Biggie summer trip! Part the third

We had to get up early to get this picture!  It only took us 5 times going by this landmark in the past two days to get here when there wasn't 20-50 people standing in line to have their picture made here!  Luckily, there was a motorcycle group that was there when we got there and we took their picture so they would take ours.  I feel bad for them because it was rainy and they were leaving Key West.  Then on the way back to park the car for the day, we snapped this quickly(think:Chinese firedrill):

A couple obligatory photo ops out of the way... TODAY IS DRY TORTUGAS DAY! : )

Check in was at 7:30am, so these photos were snapped at 7am!  We were so excited, it was hard to sleep the night before, and from about 4am on to 6am, kept waking up because I was afraid the alarms(yes, that is plural!) wouldn't go off!  They did, and we made it to the docks in plenty of time!  We were set up to cruise out on the Sunny Days "Fast Cat" to the Dry Tortugas(here is their site).  While waiting to board the boat, we observed some of these, they are so funny, I just can't resist!

They roam all over Key West, the ultimate in free-range, citified chickens...

Our crew for the day sized our flippers for snorkeling as we boarded the boat.  That way once we got inside and sat down we could try them on and make sure they fit before we left the dock as they don't carry those on board(takes up too much space).  Zach tried his on and had to get a bigger size!  Flipper sizing out of the way, we had breakfast.  Sunny Days includes a continental breakfast(danish, bagel, doughnuts, fresh fruit, coffee, juice) and a make-your-own sandwich with all the fixin's lunch.  Unlimited drinks(water, soda, tea) are provided all throughout the day.  For the long ride out, there are playing cards, magazines and coloring books for kids. There is an XM radio playing island music and an outside deck at the back for those who wish to smoke or just get fresh air.  The crew was knowledgeable, helpful and nice.   Our ride out was bumpy because of the rough seas(3-6ft).  On a catamaran boat, you are more "sloshed" about than on a regular hulled boat, where you are more bumped up and down.  I guess sloshing is smoother than being bumped?  We were out on a boat, going to a place not many people get to go to, and we didn't have to drive, so it didn't really matter to us(we don't get sea-sick)!

The view coming into Garden Island, upon which sits Fort Jefferson:

At the front entrance to the fort is an anchor that my father had a part in getting to where it stands today:

My father has captained many boats in his lifetime, and part of his life on the water brought him out here.  This anchor was found on a near-by reef, covered with netting.  My dad helped to uncover and unnet the anchor, before it was brought up to it's current position.  He has been all over this fort, many years ago, and knows things about it that the current park rangers don't know.  I would really have liked for him to give us a guided tour, but he was at the other end of the state.  Maybe another time, as my mom hasn't been out there yet and would like to go.

Inside the fort at the front entrance:

Information plaques are all around the fort, giving you a self-guided kind of tour:

Fort Jefferson is the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, and is one of the least visited parks in our National Park System. Understandable, but sad, as it is a marvel to visit!
Up on the very top of the fort, a good bird's eye view of the island:

The Dry Tortugas is know as such because of the turtles("tortugas" if you come from Spain as Ponce deLeon did) that are abundant here, and dry because out of 365 days in a year, it only rains on about 30 of them, therefore there is an absence of fresh water. We were "lucky" enough to out there on one of those 30 days...

Looking down into the collection areas of one of the cisterns:

I seem to remember our guide saying there were 11 cisterns built for freshwater collection.  However, because of the great weight of the fort being built on top of them, on top of sand, 9 of them cracked and saltwater intrusion rendered them useless.  The remaining cisterns provide freshwater for the park rangers(2-4) stationed there. 

This is the "hot shot" furnace. Men would stoke fires in the bottom of the structure and put cannon balls in at the top(on the other side), they would then roll them down, gradually getting them hotter and hotter, till they came out the bottom.  The cannon balls would then be transferred to a waiting gun and be shot at the enemy.  No shots were ever fired in anger from this fort, but better safe than sorry!  The star-lookin' thingies on the sides of the furnace are handles, the men would "roll" the shot down as it heated up.

This is looking up from the bottom, where the "hot shot" would come out :

At one point the moat served as the "sewer" for the fort, with gates that would be opened when tide was coming in for freshening, and opened again when the tide was going out for disposal.  It didn't work, can you imagine the smell(at one time the fort housed over 1000 people!)?  EWWWWW!

This shows some of the damage the years of exposure have taken on the fort:

A beautiful place...so unlike all the other war functional areas of the fort.

