Only in The Keys...


Candidate jailed
Andy Williams was arrested on Friday for violating probation that he was serving for a felony charge of cocaine possession from earlier this year. The warrant for the arrest was signed on Wednesday -- the day after Williams defeated Pat Unferth in the Republican primary for the District 1 Mosquito Control Board seat.

Posted - Friday, August 29, 2008 06:43 PM EDT

Gosh, I don't think this story in the Keynoter is going to help his campaign much.

Oh no!!! It looks like we are in a two way squeeze here. This is wind probability, and the darker areas are worse, but still, it does make one a bit nervous. I just hope Gustav and Hannah will leave us alone and go somewhere else. In the meantime, it's sunny and beautiful on the beach today, a nice breeze and warm water. Hmmm...that may not be a good thing.

Beach Discovery After the Storm

Beach Discovery After the Storm
Originally uploaded by sache47

I found this on the beach the morning after the storm, and wondered
about it for quite a while. Could it be from a shark or some other
large fish? Finally I got out a book that my sister Sue gave me, "
Florida's Living Beaches A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber", and boy
is that me, a 'curious beachcomber'. Right away I was able to find and
identify it, and then, of course, do a little more research for
confirmation on the internet. I can't help it, once a science teacher,
always a curious learner. The post below shows what animal it belongs
to.

It's the hyoplastron bone from the lower shell of a sea turtle, probably a loggerhead, but that's just a guess. I'd have to find some more of the bones of this turtle to be sure of the species. By the size, it's probably not full grown, as this would only be about one quarter of the skeleton size, they have 4 bones like this on the bottom. You just wonder how this sea turtle died, and how old the bone really is. I don't think it's legal to collect sea turtle bones, and it smells terrible! I better put it back where I found it, so someone else can find and wonder about it's previous life.

A Day After Fay

A Day After Fay
Originally uploaded by sache47

T. S. Fay blew through the night and we woke up to sunshine, but still
lots of wind. We were fooled when we heard that the storm had passed
over Key West at about 4 PM yestserday...it blew harder after in the
bands that arrived after the storm. We had our doorwall shutters
opened a bit in the evening, but pulled them closed again at 2 AM when
the winds picked up. There's not as much seaweed on the beach as in
past hurricanes, but we did lose a lot of sand. Our cable went out
last night, no internet, it came back on this morning at 9 AM, but I
think it has gone out again! Oh drat! This post will probably be
delayed!

The crew begins

The crew begins
Originally uploaded by sache47

Steve had Oscar and the crew here early with the bobcat to start
cleaning up the beach.

Guess what blew in?

Guess what blew in?
Originally uploaded by sache47

Do you recognize what this is that blew off and onto our beach? Hint:
The winds came in from the southeast.

Manuel

Manuel
Originally uploaded by sache47

Manuel was wielding the machette early this morning.

"I'm OK"

"I'm OK"
Originally uploaded by sache47

Even the smallest of critters survived.

Island damage

Island damage
Originally uploaded by sache47

The rest of Key Colony Beach was mostly a matter of downed palm fronds
and various branches to clean up.

No comment needed.

No comment needed.
Originally uploaded by sache47

Our Beach at 12 noon

Our Beach at 12 noon
Originally uploaded by sache47

The waves are really rolling in now. We had high tide at about 10:50,
and it's really raining at the moment... large cats and large dogs.
Yes, everything has been moved in off the beach and off of the deck.

Sunday Night Sunset

Sunday Night Sunset
Originally uploaded by sache47

The dark clouds that chased us off the beach this afternoon must have
been just a squal. A few hours later the sun was out, and we have had
no rain. This evening we motored down to Sunset Beach to see if there
would be one, sunset, that is. The sky was pretty, but the sun was
not visible. On our way down to the pool, the sky turned a beautiful
shade of pink, not only in the west, but also in the south, and east.
"Red at night, sailor's delight; Red in the morn, sailors take warn."

Tropical Storm Fay, and we're in the 3 day cone!

Tropical Storm Fay, and we're in the 3 day cone!
Originally uploaded by sache47

But last night from the water, we observed a beautiful sunset over Key
Colony Beach.

The ibis

The ibis
Originally uploaded by sache47

are said to be the last to leave the island when a hurricane
approaches. They, as us were just watching to the east as the sun
rose as usual this morning. The sounds of preparation were in the air,
however; boats being taken out of the water, shutters going up, and
the cars on US1 heading north.

Shutters

Shutters
Originally uploaded by sache47

were up at Sunset beach by about 2:00 today, and that was no small
feat. They have the old fashioned kind that you have to put up by hand
one by one. Here at The Cay, most of the shutters are up, but we still
have some visitors and some year-rounders, like us who are staying for
now. All of the beach and deck furniture has been removed from the
beach, except for what we are sitting on for the moment.

To the north

To the north
Originally uploaded by sache47

at The Cay, there were people still enjoying a nice warm day in the pool.

To the south

To the south
Originally uploaded by sache47

At 3:15 the clouds started to build up to the south, and we decided it
was time for us to come off of the beach.

Lazy Days of August We took the kayak out tonight at about 7:30, and just parked ourselves out at the sandbar for a while to enjoy the evening. The water was so calm, and there were almost no boats out, except for the Marathon Lady off in the distance for the night fishing trip. We took our time on the way back to admire the beautiful white clouds off to the west with the sunset lighting up the sky behind them. From where we were, we couldn't actually see the sun drop below the horizon, but it was still a gorgeous sight behind the skyline of the white condos of Key Colony Beach. I still am not too sure about taking my camera out in the boat because we do take on water, so I'm posting a photo I took at Sunset Beach a few weeks ago.

Baby Loggerheads return to sea at Sea Isle

Baby Loggerheads return to sea at Sea Isle
Originally uploaded by sache47

Last Thursday, with a little help, baby loggerheads made their way
back to the ocean in search of a nice patch of sargasso weed to feed
on, and right now, there is tons of it out there! A nest was
discovered back in June on the beach at Sea Isle, here on Key Colony
Beach. The eggs were taken to The Turtle Hospital for safe keeping
until it was time to hatch. Then they were returned to the Sea Isle
beach, and a trench was dug to help them find their way to the ocean.
Some lucky locals, including the mayor, got to watch the march of the
babies. Unfortunately, we were still on vacation at the time and
missed the performance...maybe next year! Hopefully some of them will
find their way back to one of our beaches in the future to make a new
next.