I'm Still Here!

Woooowww....way too long between posts. There must be at least a few people actually reading my blog, because a couple of readers have contacted me to tell me to get my butt in gear. I guess I suffered a little hangover from being on vacation, in addition to having to transition to being super-busy at the marina. For the last 8 or 9 days, I've been dealing with a monster cold that is just beginning to loosen it's grip on me. So yes, it is time to get back to taking some photos and taking a look around Danbury and the surrounding area.

I have several ideas that I'm working on, that should prove entertaining and informative. Please continue to check back and don't hesitiate to make some suggestions for anything you want to see or hear about.

Easter Greeting

Happy Easter to one and all. Ironically, one of the most special of holidays seems to get lost with spring arriving and one too many bunnies and eggs around.

I remember how special Easter was growing up for me. It was made special by all of the traditions and rituals followed by St. Mary's Byzantine Church and the congregation. Especially, I remember serving with Fr. Frank, Fr. Dennis and the rest of the guys during this 6 week holiday season. It ended with a beautiful Easter Service and the blessing of the Easter Baskets. I remember the smell of all the meats and cheeses, along with the eggs and candy. But most of all, we remember that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us all and forgive our sins. It was the ultimate, selfless sacrifice to benefit mankind.

Let us remember those that have died for us to protect our freedoms and country. And never forget what Jesus did for us. Maybe we all could take a moment today to think about how we can make our own lives a little better by helping someone else in need or by doing a good deed. There is always someone suffering a little worse than you are, so make the most of what you have to brighten someone else's day.

Good to be Home!

It's great to be home and to be celebrating Easter with my loved ones. I still have a couple of posts to wrap up my Florida trip. I didn't get out to see as much as I wanted to....seems those lazy days around the pool took priority. However, I do have some cool photos to share with everyone.

The Magic Iguana

So I was simply minding my own business today, floating in the pool, when I spy this iguana making it's way along the electric wire, heading for the street. No big deal, I think to myself, he's heading away from the house. I drag myself from my comfortable floating chair to snap some pics. Feeling good about my luck to finally see a cool looking lizard like this, I make my way back to my most excellent floating chair.

As I gaze back up from my aquatic lazy boy, the damn lizard has vanished. Hmmm, these guys are pretty clumsy...he probably fell. So, again, I get out of the pool for some possible close up pics of the gecko on steroids. After inspecting the garden and bushes (but not too close), I can't find him. Upon settling back into my seat, I see the green monster again. Only this time, he's back on the wire, heading TOWARDS the house. There are some trees near the wire, so evidently, he used a tree branch to get turned around. Pretty tricky, if you ask me. Maybe they aren't so clumsy. As he gets nearer the house (creepily close to the bathroom window...which I have open), he again disappears into a tree. I hope.

You can be sure that I'll be checking the bathroom real well and checking under the bed too.

Hemingway House

It was a gorgeous day today as I returned to Key West and Hemingway House. I'm not quite sure what my fascination is with this place. It was my 3rd visit overall to this lovely, impressive homestead. Hemingway and his 2nd wife bought the house in 1931 for $8,000. It sits on the largest private lot in all of Key West at almost 1 full acre. Most agree that the purchase price was quite a bargain, even for the depression era. Later, they would add the first in ground pool for a price of $20,000. The cost was expensive due to the hard coral limestone that had to be hammered out for the 9 foot deep pool.

Hemingway loved cats and he enjoyed them wherever he lived. Today, there are currently 43 cats living on the 1 acre property. During the day, the cats freely roam the house and there are usually 1 or 2 sleeping peacefully on Hemingway's bed. Today was no exception. When the home closes and is locked up at night, the cats are shooed out, but they all feely remain on the property. There are neat little shelters, feeding stations and lush foliage for the cats to exist comfortably.

Hemingway wrote most of his classics in a small little cottage behind the main house. A couple of my pics show his typewriter, library and many of his mounts from his fishing and hunting career. Hemingway lived quite the colorful life. He lived in Canada, Europe, Cuba and Africa in addition to Key West. He was born in Oak Park, IL in 1899. He shot himself in a cabin in Idaho in 1961.Hemingway suffered from Bipolar disease and took his own life when he could no longer write anymore.

