New Years Day, 2019

7:36 am - Wednesday - January 2nd - Cedar Key, FL - 64º F, 91% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the west by southwest.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 70º F.    I cannot tell you how much it means to see 'highs' in the 70's every day.....it has been so long (mid September) since we were in consistently warm weather.

I was awake a little after 7 am on New Years morning with no hangover.  I've never seen the point of drinking so much you feel awful the next morning.  At any rate, I was up feeling just fine, and tuning in the the Rose Parade 'pre' show.....I grew up in Pasadena, CA and have watched at least part of the Rose Parade every single year no matter where I may find myself.  I remember as a teenager being up all night wandering up and down Colorado Blvd. with my friends.....good times.  It's kind of funny thinking about how safe we felt back then, and how my parents never even gave a second thought to their son being out all night on New Years Eve.  My, how times have changed.

I really don't have any pictures to share from New Years Day as I was ensconced firmly in front of the TV watching Bowl games, and English Premier Soccer matches.  I did venture outside a few times, but not often.  It was a beautiful lower humidity day, but sometimes you just....I was going to say 'need', but the truth is I just 'wanted' a do nothing at all day....remember, time you enjoy wasting, is not wasting time, and I really enjoyed wasting time New Years Day.

All that being said, we were not total slugs Tuesday, we did agree to meet our friends, Krash and Karen, and a few of their closest friends for dinner at the Big Deck Raw Bar.....one of the few favorite places to have survived the past 6 years.  We arrived just at 5:45 pm to find Krash and Karen just exiting their vehicle at the restaurant.  In all we had 10 for dinner, and it was a great time talking, laughing and eating well prepared food, which included a reasonable bill at the end.

Internet Pix of BDRB

The Rose Bowl was a bit of a disappointment if you are a PAC-12 fan.....the Washington Huskies lost 28-23....it was not as close as the final score would indicate.  For the first 3 quarters Washington only managed 3 points.  If not for the 20 they scored in the fourth quarter it would have been 28-3.  The nightcap, the Sugar Bowl, was close at the end, but the Texas Longhorns really dominated the Georgia Bulldogs for the majority of the game winning easily 28-21.  It never was really in doubt.

And that was our New Years Day......a lot of wasted time, but all of it enjoyed.....thanks for stopping by!

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Cedar Key - Day # 28 - Standin, Walkin & Talkin

Some days it's difficult to come up with a catchy title that captures the mood, and character of a given day.....especially when there have been so many special days here in Cedar Key.  One of the things we both cherish about our time here in Cedar Key are the numerous new relationships and friendships that are developing.  Developing relationships and/or  friendships involves getting to know one another, and that involves a lot of talking....sometimes standing in one place, sometimes walking.  Thursday was a day for conversations.  There is something almost mystical about Sunset Isle RV Park and Motel that brings people of varying backgrounds, geography, interests, philosophies, and values together in a way that is simple in its nature, but complex in its composition.  I struggle for adequate words to convey what happens when you spend time here.  Many say this is the friendliest RV Park they have ever visited....and these are people who travel thousands of miles a year all over this amazing country. There is this aura of mutual respect and acceptance that is rarefied, and precious.  That may be why it is painful to think about leaving.

Good examples of the foregoing:  I walked over to Forrest Clark's class A motorhome to pick up his Gary Fisher mountain bike to tune it up......I stood there talking to Forrest and Mary for the better part of an hour, almost forgetting the reason for my visit.  Then while I was tuning the bike Cindy and Danny, out walking their Jack Russells, stopped to talk.....and there went another 30 minutes of pleasant conversation.  As I was delivering Forrest's bike to him, Forest and Cindy Olivier drove up and joined the conversation.  During that time we decided to walk into town with Forest and Cindy for a latish lunch......more walkin and talkin. We talked all the way into Big Deck Raw Bar, and continued while we ate.....suddenly Karen and Krash appear on the sidewalk and we invite them to sit at our table......much, much more conversation.  Before we left on our walk into town I struck up a conversation with a new couple, Jim and Charlotte, who moved into the site next to ours.....they were getting ready for a bike ride, and, of course we talked about bikes.....20 minutes of breaking the ice.  

Of course the walk home from Big Deck involved more conversation.....we stopped at Sandy's Produce to buy cheese.....Forest and Cindy needed some vegetables, and ran into Debby and Bill.  That evening NuRVers was sponsoring an Asian Buffet.......much, much more fun, interesting conversation as we ate great food, and watched another magical sunset that kept evolving for the better part of an hour.  Thank you Chris, Cherie, Kyeli, Pace, Forrest and Mary for your parts in making last night another special evening of conversation and memory making.

As I have remarked often in this blog "at the end of the day" it is the people we have met along the way that will occupy our hearts, and memories for years to come.....sure the places are interesting, captivating, and amazing, but it is this place which provides the wonderful tableau for building these friendships.

Thank you for stopping by!

Cedar Key - Day # 10 - Island Time

Normally I don't start on the latest blog entry until the morning after the day I am writing about, but I am watching the BCS National Championship Football game, and it is a total bust, with Notre Dame getting their heads handed to them....28 - 0 after one half.....yep, the BCS system really works.....anyway, I decided to do something creative with my nervous energy, so here goes.......

I like to think I set modest goals to achieve each day, and many days I do accomplish them, but when you are on "island time" sometimes a better offer comes along, and your "plans" get pushed to another day.  I had intended to go up on the "roof" today to adjust my radio antenna, and to pull out the shower fan again....it has that annoying vibration going again, and I just know I can get rid of it given enough time.