The caption to this plaque read:  Not a Happy Place

This is the entrance to one of  Dr. Samuel Mudd's cells.  He was originally housed in the cell above the entrance bridge with the three windows.  He was moved here after he had escaped.  I think there were only 3 or 4 prisoners in all that had escaped from the fort. 

(It has been said this plaque was once above the entrance to the mess hall!) 

Dr Mudd was released from his imprisonment because of his good medical works during a Yellow Fever epidemic at the fort. 

Here is the picture from inside the dungeon, can you see my orbs?  Some say they are the spirits of people who are unhappy or "stuck" here somehow.  I don't know how to explain them, but I know they are NOT dust particles or condensation spots on my lens or in my camera, and I have taken photos of these same kinds of things all over St Augustine, mostly in historical places. 

It was about time for us to go snorkeling, and as we made our way to the docks to get our snorkel gear, we noticed the huge black clouds rolling in, and people streaming in from the snorkel areas.  Alas, because of said storm, we did not get to witness the parts of park under water.  That storm was just too ugly.  Zman was VERY dissapointed, and angry at me, as I was at myself, for not getting to snorkel there. It rained and poured till we left the docks and then it passed and I believe it followed us in to Key West!

Looking to the left of the docks at the storm rolling in at a very fast pace(picture does not reflect it well):

Here is a panoramic photo of the fort, taken from the third level.  I wish now I had taken it farther on either side, but considering I had never used that function on my camera before, I think it turned out pretty good:

This trip was a once in a lifetime kind of deal.  However, I hope to one day get back out here with my parents and hear my father's information and stories of when he was here in days when Florida was a much wilder place. 

Most of the Dry Tortugas Nation Park is underwater.  The reef system here is the world's third largest.  The land that is directly in front of the Fort is called Bush Key, and is home to the nesting grounds of about 100,000 Sooty terns, and about 10,000 Brown Noddies.  On near-by Loggerhead Key is a functioning lighthouse and was once the grounds for the Carnagie Institute of Washington, Marine Biology Laboratory (from 1903 to 1939) which "…quickly became the best-equipped marine biological station in the tropical world.”  It also has the highest (natural)elevation in the Dry Tortugas at 10 feet.

On the way back in to Key West, we played cards( I whipped Zman heartily at rummy!) and talked, we were both very tired and looking forward to bed that evening. 

Stay tuned for the last couple of days...

Biggie Summer Trip!-Part the second

So, off to Key West we go. 

There is but one road in and out of the Keys, which can be nice. Tourists don't loose their way that easily on the way home, but it can be rather hairy also for locals during hurricane season when they are trying to evacuate, or if there is a traffic jam and they need to be in Miami an hour ago.  For me it is wonderful, because I don't usually get past Marathon in my trips down there.  In the past 20 years, I have been to Key West 2 times and I have never stayed overnight there. 

On the trip down, I had planned on stopping and investigating anything that caught my or Zman's interest.  This caught my interest, NOT my co-pilot's:

He groaned: Oh please, don't stop at every little place again!  : ) I replied: Come on, get out, you may learn something...   We didn't learn anything.  They charged $20 to get in for a tour that took at least half a day, and I wasn't about to take a sulking teenager in at that price.  I think I will save this for when Sweetie Pie and The Rocket come down with me, I know they will enjoy it and probably learn alot!  It looked like a really neat place. 

When we got to Big Pine Key, I had wanted to stop at the Key Deer Museum.  Hunger was overtaking us at this point, so we ate instead.  After lunch, we mosied on down to Key West to catch up with the cousins, who had beaten us there. 

Robbie's Marina is a true boat yard.  There are lots of boats in various stages of repair and disrepair, up on blocks, with owners( and sometimes renters-don't ask) in occupancy.  It is very interesting, at least to me it is, as my parents had a boatyard that I grew up in.  We were to be staying at my cousin's houseboat, however there was some confusion with renovations and occupiers, so we had to stay in a hotel.  Now, that sounds like an easy fix, right?  NO! Remember, this is the first weekend of lobster season?  Key West was PACKED!  The hotel we tried first said the chamber of commerce was instructing hotels to send anyone else to Key Largo because there were NO HOTEL ROOMS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE on Key West!  That was not good news.  Jodi got busy on the phone and found us a kickin' room anyhow, on Key West, the last one available...  Here is the view walking in the front door:

Two master bedrooms with king size beds:

With a master bath in each room( the shower and toilet are in a separate room to the right of the jacuzzi tub):

Out on our balcony enjoying the sunset:

The view from our room:

