NEW DOG ON THE BLOCK...
But this one's legal at The Cay because he's of the papier mache variety. After he checked out the Sable's pelicans, he went back upstairs to take off his sweater. But this is a reminder that cooler weather is on it's way.

Is this the Keys? No, I got "off the rock" for a while, and this is near my sister Sue's home in the upper lower peninsula of Michigan. The colors are fantastic up there right now. I spent 4 days with our son in Ferndale, the weekend with both sisters near Alpena, now I am in East Grand Rapids staying with my nephew while my brother and his wife are on seperate business trips to China and Vietnam. I got to go to my nephew's water polo game last night. He is captain of the team and we are very proud of him. Of course, I blogged the game results last night on my family blog page so my fam could read all about it where ever they are. This internet stuff sure is amazing, and important when your family is all over the place. On Thursday I drive back to Detroit and then fly home on Friday.

There alway No Diving in our pool, but this week there's no diving AND no swimming. They started work on Saturday and are working on it again today, Sunday. Steve says it will take about a week. While it's empty, you can really see that it needs a lot of work.

I've been so wrapped up with my newest job that I've been too busy to blog! This week I have been doing "Dibels" testing over at Stanley Switlik Elementary. I've met some very nice teachers and the nicest students. On the right are Daniella and Paco, aren't they cute first graders? And they are also pretty good readers. Yes, they even come smaller, I started out testing the kindergarteners, and will test again next week. Every student K-6 takes this reading assessment test 3 times a year. It's been fun testing over there, but not having all of the responsibilities of being a classroom teacher.

Got a minute? Check out my new hobby on my Papier Mache Gallery of Fish at http://www.papiermache.co.uk/exec/cms-gallery/p-artist/id-231/. Yes, I've made a mess of the kitchen counter every night, but I've found a great way to use up about 5% of Bill's ever expanding glass collection. It's been fun, it keeps me busy, and who knows what project I'll be into next week?

Look what Ernesto brought us!

It looks like we can just about walk out to the fishing pier at Sunset Beach Club. The Seagulls have been walking around on it. It's a nice green shag carpeting of baygrass, and it just keeps rolling in. They got a bobcat to pile it up today, but quit for now. I think they will be here tomorrow to start again. That stuff is really going to stink when it starts to rot.

It kind of smells like you are living in an aquarium that has algae growing up the sides. Am I complaining? I hope not, things could have been a lot worse.

KCB PREPARES

I took my camera along on my bike ride this morning to catch a few signs of the preparations. We had sun off to the north, but pretty much total cloud cover now and no rain yet. The police boat is parked in the handicap space at the post office. There were plenty of people around coming and going. At Sea Isle they are busy boarding up condos that do not yet have windows. Here at The Cay, we still have some people around:

The Lombardo's - gone for the weekend, will be back in a day or so, Cole Tracy, Warren Burger, the English family next to him, Lou McMann, Catos - I think they are having work done, the Reinhardts, Boudreaus, The Cherrys, and Tim and his bride-to-be. We don't have our shutters up yet, so that we can let in a little light, and not feel like we are living in a sardine can. But when the wind picks up, we will close them over. It's 10:30 AM, there's very little wind so far. We are on weather channel overload, so we will forget about it for a while, and get on with running a few errands. I'll keep you posted.

DOCK TALK


The new fishing pier at Sunset Beach Club Condos, to the east of our beach is finished and it is a beauty! I think it is bigger, and sits up higher off the water with a ramp going up to it. No doubt the fishermen and women who stay there will love it! They've had lots of weekend renters all summer, and during construction, now and then, they were fishing off the wall, much to our dislike. Now they will have their own great place to fish, and won't be in our swimming area.
On the other hand, the fishing pier to our west, at Oceanfront Condos is a disaster waiting to happen. They haven't done anything to begin to repair it, and the entire front end of it is in the water, and the rest seems to be not far behind. One good storm, and it's a goner. For a while a few people ignored the signs and fished off of it anyway. But now, they get the message; it's definitely not safe.

Commercial flights into our little airport in Marathon are in a holding pattern.
Just when we thought it would be so neat to only have to drive across the street to pick up visiting friends and relatives, TSA has decided to deny federal security screeners for the terminal. As of 2 weeks ago, both Delta and Northwest were booking flights into Marathon. A round trip flight from Detroit to Marathon, through Atlanta was $812. during Thanksgiving...to steep for our relatives, but the option would have been nice. This week they are cancelling the flights and isuing refunds or transfer tickets to Key West. What a shame, especially since the federal governement had allocated $750,000. in grants to get things running, and local businesses had also put up funds to help out. The county is considering hiring private screeners, but this still would need TSA approval, and after what happened in London last week, it may be a while before they will reconsider. We hope that they will figure something out, and flights can start sometime this winter.

YESTERDAY was the first day of lobster season. For a week now we have been seeing boats going out and setting their traps, but Sunday was the first day they could check them. This boat has 6 or 7 traps set right off our beach. Sure enough, we heard the sound of his rock and roll music Sunday morning as he came by to check his traps. We kind of forgot about it for the last few months, but as soon as we heard it, we knew just who it was and I went out on the porch to take a picture. It's a nice sound, he has a good stereo system, and it's kind of like when we would hear the Good Humor Man coming, ran for our money, and bought a toasted almond or an orange dreamsicle. It's comforting to hear a sound and know exactly what it is without having to look up. I wish that we could buy lobsters right from the boat, but that would be too easy. We swam out to our spot on the rocks yesterday, just in case we would see a lobster, but they aren't there yet, or if they are, we couldn't see them. The water is still not too clear. KCB has a sign that there is to be no diving for lobsters until August 16th, guess we will have to be a little more patient.

Big Banana Harvest on 7th
Click here for sound (thanks to my computer -geek friend, Doris.)
Yesterday I got an email from Janie in my book club. She had seen my post about Bananas on 7th, and invited me to go over to her house and help myself to what she called "serious" bananas, since they are not there in the summer. So this morning, after the 8 AM rain shower...we are really into the rainy season now... Bill walked over and I rode my bike over and brought a knife. When we walked into her yard, we were so impressed by her beautiful tropical garden paradise, and the size of the bananas! Those are what I would call monster bananas. The story from Janie is that the bananas were in her neighbors yard and a year and a half ago when she and her husband put in an irrigation system, the bananas just marched over to her yard for the water. I can't believe they have grown so big. We cut down 7 bananas and I could barely carry them home on my bike. They make our bananas at the Cay look sick, they are about 4 times the size. If you would like to see my online album of the banana harvest click here. The flowers are absolutely beautiful. The thing about bananas is that you have to pick them when they are green or they will split open on the stalk. Then you need to let them get ripe for a week or two and then they all are ripe at once. So we have learned to only pick a few at a time. Next weekend we are going up to see my Mom in Zephyrhills, she will be thrilled if we bring her a few of those monster bananas. One banana will be enough for all three of us for breakfast.

It's The Rainy Season, And I Got Soaked!

I love my new job at The Kirk, and I love getting up on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hopping on my bike and riding to work. But today, I stayed just a little bit too late and got caught in a downpour. Wondering what to do once it really started raining buckets, I saw a little guy on a moped pull off into the shelter of the bus stand on 109th Street. I followed him in, he offered me one of the worn plywood seats, but I preferred to stand. I'm sure he was looking at me and wondering if I was a wierdo, I mean, look at me? Big straw hat, fishing shirt, and sunglasses - in the rain? I looked at him, old clothes and a baseball cap with large black-rimmed glasses. He had a big old toolbox strapped to the back of his moped, and a thermos around his neck. As I got a little closer, I detected that beer aroma that you often smell around "The Bull" in Key West, mid-day. I don't think it was Cuban coffee in his thermos, or maybe he had a 6 pack in his tool box. Raymundo got out a cigarette and lit up. I began talking to him in Spanish, and as it often happens to me, he starts trying to talk to me in English, very broken English. I used to think that this was because my Spanish was so bad, but now I think it's not that. If you speak Spanish, the Cubans want to show you that they too can attempt another language. I got out my cell phone to call Bill and tell him I would be late. Late? For what? I might as well enjoy this conversation. We could have talked about Castro's health, or Marathon's plan for affordable garden apartments to be constructed in the nearby empty field, but I was interested in his moped.

Me - "Cuantas milas por hora?"

He - " 30 or 32"

Me - "Cuanta cuesta?"

He - "One thousand dollar"

I was still impatient to leave. He got out his pocket watch which I am sure came from "Sally Ann's", as we fondly call the Salvation Army. "Just give it 10 minutes and the rain will stop," he advised. I was interested in his moped because I have always wished that I had one, and thought about how nice it would be to zip around on one. I asked if you could ride one on the bike path. He said no, they would give you a ticket for that. Well that lets me out, I would never drive one on the street, too dangerous with all these impatient drivers around here. I began to get restless again, anxious to get going. I looked up and noticed the sky was clearing in the East. " Viene el cielo azul," I said. "The sky is cleaning up a little" he said. We decided that I could leave first because I would be on the bike path. He would have to wait because the street was very wet and the cars would splash him. "Vaya con cuidado", I said as I departed, "Much gusto", he said, shaking my hand. I left thinking how lucky I was to be on my bike, and not a moped. I didn't have to worry about whether it would start, or if I was going too slow for traffic. I enjoyed meeting Raymundo, practicing my Spanish and learning a little bit about the art of being patient. I think Raymundo benefitted from practicing his English, and he probably is still wondering what a "gringa" like me is doing riding a bike in the rain wearing a sun hat and sunglasses. I'm glad he doesn't know that I have 2 cars sitting right outside my front door and I could have driven to work, then he would think I was really crazy.

New Business open up on Key Colony Beach!
It occurs to me that some of you may want your own excitement of coming back down to the Keys and discovering what has changed during your absence. If so, this blog may be an annoying to you, and read no further.
We have a new store right here on our little island. It's located between the real estate office and the skin care center. Fish Lips Island Cargo is probably geared toward the teenage souvenir hunters who have much more money to spend than us seniors. It's cute, some nice artwork, and lots of visors, flip-flops, and some groovy Key Colony Beach tee shirts for $22. Doris? Zabelle? Are you interested? I know you will want to make at least one trip there when you return, and then send your grandkids there for an afternoon of begging for cute things. As always, I'm here to send you the most important news from your island paradise.

It's Lobster Mini Season and the Livin' is Crazy!
The mini season is next Wednesday and Thursday, but life fires up this weekend when everyone shows up with their boat and finds the spots where all the lobsters are so that they can jump in their boats at 6 AM Wednesday morning and head for the right places. We went into Marathon this morning, and sure enough, it's nuts! Everyone who couldn't find a place to put their boat has it parked in the KMart parking lot, and it looks like some of them are being lived in. KMart has aisles of diving gear and tickle sticks. And Publix and Winn Dixie? Packed with families of 6 or more. The outfit of the day is wife beater shirts for the men, and glitter and sequin mini skirts and bikini tops with more glitter and sequin high heels for the women, and I use the term loosely. All of the check out lines are open and full. It's great for business in Marathon. How does Key Colony handle it? The boat trailer parking spaces behind the tennis court have been filled since Thursday, and see the sign below, this is how they keep it absolutely quiet here. We got our groceries and will just hunker down here to observe. The lobsters Bill is holding in the above photo were caught during the regular season at the rocks by our condo. Mini season is far too crazy for us, but we will have our bedroom window open Wednesday morning so we can hear them all head out to get their catch at 6 AM. It's exciting and there are always great news stories afterwards.

It's not one of the prettiest sights on Key Colony, but one we see daily. They've been at it since May, day after day, week after week. It will be nice when the underground cables are all in and the overhead wires come down. They seem to be making quicker progress now, they are well over the bridge and heading toward our end of the island. Someone who thinks they know everything (and shall remain nameless) says the digging was especially hard up by US 1, and is a lot easier now since much of Sadowski's island is fill - I guess that makes sense. By the looks of the huge pile of pipe next to the golf course, I would say that there is probably enough to do the whole island, and I think that is the plan, but it may take a while. In the meantime, it's one lane only on the causeway, and I've got to stop taking pictures while I'm driving, "Secret Squirrel" would not be pleased.

SAWFISH ENCOUNTER IN 7TH STREET CANAL! Yes, this fish was caught and released right across the street in the 7th Street Canal by Chris. Now I know you want to know how I got the picture. Chris and his family were eating dinner along side us at The Key Colony Inn tonight and flashing around the picture on Chris' cellphone. I asked him to email me the picture, and there, you have it! They had called around to several restaurants to find out if the fish was edible! All the restaurants said they had never heard of it, and didn't know until they called Fishtales, who told them it is an endangered species, if they brought it in they could be arrested. At least someone around here knows something about fishing laws.
Now, for a short science lesson about sawfish. They are actually a species of ray. Their saw or snout allows them to feel movements of distant animals and sense heartbeats of buried prey. They eat small fish like mullet, crabs, or shrimp. They can live in both fresh and salt water. They can use their saw as a defense mechanism, so I guess young Chris is lucky to have all of his appendages left for dining this evening.
By the way, they have a early bird special at Key Colony Inn, $11.95, your choice of several entrees, a glass of wine, salad, veg, bread,dessert, and coffee, we had the Dolphin Del Mar. Very good!

Congratulations to Carl and Dana Selin for identifying the emblem on Seapoint Condo. I guess it was a little difficult since most of us walk and ride around the west end of the island daily.

Now for sure you will recognize this condo. I took this photo last week, as you can see, progress seems very slow, but they are still working. I took the photo from across the street and a lady came up, I would assume the manager; I don't think she was too happy about me taking a picture. I cheerfully said, "Looks like they are making progress!" She mumbled something about how slow it is going due to workers who do the wrong thing first and have to do things over again, and windows that don't get delivered. Will those people ever get to move back into their condos? It sure is a mess over there. Happiness is living in a condo with minimal spalling damage that is being repaired, and windows instead of plywood.

These bananas were very visible on 7th Street. I wouldn't dare pick them, but someone else did. Maybe the house next door, they are still here. We have some bananas here at The Cay, but they are very well hidden, and that's a good thing! I'm not telling where they are, and when they get just a little bit riper...they are mine!

This is just how it looks down here now. The water has cleared up, the beach is empty, frigate birds are in the sky. Come on down! The water is toasty!