Surprise Ending

I know this isn’t a surprise for you because you know that we’ve returned to Maine. It’s still surprising, or rather baffling to me though, how our Florida Keys adventure ended. It was a difficult decision to make, wheather or not to stay. But one question kept nagging at us: Where were we going to […]

Southern Hospitality

Here is what I’ve observed first hand: Southerners have patience. In Wal-Mart when someone needed a price check and it took upwards of 10 minutes, and a line of carts was piling up, I was shouting in my head, “It’s a goddamn pink tutu for a 3 month old! Pick a different item for __________ […]

Alabama and Aloe

I thought this post would start with an interesting fact I learned: aloe can get sunburnt. My aloe plants were getting all pink and I learned that it was because they were getting too much sun. “Ironic,” Jackson said. I also thought I’d post some photos of my beautiful, peaceful little patio. I bought some […]

Bait is a big deal around here. No surprise, right? We have a bait trap in our canal now with chum in it to catch pinfish, which we use for bait. Today, John made this which is like a tank for the bait we catch or buy. We’ll float it in the canal so that […]

Being new (Warning…this is mostly about school.)

There’s a lot I took for granted when I wasn’t new. When you aren’t new you know where supplies are, who to ask what questions, what’s screwed up and likely to stay that way and what is fixable. You know the customs, expectations and traditions of a workplace. And you know your way around your […]

This and That

I’m loving what we can do after work around here. I try to get into the ocean every day. My favorite thing to do is to park at the beach, go for a run and then jump in the ocean when I’m finished. I lie. That’s not my favorite. My favorite is to sit on […]

Snapper and Hemmingway

Key West is full of tourists, and there’s a reason for that. It’s really cool. I wouldn’t want to live there because there is just too much traffic, but the art, architecture, food, colors, bikes, and atmosphere is worth the visit. There is live music everywhere, open air restaurants and bars, the tiniest pastel-colored homes, […]

Park tours

On Saturday we went to Crane Point. It is a parcel of untouched mangrove hammock. It’s also home to a bird rehabilitation center, butterfly garden, and museum. Our tour guide, Ron, was great, giving us a very interesting history lesson and lots of cool facts about the plants that grow here. He also shocked us […]

The turtle that wasn’t

“Oh, cool, a turtle!” “Where?” “Right out there. See it’s little head poking up?” We should have known something was amiss since turtles are usually seen below the surface, not at the surface, but hey, we see surprising things (most of them people) down here every day. When we got a better look with the […]

Barracuda, crabs, and grunts

Fishing update: John caught a barracuda last night on a fly. Jackson and I caught nothing. O well. We captured crabs last night to use for bait which we are now keeping in a bucket tied to the side of the canal in the water. Here’s a view from our canal. At the end is […]