January 10
Sugarloaf Key, Florida

2010

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January
   31    A little cooler this morning.  We took our walk around the lake and then read the paper and had our coffee.  Today is our weekly Sunday Party.  Chris Towne from our campground is playing today.  Once again the campground supplied the beer and huge hot dogs.  Everyone brought a dish to share.  So there was tons of food.  A jokers game got started and Chris was finishing up his set.  Another couple staying over at the KOA stopped by and started playing guitar and fiddle and singing.  Gerry got out his washboard bass and then his banjo and joined in.  Pretty soon they were all jamming and singing.  Another GREAT Lazy Lakes Sunday Party!!
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   30   After our coffee and reading the paper on the verandah, we took a walk around the lake and visited with the people at the clubhouse.  We headed down to the pool since it was just a perfect day.  Sunny and about 82 with a slight breeze.  Brian, Laurie, Robert and a few others were down there.  After soaking up some sun and floating in the pool we headed back to the cow and got ready to head down to Key West to meet up with Katie and Friends. 
         We parked over by the Truman Center and John and I walked to Mallory Square for sunset.  We watched some of the street performers and the sailboats heading out for sunset.  We walked down Mallory to the Hyatt where the Crazy Cat Man performs.  We have seen him before and he is crazy.  We continued moseying to Duval and back to the Holiday Inn where Katie is staying.  We met them up at the rooftop bar. 
         Tonight is the full moon, but there are a few clouds so you can only just barely see it right now.  We looked over Duval and the harbor while enjoying a cocktail and then headed down to Duval.  We are all in search of a good seafood restaurant.  We started our way down Duval to Front Street.  We are heading for the wharf area.  On Front near the Rum Barrel we found a restaurant, ‘Two Friends Bar and Grill’  Excellent!!  It’s nicely decorated, casual and comfortable.  We all had some kind of seafood. 
         Now we are all ready for a walk.  The full moon is now shining and we walked down to the wharf.  Made a couple stops and then back to Sloppy Joe’s on Duval.  The Pete and Wayne show has another half hour, so we had a beer and watched them.  They have a unique show.  We all walked down Duval to Fat Tuesdays.  Katie, Kristie, Casey, Kristen and Samantha are just getting going.  It’s Saturday night in Key West and their last night here, so off they go.  John and I are heading back to our winter home on Sugarloaf Key.  We can’t stay out too late or party too much.  We have another party tomorrow at the campground.

   29   This morning we read the paper and had coffee on the verandah.  We took a walk around the lake and then visited with people at the clubhouse.  Today we are having a pool day.  We soak up and rays, visited with friends and did some reading.  Tonight is a double feature movie night.  Showing is the new Bruce Willis movie “Surrogates”  and “The Bank Job”.  The moon is full tomorrow night, but it’s near perfect tonight.  After the movie, the moon was so bright we looked into the sky and there was a near perfect ring around the moon.  Very Cool!!

   28   This morning we had our coffee, read the paper and took it easy.  We are heading down to Key West this afternoon to meet up with Katie, Casey and Kristie.  John and I headed to Schooner Wharf.  We had some lunch and listened to Michael McCloud.  The Katie and friends joined us and we stayed until Mike finished up around 5pm.  Then we walked along the wharf over to Conch Republic Seafood Company. 
             We had some drinks and food.  They also had a couple singers playing.  The girls are expecting 2 other friends to arrive shortly.  So they headed back to the hotel to meet up with them and get ready to party hardy in Key West tonight, and we headed back to our campground.

   27   Happy B’day Sandy!!  This morning John had the coffee made and presents wrapped when I got up.  We relaxed around the cow until around 3pm.  Then we headed down to Key West to meet up with Katie, Kristy and Casey.  We went to the rooftop at the Holiday Inn and then walked down Duval and ended up at Rick’s Bar.  That’s where we met Katie and company. 
             John, Kate and I walked down to Mallory Square and we just missed the sunset but it was still beautiful with the afterburn.  We walked around and headed back to Duval.  We stopped at Captain Tony’s and then to Ricks.  We met up with Kristy and Casey at Sloppy Joes.  After a few drinks, we headed down Duval and ended up at Irish Kevin’s.  John entered the beer chug contest but didn’t win.  He said he was losing his touch.  After a while we were done and headed back to the campground. 

   26   Today we had a cow day.  John did some projects around the cow and I did some reading.  We headed up to Big Pine.  I got a haircut and we picked up a few grocery items.  Then we came back and hung around the cow.

