A Month of Keys Magic

 

Every morning when the newspaper is delivered to Spiritus, the Captain takes a seat behind her stern.
While overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, he gets "worldly" and thankful to be out of the rat-race!

 

 

 

 

 

The First Mate drinks her coffee as the Captain fills her in on the latest news!

 

 

 

 

 

And when she isn't at our own private beach behind Spiritus, she can be found hanging out at the pool!

 

 

 

 

 

So happy to have our sweet sis, Brenda, come visit us from Washington D.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda spoiled the "Spiritus Sweethearts" with beautiful roses on Valentine's Day!

 

And Eddy spoiled his "Sister Sweethearts" with some guitar playing and singing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our longtime friends, Scott & Denise, came to visit from South Carolina during one of the coldest weeks in the Keys . . . .

  

 

. . . . .  but the craft beer and gourmet pretzels kept us warm while we partied in Key West!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It was great fun having our Navarre neighbors. Chris & Laura, join us for more good times.

 

 

 

 

 

 We joined Chris & Laura for an informative tour at "The Turtle Hospital".
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who knew that turtles suffer from "Bubble Butt"?

The tour certainly helped us to appreciate these amazing creature even more.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No trip to Key West is complete without an evening at the famous Mallory Square . . . .

 

. . . . with its live street entertainment and breathtaking sunsets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a clear day to hike the pristine Bahia Honda State Park.

The tropical vegetation, flowering plants, exotic birds, and colorful butterflies made it a paradise.

 

 

 

 

 One day we rode our bikes to the north end of Vaca Key and crossed this bridge ....

 

 

 ....from which we could see the Gulf of Mexico to our north and the Atlantic Ocean to our south!

Our 15 mile bike ride also led us to an EAA Aircraft Museum.
Linda departs a DC-3 like one her father flew.  Grace Kelly actually rode in this one!



 

 

Another day we rode our bikes to Sombrero Beach and took a picnic followed by a NAP!

 

 

 

The miles of walking and bike-riding earned this First Mate a double dip ice cream cone.  YUM!!

 

 

 

 

The Looper crew on Harmony, Journey, Spiritus, and Carina reunite in Marathon.

These four boats cruised the Great Loop through Canada, the Great Lakes, and the Illinois River!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw a presentation on the Flagler railroad, learned about the 7-mile bridge, and then walked it the next day.

Yes, we earned a double scoop of ice-cream on that day too!!!

 

 

 

 

 

We see iguana on our daily walks.  This fellow is quite camouflaged in his setting.

 

 

 

 

 

And we see dozens of pelicans daily, getting their share of fish.

 

 

 

 

 

Finding entertainment in the Keys is quite easy.  Here "Porkchop" is ready to win the potbellied Pig Race!

 

 

 

 

 

Just another day in paradise!

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying a gorgeous sunset at the popular Sunset Grill.

 

 

 

 

 

And the sunsets right from Spiritus's flybridge aren't too bad either!

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling so blessed to have spent an entire month at Faro Blanco Resort.

Life is oh-so-good in paradise!