the boat races

so, these boat races,,,pretty awesome. like nascar on water,,only way more exciting. AND, more accessible. we paid 15 bucks to gain entry to the race village, where all the boats and drivers were staging. it was pretty cool to be able to walk up to the concrete wall and look over and see these tremendously expensive boats just right there. they even had a grandstand. i am sure that this will be a trip we will be making again. steve and joe were enthralled, of course, and i must admit, it was totally spine-tingling to see all the horsepower and sleek lines of these million dollar machines. there was even a sheik from qatar who had two boats entered. i thnk i got a pic of one of his trucks.

key west museum

we went to key west twice while we were there. both times to see the boat races, but also to go to a museum i wanted to see. the key west art and history museum specifically. they had mostly works by a folk artist named mario sanchez. wood cuttings/carvings. amazing stuff. and a room dedicated to ernest hemmingway's time in key west. i just loved the building.

better view of steve on the 'pilar'

better view of our little piece of paradise

key west

on wednesday, we drove down to key west. it was the first day of the superboat races. and i was determined to visit the art and history museum. we decided to pay the 15 bucks a head to enter the "race village". there we had access to all the boats, could mingle with the crews, etc. it was awesome! kinda like nascar on water, only way more exciting. needless to say, steve was in heaven. nirvana was reached, and we left the races only when our legs, hips, and feet began to cry out to us for mercy.

more pigeon key

steve and i and another couple were led around the island by this very interesting woman and treated to a wonderful narrative about life on the island during the construction of the railroad. most of the laborers for this project were from northern europe, and what they did in 7 years just boggles my mind. for instance, all the water they used had to be brought in by rail cars. in 7,000 gallon cedar cisterns! first of all, the crafting of these huge cisterns in itself sounds overwhelming to me. there are many original buildings on pigeon key which house artifacts and displays of the whole railroad project. at the end of her tour, she guided us to a small room and turned on a video about henry flagler's life, but it was very warm in the room, and i had heard most everything anyway, so i excused myself and went to sit on the porch to catch a breeze. which, by the way,,was blowing strong. in a few minutes, the young woman from the couple came out to join me. after a bathroom stop and a drink of water, steve and i got on our trusty bikes and headed back across the old bridge. but the going back was not NEARLY as easy as the coming to. the wind was a steady 20mph, at least, blowing against us, and so we would pump a few hundred yards, and then walk a few hundred more. it was the longest two miles i have ever walked,,and i have walked 7 in a charity walk before in asheville, up and down hills, even!

pigeon key

on monday, steve and i decided to visit pigeon key. this is where over 400 men were housed (in platform tents, mostly!) to work on the overseas railroad that henry flagler started in 1905. one can get to pigeon key by boat, bike, or foot. we chose bikes, since we had carted them all the way down in the back of the truck. it's a two mile stretch of the old seven-mile bridge, which is part of the old roadbed created OVER the railroad, after the 1935 hurricane. whew! so, we mounted our trusty bikes (these are great beach bikes,,high handlebars, fat tires, one speed, no fancy skinny-tire bicycles for us)and took off on the two miles to pigeon key. it was a wonderful ride, and it passed very quickly, since the strong wind was at our backs. oh, we thought we were just awesome bikers. little did we know what was ahead on the return ride! anyway....we got to pigeon key, and were met by a whizzened (?) older lady who had just started her very casual tour of the place. she spoke with an austrian or german accent, and her face and body told the story of her many years in sun and wind. to be continued........

backtrack to islamorada

how could i forget one of the most important stops on our trip to florida?? in islamorada the bass pro shop's world wide sportsman is a 'must see. for anybody who fishes, it is mecca. it's a very attractive store, actually, and smack dab in the middle of the building sits the "pilar",,ernest hemmingway's boat from his time in florida. it's an awesome boat, complete with the fighting chair, and a lot of pics and info inside the cabin. not sure if this boat is the original, or a sister to the original. but it's a real boat, and very impressive. the store is filled with any sort of fishing gear and tackle that one person could imagine, along with shirts, shorts, pants, coats, hats, shoes, jewelry, cooking accessories (gotta have something to prepare one's catch with), and more that i am too tired to mention. we ate lunch in the "zane grey lounge" upstairs, overlooking the lovely turquoise water.

first day in marathon

we arrived in marathon on sunday. if i said it was windy, that would be an understatement. some pressure gradient thing, we were told. and not even related to "ida"! so, we checked in and walked around the place, letting the wind push us along. here are some pics of the place.

i figured out how to post photos,,finally. notice the pepto pink color of the sea spray. on the top of the building was a restaurant, complete with bar and little stage for a piano player. none there when we dined, though, darn it. i was impressed with the cleanliness. it's old, but by golly, it was super clean! and when's the last time you had real glass drinking glasses in a bathroom? two years ago when we were there, there was some mysterious packet of breath freshener along with the glasses, but not this year. i guess everybody is scaling back. the sea spray is dwarfed on both sides by huge high-rise hotels. the waitress at the restaurant said that the owner won't sell. but it's only a matter of time, i fear.

the florida keys

steve and i just returned from the florida keys. it was great. our first stop was in west palm beach, though. we stayed at an old school hotel called the sea spray. it is located on singer island. steve's dad and girlfriend used to go every year to singer island and stay at a place called the sands. it's still there, but now a time share "resort." pics of the sea spray to follow