   25   This morning is warm around 75 and a little overcast.  We may get a shower later but it won’t last long.  After reading the paper, we took a walk around the lake and stopped at the clubhouse for Monday morning doughnuts and coffee.  We got back to the cow and did a few projects then headed over to the clubhouse for the Monday afternoon horseshoe tournament.  We draw for teams and then play 3 games.  We had 16 people today.  I ended up with 5 ringers and John had 4 ringers.  Then we walked over to Mangrove Mamas for happy hour and appetizers.  Then over to KOA for happy hour and bingo. 

   24   Sunday and party day.  We took a walk around the lake and then got our pool stuff and headed over to the clubhouse and pool.  It’s about 80 today and The Dave Aaron Band is playing for the party.  Life is rough.  We floated in the pool listening to the band.  Me with my cocktail and John was partaking in the free beer.  We had pulled pork and all the other potluck food.  We watched football on the big screen TV and then played jokers.  We played 3 games with 12 people, 3 teams of 4.  It was the most we’ve played with at one time. 

   23   We were up and out early today.  We headed to Big Pine for the Health Fair.  We had to fast last night to get our full cholesterol checked.  We were there for 4 hours doing all sorts of tests for free.  These health fairs are a great thing.  We can have all our wellness tests for free.  Afterwards, we were tired and hungry and stopped at the flea market, had a little lunch and walked around.  Since we were in Big Pine we stopped for groceries as well.  When we got back I was done.  We just stayed around the cow.

   22   This morning we were up early and took the truck down the road to have the window mechanism replaced.  We went to Precision Auto when we needed an oil change and they were priced right and very easy to work with.  We went next door to the Sugarloaf Lodge for breakfast and then found a couple chairs by the tiki hut and overlooked the gulf and read our books as we were waiting on Red.  Vince called when Red was ready and we went to get him.  Then we headed back to our campground and off to the pool.  We are soooo glad winter is over.  It’s been a rough winter down here with record breaking low temperatures for about 2 weeks.  Now its where is should be!  Sunny and 82 with a light breeze.  People were coming and going at the pool.  We soaked up some rays, did some reading and enjoyed the pool.  Tonight is movie night.  It’s a warm evening so the double feature was outside under the palm trees and stars.  We saw The Invention of Lying and then Management.  Both we good movies.  The crowds are getting bigger and bigger. 

   21   We got up early to take Red in for the window mechanism to be repaired.  Vince from Precision Auto said he needs to order the part and he’d have it tomorrow morning.  So we headed back and after breakfast went to the pool.  It’s about 76 and sunny today.  After dinner we headed to the clubhouse for the ice cream social.  You can’t beat it.  For 1.00 you get a big bowl of ice cream and an assortment of toppings which you put on.  A joker game started.  We actually ended up with 2 tables.

   20   Today is laundry day.  While our laundry was laundering, we played a game of horseshoes and visited with people at the clubhouse.  Afterwards we headed over to the clubhouse around noon for a game of jokers.  Floyd and Terri invited a bunch of people for a brisket day.  They have about 40 pounds of brisket smoking on the grill.  Everyone is bringing a dish.  After jokers we came back to get our dish and headed back to the clubhouse.  There was so much food and everything was great.  The brisket turned out wonderful.  After a few drinks and dessert, some people went home and we stayed around for a couple hours of jokers.  Jokers is very addicting. 

   19   Nice sunny morning.  John made a batch of his salsa and then went to finish waxing Big Red.  I made up a CD of Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 songs for Big Red.  I did some TCI stuff.  We took a walk around the lake and played some horseshoes.  We have to practice for the Monday afternoon tournaments. 

   18   I have some TCI projects this morning.  January has always been my busiest month.  Even though I’m not doing a lot anymore I still have clients that need help.  I am also making training recordings for the company I used to teach for.  While I’m doing this, John is washing Big Red.  We headed over to the clubhouse for the Monday afternoon horseshoe tournament.  We had 36 people, 18 teams today.  I played with Dale, luckily, he’s pretty good and we ended up wining 2 out of 3.  John was teamed with Mike and they won 2 out of 3 games as well.  I had one ringer and John had 5 ringers.  After dinner we went to Looe Key Tiki Bar for happy hour and to listen to CW Colt.  He will be playing at our big February 13^th concert.  Looe Key has Monday ladies night so it’s 2 for 1 well drinks all night.  We stayed for a while and met Albert.  He and his bulldog, boxer mix travel around the country.

