My wife has been working with at risk youth in Key West long enough that she keeps meeting them all over the place. This encounter at a light on the Boulevard got big grins all round.
On his way to his job, four years out of trouble and still working at the same job. My wife counted that as a success and cheered up her afternoon.There are ugly pictures to come so we can look now at the furry head of my dog enjoying the water bowl at Salute restaurant.
I caught this happy picture of flags fluttering in the breeze over the mothballed coastguard cutter at the Truman Waterfront.
And these happy campers enjoying a waterfront vacation in the old officer's quarters at Shipyard Condos.
This is where the ugliness began. Our day on the water at Looe Key saw me enjoying a fair bit of snorkeling with an occasional dive just a little below the surface.
A nice boat ride home with the feeling that water was getting trapped in my ear. Slightly annoying.
The feeling got worse at home until I lost all hearing in my right ear. It was a moment of panic when i realized i was completely deaf on my right side. I called out sick at work and my wife stuffed me into the car. I am not a fan of the excessive wait in the Emergency Room at Lower Keys on Stock island so my wife took me to Fisherman's in Marathon, a smaller much easier to deal with place. They hustled me in and sat me on a bed. The doctor came by and looked in my ear. My panicked look must just have egged her on. "My God!" she uttered, startled, looking in my ear with a scope. "It's a giant black booger!" WTF? Was that a technical term? "Check this out!" she called cheerfully to the nurse. "I can't see his ear drum at all!"
I caught this happy picture of flags fluttering in the breeze over the mothballed coastguard cutter at the Truman Waterfront.And these happy campers enjoying a waterfront vacation in the old officer's quarters at Shipyard Condos.This is where the ugliness began. Our day on the water at Looe Key saw me enjoying a fair bit of snorkeling with an occasional dive just a little below the surface.A nice boat ride home with the feeling that water was getting trapped in my ear. Slightly annoying. The feeling got worse at home until I lost all hearing in my right ear. It was a moment of panic when i realized i was completely deaf on my right side. I called out sick at work and my wife stuffed me into the car. I am not a fan of the excessive wait in the Emergency Room at Lower Keys on Stock island so my wife took me to Fisherman's in Marathon, a smaller much easier to deal with place. They hustled me in and sat me on a bed. The doctor came by and looked in my ear. My panicked look must just have egged her on. "My God!" she uttered, startled, looking in my ear with a scope. "It's a giant black booger!" WTF? Was that a technical term? "Check this out!" she called cheerfully to the nurse. "I can't see his ear drum at all!" "My God!" the nurse said as she took her turn peering into my head. "It's enormous!"
The doctor who was busy with a project to open some poor unfortunate up, told me normally they don't clean out ear holes but in this case...
The nurse came back with a horse syringe and a length of tube which she stuck in my ear and proceeded to squirt a flood of boiling hot water into my ear. "Hmm," she grunted after half a lifetime. "We'll be here till morning at this rate. Take a look," she uttered the fatal words to my wife who promptly took the illuminated scope and peered down my lug hole.
"My God!" she gasped, as if on cue. "It's enormous!"
And so it was. After numerous syringes of hot water were squirted in my ear the obstruction finally broke loose and popped out. I thought it looked like a giant piece of stuffing, shown here next to my finger for a size comparison.
"My God!" I said, "it's enormous!" And so it was. suddenly I could hear again and I wanted to kiss the nurse. She was not amused.
"Nice picture," she said inspecting my camera in between picking up pieces of the black booger that sprayed out of my ear. "Pretty much how I feel." And I was happy to see her put the syringe away. I was never so happy to get back in the car and drive Cheyenne and my wife home.
"My God!" I said, "it's enormous!" And so it was. suddenly I could hear again and I wanted to kiss the nurse. She was not amused."Nice picture," she said inspecting my camera in between picking up pieces of the black booger that sprayed out of my ear. "Pretty much how I feel." And I was happy to see her put the syringe away. I was never so happy to get back in the car and drive Cheyenne and my wife home.On a happier note I have been able to take a ride around town with my hearing restored and guess what I came across. An El Rancho Motel well on it's way to being reborn as the Silver Palms on Truman Avenue.
