One night on a whim we booked plane tickets online to Ft. Meyer Florida on a low cost airline. We discovered "low cost" is a very relative term. The $69 tickets ended up costing $200+ by the time àll the hidden fees were added, but were still cheaper than the larger airlines. We also learned that Fort Meyer is a relative term with low cost airlines and the airport is in a suburb and definitely NOT "international". We enjoyed getting out our summer clothes but packed them tightly to avoid even more fees on the low cost airline. They charged even for carry ons and to claim a seat even in steerage! We smiled broadly as we checked the 10 day weather forecasts for Charlotte and Miami and noticed a 60 degree difference.
When we arrived in Florida, we shed all coats and sweaters, and made a bee line to Miami in our rented Mustang convertible. We enjoyed the air in our hair, especially at 75 degrees and with the heater blowing full blast on our feet! However we did discover two things about driving in Florida: Floridians like to use their horns. Except for understanding the honk in the split microsecond after a green light, we have no clue what or who they are honking at!!! Also we see multiple signs for "tolls by plate". Will we get an extra bill from the car rental company, or is it figured into the fees? Only time will tell.
Our first stop after spending the night in Naples was at the PEI vacuum elevator factory in the Miami suburbs to check out the glass pneumatic elevator we are planning to install at the townhouse. We noted that business casual at the elevator factory is Bermuda shorts. Dave was able tò get technical details and ideas for our elevator installation and we were able to actually fit comfortably in the 30" tube! We ate a Cubano sandwich at a local dive near the factory. David's are waaaaay better.
Driving around Miami is very frustrating. "Myrtle" our GPS, can't quite compensate for the massive highway construction. We found Little Havana but not it's arts district, found South Beach, and enjoyed the views, but never found the design district even the next day in the day light. We DID find the Cuban restaurant in Little Havana, oddly called Versailles, which was suggested by the guy at the elevator factory. When we arrived we discovered TV and film crews interviewing people because there was a rumor Fidel Castro had died. We later heard on the radio that this rumor surfaces weekly in Little Havana. The Cuban food is great. Deb wanted to order Key Lime pie but ate too many plantains.
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| Volley ball on South Beach... you could only use your feet or hands... no feet |
We retraced our steps the next day in lighter traffic and enjoyed the Wyndham Arts District, a NoDa on steroids. There were many excellent galleries but plans on the remodel are not yet far enough along to buy anything. Down in South Beach, we had mediocre seafood outside. At least South Beach provided terrific people watching views. Later near our hotel we found a bad sports bar to watch the Panther/Seahawks game. Good wings, bad selection of beer. It seems that craft brews have not yet come this far south. And the game was not much better. We left and watched the 2nd half at the hotel because we felt like we were "disturbing the peace" cheering for the Panthers. No one was much interested in the game.
The next morning we drove to Key West again with the top down all the way. We are really getting into this convertible "thing"....especially when folks comment on it, and ask to take pictures. We even looked out our hotel window, and some parents were taking a picture of their 10 year old beside it! How can 60+ year olds relate to teens and preteens?....drive convertibles and segways!!! We did realize we needed suntan lotion though, and wondered how to pronounce Islamorada. After settling in at quaint Inn, we began to explore Key West. It is a unique blend of tschotske shops and amazing art galleries. Suddenly we were finding several pieces we are considering for Dave's new room and we have only explored half of Duval St.! We joined the throngs for the nightly sunset celebration and this night the people watching was better than the sunset. We were tempted, but passed on the Drag Queen shows because the people watching just going by provided plenty of entertainment.
The last red cent Hemingway paid for the pool!
The 6 toed cat
The next morning was leisurely and we decided we were on island time. We also decided that we should have a little culture, so we took the Hemingway House tour. We enjoyed the historical tour, and learned about Hemmingway, his 4 wives and his 6 toed cats who still roam the property many generations later (the cats not the wives!). The docents stories made Deb sorry she hadn't read many of his books, but isn't that what retirement is for? She might also add a biography of the 2nd wife to her list as she was portrayed as interestingly as Hemingway.
Now it was time to go out to the marina and settle in on the Lion's Paw sailboat. Dave went out for groceries while Deb unpacked and settled down with her novel. After relaxing most of the day sunning on the boat, Dave fixed Deb her best seafood food yet from his foray to the grocery. We Skyped the granddaughters and Abbie, upon seeing the navigational charts, wants to know where the X is for the pirate's treasure!