Just before I was going to get out our ladder I walked over to the dock by Chris and Cherie's site to check the tide level.  As I was passing by Chris' window he opened it and we talked.....I asked him what their plans were, and he said they were going to walk into town to the Post Office, and then the bank to get something notarized, then over to the Big Deck Raw Bar.......I suggested we join them, and there went my plans for the day.   There is always tomorrow, and when serendipity smiles you must respond.  I checked quickly with TLE, and, of course she immediately put her book down, changed clothes, and we were on our way walking into town.  They needed to be at the Post Office  before 12:30.

We walked along at a brisk pace talking about "cabbages and kings" and there we were in front of the Post Office 9 minutes before they closed for lunch.....yes, on Cedar Key the Post Office closes down for lunch from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.  After that quick stop we were off to the "Big Deck" for lunch.  

Chris and Cherie

Conversation with Chris and Cherie is always easy, and relaxed with no pretense.   They are modern day trailblazers of a lifestyle that we are only beginning to appreciate, and embrace, so every minute we can spend with them talking about their nomadic experiences  is much appreciated.  This was our second time ordering a couple of "double stouts", so the waitress began to refer to TLE and I as the "double stouts".....:D  For my friend Tom.....we only had 1 pint each.......no refills.

After a great lunch, and conversation we walked along the waterfront taking pictures.....you'll see me way in the back ground fiddling with my phone camera, and trying to catch up at the same time....:D


Of course, we could not pass by Sandy's Produce on the way home without exchanging dollars for something fresh.....so more cilantro, beets, cheese, etc. were acquired for later consumption, and then we were off for "home" again.  According to Chris' pedometer we walked just under 5 miles, so good on us!

Chris came by our coach a while after we got home to let me know I had mail in the office, and suggested we have a community fire later, and, of course, I said "yes!"......who does't like a campfire?

By Cedar Key standards a modest unset, but beautiful, nevertheless.....

Chris and Cherie put out the word on the Facebook NuRVers Cedar Key Meetup site, and low and behold 17 people appear out of the gathering darkness to share the fire, including Beth and Lee who just moved their 5th wheel into the site 2 spots over from Chris and Cherie.  They said they could either just sit in their RV being bugged by all the fun we seemed to be having, or join us......I'm glad they joined us.  This is a charismatic group, and its gravitational pull cannot be resisted.  Looking forward to getting to know Lee and Beth.....especially since they also just recently came into possession of a Sea Eagle inflatable!

We came to Cedar Key after Amazon.com for exactly what is happening here......spending time with an amazing, eclectic, bright group of people.....and regenerating our spirits after a hard 3 months in Campbellsville.....and that is exactly what is happening.  Life is good!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cedar Key - Day # 8 - The Sea Eagle

To me every day seems like Saturday now, and I think that is a good thing.  Saturdays have always been one of the best days of the week for me going back decades.  I loved to wake up Saturday mornings with the realization that it was NOT a work day.  Sure, back in the days when our kids were in soccer Saturday meant we were up early, and on our way to the soccer pitch to coach and referee youth soccer all day, which can resemble work, especially with 5 kids, but it was not work in the sense it was something we chose to do for our pleasure, not required in order to pay the mortgage.

Saturday started off mostly clear with lots of early sunshine.....yay!  TLE and I got around 8 am up to see off Todd and Lucy, NuRVer friends, who are heading south to Naples, FL for a multi month workamper job Lucy picked up.  We enjoyed getting to know Todd and Lucy for the week we have been here, and are already missing them.

Lucy and Todd

When we last left off we had just received the Sea Eagle kayak via FedEX, along with TLE's new I-Phone 5.  Whilst TLE spent time on the phone with Verizon activating her phone I opened up the very large box and began assembling our new toy.   We got the Sea Eagle Sport SE-330 Pro Package which includes two double bladed paddles, two deluxe seats, a foot pump, storage bag, repair kit, and dry bag.  The SE-330 measures 11.5 fee in length when inflated, and has a 500 pound load capacity.  Their larger model, the SE-370 is one foot longer, and has a carrying capacity of 650 lbs.  Delflated the kayak weighs 31 lbs. and is 24" X 17" X 7"......great for easy storage!

Around 2:30 we decided to take our, almost, daily walk into town to buy two life preservers, 10 feet of boat line for the bow, and have lunch.   By this time is was getting a little cloudy, but was still balmy.  We stopped in at the "Big Deck Raw Bar" on Dock Street in downtown for lunch.....I had this amazing "Black and Bleu Burger" with curly fries chased by a couple of pints of their draft "double stout".....I am sorry, I do not remember the name of the brewer, but it was excellent!

We picked up the 10' length of boat line on our way to "Big Deck" and the two life preservers on our walk home arriving back at Sunset Isle around 5 pm.....just in time to catch the rising tide.  Forrest Clark, NuRVer, joined us in his single kayak, and eventually we caught up with Bill and Debby Kasson in their canoe meandering aimlessly, to quote Debby, around the oyster beds.  She took the picture below of our maiden voyage in the "Eagle".

Forest in his "single"

We paddled around for about 20 minutes and then decided it was getting dark quickly....time to head for shore!  We'll make a couple of changes to the seat spacing to give me a little more leg room, but overall we like our Sea Eagle, and are looking forward to getting out in it again. We found it to be very stable, and were never concerned with capsizing....well, maybe TLE was for a couple of minutes, but within minutes she said she realized it was not going to flip over.

We said our "good evenings" and thanked Forrest for allowing us to beach our kayak at his water front site where there was a nice sandy beach, and no mud....yay!

I finished watching the Texan vs. Bengal NFL wild card game, and then settled in to watch the Packers vs. Vikings.....a pretty lopsided matchup compared to last Sunday's very close game.

It's supposed to rain today, Sunday, but so far it looks a lot like yesterday.  There will be more NFL in a few hours.....and it still feels like Saturday to me!

Thanks for stopping by!