A Full-time Life

Category: Florida

KEY WEST, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SUNSET..

Key West is all about the beautiful sunsets. Well, sure, that and some of the most tawdry T-shirt and souvenir shops you've ever seen and pretty close to the most places in the country to get Adult Liquid Refreshment. It's a fascinating combination of uber-tackiness and coastal charm.

The daily viewing of the sunset at Mallory Square encompasses both. Tourists and locals pick good viewing places and actually applaud the nightly sky show! Buskers provide entertainment leading up to the big event. There's also much free entertainment along Duval Street, the main shopping street (and famous for its bars as well).

(Click to enlarge these pictures.)

America's Southernmost City, Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba. (It's over 130 miles from Miami, closer to Cuba than to the nearest US big city.)

We took the Key West Express passenger ferry from Fort Myers Beach — a three hour one-way trip. As soon as we stepped off the boat we jumped on the Conch Train for a good guided tour overview. After that we took a cab to the inn where we were staying and from then on, we walked everywhere.

Key West is a great place to walk and during our two-night stay we covered most of the City's neighborhoods on foot. Lots of history and famous people to learn about, lots of very eccentric people (past and present).

Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his novels here, Jimmy Buffett sang, Mel Fisher found treasure and established a foundation and museum.

Key West is famous for the wild chickens that run around town. They used to be more plentiful — maybe somebody got hungry for more than eggs.

It was fun to see all the weirdness of Key West, but we also really enjoyed the quiet neighborhoods. It has been a while since we just walked around in an urban setting.

Here are a few more Key scenes.

April 19, 2009
PALM ISLAND BOAT TRIP (the rest of the story)

Since our trip to Palm Island Marina Resort, we've put an uneventful boat trip or two under our lifebelts. So I've stopped shaking and now we can tell the rest of the story. (Click Here to read about the fun part of the weekend.)

Truly, we had no problems getting to this beautiful resort and, as the post says, we loved our weekend there. This picture is of our friends Don and Patty in front of us going through the Boca Grande swing bridge on the way. The water was smooth and the sun was shining.

Coming home Monday morning after our lovely weekend, though, it was a different story. We hit high winds and big waves in Charlotte Bay. Water was coming over the top of the bimini and suddenly we completely lost all power. It was too rough to go out on the bow and release the anchor. Bobbing around in the water was NOT fun at all. We were in radio contact with the other boats in our party and we had our Boats US Insurance card. We used our radio to call for a tow. It really didn't take much more than an hour for the trusty rescue boat to arrive. But it seemed like forever. Don and Patty stayed with us circling around until they knew we were safely on tow. That was above and beyond the call of duty in those conditions. We were so grateful. I guess it really wasn't as long as it seemed because they were able to catch up with the rest of the group at their lunch stop.

Here we are under tow. Not really the way you want to go into port, but we sure were happy to see him.

The Tow Captain decided conditions were much better to the north–(back the direction we had come from) and took us to Gasparilla Island Marina, about a two hour tow. Going as slow as we had to on the towboat line, the waves and water didn't seem as frightening, so the scary part of the trip was over at that point. (Except for wondering how many dollars we would spend.) Thank goodness for having that towing insurance though. The Tow Captain told Bill it would have cost $700.00 without the insurance.

The problem was fuel again. We had dirty gas in the tank because we had filled it with gasahol. The sloshing from the waves caused the alcohol to loosen the accumulated crud in the tank, and the fuel lines plugged. The Gasparilla Marina let us stay overnight in a boatyard slip. It was actually an interesting afternoon and evening. Lots of boats and activities to see and interesting characters who work there to talk to. The picture below is part of the marina's massive three and four-story covered boat dry storage facility. Some yacht-owners pay as much for for storing their boats as we do for living in our RV.

We walked to a grill-type restaurant across the lot from the marina to eat and in the evening walked about a mile into the tiny village of Placida just to look around. We talked to some people from Germany who had gone out to near where we lost power and decided it was too nasty to continue, so they returned and docked their rental sail boat in the transient side of the marina. They were hoping for it to clear up because they were only on a short vacation. (It's good to be retired; we had plenty of time!)