After we took the kids to the pool( it was small and crowded, yuck!), we watched the beautiful sunset and then set out to eat.  We cruised downtown on foot a whopping two blocks to Duval street where they were having a concert and people were milling about.  LOTS of people!  I am super glad we didn't have a passel of kids to try to herd through that crowd, it was hard enough with one kid for each adult!  We only spent one block on Duval and then took off on a sidestreet over to Whitehead St., which was much quieter but still busy.  Jodi was on a mission to find a restaurant that was a favorite of my Aunt and Uncle's, God rest their souls. We walked many blocks, ended up passing it, going in the opposite direction on the wrong street, and then 'round the block, till we finally found it- and it was worth it!  Blue Heaven  The place reminds me of  New Orleans, it's partly outside, partly inside, a maze of buildings on a corner, with a large tree in the middle of it all(we'll come to that later...) Our party of 6 was seated in the building with the kitchen.  T, one of Jodi's kids, loves to cook(well, actually they both do!), and after supper our waitress offered to take him into the kitchen for a lesson with the chef.  They made us up some pasta and brought it to the table so we could sample it! YUM!  T can cook for me anytime! : )

This is how packed with people Key West was:  Just before they brought us our supper, the power went out on the whole island for about 30 minutes!  It made for an interesting evening, one that will not be forgotten any time soon!  It was dark out on the streets, but in the restaurant, we had atmosphere!  I think it took us about 2 1/2 hours total time there(we didn't rush, it was already late when we got there), and when we left they brought down the rope swing hanging from the large tree I mentioned earlier.  No, I didn't get on it, although I think this one was safe for adults...

The next morning Zman and I got up and went to breakfast.  Then we hit the streets to walk around a bit, and see it in the daytime(Zman hasn't ever been to Key West that he remembers).  We "happened" upon the Green Parrot(after I steered us there-hehehe).  Since we were both thirsty from our walk, we stopped.  After a cold beverage for each of us, and having some conversation with some locals, Zman wanted to play pool.  I obliged, and he promptly whipped me.  I stink at pool.  Now, the band started to warm up and the locals I was conversing with, were in the band.  Sunday morning Jazz, playing pool with my boy, drinking a cold beer, and having a wonderfully easy time! Now this is my kind of "church"!  I definitely was thanking the Lord for happy times- no joke!  Then Jodi joined us and whipped Zman at pool for me, big smile! 

He is a good sport, even though he wouldn't make a face with "Smirk"!

(if you have been, you know who that is)

After a while, the Lobster Nazi and kids came along and we moved on to lunch.  El Siboney, Cuban restaurant, another fav of my Aunt and Uncle's.  We sampled soups, cuban sandwiches, and beans. This is the Cuban sandwich: 

I think my favorite was the black beans-there were no garnishments to it, however, you could taste all the subtle flavors of the ham, onions, spices, the creaminess of the beans- it was heaven!

We went back to the hotel to get ready to go lobstering again.  Over at the marina, there is a cove where we could find some more of these succulent bugs.  After loading up in our cars and heading over there it was 6pm, about the time that the mosquitos and no-seeums come out to feast on anyone who is unprotected.  Zman and I decided we were not really interested in being eaten up, so we opted to go back to the hotel and get ready for supper.  (Zman was getting short driving lessons every time we went drove out to the marina, or we drove back and forth from my cousin's house to rent a boat, he was loving it!) We enjoyed sunset on Mallory Square with the performers, which is a must see, it's like a circus!  Zman's choice for supper was Guy Harvey's Island Grill, just off of Duval St.  On our way there, we snapped this:   

When we got to the restaurant, it was not busy and evidently there were not waitresses working that night, only the bartender.  We ordered a plate of fish and split it because the cousins were on their way to meet us. They were unsuccessful at finding any lobsters, but they had a good time anyhow.  They had a beer with us and then we started off towards Azur, a local restaurant serving fine foods.  Such nice people running that restaurant, and OH! the food.  Here are some pics of the things we had to eat:

Hummus plate as an appetizer, very flavorful hummus, not bland like normal hummus.

These are T's scallops he had for supper, he's a foodie, that kid...

This is the homemade gnocchi Zach and I shared, here is the description from the menu:

toasted in brown butter with pine nuts, arugula and grated parmesan, garnished with truffle shavings...

all I have to say is WOW, it was good!

This was the special of the evening, tripletail, with key west pink shrimp, over green beans and beets with a lemon butter sherry(?) sauce over it.  And it was quite possibly the best fish dish I have EVER had!

