Los Angeles (03-09-14)

It’s very nice having at least one of our kids living someplace that we can visit during the winter. Although Los Angeles is not our favorite place to visit- (lots of people, millions of cars, narrow roads) it’s worth it to be able to stop by on a fairly regular basis to see our daughter.

The last time we were here, we went hiking with Jess, and I figured we’d try to do that again, but the weather forecast called for temps in the mid 80s so we decided to take to the water instead.

Jess and Geoff and Paul and I headed out on a beautiful sunny day to get some kayaks. Since it was off season the kayak rental place wouldn't make a reservation, so we had to wait over an hour for the boats.

Once we had them, we paddled around the Marina Del Rey area for a while before stopping at a beach to eat the lunch we had packed.  This is the first time Jess has ever kayaked, but she did great.

We also managed to meet up with Paul’s brother Tom and his wife Sue for an evening, and we went to P.F. Chang’s for dinner.  It was my first time eating at this restaurant chain. Great food!

One more dinner out during our short visit- Jess and Geoff took us to one of their favorite restaurants-Gyu Kaku- a Japanese Barbecue. It was a bit noisy, but I really enjoyed the interesting dishes, the pace, and the cooking of parts of the meal right at the table.  Luckily they knew what they were doing, because Paul and I wouldn't have had a clue how to order from the menu.

We crammed a lot of activity into a short, 4 day visit.  Much too soon it was time to leave, and we headed north to Pismo Beach, where we’ll meet up with some friends.  Next week we land in Fresno for 6 weeks, partly to prep the truck camper for our trip to Alaska.  I’ll take advantage and fly home to Boston for a week while Paul works on some projects.

Vacation Week (01-25-13)

Not our vacation week- my brother Ray and sister-in-law Dawn’s vacation week. They flew down from Boston to spend a week with us here in the Keys.  As I flipped through my pictures from the last week, I realized that they will definitely need to recover from their  “vacation”.  Oops. We certainly packed a lot of activities in a 6 day period. 

We started by eating lunch outside, at a restaurant on the water- It’s one of the things I like best about the Keys, eating outside whenever we want.  With the temperatures in Boston this week plunging into the single digits, they sure were happy to shed their jackets!

When Paul and I realized we wouldn’t have reliable TV reception, we scouted out sports bars to find one appropriate for watching the Patriots play in the AFC Championship.  We ended up back at the Sunset Bar in Marathon, where the beautiful view didn’t do much to take the sting away from watching the Patriots lose to the Ravens.

We took the glass bottom boat tour from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  I enjoyed the trip out to the reef- I just love the water down here- the colors are so vibrant, especially when the sun is shining.

It was an easy way to see some underwater wildlife on a beautiful day, although the actual method of viewing left a little to be desired. We were some of the last to arrive at the glass windows, so the view we had mostly consisted of other peoples’ heads, and we had to shuffle around quite a bit to be able to see anything. 

We took a day trip up to the “mainland” to Everglades National Park, and walked the Anhinga Trail, where we saw tons of alligators, and many species of birds, including the Anhinga, after which the trail is named.

  I have always heard that this trail is great for wildlife viewing, so I’ve wanted to walk it for a long time.  It did live up to it’s hype!

After seeing wildlife in the wild, our visit to Alligator Farm was a bit ho-hum,  but we did learn more about alligators and crocodiles, got to take a ride on an airboat.



movie of our airboat ride



resident Panther at Alligator Farm

We also got to visit with the resident Panther.  Apparently panthers are common in this area.  The first time I saw the “Beware of Panthers” sign, I thought it was referring to a local football team or something, but nope, there are Panther Crossing signs all around the Everglades. It turns out that the Florida Panther is a sub-species of the cougar, and is the State Mammal of Florida. Their numbers are dwindling, which is creating genetic issues due to inbreeding.

In keeping with the wildlife theme, we stopped in at the nearby Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center. This center is run completely on donations and works to rehabilitate birds that have been injured.  If the bird cannot be reintroduced into the wild, it can  live out it’s days at this sanctuary. I enjoy seeing the owls, hawks and shorebirds up close and personal.

No visit to the Keys is complete without a visit to Key West (so says me), so off we went.  We elected to spend the night there because it’s a 2 hour drive from Key Largo. Our first stop was the Truman Little White House on Key West. The house was originally constructed as housing for Naval Officers.  It has been used by 6 presidents, but more by President Truman than any other. After only three months as Vice President,  Truman was thrust into the presidency by the sudden death of President Roosevelt. The stress of handling the added responsibilities took a tremendous toll on his health and he was told by his doctors to spend time someplace warm and sunny, to regain his composure.  He chose Key West, and over time spent 175 days of his presidency at
“the Little White House”.



sunset at Mallory Square



Sunset at Mallory Square is pretty much a required outing on Key West.  Watching the sun go down over the water is a relaxing way to end the day.  Except, of course, the day doesn’t end at sunset on Key West. 

After sunset we ate dinner at Margaritaville before hitting the  bars.   Drinks at Sloppy Joe’s was followed by more drinks at Hogs breath Saloon.  I love wandering the streets of Key West.  Everywhere you turn, there’s music!

Back home after our adventure, we spent a quiet night relaxing with some frozen Mudslides. I love Mudslides but I can’t drink the whole bottle myself,so having Ray and Dawn here was a good excuse to make some!

On our last day together we rented kayaks at Robbie’s on Islamorada and paddled our way out to Indian Key. I have no pictures of the kayaking, since I didn’t want to risk bringing my camera.  Ray and I snorkeled for a little bit, but with the wind blowing, it was a bit rough, and we didn’t last long. It was Ray and Dawn’s first time kayaking, and by the time we were headed back from the island, they were paddling (not rowing!) like a well oiled machine!

We ended our visit as it began- eating a meal outside. The weather was perfect so we headed to Snapper’s Seafood Restaurant.

After an awesome dinner we sat and listened to some great music for an hour or so before heading home. 

We had a great visit!