FL: Key Largo

We drove the last half up the Keys, and I found myself grieving a little inside when the ocean color changed from that beautiful Caribbean green back to normal dark ocean blue. We were clearly heading back into the normal world. 

Still green, but getting darker in transition. 

For lunch we went to a little restaurant called Harriette's, a little family place with good food, esp. their breakfast, which they serve all day. We were meeting a friend named Ligia, originally from Romania, who lived with my parents in IL while she was doing graduate work, and who now teaches at a college in Miami.  We had a very nice lunch, complete with Key Lime pie, a first for my kids, and a must-do on Key Largo, where it was supposedly invented!  After lunch we headed together over to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where we had reservations to camp. It almost seemed a shame for us to be there just camping in such a place--clearly it was a very popular weekend destination in the Miami area, with boat trips and snorkeling, and all kinds of water recreation. But we were just there for cheap camping!  After we got the camper settled we drove to the visitor center and the kids looked at the displays while the adults chatted (and while I sat in the gift shop using the free wifi to finalize special plans for the next day, our last day in Florida). When the center closed we all headed outside to sit and chat more. A summer thunderstorm blew up, but we were dry under the shelter. 

It was not until later that we realized that we were being eaten by "no-see-ums"--those tiny little gnats that you don't even feel and can't see, but which leave very itchy bites. This was not the first time we encountered them--in the Everglades too they were prevalent, and we all got a lot of bites because they were tiny enough to come through the screen mesh on the camper. We had fans and they kept the gnats off my parents while they slept, but of course when we were just going about camping business outside there was no protection. My dad even got out the DEET spray--and they didn't care. So, poor dad has allergic reactions to bug bites, and so he was really uncomfortable after the Everglades, and now we had unknowingly presented ourselves as an afternoon buffet! 

But even so, I still can't say I wish we hadn't been sitting out there, long after the other day-trip park-goers had gone--because after the rain came this:

 What an amazing moment of beauty to revel in! 

 There is no such thing as too many pictures of a once-in-a-lifetime rainbow like this.

 Just when we were all satisfied with our photos, it turned into a double!  A double full rainbow! (My camera just could not capture the entirely of it)

 Even when we moved from the bridge & boats to the swimming beach the rainbow persisted, changing moment by moment but never ceasing in beauty.

And then the sky show continued as the sun set in the brightest colors I've ever seen. 

No-see-ums aside, it was another nice relaxing day and a treat to see Ligia. But the flourishes with which God was painting that night--that was unforgettable.

FL: Big Pine Key

After leaving Key West we drove back up the Keys to our next camping spot, on Big Pine Key. Again, it was not cheap camping--seems like the Keys is just one of those places where everything is more expensive. And esp. for campers I understand why--there's the fact that there is so little available land for a campground, and then the cost of the real estate. There is upkeep from hurricanes besides normal campground wear and tear. So I'm not complaining!  There are a couple of state campgrounds along the keys--and by that I mean, literally two--but the one that we would have stayed in was closed because of damage from Hurricane Irma. So, we took the only option midway up the keys--but it was a great option. It was another resort-style campground, with a pool and game room and sheltered places to hang out and lounge, which was what we did all afternoon. After the fast pace of the Florida trip so far it was great to have a day of just relaxing.

But first, lunch. The woman who checked us in at the campground told me her favorite local place to eat--The Square Grouper. 

The food was amazing. I don't even remember what all we got. But it was so good. 

Full tummies getting drowsy.

Big Pine Key is famous for its population of endangered Key Deer, a miniature variety. They have a special reserve on the island, but many of them seemed to call this campground home. The night watchman at the campground told me that where other campgrounds have raccoons, they have deer--apparently the deer will get into food if you leave it out and make a mess.  

These Key deer were only a few steps behind her. They would be wary, but would come close looking for a handout.

 The view from our campsite. Not bad.

In the late afternoon the sun as the sun lowered behind the trailer, we pulled out the camp chairs and set them in the trailer's shade, sitting and chatting there while admiring this seascape. 

 The pool was set up on a second story, above the recreation rooms.  Overall the people running the campground were doing an excellent job--everything was very well kept and we really did feel like we were at a vacation resort.

Our little trailer nestled in its peaceful oceanside spot. As the sun started to set, the sky kept changing. I kept seeing new and ever more beautiful colors and vistas. 

 When this happened, I could not believe it. It's a moment out of a dream.  

 I walked around the campground just in awe of the beauty of the changing sky.

After the kids had eaten dinner and showered, a couple of them enjoyed the fire pit until it was time for bed. 