All of this was washed down with bottles of champagne(and water), the kids had a great time and the chef was pleased that we were pleased!  We were the last patrons to leave the restaurant on a Sunday night, but our host&hostess were so very gracious!

We had to get back to the hotel so we could get some rest, tomorrow is Dry Tortugas day! 

Biggie Summer Trip! (in parts...)

While my kitchen was being re-modeled(sort-of) the kiddos and I took off so we wouldn't be in the way.  We went to Granny and Grandad's, and stayed for a week.  I visited with some good friends, played with my niece and nephew and lost heartily at cards!  Then, Zman and I took off on a trip all of our own- to the Keys! Ahhhhhhhh....

On the way we stopped at Clyde Butcher's Gallery and walked through to marvel at his skill and the beauty of Florida and beyond.  There is a small nature walk through a little swampy area that is pretty.  Here is a pic I took at the end of it:

Our trip down was fun and beautiful, with a lovely rainstorm about halfway across 41. It has always been a favorite of mine to watch the rainstorms move across the Everglades.  There was nobody on the road, I guess they all take I-75 now 'cause it's faster- that's ok, they can have it! US41 is it for me, I love that drive!

We made it in non-record time( you know me...and with much protesting from my passenger) and it was an absolute joy to be there!  We found the motel we were staying at, the Key Lantern/Blue Fin motel. Let me tell you, I was a bit nervous when I made the reservation.  People had told me it was icky and questionable.  I was very pleasantly surprised! For $39 a night(Sunday - Thursday) you get something like this

(it's room #26):

Sparse, but clean room/bathroom and No Bedbugs!  No phone(most people have cell phones anyhow) and we had a fridge! Nothing special, but what do you expect for $39 a night?  Really, how much time do you actually spend in your room in the Keys? 

We unloaded the car, then stopped at Robbie's to say Hi and see what was happening. Ended up staying till about 11pm shooting the breeze at the Thirsty Tarpon while the teenagers played on the docks and drove the golf cart around( FYI- these activities aren't ususally included in the average joes's visit to Robbie's Rent-a-Boat, we have family there...) and as far as I know stayed out of trouble. 

The next day, Zman wanted to go fishing.  He had brought his pole and I was thinking that we would fish off the side of the road anywhere, and just see what we would catch (I am out of practice with anything larger than a john-boat).  He wanted to use his plugs, but I know that real bait works better!   After breakfast at the Islamorada bakery, we stopped by Robbie's to get some bait and ask a local where is the best place to go (No fishing at Robbie's docks- only FEEDING of tarpon there...).  Well, we ended up on the Capt. Michael for the afternoon fishing trip!  Capt. Brian McCaddie and Gaylon, the mate, were fantastic!  They put us right in the fish and worked their butts off baiting hooks, taking fish off, untangling lines, changing rods, answering countless questions, marking the fish(so you know whose is whose) and keeping count of the fish so we didn't go over what's allowed on a particular species. All while being so polite and patient with everyone!  Truly an accomplishment(especially after the stormy morning fishing trip)!  Zman and I had the BEST TIME! 

We were exhausted, but exhilarated enough to go get cleaned up and eat some pizza at Tower of Pizza!  YUM!

My cousin, Jodi, and her family were en-route to meet up with us, which we did the following day.  After a delightful breakfast at the Hungry Tarpon, we embarqed on our mission for the day, LOBSTER!   It was the opening weekend of lobster season after all.  This is not something I have done before, neither had Zman, so we were excited for the challenge. 

The Florida Spiny lobster lives in holes or under objects, so one needs a "tickle stick" to coax them out of their hiding place and a net and gloves to retrieve them once they dart out of said hiding place.  It is fun for about an hour if you are snorkeling for them.  After that it becomes a bit tedious and exhausting because you run out of breath about the time they get "tickled" out of their hole!  Jodi's husband, Sean, is now nicknamed the "Lobster Nazi".  He excelled at barking out instructions to Zman mostly, and sometimes the rest of us.  ie: "CHECK THAT HOLE!"  "NO NOT THAT, THE SANDY AREA NEXT TO IT!"  "IS THAT A PIPE? CHECK IT!"  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE GLOVES?"  "GET YOUR MASK ON! YOU NEED TO BE READY!"  " GO GO GO, RIGHT THERE!"  "WHERE'S MY TICKLE STICK-GET ME A TICKLE STICK!"  And the coup-de-gra(or however you say/spell it!) "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE NO MORE BLANKIN' TICKLE STICKS!  HOW DO YOU LOSE 3 BLANKETY-BLANK TICKLE STICKS?"  Zman was such a trouper!  It was his desire to get lobster and his respect for his elders that kept him from exploding back at the Lobster Nazi.  On the same token, our Lobster Nazi did the lion's share of the tickling and retrieving of the lobsters.  He was cut up, poked, sea liced and even got into some fire coral as a result! Here's a pic of our crew minus one, T was pooped out on the deck...

