Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.......

8:06 am - Tuesday - January 1st - Cedar Key, FL - 66º F, 82% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the east by southeast.....sunny today with a forecast high of 70º F.

It hardly seems as if another year has some and gone, but I look at our calendar and it absolutely declares it is New Years Eve, 2018.  A year ago I was recovering from my stroke (December 28th), and grateful to have no lasting after effects except that now I am on blood pressure medication.  My doctor said "Clarke, you just won the lottery!"....I could have had paralysis, or been dead, but just got a warning instead, and got to go on about my life.  In March of 2018 we finished our gig at the Grand Canyon, and headed home to SoCal for about a month to spend time with kids, and their kids before we headed to Maine for the summer.  We took a month to make the 3,000+ mile drive to Southwest Harbor adding many wonderful memories along the way.  We worked for about 3 months at Smuggler's Den, and then spent the next 5 weeks hiking and enjoying Acadia National Park.  Then we took another 5 weeks to travel to Campbellsville, KY to work at Amazon.  During that interval we spent time in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York City, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Connecticut before landing at Amazon for 8 weeks.  In the process we ticked off 6 more states we had not previously visited and can now claim to have visited the lower 48 states in our Newell.....only Alaska remains.

After Amazon we flew home to visit our children once again, and then made our way to Cedar Key, FL for New Years.....we last spent New Years day here in January of 2013, and now it is January of 2019.  In just 31 days we will celebrate the end of our 7th nomadic year, and the beginning of our 8th year on the road.  It sincerely does not feel as if it has been 7 years since we began our journey.  I think it can now be said we have officially earned our nomadic credentials after 7 years.

To begin our 3rd day in Cedar Key we headed out for the obligatory 1.5 mile walk into town to have some coffee and pastry at the 1842 Daily Grind, and then walk around downtown Cedar Key, and here are some of the sights we saw along the way.......

 Yes, it does feel like home

 The 1.5 mile walk into Cedar Key 

 A random manger scene

 The old, now defunct, Kona Joe's

Google photos stitched together this cool little slide show 

of our day in Cedar Key

 Al fresco dining at 1842 Daily Grind

Looking down Dock Street

Our beloved Blue Desert Cafe.....now just a memory

....we stopped off at a local gift shop on Dock Street, and found this little sign that perfectly sums up Cedar Key for us......

This little sign really says all there is to say about Cedar Key

.....there truly is NO wasted time here in Cedar Key....there is just 'being'.......

By the time we returned home we had covered some 4.5 miles walking, and it was getting warm.....well, warm for us.....72º F (also a tad humid), so we turned on the A/C and settled in to 'wasting' a little time relaxing.  We had talked about walking over to the Tiki Bar for sunset, but decided to just view it from the waterfront here at Sunset Isle.......the sunsets here are just breathtaking....

....we had also planned to return to the Cedar Key downtown area (2nd Street) to watch the 3rd annual 9 pm 'ball drop' at Bonish Studio, but we opted to spend a quiet evening together seeing in the New Year....with a few naps thrown in along the way we both managed to be awake at 12:01 am, and officially wished each other 'Happy New Year', then headed off to dreamland one more time......yup, there is no wasted time in Cedar Key!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Cedar Key vibe.......

7:51 am - Monday - December 31st - Cedar Key, FL - 66º F, 88% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the east by southeast......partly cloudy, but that means mostly sunny today!  Forecast high is 70º F.

We slept in Sunday, and deservedly so.  After 3 hard days of driving, and then a very full schedule our first day in Cedar Key we were exhausted.....I guess we're not 19 anymore.  We lazed around until well after 11 am when we finally got our act together to make the 1.5 mile walk into downtown Cedar Key for some coffee and pastry at the 1842 Daily Grind & Mercantile.  The walk into town revealed how much had changed in 6 years.  Our favorite coffee place then was Kona Joe's (sold 4-5 years ago, but the new owners never really got it going again), as well as our favorite dinner place, Blue Desert Cafe (owner retired after 21 years), were no longer in business, and another favorite breakfast place, Pat's, was also out of business.  The 1842 Daily Grind has come along in that intervening time, and has filled in the coffee/breakfast place hole.  On the other hand most of our other hangouts are still there.....Big Deck Raw Bar, Tony's Seafood, and Steamers.  Cedar Key looks a little the worse for wear after two direct hits by hurricanes, and another near miss this past fall.  Nonetheless, the spirit of Cedar Key still survives, and it is still a magical place that is near and dear to our hearts.

 An interesting combo....

It was still heavily overcast, and quite foggy at times as we walked slowly along the sidewalk into town.  As we passed by the Marathon gas station we noted the wonderful farmers market was no longer there, either....

 There used to be a farmer's market there in the left corner of the Marathon parking lot

......within 30 minutes we had arrived at the 1842 Daily Grind (where we enjoyed our gourmet meal the night before).  This is a very funky place, and we have already fallen in love with it, as well as the owners, Martin and Terry......

