Saturday, 2/18, Key West

Another beautiful day - took Meggie for a walk through the lovely Navy housing, right on the water here on Trumbo point.  Hung out for a while at the sailing club, but not much wind when we were there.  A gentleman donated a BEAUtiful sailboat to the sailing club - about $45,000 worth.  It's much much too nice to keep there, needs someone to pamper it, take very good care of her.  So, it will be sold, and the money used to buy more sailboats.  Had to retrieve a specially made dolly from the man's house, so we offered to do that with the truck.  Cool to see the house, with a priceless view.
We walked Meggie over to the Coast Guard docks to watch the sunset.  Enjoy the pictures!  It's cool to be on a military base at sunset - with the trumpet playing whatever it is they play.  Today, we watched the guys take down the colors at sunset.

carrying her favorite toy...

cool boat at the dock

BIGGER cool boat at the dock

sunsetting

you can move a BIG boat into and out of the water with this thing...

going....

going....

almost....

gone!

removing the colors...

waiting for the signal...

ahhhhh!

down with the colors...

after the sun....

so pretty!

where we are...

couldn't resist....

ooohhhh!

the group of campers near us.....

our home away from home.....

Thursday, Feb 15, 2012 Key West

Lovely day!  Breakfast at Harpoon Harry's, then strolled around the waterfront looking at all the boats, chatting folks up.  Back home for a nap (after all that strenuous activity..).  Then back to the sailing club for my sailing lesson.  Now, I'm ready to crew for Dan. 
Around 5 we biked back down to the waterfront to take advantage of the Happy Hour specials.  We had a drink, a 'bucket of bones' and 1/2 pound of shrimp - delicious dinner!  Sat there at Turtle Kraals watching the sunset and people (always fun).  Then, home to walk Meggie and to bed.  I'm probably posting too many pictures from the evening, but I just can't eliminate anymore!

late afternoon on the waterfront

from our table in Turtle Kraals

sun going down...

spectacular!

pretty boats at sunset

oooooh aaaaaah!

going going......

lovely!

the sailboat riggings look so graceful

more!

 

going going

could be a picture postcard!

This catamarind just coming in at sunset

almost gone...

Monday, Feb. 13, 2012

Today, after my walk with Meg, I took my bike to Eaton Street Bikes for some tuneup and other stuff.  Dan was playing bocce ball.  I wandered downtown, just killing time, decided to have lunch at Caroline's on Duval.  Dan met me there.  After lunch, more strolling, then key lime pie.  Dan had to go back 'home' to get his work done on the internet - Got the call that my bike was ready - new mirror, new bell, lubed and air'd, tried to get my old on-board computer to work (unsuccessfully) - I was waiting for the bill with a wince (this IS Key West, after all) - total of $29.03!  Yippee!
I had forgotten to write about and post the pictures from sunset on the top of the Concha Hotel on Duval last Friday.  Here are some pictures from the tallest structure (except for the lighthouse) on Key West.

looking east from the Concha Hotel

looking northwest

west (duh!) - beautiful

out of order - but those boats on the water - how beautiful!

looking down on Duval street - eastward

more sunset - ahhhh!

believe me - I took lots more!

Duval Street - looking west

pretty

our almost-11 year old puppy - she's in dog heaven, chasing her toy!

Sunday morning, Feb. 12, 2012 - duplicate of my FB post today....

Dan and I now have irrefutable evidence that a propane/carbon monoxide gas detector also detects methane. The alarm went off around 2:00 a.m.. Dan got up to turn it off. The detector is right at the foot of our bed near the floor. Meg was sleeping with her rear end pointed at the detector and had been busy producing good quality (i.e. concentrated) methane gas. The first time the detector went off early in our trip, of course in the middle of the night, Dan got up, ran outside, turned off the propane tanks to prevent our expiring in the night.....and so it goes!

Saturday, 2/11, in Key West

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012
Meg and I went on our walk this morning, then breakfast.  Then, Dan and I rode to a pet store, about 2 miles away, for some dogfood.  Next, we stopped off at the Key West Community Sailing Center.  Great folks, VERY basic set up (basic shelter, two refrigerators, a 'head', and a few sailboats).  Costs $200 for the first year, then $160 per year after that.  For that, you become a part of a social group, and have access to several sailboats and a few 'sunfish'.  Dan is a sailor, but I'm not - makes sense for both parties on a 2-person crew to know how to sail the boat.  I will be taking lessons!  Our next stop was a bike store for some basic repairs and advice, then 'home' for lunch.  There is a weather system coming through tonight - tomorrow's high will be in the low 60's.  We have a church we like to attend here, so we may have to wear some 'Michigan-like' clothes for the bike ride to church!

Key West, Thursday, Feb 9.

Weather turned out lovely today - we had thought there might be rain.  But, there was a good breeze blowing and sunshine all day.  We went downtown (me first, for a haircut!) for lunch at Bugaloo's, next to the Green Parrot.  This afternoon, Meg and I went for a walk out on Fleming Key, where the Special Ops guys do some of their training.  All day, we saw a big chinook helicopter coming by the camp area four times with a line hanging down (each time) with 4 guys hanging on - they pick them up from the ocean and carry them around and back to the landing area.  Later, there were 8 parachutes that came down in a field near where Meg and I walked.  Do I feel safe here?  Oh yes!  Here are some pictures from today.

HUGE lizard just beside the road!

View from the road where Meg and I walked

Big Chinook

My view when we're walking....

Meg enjoyed the walk, but drank most of my water!

This is as far as we could go....

She IS part Lab, you know!

We're glad we brought Meg this year - good traveling dog!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Key West!  February 8, 2012
In the past week, we've stayed with friends in Orlando, stopped off at Ft. Pierce and visited the SEAL Museum.  We wanted to go there in order to see the brick I had purchased for Dan at the annual 'muster' in 2011 (see the picture).

Dan was in class 40, East Coast, served in the Navy from 1967 through 87.  The Bible verse that means so much to him is Isaiah 6:8.


Yesterday, we didn't make it through Miami before rush hour - yikes!  Imagine Chicago or Los Angeles or Atlanta - not fun.  We stopped for the night in a truck lot by the restaurant where we had dinner, just south of Miami!  Tired, not interested in anything but some shut-eye.
Today, we got an early start, and arrived in Key West around lunch time.  We had to register at the base, get a pass for me, visit the commissary and the Navy Exchange for supplies and mail.
We ended up on the same spot as last year!  Tonight, there was a pot luck in the camp area, and we met some people and became reacquainted with folks from last year.  Most importantly, I made an appointment for a haircut tomorrow!!  My hair is out of control, especially with the humid conditions and some wind - I look a bit like the wild woman of Borneo!
We haven't seen any sites yet; our temporary life in Key West starts tomorrow, now that we're situated in the camp area.

More adventures to come!