Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another beautiful, warm day today. Donned my shorts and tube top and sat outside in the sun reading my latest book. The warm sun felt so good on my skin. It’s going to cool off for a week or so, so I figured I’d make the best of the ability to sit outside in shorts. Going to Lazy Days restaurant in Marathon tonight for dinner. They just opened a second restaurant on Marathon. The original is on Islamorada but it’s kind of a long drive. They feature dishes with this Lazy Days sauce made with crème and key lime juice which is really good. So we’re looking forward to our meal tonight. And, it’s right on the water with beautiful sunset vistas. After that we’re going to the KOA. Howard Livingston and the MM24 band is playing there tonight. We’ll probably never get a table. Some people are heading over there at 5:00 just to get a table. He doesn’t start playing until 8:30. Hopefully we’ll be able to find a place to park. If not, we’ll go back and ride our bikes over there. Oh, and our Canadian friends, Esther and Gerald, arrived today. Will be fun to get together with them. And, as we reflect on 2009, we feel it’s been a pretty good year for us and we’re looking forward to 2010.

The last sunset of 2009

Lazy Days Restaurant--Marathon

Key West Home and Garden Tour

416 Margaret Street

This cute little Victorian is over 100 years old! It features tumbled stone tile baths (not sure what that means, but they were beautiful). It has a tropical spa pool out back with lush landscaping and lots of privacy. There's also guest quarters upstairs with its own private entrance and features a living/bedroom area, beautiful bath, a small kitchen, and even a little deck. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, but pictures wouldn't do this interior justice. The decorating and artwork was phenomenal.

Lazy Lakes RV Resort, Sugarloaf Key, Fl: Just kicked back today. Mike slept in and I took care of some computer stuff. Early afternoon I put a pork roast in the oven and went outside and sat in the sun reading my latest book. I’m reading the Borne Sanction right now, but it’s not written by Ludlum…some other author. So far it’s pretty good though. A nice day—high of 73. Had pork roast, mashed sweet potatoes, and sugar snap peas for dinner.

Key West Home Tour

12-29 & 12-30

Southard Street Cottage

This cute little cottage with the gingerbread trim is all high tech inside with beautiful artwork, marble baths and beautiful tile work.

Pool and waterfall in their private side yard

Cute little spot

Private place to relax

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