I hadn't planned it but Cheyenne was restless, demanding an evening walk, and by the time we got out of the house night was crowding in on us. 
This is the time of year I imagine to myself that a little winter is no bad thing. Cold air, fireplaces and snowdrifts all seem rather attractive from a distance. Close up I think I would go mad were I obliged to stay indoors or face life threatening cold. Sometimes a cool evening in the Keys seems life threatening but that's just because I am a wuss.
Wandering out of doors relaxes me and Cheyenne is my ideal companion. She loves to explore as much as I do and she is always ready to check out a new trail or a find pleasure in a trail she knows well. I always load her in the car so we can seek out places further from home than just our street. On this particular evening I went no further than the north side of Highway One on my home island, Ramrod Key. She was looking down while I looked up and saw an osprey nesting.
The tower appears to have an actual osprey platform for the birds to nest on:
For such a small island Ramrod Key (named for a ship that went aground south of the island in the 19th century) has lots of commercial activity. There's a vet, two bars, a mechanic (who also rents U Hauls) a commercial welder, a canvas maker, a Cuban grocery store and deli, a plant nursery, a car detailer a construction company, a towing company and a bunch of storage lockers. You wouldn't think there was enough room here for all that and a few I've left out.
There are a number of small residential streets cutting a cross the island as well, putting these people about 30 minutes from Key West and a similar distance from Marathon in the opposite direction. 
For Cheyenne Ramrod Key is just an assortment of streets and wooded trails and a host of different smells.
It isn't an island covered with pine trees, like Big Pine Key three miles east of here, but there are a few of my favorite trees.
You can buy homes or a piece of land here if you feel like it. Realtors like to put their pictures up to entice you to work with them, though I'm not sure what kind of a qualification a winning smile is for something as complex as a land transfer. 
Not everyone thinks Christmas decorations should come down on twelfth night, it seems. January 6th is long gone but these lights aren't. Very nice they are too.
It was a hell of a moon. 
One more sunset ending the day in a golden glow. 
This house appears to be empty, old tenants have gone leaving behind a pile of rubbish curbside.
For some people the constraints of living on a narrow neck of land, with a high cost of living and relatively limited job and recreation opportunities makes it hard to hang on. For people like me the fact that I can't go snow skiing or turkey hunting doesn't bother me in the least. 
Some people think these flat landscapes are boring.
I find these landscapes amazing.
I wonder how I would cope if I had to live somewhere else.
Cheyenne doesn't pose these problems for herself.
Her walk is done and she's ready for the drive home and a deep, snoring sleep.
This is the time of year I imagine to myself that a little winter is no bad thing. Cold air, fireplaces and snowdrifts all seem rather attractive from a distance. Close up I think I would go mad were I obliged to stay indoors or face life threatening cold. Sometimes a cool evening in the Keys seems life threatening but that's just because I am a wuss.Wandering out of doors relaxes me and Cheyenne is my ideal companion. She loves to explore as much as I do and she is always ready to check out a new trail or a find pleasure in a trail she knows well. I always load her in the car so we can seek out places further from home than just our street. On this particular evening I went no further than the north side of Highway One on my home island, Ramrod Key. She was looking down while I looked up and saw an osprey nesting.
The tower appears to have an actual osprey platform for the birds to nest on:For such a small island Ramrod Key (named for a ship that went aground south of the island in the 19th century) has lots of commercial activity. There's a vet, two bars, a mechanic (who also rents U Hauls) a commercial welder, a canvas maker, a Cuban grocery store and deli, a plant nursery, a car detailer a construction company, a towing company and a bunch of storage lockers. You wouldn't think there was enough room here for all that and a few I've left out.
There are a number of small residential streets cutting a cross the island as well, putting these people about 30 minutes from Key West and a similar distance from Marathon in the opposite direction. For Cheyenne Ramrod Key is just an assortment of streets and wooded trails and a host of different smells.
It isn't an island covered with pine trees, like Big Pine Key three miles east of here, but there are a few of my favorite trees.You can buy homes or a piece of land here if you feel like it. Realtors like to put their pictures up to entice you to work with them, though I'm not sure what kind of a qualification a winning smile is for something as complex as a land transfer. 
Not everyone thinks Christmas decorations should come down on twelfth night, it seems. January 6th is long gone but these lights aren't. Very nice they are too.
It was a hell of a moon. 
One more sunset ending the day in a golden glow. 
This house appears to be empty, old tenants have gone leaving behind a pile of rubbish curbside.
For some people the constraints of living on a narrow neck of land, with a high cost of living and relatively limited job and recreation opportunities makes it hard to hang on. For people like me the fact that I can't go snow skiing or turkey hunting doesn't bother me in the least. 
Some people think these flat landscapes are boring.
I find these landscapes amazing.
I wonder how I would cope if I had to live somewhere else.
Cheyenne doesn't pose these problems for herself.
Her walk is done and she's ready for the drive home and a deep, snoring sleep.
5 comments:
Great pictures to see after the crappy weather we have been having.
Who is snoring you or Cheyenne? And what's the extension that she is resting on in the back seat?
Dear Conchcooter:
One again I am swept away by sublime nature of this blog. And as I sit here, a victim of my own thoughts, I think of you braving the desperation of another wild Key West winter night, just to bring me these pictures.
The sunset over Ram Rod Key (an island named after a theme bar in New York City) was especially poingant. And I'm sure fellow residents, viewing the osprey nest on the cable tower, now know why reception is so bad. The realtor looks like somebody I'd like to meet in a bar one night.
And how regal your dog lookds, sitting on her purple seat cloak.
Oh how I wish I could alleviate your suffering and pain, simply by tradng places with you. Looking out the wndow this morning, I have the solace of 15 inches of snow, that isn't expected to melt until July.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
Dear Judi, I am told we both snore in sympathy. I took a plastic crate, filled it with old towels and wedged it behind the passenger seat in the Fusion so che can curl up if she feels like it.
Dear riepe:
eat shit and die.
Dear Conchscooter:
Some people just can't take a compliment. Do you think that switching from the studded leather speedo you wear around the house to a non-shrinking kind of boxer shorts might improve your disposition? Or maybe you should just wear it with the studs on the outside?
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
dear riepe:
seriously- I am gloating at how bad the weather is up north and knowing you have no access to those great riding trails all across the common weal of Quaker State. Highway One is at least eminently rideable.
ps next time I'm up your way you can check out for yourself how i wear my shorts, you lucky dog.
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