Last Days with Carrie

Friday and Saturday                                                                  Most Recent Posts:
December 25 and 26, 2015                                           Who Doesn’t LOVE Sea Turtles?  A MUST Visit in the Keys
Long Key State Park                                                     Final Visit to Key West – 6 Toed Cats
Layton, Florida

 

 

FRIDAY

 

Dawn is always beautiful even if it is mostly gray.

 

 

This morning I walk along the shore  and give my Best Decorations award to this site with the lighted walkway and fake Palm Tree.

 

 

 

Runner Up goes to this coach with its driver and passenger in their Santa Hats.

 

 

 

As is frequently the case here, the colors are in the sky but surrounded by clouds which cover the sun at sunrise.

 

It’s a gray day in all directions.

 

 

Color drains away as the sun breaks the horizon. 

 

 

STILL windy!

 

 

After sunrise, the first order of the day is chocolate chip pancakes.  We somehow ran out of oats and had to make up a recipe which was “OK” but not as good as our standard.

 

The topping is always fruit.  Today it’s raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and bananas.

 

I forget to get my camera out until Carrie Berry (as she was called for obvious reasons in her childhood) has finished both her pancakes and the fruit with no trouble at all.   Sure looks like yummmmmmmm to me.

 

 

 

For her last day with us, Carrie wants to visit Sombrero Beach, the best beach in the Keys in my opinion.  Although Higg’s beach in Key West is also nice.  It’s windy today but as long as we don’t end up eating sand, we can handle it.

 

 

 

The King of naps practices his art.

 

It’s a beautiful day and lots of other people think Sombrero is also the place to be.

 

 

 

Off and on during the afternoon we stroll the beach looking at the sand works being created.  This is a pretty laid back snowman.  Appropriate for the keys.   Snowmen seem to be popular creations today.

 

 

 

 

But  the most fantastic sculpture is this sea turtle which is so detailed and correct I am amazed.

 

Look at the detail on the shell and flippers.  I hate to think of it being washed away.

 

Later in the afternoon the water beckons.

 

 

 They play around with trying to get together on a thumbs up signal for the camera.  Victory at what David?

 

I snap these in rapid succession as they laugh and try to get their hand signals in sync.  Two victories, too funny!

 

They’ve switched places – Carrie’s got the Victory.

 

Ok now they’ve got it, 4 thumbs up.

 

 

 

Looks like Carrie floats even better than before.  HA!

 

A kind woman from Sweden volunteers to take our annual holiday picture.  Beach bums in Santa Hats.

 

Back home, it’s dark, it’s dinner and then the end of the cake……we eat the very last pieces on the night before Carrie leaves.

 

What a sad sight.

 

 

SATURDAY

 

Gray day – strong winds.   A typical day for us in the Keys..

 

 

David castches this night heron, a constant visitor to our site, with a morsel in his mouth.

 

 

Is it a frog?  A crab?

 

 

 

And he catches me taking pictures of the teeny weenie bit of color in the sky as the sun beams shine out.

 

 

 

 

It’s our last sunrise together.  Carrie’s flight leaves at 12:30 so we need to have breakfast and get on the road for the 67 mile drive to the Key West Airport.   It’s certainly better than the 90 mile drive to Miami.

 

 

At the airport we find her plane is delayed so we enjoy the little snow village set up in the departure terminal

 

 

 

The ferris wheel and merry go round both are turning. But today’s train only has two cars.  Last week, when she arrived, the longer train sitting on the inner tracks was running.

 

 

 

 

You just never know what you’ll see even in the small airport in Key West. 

Wish I could send this picture to her mom.

 

It’s always so sad to say good bye. 
We won’t see Carrie again until the spring. 
But we’ll be there with bells on for the birth of our first grandchild.

 

 

Back home, it’s our last sunset in the keys. 
We leave tomorrow after 8 weeks here.
The weather has, with only a day or two exception. kept us from kayaking and snorkeling due to the constant winds and the frequent rains.
I am sorry to leave the variety and beauty of the sunrises and sunsets.

 

 

 

But most of all to Carrie.   “We miss you when you go…….”

 

Not sure whether we will return to the Keys.
We have given it two full months to show us the Paradise thing.
Without being able to be in the water, the Keys, outside of Key West,
don’t offer much that we enjoy.
Biking is limited. Hiking is even more limited.
Kayaking and snorkeling are totally weather dependent
and for the latter you really need to be off shore.
No-see-ums are numerous.
But………

If you are a restaranteur there are plenty to choose from.
If you own your own power boat, the winds won’t matter as much.
If you like to fish, this is your place.
So it might be Paradise for you.