About That Key West V (February)

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from Key West, Florida! Roger, Bear and I have finished our fifth week in this beautiful place. We packed a lot into week five and that is great because we only have one week left before we leave for the Everglades next Friday. In addition to our four days of Pickle Ball, weekly bike rides and general socializing, we tried out a few restaurants.

 Sunsets not far from our RV.

New friends Sharon and Mike took us to one of their favorite places for breakfast. This particular restaurant sat on the beach. 

 Needlenose Fish off the pier at the restaurant.

 Overlooking the Gulf

 Mike, Sharon, Suzanne and Roger

Mike and Sharon drove us to Truman Annex where we got to see some of the results of a combined task force that fights the drug traffickers in the area.

 This low lying fiberglass boat was crammed with drugs when it was apprehended by the US government.

 Goats were imported at one time to keep the weeds down at Truman Annex.

 Some of the structures at Truman Annex date back to the Civil War.

February 19th was my birthday! Roger and I celebrated with dear friends, Bonnie and Roger at Latitudes, a restaurant located on Sunset Key. We had to take a boat for the short ride to the key.

 Suzanne, Roger and Bonnie

 Sunset Key from the boat

 Roger and I share a happy moment at the restaurant.

The four of us before boarding the boat to take us back to Key West.

What a great week in the Keys. Hard to imagine that there are more than 800 keys. The word key comes from the Spanish word cayo, which means little island. Thank you for checking in with us. As I said earlier in the blog, we leave on Friday for Everglades National Park. We have certainly enjoyed our six weeks in southern Florida.

About That Key West IV (February)

Dear Family and Friends,

We just completed our fourth week in Key West. We had so much fun touring, in addition to Pickleball, cycling and socializing. The warm weather is truly amazing when so much of the country is battling cold temps with lots of snow.

 Pelicans enjoying the sun.

 Hog's Breath Saloon on Duval Street

A Conch train tour through the downtown area.

 Banyan trees and incredible foliage in Key West

 The start of Highway 1 North

An example of the beautiful island architecture.

 Lots of cyclists in Key West

 Key West, at one time, manufactured lots of cigars. Several stores still operate.

 Conch shells for sale

 Roger is loving chocolate covered Key Lime pie on a stick.

Harry Truman spent time vacationing at the Little White House. This is maintained by the Navy and was so much fun to see.

We really enjoyed our visit to Ernest Hemmingway's home in Key West. This home was purchased by Hemmingway's second wife's (Pauline) uncle as a wedding present. It is here that he did most of his writing. Although we really enjoyed The Little White House, this was our favorite tour.

There are forty five cats that live on the property. Many of them are related to Hemmingway's original six toed cat that was a gift. Here the guide is giving a treat to the one we found on Pauline and Ernest's bed in the master bedroom. The headboard is from a Spanish monastery gate.

 Lush foliage throughout the three acre property.

 A view from the veranda to the first swimming pool in Key West.

 The top floor of this adjacent building is where the author wrote.

Notice the sixth toe on Ernest Hemmingway's (name of this cat) forepaw. 

The view looking into Hemmingway's study.

We are in Key West for two more weeks. Thank you for checking in with us.

About That Key West III (January)

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from Key West, Florida, where we are finishing our third week. While the rest of the country seems to be freezing, we are enjoying temps in the upper 80's with lots of humidity. This week we continued sight seeing, playing Pickleball, cycling and enjoying a very active social life.

 Roger is taking advantage of an ice cream shop along Duval Street in Key West.

 A picture of Duval Street (lots of cycling)

We are averaging four days of Pickleball a week. This game is very popular with an average of 20 people looking for a game. You can see the red lines (Pickleball boundaries) within the white lines of the tennis court.

 Four courts of people playing Pickleball

It is lots of fun to watch Osprey parents, that have nested in a very tall tower, near our RV. With the Gulf several yards away, fish is the popular Osprey food.

Thank you for checking in with us. We are now half way through our six week stay in Key West.