Notice the painted portrait of the young, handsome man. This is how Hemingway looked when he lived in Key West, not the usual white-haired, bearded man that we are accustomed to seeing. Hemingway's career in Key West was relatively brief, but he made a huge impact on this small community. He had several sons. His granddaughters are Muriel and Margeaux. He was a hopeless romantic, adventurer, brawler and prize-winning novelist. A perfect son of Key West.

Wednesday in Key West

The rain didn't dampen our spirits, as Mom, Dad and I went to Old Town for a little sightseeing on St. Patty's Day.

Mom and Dad got to my place around 10:30am on tuesday. We went out to lunch and enjoyed the pool at my rental. Later that evening, we had a fabulous seafood dinner at a great little place called "The Square Grouper". We all had some sort of seafood. Dad had blackened Mahi which is dolphin, the fish variety...not Flipper. Mom had coconut shrimp. I had seared tuna, rare, which is as close to sushi as I want to get. It had a little wasabi drizzled on it. I was dunking it in soy and chasing it with some sort of seaweed. This dish is fast becoming one of my all-time favorites. BTW, do you know what a grouper is? Yes, it's a fish...that was easy. Do you know what a square grouper is? Apparently, it's slang for a bale of marijuana. I guess it's a joke in the Carribbean about people fishing for square grouper in the ocean, once the pot is dropped out of a plane. Cool name, but nothing to do at all with the restaurant. It was first class and a great dining experience.

Now back to Key West. The rain was fairly steady, but we enjoyed getting out of the rain by visiting Ernest Hemingway's home. One of the pics shows Hemingway's bed, with two descendants of some of his beloved cats. Most of the cats have an extra toe on each paw. Some cats have this trait in their genes and some get this trait from breeding within their families. These cats didn't even move when we petted them, but they were definitely real. I believe I remember the orange one from last year. I hope to have more on the Hemingway House for you in a later visit. From there, we went across the street to the Key West Lighthouse. Funny stories say when Hemingway came stumbling home drunk, he just looked for the lighthouse to guide him home. We all climbed up 88 steps to reach the observation deck. The tight, winding staircase gets to be a challenge, as you get closer to the top. It's the highest point in Key West. I was proud of my folks for doing so. My one picture from the lighthouse shows Hemingway's House to the right of the photo, draped in lush, green foliage. There is also a cruise ship in port, to the top of the photo. Dad and I are standing on the porch of the Keeper's House, in another pic. We had lunch at the Hard Rock, as the sun chased the rain away. We allowed Mom to enjoy some shopping, before returning home to relax before dinner.

It was sad to see them go on thursday morning. I'm happy to say that they are now home safely. How fun it was to hang out with them in the Keys, just as we did back in the 70s.

Halfway Point

Hard to believe that I'm almost halfway through my vacation time in the Keys. Admittedly, I haven't been posting as much as I would like to, but then again, that means that I've been having a great time and not hanging on the computer. I still have some goals to accomplish, such as exploring the history of Key West more, developing an idea I have for a short story and coming home with a great fishing story. I plan to work on all of those goals in the next two weeks. I'm in a transition phase right now, as I had to say good-bye to Maria, Hillary and Adam yesterday(sunday). Mom and Dad will be stopping in for a two night visit starting tuesday. After they leave, I will be flying solo, until I make the trip back north on March 31st.

I hate to even think about making that long drive home just yet, so I will reflect on my past two weeks so far. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some quality days with Maria, Hillary and Adam. For Maria, we were able to get some great sun time around the pool and strolling around Key West. Maria and I also had a wonderful day in Key West, meeting Bill and Gayle Worley for drinks and lunch. Our time at Irish Kevins was non-stop laughs. We all commented that if the places back home could get such quality entertainment, we might get out more. My time with Maria was much too short, but Hillary and Adam got to go out fishing, had a day excursion of water activities and a day at one of the nicest beaches in the USA, Bahia Honda State Park. I hope everyone enjoyed their time down here, because I sure enjoyed having them all here.

So for my second two weeks, I'm looking forward to more beaches, boats and maybe a bar or two. I'm hoping for at least one more fishing trip and taking in more sights throughout the Lower Keys. And hopefully, I can bring you all along for the ride with my pictures and stories.