After the cleanup we took the girls to Luma, and ran into Paulo and Kristin who had been with us at the cleanup. We talked with them for a while about real estate in NSB. Because Carrie Ann only has two seats, we had to rent a car from Turo to accommodate our girls. Turo, by the way, is our favorite car rental option – you rent from individuals at great rates, plus you get to know exactly which car you’ll be driving and precisely where to pick your car up – there’s no being at the mercy of car rental agencies. Turned out that the woman we rented from was also at the beach cleanup – we didn’t see her, but when I met up with her to return the car she was wearing one of the cleanup shirts. We had a great chat, and she suggested we stop at Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Company on our way down into the Keys. So glad she did – that place is awesome, not only because the pie is good, but because they have a large quiet garden with seating for a bit of relaxation on the long drive south to Key West, which is where we are now. Our first night here it was cloudy and had just stopped raining. We took a chance and went to Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park, where there’s a beautiful beach and overlook facing west for the sunset. Somer made dinner and I fished, and the weather broke at just the right time and we had a beautiful sunset.

In between NSB and Key West, we spent a few nights at Sebastian Inlet. There was a strong east wind whipping up waves – saw some great surfing, but I was too scared to get in. The last day the wind was less and the waves looked manageable. I surfed two waves – and they were great, probably the largest waves I’ve surfed – but it was still rough and very difficult to paddle back out after riding. Friday night was possibly the most relaxing and enjoyable of our time away so far. We met up with a couple we knew from Baltimore who just moved to Florida. They took us to dinner on the water, then to a speakeasy hidden in a library (complete with secret book that you had to pull off the shelf to gain access to the speakeasy), capped off with a delicious bourbon on their patio (St. Augustine ‘The Saint’). We hadn’t spent much time with them in Baltimore – the reality of busy lives meant we didn’t connect much – and it was nice to have unhurried time to just talk and share a bit of life.

Radom tidbits: I fished at Sebastian Inlet next to a guy who had just sold his house and all his possessions and was moving back to Ireland after 30 years in USA. He talked about being burned out by the pace of life here.

Ran (literally) into Beachside Church’s summer surf camp during my morning run. I met pastor Kalil and heard his story of revitalizing this congregation – pretty cool.

We stayed in a condo with our girls – the same building we’ve stayed in for many years in NSB. This time, though, we met several of the residents, got a tour of another condo that they had just redone, and heard stories of other residents from one of the women we’ve known there from previous years – she shared a number of hard things residents are facing at the moment. It was special to connect on a deeper level with this place we’ve visited and loved for so many years.  

Waterfront camping spots are overrated when it’s this hot – we have a beautiful spot here in Key West that faces east over the water, but we slept with the doors closed and air conditioner on.

Fish I’ve caught so far on this trip: Spanish Mackerel, Channel Cat, Whiting, Mangrove Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Barracuda.