tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266951342024-03-12T22:56:52.670-04:00Patricia Moss OnlineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-92022211669124328892019-12-24T13:42:00.001-05:002019-12-24T13:42:38.236-05:00Voyage to the AtlanticCaptain Billy, Elvis, and I made our first voyage to the open Atlantic using the inflatable Zodiac lent to us by our neighbors, the Kelly's.
We are on the tail end of four days of rain and wind. The sky is overcast and the waters in the bay are choppy and there is a stiff breeze. Our destination is the Bay outlet that goes past Sammy's Landing. The current increases the closer we get to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sugarloaf,, 14710 Old State Rd 4a, Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042, USA24.6033988 -81.570460700000012-0.91863569999999939 -122.87905470000001 50.1254333 -40.261866700000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-84191021667708896512018-10-18T12:54:00.001-04:002018-10-23T15:44:44.376-04:00Bari, Italy -- Our First Port-of-Call
Bari -- the capital of the Puglia region of southeastern Italy
Bari was our first port-of-call. Before talking about our adventures there, I need to take time for a special, personal note.
My hat is off to my sister-in-law, Cathie Moss, for the outstanding work she did as travel planner, organizer, and director. Without her, we couldn't have made the trip. Thanks, Cathie. Hope we can do it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Bari, Metropolitan City of Bari, Italy41.1171432 16.87187149999999740.925727200000004 16.549148 41.3085592 17.194594999999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-47833047641575264222018-09-27T18:06:00.000-04:002018-09-27T18:09:50.203-04:00Preliminary TravelsWe decided to fly Air Canada out of Toronto as they offered the best ticket price. Beautiful day for a drive north, a quick bite to eat, and a shuttle trip to the airport. The hotel garaged the car and reserved a room for the day of our return, some fourteen days hence.
Crossing over the Niagra River on the Peace Bridge.
Jammed up coming into the U.S. from Canada. We breezed through Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-59863321446714845472018-09-04T15:07:00.000-04:002018-10-23T14:39:44.300-04:00Adventures in Italy and SurroundsHello!
This series of posts will follow my first trip to Europe. My fellow travelers are my younger brother, Preston Drew, and his wife, Catherine. Over the years they've invited me many times to travel with them. This time I accepted, thinking to myself we won't always be physically able to manage trips like this.
We flew to Rome on Air Canada out of Toronto, Canada. We will spend a couple Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-76469873917162534832018-02-11T21:52:00.000-05:002018-02-11T21:53:12.793-05:00Flying Fat Albert -- Grounded!During the time we stayed on Cudjoe Key last year we enjoyed seeing Fat Albert in the sky. It was a great way to see wind direction and just cool to see a blimp aloft.
We looked forward to seeing it again this year but Fat Albert has been grounded. Too bad, just think what a dramatic addition it would have made to the planned military parade. ; - )
See details below in article from the Florida Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-8654897266918561442018-02-11T16:56:00.001-05:002018-02-11T16:56:32.066-05:00The Coraline Christy Family in the Florida KeysMeet Coraline and her parents, Sarah and Brian. We invited Cora to visit for a few days and she asked her parents to accompany her.
It has been a fun visit. We've had our picture taken at the "Southernmost Point," walked the length of Duval Street, checked out Captain Tony's, strolled along the marina boardwalk, had dinner on the waterfront at Geiger Key Fish Camp, visited Bahia Honda stateUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-85759077933594507722018-02-06T16:13:00.001-05:002018-02-06T16:13:46.070-05:00An Evening with Arlo Guthrie and Family
The Key West Theatre dates back to 1848 when it was build to serve as theBaptistt Church of Key West. It later became a dance club and a concert venue before being transformed into its current status as a fully working performing arts center. As such it presents music, concerts, theatrical, productions,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-10172493793469770592017-12-19T22:35:00.000-05:002017-12-19T22:35:30.200-05:00Visitors and a Visit to the Hemingway House
Bill's older brother Bob and his wife, Betty, drove down from their home in Simpsonville, SC, to stay with us for a week. Our time with them was made more special when Bob's daughters -- Jeni Russ and Deanne Fitzpatrick -- joined us.
