Our last week in the Keys was very busy with more crazy but best in the nation weather, sunsets, friends, a trip to Miami and a surprise visit with family.
One day, even though we had blue skies, the west wind was blowing really hard. The RV closest to the water had bay water being driven right under their rig.
It was so windy I could lean into the wind and not fall over. While the weather has not been ideal, I did manage to achieve my January goal of not wearing long pants for the whole month.
The sunsets this year have been disappointing. You can see how different they were comparing this shot with the picture on the blog header. Still very neat but no where near as great as those we have seen the other times we have been here. I guess we can blame it on El Nino.
Great view even without the blazing red sky. We never get tired of looking at this beautiful view from Opus.
Every evening when there was even a small chance of a great sunset we gathered at the tiki hut to soak up the warm rays and take pictures.
The sailboat came in right on time to add to this view.
I think one of the big differences with the sunsets this year was that the windy weather was making the bay rough so we did not get a lot of color reflecting off the water.
We did a day trip to Miami Beach to check out the South Beach waterfront and the Art Deco buildings. It was a beautiful day for a stroll on the beach and soaking up some sun. Nanc insisted on wearing long sleeves and slacks even though the temperature was very warm.
The beach here is very wide and easily accessible after you find a place to park.
While checking out an art gallery we found this print that would be very appropriate for us if we had room to hang it. It's called, "1969, The Year that Changed Everything." Look at all the things that were happening that year. I remember them all so well and that was the year we were married so it was the year that changed everything for us.
Just walking along Ocean Drive you see one beautiful building after another. It is now a National Historical District so even though many of the buildings are only about 50 years old they must be preserved with their original appearance.
Of course the colors are a big part of the Art Deco scene. In this area the buildings are directly across from Lummus Park and have a nice view of the ocean and beach.
Most of the buildings are hotels with street level shops, bars and restaurants. Being there during the day we missed out on the whole South Beach club scene which was okay by us.
Even the names of the hotels are right out the 1940's and 50's. It would be neat to see all them at night with their neon lights bringing out the colors even more.
Even the newer high rise buildings carry out the Art Deco theme. A trip to Miami Beach is well worth it to see this beautiful, well preserved area.
This is The Villa Casa Casuarine, a very up scale hotel and restaurant on Ocean Drive. It was built in the 1930's by the son of The Standard Oil Trust treasurer, Alden Freeman. It became more famous when it was bought by Gianni Versace. If you want to see real up scale, check out the rooms and restaurant prices on the web site.
The gang at the Elks gathering to soak up the sun during happy hour. George. Linda, Gary, Nanc, Ray, Laurie and my shadow. Look who is the only person wearing long sleeves and slacks.
We got a call early in the week from Scooter, who we met at Betty's a couple of years ago. He is an Iraq war veteran who travels fulltime in a Casita. He was staying in the middle of the Keys, so we met him in Marathon for a nice long lunch getting caught up with all our travels. So I can say it once again, meeting friends on the road has become one of the best things about our lifestyle.
On Saturday, when Nanc and I were not together, I got a call from our niece Sherry. I told her Nanc would call her back on Sunday because we were going to see Scooter on Saturday afternoon. She said Sunday was not good for her because they were flying to the Keys. How about that, they were heading to Key Largo! So we ended up meeting them at their hotel. In addition to Sherry and her husband Chuckie, her son David, who lives in England and who we have not seen in years, was going to be there with his wife Stephanie, who we have never met. We had a great time getting caught up with them while enjoying a outdoor lunch in Key Largo. So I can say it again, meeting family on the road has become one of the best things about our lifestyle. And it was a great ending to our month in the Keys.
1 comment:
Hi there,
Do you know who did the print of 1969 that you found in the gallery. We have that print in our home and have no idea who the artist is. Thank you!
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