My parents and I took late night advantage of the campground laundry facilities. And while my clothes were in the dryer, I took advantage of that beautiful pool. I had been making dinner when the kids swam earlier, my parents hanging out with them at a table poolside; my photos are from when I walked over to tell them dinner was ready.  Now, with kids settled in the camper, it was my time for a little escape. Technically the pool was closed--but the night guard told me it was fine with him if I swam, as long as I wasn't making noise. So I had that whole pool to myself, and it was so peaceful and relaxing. I lay back floating and watched the night sky. 

The next morning I woke early for some reason. And didn't regret a moment of that stillness and new mercies.

 Sunrise was equally beautiful.

The beach here, again on the Atlantic side, was almost muddy, and not inviting for swimming. But it was a great place for a nature walk, and so when Smiley woke up early too, we went together to explore. 

Laying out our treasures to show the others.

Our time on Big Pine Key felt most like a vacation. Dad and I agreed that was a good thing to remember for future trips together--to build in some intentional downtime. All our Florida fun so far had been fun, but definitely not relaxing!

And before we knew it relax time was over, and we had to finish the drive up the Keys to our final camp spot on Key Largo, where we would meet an old family friend for lunch. We would have one more day and night in the Keys.

FL: Key West Pt. 2

The next morning, a view of all our wet things we had spread out there on the grass to dry. 

A closer look reveals inquisitive neighbors. 

Inquisitive but not quiet.

The kids and I got up and going early that next morning so that we could explore Key West before it was time to check out of the campground--because once we were attached to the trailer again we  would only be able to head back up the Keys (no campers, trailers, long trucks are even allowed to drive in the city itself; our campground was conveniently on the outskirts). My dad drove us to one end of the main drag and dropped us off, with the plan of picking us up at the other end after we had seen all we wanted to see.

And there was plenty of fun stuff to see!  

Another Cuban refugee boat and learning displays. 

I take pictures of signage that I think I might want to discuss with the kids later, when we have the luxury of more time, library books to read, etc. I'm including these pics in case anyone else is interested in this topic--really relevant to so much going on in our current socio-political world.

And for those interested--the books I'll be using to support this area of leaning so far: Ninety Miles to Havana, by Enrique Flores-Galbis, and Refugee by Alan Gratz.

I find it humorous how we keep running into President Truman, seemingly wherever we go. This seems about as far from Missouri as you can get, and yet, here he was.

There's a fee to have an official tour--but it's free to go in and check out the little museum they have there, which perfectly suited us.  Esp. given how much we were trying to see in a limited time frame!

We left the main streets to check out a Coast Guard museum ship we had seen from the deck of the Yankee Freedom the day before, but got a little sidetracked. . . 

Did I mention we were all hot and sweaty from our walking? Even mid-morning the sun was intense.

I've enjoyed being the fun mom on this trip. I'm usually the practical mom. 

Continuing our walk, dripping but much cooler--and peeking in at Ernest Hemingway's house. Again, it wasn't worth taking a tour, so a few covertly taken photos past the ticket booth were good enough.

We ended our long walk at the marker for the southernmost point of the continental U.S. There was a long line of tourists patiently waiting their turns to have photos with the marker. We didn't care if we weren't capturing a Pinterest-worthy photo moment--eh, this isn't technically the true southernmost point anyway, which is next door on a military base. So since they're calling this close enough, so did we. ; )

Dad picked us up at this point, we collected the camper (and all those still damp swim things), and started our drive back up the Keys. Our time at Key West was over, but not our time on the Keys. 

FL: A Brief Encounter with Key West

After we got off the boat from our Dry Tortugas trip we were ready to head back to the campsite--but first, dinner in Key West.

I must say, traveling with a smart phone is so helpful. I just looked up restaurants within close walking distance of the dock, and chose the one that sounded the best. 

A fairly new Caribbean-Latino restaurant. 

A beautifully designed patio to shelter us from the heat and still intense late-day sun.

And chickens.

 Roasted, herbed & spiced corn on the cob. Ohhhhhhhhh, sooooooo gooooood. I'm going to try to replicate this at home.

We shared huge bowls of beans, rice & veggies--so yummy. Oh, so perfect of a way to wrap up such a fantastic day!

Salty and boat-blown hair--but all that matters is the huge smiles.

(My parents might have a pic of all of us, on my dad's phone--a friendly local who was getting carry-out from the restaurant offered to take one for us. I'm sure we will all share photos at the end of the trip, to see who captured moments I did not--all my girls have their own cameras too, and you may have noticed I sometimes ask them if they have an image to help fill in a gap in my photo record. : )

After dinner we went back to the campground, put back on our wet swimsuits for late-night swimming in the pool (where we met and chatted with a woman who homeschooled her kids and is now a homeschool co-op teacher!), showered, and finally--happy and tired--hit our bunks.