We had a blast. A tour of the Hemingway House was the highlight of the day we spent together in Key West.
The great man's writing room. According Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-15186620584120730082017-12-08T20:09:00.003-05:002017-12-08T20:09:42.525-05:00Fishing and Crabbing and a SurpriseBilly decided to try his hand at catching some blue crabs. My assignment was to be the "netter." This was a task I approached with some trepidation, knowing the likely consequences of failing to net one that was on the line. You don't want to disappoint the Captain!
Down to the dock we went. It wasn't long before one took the bait. The trick is to pull the line in very slowly and steadily and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-60591670688473020032017-12-05T20:34:00.000-05:002017-12-07T20:43:18.430-05:00Our Extraordinay DigsOur accommodations, that is.
83 Bay Drive is in the Saddlebunch Keys and was acquired by the owners in the autumn of 2016. They'd vacationed at a home on the point of the drive for ten years and when this place became available, they went for it. They are a very nice family and great at being landlords, perhaps from all those years they spent being vacation rental tenants.
Thanks to luckUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-40160750050575682622017-11-30T21:00:00.000-05:002017-12-03T20:27:52.849-05:00Heading South AgainHeading back to the Keys for our winter visit we stopped in St. Augustine for a break before driving the final leg of the trip. We are at a small beachfront hotel with a balcony overlooking Vilano beach. The sunrise was a thing of beauty and now I'm watching a sailboat hoist its main and run with the wind. Eyes closed, I feel the deck tilt starboard, hear only the wind as it blows through the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-52143278095797840312017-02-05T12:43:00.001-05:002017-02-05T12:43:35.820-05:00A Good Time Was Had By All (Except the Fish)For me, the concept of gainful employment and living in the Florida Keys are mutually exclusive. On second thought, that holds true for me and any significant responsibility. Here it is, two weeks since my last post and this blog is about the only thing on my to do list other than making dinner and occasionally washing a load of clothes. Decadent slacker living and I'm loving it!
My brother Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-56252711889714543472017-01-18T17:38:00.001-05:002017-01-18T17:38:10.167-05:00On the Water -- FinallyWe caught a good day! First one without winds too high to allow boating. Billy's sailing kayak went in yesterday and today we took out the tandem kayak.
Tomorrow, if the weather holds, he'll be going out fishing with the neighbors on the "big boat." In the meantime, he's been getting his gear ready, building a bait trap, and doing some fishing from the dock.
Me, I'm being a slacker and I love Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-85544183529546218052017-01-15T23:07:00.000-05:002017-01-15T23:07:10.225-05:00Exploring Bahia HondaThe three of us set off for a morning hike on the nature trail that runs through one end of Bahia Honda State Park. There's a detailed note at the end of this post that gives you the history of this place.
Information markers on the trail identify the various plants found there and then comes the beautiful beach, the longest natural sand beach in the Keys. I plan to spend the day here at Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-4972319076742030422017-01-12T16:19:00.000-05:002017-01-12T16:19:54.489-05:00Relaxing HiatusHigh winds have kept us on shore so no adventures to report. Some walks, some bike rides, harvesting coconuts for the water, reading, and fishing preparation so we are ready whenever the opportunity presents.
The bridge fishermen catch some interesting ones from time to time. Here's a parrot fish. Must be released.
Billy and Elvis on the Gulf side.
Mr. Pelican
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-53649375777233402142017-01-09T16:16:00.001-05:002017-01-09T16:21:09.993-05:00Social Nexus of the Neighborhood.Sound like us? NOT. Yet, that is how this house is viewed by the surrounding neighbors.
The rental agent, Jim, texted that the owner, Ray, was coming down and how about we "open the bar" for a party so we could meet him and the neighbors who all looked forward to gathering at their neighborhood watering hole. OK, we said, let us know when and what we need to get ready, thinking food, libations, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-68281561879873188012017-01-06T20:54:00.001-05:002017-01-06T20:54:47.477-05:00Traveling on Shank's MareThe need to pay a bill by mail and to get some exercise was the catalyst for a walk to the post office in Summerland Key, nearly four miles one way.