 

Here are some lobsters we were entertaining in the cooler with beer and champagne:

And here is our beloved and proud Lobster Nazi(aka Sean):

He was so pumped to go again and get more, but alas, it was not to be.  Not for not trying, mind you, they were all shorties from here on out...  Sorry Sean. 

We were all famished and some of us were burnt up, but we had some eating to do after our fruitful day in the sea.  Sean took the fish the Zman and I had caught the day before, plus some of the lobsters over to the Hungry Tarpon for Chef Manny for fix up for us.  Boy, did he!  I regret that I didn't have the foresight to take a pic before we dove into all the yummy goodness before us, we were just too hungry!

Chef Manny out-did himself!  These platters were licked clean, the kitchen only had to wipe the slobber off them when we were done!  While we dined(or rather gorged ourselves), Sean and Jodi's friend, Micah, provided the entertainment. 

He is a local singer that writes his own tunes as well as singing many of your favs, plus I think he knows all of Jimmy Buffett's tunes as well!  Good tunes, good food and good company- a great ending to a great day!  Jodi's daughter was the only one who had room for dessert:

Key Lime pie disguised as a poodle!

My cousin Michael and his wife Annie are doing a fabulous job of carrying on and improving what my Aunt and Uncle started!  Robbie's Rent-a-Boat -MM 77.5 bayside.  Be sure you visit when you go to Islamorada!  Feed the tarpon, take a kayak trip on your own or guided, go fishing on a charter or on the Capt. Michael, rent a boat, have a drink or a smoothie at the Thirsty Tarpon, eat any meal at the Hungry Tarpon, lose yourself in the Fly-by shop, take part in a hermit crab race, buy some local art framed by old lobster traps, replace your sunglasses you lost while feeding the tarpon, or just hang out on the beach area or docks.  It's a destination! 

Next mission:  Key West

Catch-up...

We have babies!  Some house wrens built a nest behind our TV area outside and they have been busy feeding these little guys!  Everything from baby lizzards to flying bugs to worms, I have seen it all being brought to those voracious little buggars.  It's funny to listen to the momma talking to her little ones, announcing her arrival in the area with food, and her little" I'm coming" when she is close to the nest, and then softly "Who's hungry?"when she is deciding who got the last morsel and who gets this one.  They have a wary comfortablness around us, and really hate it when the cats are lounging around on the table watching them!  The babies have gotten progressively louder and I think it will be very soon that they learn to fly and are out on their own.  It will probably happen while we are away, the kids and I will be so bummed to miss it. We got to see it last year when quite possibly the same wrens built a nest in the same spot.  

Sweetie Pie has had a birthday.  She had a sleep over party, and those girls stayed up past 3am! Sweetie Pie decided she wanted to decorate her cake, and since she is very artistic, I let her.  In preparation, I had her draw out what she wanted on a piece of paper that was about the same size as the cake with the reminder that drawing on a cake is not like drawing on paper- there is no erasing( at least not easily...).  She came back with this:

 

After I had put the cake back together(Oh yes, it fell apart when I took it out of the pan...no worries, it was all covered up with frosting!) and put the base coat of frosting on, Sweetie Pie informed me of what colors she wanted to use and we mixed them up.  She then proceeded to decorate her cake and did a fantastic job!

We didn't have to erase one bit! She takes after her momma and Auntie D! And no-one was any wiser to the cake being a complete shambles under all that frosting! : )

Last week I was perusing my favorite blogs and came across a pattern for this cute little bag.

 

The next one I make will have a few moderations to it. The opening is very wide and things fall out easily, so I will probably make it taller,  also some sort of button hole or snap to help keep it closed, and maybe some interfacing between the layers to provide a bit of body to it.  You can find the pattern here. I also think it would be good to make in the larger size but I can't figure out how to make the pattern bigger and print in tiled form in Adobe Acrobat.

On a completely different note, I will leave you with a pic of a spider Sweetie Pie and I found in the garden a few days ago.  He/She is very interesting looking, and I'm glad it wasn't in my house 'cause I would have had to crush it. 

Spiders aren't welcome in my house.

We are now off to Naples, and to the Keys from there.  Hope you all are enjoying your summer, and I'll "see" you when we get back!