Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  After breakfast this morning we decided to walk around the lake.  Stopped by Jim and Karen’s site and talked with them for a while.  Then headed over to Johanne and Charlie’s.  Only meant to stay a little while but ended up staying all afternoon.  The party was going on over at the clubhouse, so we went over there and got a couple of hot dogs and some glasses of beer and went back to their site to eat.  Sat around and talked and made several more beer runs.  Fun afternoon.  A beautiful, sunny day in the low 70s.

About 24 Cubans came over on this homemade boat.  No sail or motor, just oars.

Some stuff still in there.

Very crudely made--but, hey, it made it 90 miles across the Florida Straits and the Gulf Stream.

Sheet metal and a few bolts.  I guess fiberglass or something to waterproof.

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  A little warmer today.  67 was the high.  We headed to Key West to see Burlesque at the Tropic Cinema.  I wasn’t crazy about the movie.  The dialogue was questionable, the acting questionable, but the musical numbers were great.  Christina Aguilera did a great job.  Cher did a solo in the middle of the film that made no sense in the story line at all.  After the movie we walked down to the Key West Speedway on Whitehead and Mike ran a couple of races.  Then we walked back through Truman Annex to our parking spot.  Race week starts Monday and there were a bunch of racing yachts setting up.  There was also a huge yacht docked there.  Registered in the Cayman Islands, it’s 248 feet long, draws 38 feet.  Has a crew of 22 and will accommodate 12 passengers.  You can charter it for only $650,000 a week plus expenses. 

Race yacht getting set up

Yacht Northern Star

Yacht Northern Star

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  Cold and windy today.  I was on the computer all morning.  Then retired to the bedroom to read my latest book.  At 6:00 we headed over to the clubhouse for the chili cook-off.  There were 11 contestants that made chili.  All of them were good.  There was also Italian bread, corn bread, rye bread, and various desserts.  Sat around talking until about 9:30 and then back home.  And back on the computer (sigh).  Low 60s today. 

Cute little cottage on Grinnell

Key West bike

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday it hit 82.  Today was in the low 60s.  With a high wind.  Everyone kinda laid low.  We did our usual grocery shopping and laundry routine.  Then to Pizza Works.  Back home and hung out.  Our Netflix movie arrived today which we watched.  “Intolerable Cruelty” with George Clooney, Kathryn Zeta Jones, and Billy Bob Thornton.  Pretty funny.

~20 Cubans came over on this boat.  No sail or motor--just oars.
Boat is sitting on the boat ramp across Hwy 1 from Shark Key
Picture by Howard Livingston

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  This will be the last warm day for a while.  We hung around our site all day.  I sat outside reading and watching the buzzards making lazy circles up in the sky.  Our neighbor, Sandy, told us that sometimes eagles will fly around with the buzzards, and, sure enough, there was an eagle up there making big lazy circles along with the buzzards.  And even a couple of pelicans!  Later in the late afternoon we headed to Key West to have dinner at Michael’s. As we headed out, we noticed a mist or smoke in the flats.  Turns out a heavy fog bank was rolling in.  Really weird.  Like driving into the abyss of a Steven King novel.  While waiting outside for the restaurant to open we were talking to a couple who live on their boat.  He’s retired Navy, and they are docked at the Naval Air Station marina on Boca Chica.  He was stationed here years ago when he attended an Officer’s Training School.  I’m sure he retired at a very high rank.  They live on their 42-foot trawler.  After spending a few weeks here in the Keys, they’re heading to the Bahamas for a few weeks and then up to the St. Lawrence, Montreal and Quebec.  I’m sure they live very well.  We had a great dinner at Michael’s.  After a seafood crepe appetizer, I had grouper Oscar and Mike had veal saltimbocca.  Excellent!  Walked back to our parking spot and drove back home through the fog.  82 today. 

Bay side shrouded in fog

Radar dome at the Boca Chica Naval Air Station shrouded in fog

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  Donuts started up for the first time this morning at the clubhouse.  So I went along with Mike for the first time in several years.  Didn’t stay long.  Back to our site and started the cleaning.  Pretty warm out today so I worked up a pretty good sweat. Actually had the air conditioning on for a little while. Finished up and sat outside in the shade reading for a while.  Mike went over for shoes at 1:00 and I had some lunch and enjoyed the solitude.  Over to the KOA for happy hour and then Boondocks.  Upper 70s today.

Former Admiral's Home--Truman Annex
Key West

Doors of Key West

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL:  Mostly sunny today, but cool.  Johanne stopped over with their dog, Maple, for a while.  We just hung out at our site most of the day.  The Sunday party started at 4:00.  We watched a movie, “American Pastime”, a movie about Japanese interred in a camp in Utah during WWII and the baseball game between the Japanese internees and a team from the nearby town.  The Japanese team won.


Johanne found these pictures in her camera of the Christmas eve party.  We DID have a good time!

Mike is hiding behind me, Charlie & Johanne

Johanne and I

No alcohol involved here

What a group!

Party Animal--Johanne