.....TLE ordered a cup of their 'Red Eye' coffee (one expresso shot) and a folded egg and cheese croissant sandwich, and I a large 'Red Eye' accompanied by a bagel with cream cheese.  We found our friends Krash and Karen had been there since 10:30 am.  We lingered and talked for about 40 minutes before continuing our walk down 2nd Street....

 Bonish Studio......owned by Pat Bonish who used to own Low Key Hideaway/Tiki Bar.  

......a couple of doors down from the 1842 is the home of Bonish Studio/Bar.  Pat has been a professional photographer for many years, but had little time for his passion while he and his wife Cindy owned and operated Low Key Hideway Motel and RV Resort (a couple of 'doors' down from Sunset Isle).  It is composed of a 5, or 6 unit motel, about 10 RV sites, and a wonderful Tiki Bar where we enjoyed dozens of wonderful sunsets, and made many friends.  It took all of their time, so they sold it about 3 years ago (it is still flourishing under the new owners) and bought a building in town to open a new business, which is really kind of three businesses in one......a very cool bar, a thrift shop section, and a studio to display Pat's photography.  In the past few weeks they have moved the 'Thrift/Gift Store' down the street a few more doors to a new location where it has room to expand

A very eclectic place

....after stopping in to talk to Pat at the 'studio', we walked down to say 'HI' to Cindy before making the 1.5 mile walk home.  We spent the afternoon relaxing, but around 5 pm we made our walk over to Low Key Hideaway/Tiki bar to watch the sunset, and have a couple of drinks....

 Out on the dock sipping a couple of vanilla porters....

 The famous Low Key Hideaway Tiki Bar

.....and there it is, the famous Cedar Key sunset....when we were here 6 years ago we spent 5 weeks and never saw a bad sunset......even with very few clouds you still get that amazingly long, beautiful sunset every night.....

.....so our first full day in Cedar Key is now in the books.  We are beginning to settle into the Cedar Key vibe once again.....life is good!

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which helps defray our travel expenses to a small degree.

Cedar Key - Day # 31 - Exploring

Sunday started out a little foggy (see picture in Saturday's blog entry).  TLE and I were thinking about going into Pat's for breakfast....I really wanted to try another of their omelettes.   I messaged Debby (Bill and Debby's Wild Ride) asking if they were up to riding bikes into town to Pat's and got a pretty quick reply "sure".

We met out front by Bill and Debby's site around 10:30 and began our ride into town bundled against the cold damp air.  Debby set a pretty brisk pace while we all chatted.  Arriving at Pat's it was still a little cold and damp, but we decided to brave the elements and sit outside.  We were rewarded within a few minutes with clearing skies.  We continued talking about travel experiences, favorite places, places we had both visited at different times.  Eventually it was time to mount our two wheel steeds and begin meandering around the back roads of Cedar Key.  We passed by a yard sale and stopped to see what they had....nothing caught my eye, but Debby spied a purple haired Barbie doll disembodied head that she could not leave without.....the price.....25 cents.  I had no idea what she intended to do with just a doll head, but the mystery was quickly resolved.

What is Debby pointing to at the top of her bike flag pole?

OH NO! Poor Barbie!

From the yard sale we rode over to the long boardwalk next to the local cemetery that takes you out over the wetlands and along the water for quite a distance, and bikes are allowed!

From there Debby took us to another cool boardwalk that is way off the beaten path, and apparently, if you don't know about it you would never know it was there.  It's not even a place you might stumble across....it is just not obvious as you roll by.

Now this boardwalk was only meant for walking on, and in one spot it was a little sketchy, but we all made it out to the end and back without mishap, although Debby came close to sliding off the sketchy part on the walk back to dry land.

All told we rode just under 8 miles, and had a fun time see some more things we hadn't seen before.  I think we arrived back around 1 pm, but don't quote me on that.  I did not look at my watch, so it could easily have been earlier, or later.

Upon our return I found a message from Pat Bonish wondering if I would consider bringing back to life his GT STS-l full suspension carbon fiber frame mountain bike.  In a prior life he was an avid mountain biker (similar to moi), and rode several times a week, but since he has landed here in Cedar Key has not had the time to ride (there is a certain lack of mountain terrain to explore here in Cedar Key), so the bike has been sitting for a long time.  His bike has "good bones" and I'm looking forward to getting her back into riding condition.  The question is "can I get it done in 8 days?".....well, you'll just have to follow along to find out.

We walked over to the Tiki Bar around 5ish to watch our 31st sunset, and it did not disappoint.