Very early the next morning the fuel people arrived and wow, here's a job I don't think would be fun at all. They crawled into the mid-berth of the boat, took out a hatch,opened the tank at the sending unit and circulated all the gas through a hose to a filtering machine. In about two hours,they were able to clean out the residue in the corners of the tank, polish the gas and put it back in. If it had been too fouled up to be saved, they would have disposed of it properly. Because of the new fuel standards, this has become a new full-time industry for a few people around marinas.

Bill also took the props to be reconditioned and replaced them before we put her back in the water. So we're good to go now.

Florida boating has been quite an adventure so far — moments of sheer beauty and complete calm punctuated by moments of sheer terror! We are working to eliminate the latter.

April 11, 2009
LOVER’S KEY

Lover's Key is just one of dozens of natural areas that are an easy day trip from Upriver.

It's a Florida State Park on Black Island, one of a string of barrier islands that used to be accessible only by boat. The story is that the Key was named because, back when it was more remote, only lovers had the incentive to boat out to this solitary beach.

It's a lot easier to get to now — just a few miles down the Fort Myers Beach road. And there are amenities that make it easily usable — maybe not so romantic for young lovers, but easier for the rest of us.

The boardwalk above leads to a two-mile long beach.   There are also over five miles of walking trails on the Island. When we first started our walk on one of the trails, we spotted this gopher tortoise digging her trench. These tortoises have shovel-like front feet, which they use just like the animal they're named for. This one was about 15 inches long.

(Click on the pix)

There were gumbo-limbo trees along the trail we were on. It is also known as a "tourist tree" because the bark is red and peeling like some tourists.    This one looked like it had a snake in it:

We drove to Lover's Key on a Sunday afternoon after a lazy morning of reading the paper over breakfast and vanilla lattes. We like knowing about natural areas that are easy to get to without a lot of advance planning. Sometimes you just want to go outdoors and play!



April 4, 2009
AT THE BEACH – CAPE HAZE

We spent last weekend at Palm Island Marina at Cape Haze. What a beautiful place to welcome spring.

Cape Haze is about a four hour boat trip from Upriver. For this trip we went down the river, following the Intercoastal Waterway north across Charlotte Bay to the cape.

The beach is on an island across from the Marina that is accessible only by boat. It is covered with shells! We took a water taxi to Sunday brunch there. There are some condos and just the one restaurant and gift shop. There are no cars; the condo people get around only on golf carts.   Brunch was good, the company was wonderful and the beach was absolutely beautiful. Below are some pictures of the Marina where we stayed.

Our group had the pool and deck to ourselves on Saturday night. There was a nice barbeque grill and we had a potluck for the rest of dinner.

A manatee whom the harbor-master has named Miss Molly hangs out at the marina. She is huge — about  12-15 feet long. She likes to hang around the docks because the boats provide  a source of fresh water, which manatees love. You are not supposed to treat these endangered sea creatures like pets, but this one is old and lazy and won't leave her sheltered place.    On her tail (below), you can see scars from past encounters with boat propellors. Which of course is why you shouldn't encourage them to think boats are their friends.   Anyway, we did finally get our Manatee pictures. (I couldn't back up far enough on the dock to get a picture of all of her at once.)

Our boat still is not working perfectly, but that's another post. We made it home safely and we had a great time at Palm Island.

March 28, 2009
MATLACHA

Matlacha is a colorful artist and fishing village near Pine Island about 20 miles from Upriver.   (The best way I can remember how to pronounce it is like it was a guy's name – 'Matt Leshay'.) There are a whole series of islands in this area. Every time you cross a bridge you are on a different one.

Pretty much everything in the village is on water, either on Matlacha Pass or a canal. The houses and shops on main street are mostly wood-frame old-Florida style. (Although there are some mansions as well.)

Andy's Island Seafood at Matlacha sells fresh and cooked local seafood.   It is a really cool place that buys and sells only sustainable local fish. Click on the link — it's worth it.

We had a grouper sandwich there that was baked instead of fried and it was absolutely delicious. Another time, we brought home filleted fish of a kind we'd never eaten before–Pompano.