Supposedly this place will be an eco friendly lodging using recycled water and stuff like that. It is certainly filling the old El Rancho footprint right to the edge.
Happy days. Yellow flowers.
Supposedly this place will be an eco friendly lodging using recycled water and stuff like that. It is certainly filling the old El Rancho footprint right to the edge.Happy days. Yellow flowers.
Yellow home. Nice pic. And an old manual water pump still sprouting out of an old cement water cistern in Old Town.
Bird crossing. 
This guy should have borrowed my Crocs to complete his ensemble. Sometimes I do envy people with bicycle sized dogs. 
The joy of renting a Key West scooter- cruising around town in company. 
This Higgs Beach motor home was decidedly longer than the 20 feet limit in effect for parked vehicles in the city. 
But it was the trailer that was interesting. A mobile garage.
And then it was time to go home; my favorite (and only) commute, this time in broad daylight. coming up to Mile Marker 14 in the Saddlebunch Keys. 
Mile Marker 24, crossing from Cudjoe to Summerland Key.
Clearly this is Mile Marker 26, the top of the Niles Channel Bridge with Ramrod Key visible in the distance. 
Niles Channel looking north. 
And so home.
Happy hour invovled half priced wines among others so we talked properly lubricated. It seems the great State of Virginia has an adherent in this native daughter. She described a land of four seasopns, which are apparently very important , even the cold and snowy ones, for proper human happiness.
And such is the desire to see Virginia's modest snowfalls in Roanoke, Sandra apparently prefers to spend vacations in Key West in the summer. Or perhaps it is the uncrowded pace in the Southernmost City at this time of year.
We split an appetizer tray which was a crafty move on my wife's part as Sandra doesn't eat dead pig. So we got the prosciutto and salami and only had to share the cheese and vegetables. After an extended bout of eating and drinking and talking we got up and stretched our legs and camera lenses. Results to be found here: 
We took Cheyenne for a walk on Truman Waterfront and dropped Sandra off at her guest house. The next day, mysteriously, Sandra showed up ready for a boat outing with a bundle of noodles under her arm. It was mysterious because noodles are just what Chuck and Wayne need for their boat. 
Chuck, known to his intimate friends as Captain Crabmore (nice and supportive of you, Wayne) got us off the seawall with no drama and we put out to sea again. A few days ago we went to American Shoal lighthouse; this time we were going to check out Looe Key, a famed snorkelling spot south of Big Pine Key.
On our journey through ther mangroves we spotted a strategically located table, which had not been there on pur previous trip, a few days earlier. Chuck and Wayne were preparing for their own road trip in a few days and they were determined to get some quality boating time in, before they headed North to New England and it's frigid waters.
The day had been looking a bit iffy with a fair bit of cloudiness and a threat of rain. To my surprise the mooring buoys were remarkably busy on the reef. A fact attributable I suppose to the schools being out until August 23rd, more's the pity...
The only portion of Looe Key that rises above water is a rock or two, awash at low tide, so this place really is just a reef and not an island at all. 
Not this sailboat- they got it in one.
They were anoisy lot in the water shouting out their finds to anyone within remotest hearing range. I think they were a bunch of youth on a field trip and I dare say it was a rip roaring success judging by their happy cries.
We swam and ate sandwiches and chips and drank (mineral water) and dipped and snorkeled and swam and ate (home made brownies) and napped and swam. Wayne: 
A crowded reef:
We saw dark clouds on the horizon. Blog reader Sandra spacing out:
Wayne looking butch below, in reality anxious to get home to his dogs, Zuzu and Tootie, who were guarding their home with an anxious Cheyenne, abandoned to their collective fate in the air conditioning.
We're going to get rained on, was Chuck's prediction. 
The rain came down, the camera got put away. My wife made noises once again about buying a waterproof submersible camera for our boat trips. I took Sandra back to her guest house. She had been looking for a different adventure for her last day in Key West. I think this qualified.
I enjoy road trips but I miss enjoying summer in Key West, land of hot sun, bright contrasts and white clouds.
I enjoy the light and the colors and the shapes of Key West seen from on foot.
If I lived a more interesting life there would either be a dead body or a naked body by the pool. Or preferably a dead naked body.
Perhaps the letter carrier has difficulty spotting numbers? 