 Well, now we are the short timers......this time next Monday we will be rolling our wheels south from Cedar Key with the memories of wonderful times spent with amazing people tugging at our heart strings.   The wanderlust of the road calls, and it is almost time to change our view again on a regular basis.  The almost 5 weeks we will have spent in Cedar Key has been full of serendipity, and has seen the deepening of existing friendships, and the beginning of others.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cedar Key - Day # 29 - Lovely Treasures

Thrice in as many weeks while meandering around the streets of Cedar Key I have found a small treasure in a yard sale.  Found these lightly used clipless mountain bike pedals at a yard sale behind Island Pizza......new these babies sold for close to $85.....got them for $10.  Nice to have an extra set of pedals in case I run into someone down the line who needs them......sweet!  (By the way G.A.S.S. stands for Gravity Activated Spring System).  

As is often the case, I get ahead of myself.....maybe I should just write this episode out of sequence, and stop trying to be so sequential......naaa.....my nature really likes things to be in order.....:D

Friday is the day when the empty sites here in paradise begin to fill up with short timers, and now our 5 pull site section is full.  The daily highs are beginning to creep back into the high 70's, and the skies continue to be mostly clear, but it still cools off fast as the sun nears the western horizon.

We kind of puttered around until late morning when Forest and Cindy came by to see if we were going to walk into Kona Joe's for a late breakfast......sounds good to me!  Within 30 minutes we were on our meandering way into town.  At just about the half way mark, as we were passing "Island Pizza" we spied a yard sale underway.  Not surprisingly, Krash and Karen were already there sifting through small treasures (Island Pizza is right across the street from their rental home).  While everyone else chatted my eyes kept wandering from table to table in search of that one special thing I could not leave without......eventually they caught a glint of bright yellow.....I edged around the table to find the KORE G.A.S.S. pedals previously mentioned.   Now, what am I going to get rid of so there is room for these pedals? No one else pulled the trigger on anything, although Forest came close, so we continued our amble toward Kona Joe's arriving there around 11.  It's great to have Joe and Edie back from their cruise......it's been too long since my last cup of Kona Coffee!  Eventually Karen and Krash appeared with their dog Pipa, and we all sat talking and laughing......all the while enjoying the great view of the back bay off the veranda of Kona Joe's.

After a wonderful interlude Forest and Cindy continued their walk into downtown, while TLE and I headed back to Sunset Isle......of course there was a stopover at Sandy's Produce to pick up some fresh eggs, and other produce items......Sandy said she had a fresh shipment of fish coming in later which would include swordfish......haven't had a good swordfish steak in a long time.....I think we'll have to return a little later for sure.

I spent some time putting a little polish on my yard sale acquisition for the week.  Out of the blue I look up to see a 6'5" gentleman smiling at me and waving me over.  Turns out his name is Joe, and he has been following our blog for a while.  He and his wife live in Lake City and had driven into Cedar Key for dinner.....as they passed Sunset Isle he remembered we were probably staying there, so pulled in to say "Hi" and talk for a while.....cool.....a little more serendipity.

Just a little later TLE returned from her short shopping excursion with the aforementioned swordfish steaks.......it was about this time Chris (Technomadia) walked over looking for an extra set of hands to help repair his punctured Sea Eagle....turns out he and Cherie got to close to an oyster bed, took a hit to the bottom puncturing the bottom air chamber.....fortunately they were not far from their dock, so there were no casualties.  I was glad to help, because I'm sure at some point I will suffer the same fate.  To be sure the process for patching the Sea Eagle is much more complex than fixing a flat bike tire, so I paid close attention.  Looks like she is fixed, but we won't know for sure until Saturday when it's time to apply air pressure again.

Medicinal chips and salsa for Chris and Cherie in the foregound

By this time the sun was getting precariously low in the horizon and it was time to head over to the Tiki Bar for some drinks, fellowship and our 29th sunset.  We walked over with Forest and Cindy.  I finally remembered to bring a California license plate from my small collection to add to Pat Bonish's massive collection lining the interior walls of the Tiki Bar.  Forest and Pat are both avid photographers.....Pat is a professional, and immediately recognized the equipment Forest was carrying resulting in another one of those spontaneous conversations that happen so often here in Cedar Key.  While they talked we walked into the Bar and got our beverages of choice and then headed over to the deck to be amazed again.  Soon Chris and Cherie drifted in, and were joined in short order by Kyeli and Pace.....there was much ooohing and awwwing, of course.

# 29

The afterglow

We watched for close to an hour as the sun set, followed by the long, long after glow that just lights up the sky.   Soon it was time to head home and get the BBQ out so we could dig into those two large swordfish steaks.  TLE made some great sides.....green beans with a balsamic glaze, and a nice chopped salad.  Of course Mr. Coppola was there to chase the great food!

This is so funny.....I sat down this morning to write about yesterday and was thinking...."not much really happened Friday....what am I going to write about?".....well, I guess I answered that question......sometimes not much is really a lot.

Thanks for stopping by!

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!