We can do this, we said. Elvis didn't object so off we went with some bottles of water, a camera, and the payment envelope.
Getting there was good; getting home, another story. With two miles left before we got back home, I was ready to hitchhike. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-50417599825843425162017-01-04T22:23:00.000-05:002017-01-04T22:23:17.934-05:00Seafood the Easy WayThe fishing trip Billy was scheduled to take with the neighbors got cancelled so we decided to find a seafood market that did its own fishing or bought off the boats of local fishermen. We knew we had gotten great shrimp at a place north of Marathon so off we went. We took advantage of the great special they had posted on the cooler. : - )
We had shrimp broiled with garlic, olive oil, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-72165560783422438962017-01-02T21:49:00.000-05:002017-01-02T21:49:24.758-05:00Back to the Keys -- 2017Definitely a snowbird visit this time - we'll be here for two months. Our digs are on Cudjoe Key, about thirty miles south of Marathon, our location last year. The place is much more comfortable with the trade off being all the neighbors hang out at each others houses, including this one. We've met a number of them and they all describe the place we are staying as the center of recreationalUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-74378176814165526652016-03-07T17:38:00.000-05:002016-03-07T17:38:22.987-05:00The Story of Pigeon Key
We followed up attendance at the Pigeon Key Arts Festival with a boat ride to Pigeon Key. Pedestrian and bicycle access to the key are unavailable because the ramp off the Seven Mile Bridge is so deteriorated it is unsafe. Restoration work, funded in part by the Arts Festival and other fund raisers and, hopefully supplemented by a pending state grant, is to be completed by 2017.
TheUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-53311925852002202362016-03-06T17:34:00.000-05:002016-03-06T17:34:44.662-05:00A Walk in Key WestWith my visit to the Key 40 years ago a dim memory, I looked forward to another visit -- time to get re-acquainted. A cool and windy day, but no cruise ships docked so few crowds expected.
The City is so dense with sights and shops and neighborhoods to stroll, the day was over before we even put a dent in our list of places we HAD to visit. That's OK, it means we'll have to go back another day.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-34956028732219344062016-03-03T13:47:00.000-05:002016-03-03T14:14:01.536-05:00Out and About in MarathonThe annual Pigeon Key Arts Festival was held the first weekend we were here. Bob, Jr., Sue and I made a visit. At one of the booths I met a woman who knew Billy's family from the days of the Rocky River Flower Shop when she lived across the street. Gregarious Bob had an extended conversation with her. Meantime, I found things to buy, despite my resolve not to do that!
The artist Wyland was thereUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-90933677364809073622016-03-01T13:16:00.003-05:002016-03-04T09:35:07.151-05:00A Walk in the National Key Deer RefugeBob the Third, Sue, Billy and I drove down to Big Pine Key to visit the National Key Deer Refuge. We didn't see any Key Deer -- no surprise since it was mid-day -- but we learned a lot about their environment and Keys ecology in general.
The Overseas Highway has lower speed limits through this area and they are strictly enforced.
Written comments won't be necessary for this post -- here are theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0Big Pine Key, FL, USA24.6698652 -81.35396924.554447200000002 -81.5153305 24.7852832 -81.192607500000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-23436358701219064572016-02-29T20:17:00.001-05:002016-03-04T09:34:50.391-05:00On the WaterBilly's nephew Bob and his wife Sue drove down from their home in early February to join us for the weekend. They were fully equipped with kayaks and paddle boards to add to the two man kayak that came with the house and Billy's Hobie sailing catamaran, the Island Adventurer.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26695134.post-46610339209406585782016-02-24T09:18:00.000-05:002016-03-04T09:34:25.735-05:00We're Here Auntie EmThe final 65 miles of the last leg of our drive was the longest. Bumper to bumper traffic moving at a crawl combined with a driver who can't abide stop and go made for a bit of stress. Advice for traveling the Overseas Highway -- be sure to have a full tank of fuel and an empty bladder.
Next morning, we made a quick survey of our home base for the next month. Great location. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0