Enjoying the Florida Keys
|
|
Bruce and Ellen's place was on the water at Summerland Key. This was the view from their dock!
Islands in the Sky.
|
| |
 |
|
|
We had no trouble adapting immediately into the Florida Keys lifestyle. Sleep late, have a leisurely breakfast, hang out on the dock drinking coffee, reading and talking.
|
| |
 |
|
| Lynnette in denial mode about the weather. She is thinking she's still back in the frozen tundra of Maryland. |
| |
 |
|
|
Looking back at the house.
|
| |
 |
|
| The pool, heated of course. |
| |
 |
|
| The view from the house terrace. |
| |
 |
|
| A big Gator skin hung over the dining table. |
| |
 |
|
|
The family room where, sadly, we watched the San Francisco 49ers lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. At least the Niners made the Seahawks work for it,.
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
 |
|
|
There were two bedrooms upstairs, plus the loft. The house was well stocked with books written by Ernest Hemingway and books about Ernest Hemingway, along with books about Key West, the Florida Keys and Florida. Three days later, I would leave the Keys a Hemingway expert!
|
| |
 |
|
| True dat. |
| |
 |
|
| Our first sunset in the Keys. |
| |
 |
|
| Bruce and Ellen's house was on Summerland Key. Just behind it was an airport community. We drove over to take a look. |
| |
 |
|
|
Man, what I'd give ...
|
| |
 |
|
| The runway is sandwiched between two house-lined roads. All the houses have a canal behind them for their boats. |
| |
 |
|
|
We stopped at Porky's bar/restaurant for some truly outstanding BBQ. This was my favorite food place of the trip. A classic Florida Keys marina bar/restaurant complete with signed dollar bills hanging from the rafters.
|
| |
 |
|
| The view to my right. |
| |
 |
|
| A big Pelican showing off for us. |
| |
 |
|
| |
| This Egret sat on a fish cage staring at the fish inside for our entire stay. |
| |
 |
|
|
After Porky's, we hung out at Sombrero Beach to watch the sunset.
|
| |
 |
|
|
Won't be long now.
I wonder if that's the same Egret from Porkys?
|
| |
 |
|
| Wait for it. |
| |
 |
|
| Wow, that's a nice sunset. On my short list of best I've ever seen. |
| |
 |
|
| The third day was spent at Key West. We started off with a late breakfast at the famous Blue Heaven bar/restaurant. Hemingway used to referee boxing at this very location long ago. |
| |
 |
|
|
The bar area was outside.
|
| |
 |
|
| We had to wait 45 minutes to be seated for breakfast. Not a problem thanks to a round of excellent Bloody Marys! |
| |
 |
|
|
Roosters and hens roamed the land.
|
| |
 |
|
| This huge, magnificent tree was in the adjoining lot. |
| |
 |
|
| A Miata with an unusual paint job. |
| |
 |
|
| |
| The Ernest Hemingway House is a major attraction in Key West, but despite our previous visits to the Keys, none of us had ever been. Today would be the day,. |
| |
 |
|
|
Hemingway's wife's rich uncle bought this house for them where they lived during the 30's. Nice digs even now. It must have been a palace in the 30's.
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
A model of Hemingway's boat -- the Pilar -- which he had custom built for deep sea fishing. The boat is in Cuba now where Hemingway lost everything when Castro became dictator.
|
| |
 |
|
|
We had an excellent tour guide. There are 50 or so cats -- Hemingway liked cats -- that roam the grounds. Notice the black cat sleeping in the middle of the bed, oblivious to the tour group.
|
| |
 |
|
| Upstairs in the building next door was Hemingway's "Man-Cave". Not bad. |
| |
 |
|
| Looking back at the house. Interesting wrap-around deck upstairs. |
| |
 |
|
| From the Hemingway house, we walked south to the Southernmost Point of the continental U.S., another famous Key West site I have never been to. We had been lucky with the rain so far but finally got caught. |
| |
 |
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
| Next stop: Sloppy Joe's. A close friend of Hemingways owned and ran this bar. The walls are loaded with Hemingway memorabilia. I had a "Pablo Double", a drink invented by Hemingway, a man who knew a thing or two about drinking. This was a fun place -- highly recommended. |
| |
 |
|
|
Past winner's of the Key West annual Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest.
|
| |
 |
|
| Painting of Hemingway's boat: Pilar. |
| |
 |
|
| Of course no visit to Key West is complete without a visit to Sunset Pier to watch the sun go down. Some clouds made this one not as good as the previous two days but it was still worth the trip. Plus there is all the street entertainment to check out. We saw some guy telling jokes while juggling knives on a unicycle. That man had skills! |
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|