Cedar Key - Day # 20 - Wednesday, Wrenching & Walking

What a wonderful day Wednesday turned out to be!  I was sitting at my computer first thing Wednesday when I got an e-mail from Karen (Karen and Krash) asking if we were going to meet for breakfast in town......I had totally forgotten, but gave her a call right away and said we could meet them in 45 minutes at Annie's (right across from Kona Joe's, but Kona Joe is on a cruise this week).  If this had happened a year go, and I turned to TLE without warning and said "Hey, let's walk a mile and a half into town for breakfast" she would have probably asked for a "rain check"......not so now.....TLE is ready anytime, day, or night, for the unexpected.

Pat's has al fresco dinning!

The morning was beautiful....clear blue skies, with a slight chill in the air....even at 9:30 am.  Karen and Krash are renting the "Marina Guest House" in town, so they are about a mile closer to Annie's than we are.  By the time we caught up with Karen and Krash they informed us Annie's was not open on Wednesday's.  TLE suggested we try "Pat's" which is on 2nd street right near the Island Hotel.  We've walked by Pat's a few times and had meant to try out the place for meal, and what a pleasant surprise......EXCELLENT omelets!!  We sat right outside eating, laughing, talking.....getting to know each other better.  After breakfast we walked around town, and walked by the home Karen and Krash rented last year....what a cool looking place on the outside......looks like something out of the bayou.  They said the interior has been completed updated, and is very comfortable.

And what a beautiful old tree...

We walked back to their rental home and met their dog "Pipa", a very pretty cocker spaniel breed, then walked back toward Sunset Isle......we parted ways just before Low Key Hideaway promising to meet at Low Key for the sunset.

I spent the afternoon tuning up Brian and Maria's (The Roaming Pint) bicycles.....something I love to do.  Brian's bike, a 7 speed, was down to one speed due to corrosion in the cable housing, so I replaced that, and was able to restore 6 of the 7 speeds.....I think there is something broken inside the index shifter......one thing I've learned in the past year is do not let perfect be the enemy of good.....6 speeds compared to 1 speed is good.....not perfect, but good.  Then I worked on his rear brakes, which were kind of frozen up, and mostly non-functional.  I was able to get them working properly again, too.  Maria's bike is a little newer and just needed a little adjustment to the front brake pads. Thank you guys for letting me work on your bikes.....I had a blast!

I was pleasantly surprised to see that our "Mali Mish" friends had not left yet, so deduced they had decided to stay a 2nd day....that's the thing about Cedar Key.....once you get here it's tough to escape the gravitational pull of the place.....not that anyone tries too hard to do so....:D  After I took a shower I walked over to their Airstream and spent some more time talking to Dan and Marlene.  As I was getting ready to leave I suggested we get a fire started around 6:30 pm.....they, of course, said "yes!".

Around 5:15 TLE and I walked over to the Tiki Bar for our 20th sunset......they are all different, and with a mostly cloudless sky this one was completely different than we have had so far.

TLE and Cherie chatting

Ahhhhhh......

Eventually everyone began to drift out to the Low Key Hideaway dock to watch the sun dip below the horizon one more time......Karen and Krash, Chris and Cherie, their parents who are visiting for a couple of days, Maria, Brian, Kyeli, Pace, etc.  But wait.....there's more!

Thank you Kyeli for this great picture!

Around 6:15 we drifted back to Sunset Isle and while I got the fire going TLE talked with Karen and Krash....eventually the fire got hot enough to overcome the slight dampness in the wood.....I credit the dampness to the high humidity....and we sat down and chatted.  Over the course of the evening people came and went....Krash and Karen started their walk home around 8, and then we were joined by Dan, Marlene and family....then Forrest Clark dropped by, then Chris and Cherie.....near the end of the evening Kyeli (her picture above) and Pace dropped by....what an evening of serendipity.....another day lived well.....

You know, when we started our journey almost a year ago I was excited about all the new places we would see, and the new memories that experience would create, but in the end.....a year later......it is the people we have met, and spent time with along the way that have made the bigger impression on us.  We feel honored to be in the company of so many fine people.

Thanks for stopping by!