Bill caught this beautiful 30 pound black grouper yesterday on the Lobster Boat while fishing with Jack, Dennis, and Pat. That's Kevin, the mate, helping to hoist the thing up for a photo. This grouper was then released because there is currently a ban on grouper catches until May 1. We had snapper for dinner and pretended it was grouper. Maybe when he hooks into this fish again in May, it will be up to 35 pounds.

This spotted eagle ray jumped into Two Chick's Charters in Islamorada while a family of 5 was fishing. It knocked the mother down and she was slimy, but unhurt. Even the eagle ray was released and fine. No wonder the captain here looks a little confused. The photo is taken from the front page of the Keysnet news.

It was a beautiful day for a sail on the Wind Charm with Bo and Brindy. We cruised along the gulf side, had a gourmet lunch, and enjoyed a perfect afternoon with good friends.

Some orchids are pink

Some orchids are blue

If you saw our Vanda

You'd fall in love too

Our big Desire is in bloom and hanging right by our front door in the signature tree. Stop by and take a look, and get a picture. It is a sight to behold.

BELATED TOAST TO A GREAT LADY

We got together at Banana Bay to have a little belated birthday for Mrs. Gradick who turned 93 back in January. We had planned to celebrate right after her birthday, but she had an unexpected trip to the hospital and rehab after falling and breaking her hip while going for a second piece of birthday cake on her birthday. It wasn't much of a problem for her, though, she was up and at 'em again in a little over a month, and ready for a night out with some of her old teacher friends. Mrs. Gradick was principal of Marathon High for many years before retiring. She knows just about everyone in town, and can she tell the stories about what they were like when they were in High School! We had a great time together, and can't wait to be there for her 94th. She didn't let a broken hip get her down, and is an inspiration to us all.

FAMOUS ASTRONOMERS GATHER AT THE CAY

While they were gathered for the Super Moon event, the following comments were heard:

"Which way do we look, east or west?"

"Did the table cloth lady at the flea market have any jackets today?"

"Is anyone going upstairs for a wine refill?"

"Anyone want to go to sunset park for a better view?"

"There it is!"

"Where?"

"Up in the sky over Sunset Beach Condos."

"It's humungous!"

"When you are standing on the sea wall, one foot higher, the moon looks even bigger."

"Let's see if it's even bigger from the upper deck!"

It was great meeting at night on the beach for a beautiful view of the moon and some laughter with our friends, and guess what? I think it will be there again tonight for all of us to enjoy once more.

SAVE OLD SEVEN

Funding for the ferry runs out in 2012. At present, this is the only access to Pigeon Key since the old Seven Mile Bridge has been closed down due to much needed repairs.

It would be a shame to watch the bridge continue to wear away, and to have no means of public access to this historic site. You can sign the petition to "Save Old Seven" by going to the link at the right side of this blog.

After 14 months of babying, our Desiree is finally ready to bloom! Yes, we are very excited. Now the question is, what color will the flowers be? With a name like Ascocenda Tubtim Velvet, who knows??? No wonder we just call her Desiree. If you want to take a peek, just walk in the orchid house and look up, you can't miss her huge buds.

There were so many winners from our condo at the Sombrero 5 K run/walk today that they are thinking of having "Team Cay" next year. The only one I saw with a bright gold trophy was our own Nancy Thorell who took first place in her age category. There was a very brisk wind, but she didn't let that slow her down. Heck, after the race, she got home, fixed breakfast for her husband, and then came on down to the beach and just about has Marilyn Richmond signed up to get on her team next year! Way to go, Nancy. We are all very proud of you, and you would make a great team captain.

What the??? Oh! Tamarind Juice!

Yes, they look totally disgusting while soaking, but trust me, they make the very best tasting juice. Here's my recipe: Soak 10 tamarinds over night. Strain, add some honey, juice from one key lime and a little chopped fresh ginger, then serve over ice. Delicioso! Thanks Stolz family for the leftover tamarinds, and now, my jug is almost empty and I'm looking for a tamarind tree. There must be one around here some where.

It's time for the wind to shift and for these guys to move on off of our beach.

The Rest of the Story

The grounded 50 foot sailboat is still out there and doesn't look quite as majestic with the sails down and when you hear the rest of the story.

This is the second time in 48 hours that they have had to call Towboat US. They ran aground also on Saturday. Someone may need some sailing lessons or a new captain. Today at 5:00 PM they are going to try to get it off the sandbar again, and you can bet there will be a nice crowd on our deck just cheering them on.

Note to self: Walk down to the beach with your cup of coffee before you read the Miami Herald and you will be treated to a magnificent sunrise. Nature vs News, there is no competition for the best way to start a day.

This beautiful sailboat ran aground on the sand bar out front this evening. A few boats came to try to get it off, but even the tow boat couldn't budge it. We watched until dark, and now, 8:30 at night, and it's still out there all by itself with it's lights on. High tide isn't until 6:26 AM. Hope they can drift off, otherwise I may have to bring them breakfast.

Zabelle's Party on the Deck

Zabelle's Party on the Deck
Originally uploaded by sache47

What a great opportunity for everyone to meet her son, Bill. It was a perfect evening, sunset and moonrise within a matter of minutes.
Thanks, Zabelle, for a lovely time with great friends.

All We Are Saying...

Love this photo by Rob O'Neal and headline in the Citizen this morning.

Higgs Beach, Key West, FL

Look who was at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon today, and yes, it was this cold down here!

"Weathering" the storm on the beach.
Originally uploaded by sache47

11:30 am, July 23. All's sunny here on KCB. Tropical Storm Bonnie was a no show, but we were ready...just in case.

The morning KCB City Commission was a hot one.

The commission voted to sign a contract with Monroe County for the next 3 years instead of signing a 5 year contract to continue services with Marathon Fire/EMS. The cost will be more, but three of our commissioners, DeNeale, Schmidt, Vorick, think we will get better service. The Mayor, and Geraldine Zahn wanted to continue with Marathon. There were some very hard feelings after the Marathon City Manager wrote a letter a few months ago asking for about $ 600,000 extra from the last contract because according to him we hadn't paid our fair share. Mayor Ginger Sneed from Marathon was at the meeting to try to convince them to go with Marathon, but it was to no avail. Marathon stands to lose $525, 000 a year from this decision. Emotions ran high, and it was well attended. Many from Key Colony feel that it is time for us to organize our own fire department, but this will take time. The plan is that two firefighter/EMS personel from the county would be placed on the island (at this point there is no place to house them) or on Crawl Key, about 2 miles away. Should be interesting to see what comes out of this for our island, and how the rest of Marathon will feel when they no longer have KCB helping to pay for their big new fire station. By the way, this photo, not taken by me, was at the fire at Rocket Man's house in Marathon 2 years ago. According to Mary Schmidt, last year there were 50 calls to KCB, 10 of them were false alarms, no fires, one cat in a tree, and the rest EMS calls. Last year there were 1600 calls to Marathon. She says Marathon pays $160. per household for fire protection and in KCB we pay $325.

Key West as seen from International Space Station

For the next five nights the International Space Station will be visible as it passes over the Key West Area. Note to self: Remember to get in the pool after dark, float on my back, and look up for something moving across the sky much faster than an airplane. It sure beats watching "America's Got Talent".