The owner of the market gave us a great recipe for cooking it.   He said to melt a lump of butter slowly so that it wouldn't burn. Then put in a handful of sliced almonds and cook them a little bit. Then let that pan just sit on a cold burner for a while until the butter congeals. (At least long enough to have a glass of wine.) Preheat the oven to 375. Put each fish fillet on its own piece of foil, skin side down. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread the butter paste on top. Wrap the foil around the fish fillet in a sealed package and place both of them on a baking sheet. Cook 10 to 15 minutes. He said to serve the fish right on the foil, but I took it out and carefully poured the yummy butter/almond sauce on top of the fish and rice that I made to go with it.

I can't usually remember any recipe unless I write it down. I thought I would need a pencil, but he said I wouldn't need it and he was right! This was so good. I'm sure it would work with any mild-tasting white fish. Our fillets were about an inch thick.

Here is the "back yard" behind the fish market.

March 7, 2009
OVERNIGHT BOAT TRIP

We took a good trip on our new (used) boat last weekend. We went with three other couples and boats from the resort and we had a great time.    On Friday, we traveled from the dock here at Upriver Resort to Forest River, a new marina about 30 miles up the Caloosahatchie River. We docked here and spent the night on our boats. We found that we'd forgotten to pack a few things, but nothing we couldn't live without. Not bad for a first trip.

Saturday morning we traveled from Forest River to the town of Clewiston, about 35 more miles. This leg of the trip went through Lake Okeechobee at the edge of the Everglades. Lake O is the second-largest freshwater lake located wholly within the United States and it is a major part of Florida's water management system. It's beautiful through there, with lots of birds and alligators and beautiful scenery.

It's a good thing that there was a lot to look at, because it was on the Lake that the fuel filter on our good old boat got completely clogged up. It was the one thing that wasn't changed when we had the boat serviced. So we had to limp across the Lake on idle speed, restarting the boat many times when it died and hoping it would restart before hitting the rocks. The other couples we were with were good enough to limp along with us. Bill did a great job of piloting the slightly disabled boat and he really wasn't stressed at all. I did that part for both of us! I really did not want the boat to die in this alligator-filled lake, no matter how beautiful all the birds were!

We were only a couple hours late for lunch. We tied up at the Roland Martin Marina and had lunch at the Tiki Bar, where two other couples who had driven from Upriver were waiting for us. They said they didn't mind that we were late because the Tiki Bar was such a great place to wait.

I felt a lot less stressed after lunch.   Because all of our friends were so nice. And because the Dockmaster found a mechanic to replace the fuel filter on a Saturday (at what turned out to be a reasonable cost).

And also the Tiki Bar makes a great Bloody Mary!

This is Little Man, the Dockmaster at Roland Martin Marina, talking to another couple that were with us. That really is his name; it is embroidered on his shirt pocket.   This local character is a legendary dockmaster with a personality befitting a legend. He yells and screams and tells everybody what to do and when to do it, but it is OK because he is so good at his job — and because watching him really is quite entertaining.   He used to be a cowboy in Montana and that is where he developed his skill with a rope. He ties up boats by throwing the rope around the cleat in a loop and figure eight from about six feet away, as if he were lassoing a cow.   I would definitely not want to travel with Little Man, but I wouldn't mind if he were at the dock wherever we came in.

After lunch we went back to River Forest Marina again to spend the night. It was a quick trip that time. As one of the guys said "what a difference $100 makes."

On this trip, we had three locks to go through each way. You can see Bill hanging on to the rope as we go up this lock. You have to nose the boat alongside the concrete wall of the lock and then grab two ropes for the trip up (and down when we were coming back).

Sunday morning after breakfast we traveled back to Upriver. Docking the boat in our canal was a lot easier this time than it was a week ago when we took her out for a trial spin.

New experiences are supposed to be good for aging brains. Last weekend, we built up a pretty good store of them. And we had a great time doing it.

February 23, 2009
SIX MILE CYPRESS SLOUGH

The word slough has never before conjured beautiful images, but Six Mile Cypress Slough has changed our definition of the word. Located within the city limits of Fort Myers, it is one of those magical places that's easy to get to, but makes you feel that you're walking somewhere that is miles away from civilization.

There are 2,500 acres of wetlands in the Slough.  It is a natural drainage-way and during the wet season, June through October, we are told that the whole area is like a wide, shallow stream.   Fresh water flows through the Slough and empties into Estero Bay, which is an aquatic preserve. But even now, in the dry season, there is plenty of water in Cypress Slough, making it a great area for bird and animal watching.

