LIFE GOES ON WINTER 2019
I have not written in this blog since 2017. After Buddy died, we lost interest in the RV and sold it the following summer. Without a dog or an RV, the title of my blog seemed silly, irrelevant. But we are still here, still traveling, and at the present staying in Key Largo. Our rental house is very shabby on the outside...really needs paint and landscaping. Inside, it is spacious and fairly well furnished, with a large kitchen and stainless steel appliances. All the shades and blinds are broken, but we tied them up and have a pretty view of the ocean and lagoon. The bathroom is vintage with a rust spot on the drain, but clean. Tile has been replaced here and there and some paint was slopped over the floor and just left there. Today I got tired of looking it and scrapped off most of it.
Our arrival two weeks ago was not an auspicious start to our vacation. The lock box was broken, so the agent was coming from Miami with a duplicate key. We sat outside the apartment for an hour before she arrived. After we got settled, we went to Publix and bought food. Arriving home, we discovered that the freezer drawer on the large refrigerator would not open. The agent promised to send someone. Our food defrosted. The next evening a new standup freezer was delivered. A part has been ordered for the fridge. The toilet did not flush properly and occasionally leaks, but Joe worked on it and it seems to be working fine at present. The lagoon was filled with vile looking seagrass.
In spite of all this, we have been enjoying ourselves. The lagoon clears out and looks beautiful and we can also see the ocean. Pretty sunrises start our days and we enjoy the soft, warm air and exploring the island. We went out on the glass bottomed boat, visited an old friend who has a condo here, and walked through an amazing bird sanctuary. My friend, who I have known since kindergarten, kindly invited us for a swim in their pool, and cooked us dinner. So all together, not too shabby, eh?
Our arrival two weeks ago was not an auspicious start to our vacation. The lock box was broken, so the agent was coming from Miami with a duplicate key. We sat outside the apartment for an hour before she arrived. After we got settled, we went to Publix and bought food. Arriving home, we discovered that the freezer drawer on the large refrigerator would not open. The agent promised to send someone. Our food defrosted. The next evening a new standup freezer was delivered. A part has been ordered for the fridge. The toilet did not flush properly and occasionally leaks, but Joe worked on it and it seems to be working fine at present. The lagoon was filled with vile looking seagrass.
In spite of all this, we have been enjoying ourselves. The lagoon clears out and looks beautiful and we can also see the ocean. Pretty sunrises start our days and we enjoy the soft, warm air and exploring the island. We went out on the glass bottomed boat, visited an old friend who has a condo here, and walked through an amazing bird sanctuary. My friend, who I have known since kindergarten, kindly invited us for a swim in their pool, and cooked us dinner. So all together, not too shabby, eh?
One of the interesting things about this part of Key Largo is the lack of zoning. Million dollar houses are next to trailers. There do not seem to be any rules about what can be on your property. Boat trailers, pods, rvs etc. We are staying on a lagoon front house which has views of the ocean. The neighborhood is a hodgepodge of well kept houses, derelict houses and beautiful closed up houses. There is a lot of building going on and there are still empty lots available. Across the lagoon is a beautiful house, empty, with a broken down dock. Next door to that is an immaculate house with its hurricane shutters closed. Interesting question: where are the owners? It's high season and these houses get big rents. Do they have so many houses that they forgot the one in Key Largo? Here are some pictures I took just walking around the neighborhood, including the house on our corner which looks like a spaceship. It is for sale for a million!
