February Fun and March Madness

Three months of winter have never passed so quickly. Making new friends and visits from our families have been the highlights of our time in the Florida Keys.

Since our arrival in Marathon, FL on January 8th, we have made several trips to Key West by car. Shopping on Duval Street; eating at Margaritaville, Kelly’s and Azur; watching street performers at sunset in Mallory Square; touring the Truman Little White House, the Butterfly Conservatory, Mel Fisher’s Museum, and the Hemingway House; standing at the (almost) southernmost point – we still did not see everything. Each experience was amazing. When I remember this trip years from now, I will probably remember the food before anything else. The Key Lime Pie at Kelly’s has an Oreo cookie crust, after all!

While my mom and dad were here, we all went to the Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. Dolphins, parrots, and sea lions entertained us. Despite my love of parrots, the sea lion show was my favorite. That sea lion was so expressive. He almost seemed to have a sense of humor. He certainly had a flare for the dramatic. When he missed a trick, he simply tried it again, and then clapped for himself when he was successful.

Back in Marathon, we made two trips to the Turtle Hospital. We took my mom and dad one week, and John’s mom and her friend, Pearl, the next week. We enjoyed seeing the variety of sea turtles up close. Some are there, because they have been struck by boats, others, because they have diseases. I am afraid the future does not look too bright for sea turtles. A very large percentage of them in the wild suffer from a viral disease that is thought to be either genetic or sexually transmitted. And then there is the fact that they wait until they are 30 years old to lay their first eggs, and they will only lay their eggs on the beach where they were born. Have you seen the Atlantic coast lately? Condominiums have sprung up from Florida to North Carolina over the past 30 years! Most of those beaches are gone for turtle egg-laying purposes. (Political commentary: As we watched the turtles swim and learned about their care, it occurred to me that their care is likely better than human care will be when the government decides and dictates what treatment we rate.)

Just down the road from the Turtle Hospital, we toured Crane Point with my mom and dad. We walked miles of trails and learned about all the varieties of Mangrove Trees and other Keys plants. A wild bird rescue facility provided a fascinating surprise at the end of one trail near the Bay waters. The Crane home was closed for renovations. The Cranes must have spent incredible days on such an amazing property, especially with so much privacy and such pristine sunset views!

People continue to ask us if we will be back next year. I’m willing!