Although the Slough is several miles inland, it is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by a series of canals and creeks. Fresh water from the slough mixes with the Gulf’s salt water to create an estuary, which serves as a nursery for sea-life and a haven for birds.

The lush plant life in the Slough cleans the water by absorbing pollutants from the water while slowing the flow and allowing sediments to settle out. The Slough deters flooding by retaining storm water that will eventually filter into the ground to replenish ground water and recharge shallow wells.   So it is a big benefit for human residents of Lee County as well as animal, bird and sea-life.

There are so many economic and political problems here now. We hope that the County can continue to maintain these beautiful and beneficial areas.

Click on the thumbnails below for more views from the Slough.



February 7, 2009
CAMP SUNSET FOR SENIORS

A combination of cold weather (cold for here, not for the rest of the country) and colds (in the nose) that we've traded back and forth has kept us close to home the past couple of weeks. The temperature has dropped low enough that we've had heat on — the farmers are covering their crops at night. But in between warming up by the electric fireplace and otherwise recovering from our head colds, we've still been enjoying some of the many activities Upriver Resort offers.

I stole the Camp Sunset title for this post from a friend whom I met when we stayed at Voyager Resort in Tucson. Karen said she had loved summer camp as a child and she said that the activities at Voyager, a "senior" resort, reminded her of the good times she had back then. She used to sent out a great e-mail at the end of the winter season reviewing the stayover at "Camp Sunset."

Even though Winter Camp participants have grayer hair than the typical summer camper, I bet we have at least as much fun. Upriver is smaller than Voyager, which Karen wrote about, but it is just about as busy. Some activities are scheduled ahead for the season, but there is also a Monday morning coffee hour for a weekly update and additional activities.

Last weekend a group of us from here traveled a few miles up the road to a theater performance of Broadway showstoppers. Last night, we went to a concert right here in the park.  It was a high energy musical variety show by a group called the Marlins. There is a circuit of entertainers who travel around snowbird areas providing live entertainment at very reasonable prices.

We have been to photo club meetings and signed up for boat club activities and classes. We had a lot of fun at a wine-tasting event and party (with food). A group here in the park sponsors thesea couple of times a month. We look forrward to furthering our education!

There are a ton of other food-related events. During the past couple of weeks, we have been to a hot-dog roast, steak fry, banana split party, and chili cook-off. We have bought produce from a local farmer.

To neutralize some of those calories, we have beem swimming (last week, when it was warm), gone to exercise classes and used the exercise equipment room, and walked (it's two-and-a-half miles if you cover every street within the resort) and next door is the Caloosahatchie Preserve, which we've written about already, for hiking and bird-watching.

There are a bunch of other camp activities that we haven't had time (or talent) for – golf, horseshoes, bocci, and card and game evenings. There are computer classes, but we don't need an excuse to spend any more time in that area.   There are sewing groups (oh, yeah, that one's for me — NOT!) We definitely do plan to take part in more boating activities — sooner rather than later, we hope!

The best part of any of these activities, of course, is that we make new friends through them. This is a friendly and energetic place and we've had a good time the past couple of weeks in spite of the cold(s), both kinds of which are almost gone.

January 22, 2009
EATING LOCAL Florida

Here are a few fresh-from-the garden crops that we picked up today at the local (in the park) farmers market. The strawberries are good too — very sweet.

Add a grouper sandwich to the mix and welcome to eating local, Florida style.

We have noticed that we eat out less often since we have been full-timers than we did the last few years we owned our stick home. Besides having new and different scenery to look at while we eat, it is a lot of fun to experiment with new and different foods.

Of course, that's fun to do at local restaurants too! Life is good.

January 13, 2009
CALOOSAHATCHIE PRESERVE

These pictures are from the Caloosahatchie Preserve — next door to our RV Park in North Ft. Myers.

"Sweetbay Trail" is one of the loops you can take in the preserve. The sweetbay is a wild magnolia. Hope they bloom while we're here.

Florida Holly Live Oak with moss

Palmetto plants

This palm looked very Christmasy with its natural garland. The lizard is well-camouflaged on this dead palm frond. These fronds make a loud swishy sound when they fall. When you're walking in the quiet, it really makes you jump.

The forest floor — kind of a cross between forest and jungle actually.

January 4, 2009