Linda Avenue

A quiet back street in New Town, a comfort zone for birds to hang out in the street and chat. Or bicker, I think. They weren't being quite so nice to each other as Cheyenne and I strolled past.



Linda lies just off Flagler Avenue and crosses the entrance to the Little Hamaca City Park next to the airport.



Here's a link to an essay I wrote on the park including a discussion of the Gambusia Fish ditches, Little Hamaca.



Above we see some lucky child's model SUV. While below we see the real thing. Bringing them up from an early age to appreciate large vehicles, I suppose.



Florida drivers rate a shady parking spot as a good place to leave their cars. Shade that produce edible fruit, like these sea grapes is a bonus in my opinion.



New Town was the undeveloped part of the island that became desirable in the mid 20th century as a place to build wide streets and mainland sized homes with all modern conveniences.



The ranchette bungalows may not look pretty compared to the ramshackle Old Town wooden homes but they get big yards, off street parking and lots of greenery, most of whose taxonomy is not known to me, as usual.



Palm shrub with dangly bits:



The biggest issue these homes had arose in 2005 when Hurricane Wilma drowned this side of the island and residents gained a fresh appreciation for the slightly higher elevation of some knobs of land in Old Town.



It was rather the same way for New Orleans where the French Quarter and The old Faubourg Marigny quarters didn't flood in Hurricane Katrina. The original settlers had reasons for building where they did.



In the picture above we see a steeply pitched roof more suitable for Alpine snows, you'd think. Yet here it is. And below we see a loo brush flower whose proper name...I can't recall.



And here's another blob celebrating dentistry apparently.



There is also a canal system around here buried in the mangroves, it runs behind Riviera Drive and across Flagler and under North Roosevelt and pops out near Overseas Market on the north shore of the island.



Flagler Avenue, a main street across the middle of town:



A street for another essay.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Flagler Avenue

With the best will in the world Flagler Avenue is not terribly scenic, especially when you consider how scenic parts of this little island can be.




Cement poles, scraggly untended trees in the median, acres of asphalt and lines of cars in a four lane expressway across town...none of it adds up to anything remotely approaching "quaint."




The architecture is Florida circa 1960, bungalows fronted by strips of lawn...




...with the inestimable benefit of off street parking. This is far from tourist country, far enough from the hub of downtown commercial activity to make a scooter an attribute.




For Cheyenne the heat reflected from the cement was offset by smells whose origins I hope emanated from other passing dogs.




As always in South Florida's suburbia the banality of the architecture is offset somewhat by nature's best efforts. Puffy clouds and palms look good out here.




But in every frame there is a car because as much as Old Town is good for walking this part of town isn't. Flagler is a useful cross town street, away from the scenic attractions of South Roosevelt and equally unaffected by the business centers which attract cars to North Roosevelt.




There are businesses the length of Flagler Avenue but this street is most useful for locals looking for a quick path across town.




And once again we find an empty pair of shoes lying around. It is a mystery to me why so many pairs of footwear get discarded around this town.




One notable business on Flagler is the urgent care clinic, the walk in "doc-in-a-box" that offers appointment-free medical visits. It also marks the entrance to Little Hamaca city park.




And across the street more vehicles languishing under the blazing sun.




The old VW project sits waiting for attention while the covered spot waits for the daily driver to return from work and spend the night under the shade of the tent.




Flagler Avenue is all about cars, parked and traveling.




From the Casa Marina Hotel to the entrance to the city Flagler is the vehicle artery across the middle of town, not scenic but eminently useful for those that know about it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Boating In The Rain

The stormy weather led me to wander outdoors a little bit.


I saw these guys working to beat the rain a d get back on land.


They got the boat bout the weather got them.


Arm waving, waterproofs flapping, Amd they were soon on dry/wet land.


Getting wetter. I am not a fan of fishing but if I were I'd keep an eye on the weather and not go out in a storm.


Mind you they were equipped and competent and they got the job done.


It was a blusterous day in Spanish Main Channel.


I hope the fishing was worth it. That's a big reason people come to the Keys. The fishing not the beaches.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Big Pine Henry

So I ask myself, why did they give this little street such a strange name?


Henry, the name normally given to a human is a dirt street in an area of Big Pine Key currently getting new water mains.


These days there is water in abundance, though not necessarily I'm places where humans want it or can use it.


The locals were out making good use of the impromptu ponds.


Cheyenne missed the cool overcast days from earlier in the week.


It's air conditioning time for us in our little boxes on stilts.


This little alley fronts the back of the stores in the little strip malls that line the Overseas Highway. This one doesn't want trespassers. I was glad to see the disfiguring sign because otherwise who knows what I might have done.


I am always surprised by how many businesses, mortgage brokers, small business service companies and the like make a living on these small islands.


I would not much like to live on a dirt road, dust and mud and all.


As for those pipes and spigots, they were all over the place.


The work apparently requires water to be wasted and the Obote are carefully labelled.


So what I wonder are they measuring or sampling?


So many questions. Modern water systems take a lot of work, more than we realize when we casually open our faucets and expect clean safe water to flow in abundance.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Summer Cold Front

It lasted a few days, and seemed to take more than just me by surprise.


Cheyenne doesn't much like rain but she does like her walks.


Which pushes me out into the 75 degree afternoon to brave rain and wind and slow cautious traffic.


Around here it's worth taking a peek east and west to see where the lighter skies are. And that is where Cheyenne has a chance of a dry walk.


This is the time of year there is an abundance of puddles which is good for her as she enjoys puddle splashing when she doesn't feel thirsty.


These sort of dramatic skies make summer interesting in the Keys. Winter is a time of clear blue skies with occasional temperature dips.


Summer is the season of hurricanes and daily meteorological violence.


We huddled under the mangroves while a rain shower blew through. The rain left as quickly as it came and i fiddled with my camera settings. The world looked black and white through the lense of my little pocket camera.


Sepia looked weird.


Color looked washed out too.


I like the sumer seascapes, the "other" season in the land of perpetual summer.


Summer is the season of puddles which makes it necessary to wear rubber shoes for dog walking.


Dog walking is a rewarding activity for me.


You get to see nature in the raw...


...and see dogged persistence in action.


Cheyenne walking on the north shore of West Summerland Key.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad