Wed, Mar 7, 2012
Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Spent a quiet morning.  Rained off and on.  Around 2:00 we decided to take Bastion for a quick walk.  Just made it around the lake when it started pouring.  Let Bastion stay at our site until the rain let up and then we put him back inside.  Had dinner with Esther and Gerald at Pepe’s in Key West  and then walked around the waterfront.  Saw a lot of nice yachts from all over.  Lots of spring breakers in town too. Drove back and had some wine at Esther and Gerald’s site.  Ted stopped by.  Just before 11:00 it started raining again—so we hot-footed it back to our site.  Fun night!

One last walk and visit with Bastion--the wonder dog.

Gerald trying to figure out how to take a picture on timer--doesn't he look intent?

The first picture on timer.  Where the hell is Esther?
(picture by Gerald)

There she is!
(picture by Gerald)

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL:  Reluctantly dragged ourselves out of bed this morning.  Headed to Big Pine to do the grocery shopping and laundry.  Got that done and had lunch one last time at Pizza Works.  Back home, put everything away and then Mike took Bastion for a walk.  He was so happy to see us.  Gonna miss that dog!  Sat outside reading for a while.  The wind was really strong again today and whipped the water up into this frothy stuff that accumulates on shore and then goes blowing around in the wind like little tumbleweeds.  Oh, and we saw a bird hovering around the lake yesterday.  It wasn’t an osprey or a hawk—turns out it was a peregrine falcon!  Mid-70s today and really windy.

Peregrine Falcon

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.