The next morning, Captain Nancy and 1st (and only) mate Megan arrived to take us out in the bay. They hoped to use their new mainsail and jib. We donned snorkeling gear when we anchored on a reef about 2 hours out of port. The water was even warmer than we anticipated and though the dolphins only followed us part of the way out to the reef, we swam with a turtle and felt as though we are in the middle of a great salt water aquarium...I guess we were!
Unfortunately the wind died to nothing and we were unable to use the sails. We were thankful for the engines and arrived near an island just before sunset. First Mate Megan served us red snapper just as the sun began to set. Unfortunately we anchored too far from the island to swim to the beach and were discouraged from swimming at dusk by Captain Nancy as she regaled us with tales of sighting sharks in these waters near sunset.
The stars came out and put on a magnificent show. Dave introduced Nancy and Megan to Google Sky and named the planets and constellations for them. Deb enjoyed the show and then finished her book so that she could send her comments to her book club and rub it in about being in such great weather to yet a different group of friends. We were lulled to sleep by the rocking of the boat and could see the stars from the hatch above our head.
Sunrise the next morning was obscured by dense fog. Captain Nancy luckily could navigate by GPS and though she raised the mainsail for a brief time, we were again grateful to have the engines and a good navigator!
Just as we finished packing up the next morning, and began skyping Deb's dad, Captain Nancy returned. She got a kick out of meeting the guy with the Mini Cooper Sport. We headed back to Key West and after checking back in at Còurney's Place Inn, we explored the rest of Duval St. and purchased gifts for the girls, 2 wedding gifts, beach wear for this summer, and a bambo fabric shirt for Dave and dress for Deb. We arrived at Sunset Point just as TWO cruise ships werè departing. Despite the crowd, we got a pier side table and enjoyed drinks and Key Lime pie as the sun made a spectacular splash in the bay. Better acquainted with the area, we meandered through the residential area and decide that Key West is sort of like a much larger and more commercialized Sullivan's Island. Our last seafood on the Island was at a tiny 6 table restaurant near our Inn. Our only regret was that we were not hugrier, for everything on the menu sounded great and they even had real craft beer. We couldn't belive how many places claim "craft beer" and their only selection is Bud and Shock Top! Surely there's an under served market here and in Miami for craft beer.
As we bid farewell to Key West the next day we realized that even though we had the wedding pottery shipped, we would have trouble consolidating our many bags into our suitcases, so we stopped at the post office and got a "if it fits it ships" box. Dave's master packing skills came in handy. While waiting on Dave to post the box, Deb photographed a flock of chickens roaming the post office grounds. Key West is famous for its feral chickens, and this uncharacteristically seemed to be a flock of mostly roosters.
Donning our new Key West outfits we joined the "beautiful shabby rich set" on South Beach for Art Deco Festival. We wandered the vendors and signed up for a guided tour of the architecture. Jeff, our local guide, helped us distinguish between art deco, Beauz art's, Meterrainian Revival and simply modern. We throughly enjoy the 90 minute tour, ànd completely sympathized with his inside jokes of living in a historic district with its restrictions and attempts to balance preservation and modernization. We were a little disappointed in the art at the festival booths. It was obviously not juried, and the t-shirt vendors and jewelry from China cheapened the few true artists. We especially liked one sculpture who works in screen and explore a real gallery with Dr. Seuss art.
Myrtle again had issues with the construction on our quest to find our next hotel. We got off the freeway to get out of traffic and to find a grocery store. Realizing we were once again in the middle of Little Havana, we returned to The Versailles for supper. This time we were smart and split the entre.
Everglades City may edge out Pomaria for the most trailers and double-wides per capita...lol...We especially liked the "Plantation Village" that consisted of double-wides up on stilts to be above the surge tide. While not much there, we did have some good scollaps, gator, and shrimp at a dockside restaurant. David researched it and TripAdvisor recommended Shurr Adventures for a swamp tour with kayaks. Watching the air boats during lunch we were glad we had chosen a quieter avenue. John our guide was terrific and very interesting. He does the kayak tours here in the winter and whitewater rafting tours in Montana in the summer. He was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. We saw about a half dozen alligators, mostly juveniles about a yard or so long. Several great herons flew down the river right in front of us and the mangrove tunnels were incredible, if challenging to maneuver. But John was very patient with the 4 of us (we were joined by a med student from Portland, OR and her mom, also an early childhood community college teacher!) and the water was only 2-4 feet deep or less. A couple of times the hydrillia a was really thick. He told us it was an invasive species that got introduced to the river during Hurricane Andrew when the pet stores got flooded and the aquarium plants escaped. We told him about Lake Murray using carp to control it.
Now we must give up our summer clothes and convertable and don sweaters and long pants to fly home....but the temperature is rising and we should bring the area slightly warmer weather.
