hang out in the mangroves behind us...

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Merry Christmas! We head to the rec hall for our Christmas dinner starting at 2:00 for appetizers. One couple is grilling two turkeys, another guy is deep frying a turkey, and a couple of other people are each roasting a turkey. So, we’ll have lots of turkey—oh, and one ham. Everyone else is bringing something. Should be fun. Our soiree last night at Fiona and Walter’s was fun. Guess there were 12 people there and Fiona had a bunch of food. Thought it was going to be just snacks. We only brought a bottle of coconut rum. Later on we roamed around with Fiona and her guitar and sang Christmas carols. Nobody called the police—so I guess we did okay.

Decorated Door--Truman Annex

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL: I was up early this morning and headed to the grocery store on Big Pine before Mike even woke up. Had to pick up a pie for tomorrow’s dinner and wanted to get there before it got crowded. Glad I did because there was hardly anyone there. Got back and decided to clean. Got that done and relaxed reading for a while and then we headed to Boondocks for a late lunch. Boondocks was slammed because Howard Livingston had ordered a bunch of food for a party he’s having at his home tonight. He won the competition for “A Guaranteed White Christmas” on the Weather Channel. They’re gonna be there tomorrow morning blowing snow onto his property on the Atlantic side of Summerland Key (about 4 miles from us). We have just about all of his CDs. He’s a great song/lyrics writer and performer with his MM24 band. Very popular down here in the Keys. Going to Fiona and Walter’s tonight for a little Christmas get-together. Fiona is a wonderful singer/performer in her own right. Should be fun.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL: Windy and cool again this morning. So we decided to finally make our reservations for our return trip. Have been putting it off. We were unable to get into Sebastian Inlet State Park but found a park nearby—right on the Indian River. Tried to sit outside reading for a while, but the wind made it uncomfortable. So I went back inside and cleaned out a closet. Mike played spades on the computer.