   17   Today John headed out before sunrise to hike to the burned out bridge and back about 6.5 miles.  It’s a warm overcast morning with a few showers on the way.  We sat outside on our patio, read the paper, had coffee and listened to Radio Margaritaville.  The rain pushed us in so we hung around the cow.  The rain should be moving out and we have our Sunday afternoon party with Chickenwire playing.  We had a great afternoon.  The rain moved out, the sun came out and it was warm.  Dale was cooking cheeseburgers on the big grill.  As always all the food people brought was great.  The band was good.  They play a lot of 70’s and 80’s.  John played some horseshoes and we had the football games on.

   16   Today is a sunny and warm day.  We took our coffees and walked around the lake.  Down in Key West is the Seafood Fest.  So off we went.  I got a whole lobster for lunch and enjoyed it under a tree listening to the band.  We ran into Terri, Floyd, Lorraine, Walter, Shar and Richard.  After a while they were heading out and we walked around some more.  We ran into Brian and Laurie.  Then we took a longer way on the way back to Big Red.  When we got home, we watched a little football and that was it.

   15   It’s finally getting warmer.  I had some TCI work to do and John had outside projects.  Then we headed to the grocery store and then out for a walk around the lake.  Tonight is a double feature movie night.  All about Steve and The Hunt.  There was quite a crowd.

   14   We are ready for the HOT weather to return.  We are getting cabin fever.  It’s cool this morning but it’s suppose to get up to 71 this afternoon.  Finally!!  Tonight is ice cream social and jokers.

   13   Still cool, but getting warmer every day.  I have a TCI appointment today.  John headed out to play jokers.  I finished up and went over to the clubhouse.  We played a couple more games and then headed back to the cow for dinner.  Dave Aaron is at the KOA tonight, but it’s still cold, so we are staying in.

   12   The weather is starting to turn for the better.  It’s sunny and a little warmer this morning.  We are working on some indoor projects this morning and then will venture out this afternoon.  We walked around our lake and then over to the clubhouse to see what’s going on.  It’s still pretty quiet.  We played a game of horseshoes and I had my 1^st 6 pack.  That’s 2 ringers on one turn. 

   11   It’s starting out COLD!  Record cold temps this morning of 42.  The all time lowest temp here is 41 so it’s cooold!!We decided to head into Big Pine and then down to Key West.  We did some miscellaneous shopping and headed back.  The sun is out, the wind is getting lighter and it’s getting warmer up to 59 today. 
              We joined the horseshoe tournament at 1pm at the clubhouse.  There were 12 of us total.  John had 4 ringers and I had 3 ringers.  We had a great time and did ok.  Today is Monday and Happy Hour night.  Some are going to Mangrove Mamas, some to Sugarloaf Tiki Hut, some to KOA Tiki Hut and some to Boondocks.  We walked up to Mangroves and met Joan, Mike, Ester and Gerald up there.  Ted was also there.  We had a few cocktails and appetizers and walked back home.

   10   This morning is cold and windy.  We are relaxing in the cow this morning reading the paper.  We hung around the cow, watched football and just relaxed.

   9  Today is a cold and rainy day.  We headed to Big Pine early to pre-register for a health fair in 2 weeks.  We stopped at the Big Pine Restaurant for breakfast.  After a quick grocery stop, we headed back to the cow.  We had a relaxing afternoon, working on the computer, photos, and watching football.  We are expecting close to record cold temperatures, so we are hunked down in the cow.

   8   Today is a beautiful, calm, warm and sunny day.  We took a walk around the lake and ran into Marty.  He was heading out in his boat to go fishing the gulf today.  He asked if we wanted to go and off we went.  We drove over to the KOA to launch his boat and then went out to the gulf side.  First we had to stop to get pinfish bait out of the traps he has set.  We tried a few different places.  We ended up catching only 5 fish and 2 keepers.  We caught Mutton Snapper and Mangrove Snapper.  We saw sharks nearby and lots of porpoises.  Even though we didn’t catch a lot of fish, it was a great day.  The water was as smooth as glass.  We enjoyed the sun and headed back late afternoon.  After getting everything cleaned up and the fish filleted, we headed back to the cow.  We had surf and turf for dinner. 
            Now we went over to the clubhouse for Friday night movie night.  Since it’s cold and windy, we set up inside.  Tonight is a double feature.  UP and Transformers.  Up was good.  It’s an animated movie about following your dreams.  Transformers was high action, but I was tired and ended up sleeping though most of it.

   7   It’s another cool morning.  We decided to take a drive up to Big Pine.  We made a few stops and then came back and walked over to Mangrove Mama for Happy Hour.  Steve walked with us and we saw Ted and met up with Craig and Debbie.   

   6   Another Coldddddd Day!   We hit a record cold temp of 47 this morning.  After finishing up laundry, we headed over to the clubhouse for another afternoon of Jokers. 

   5   It’s a cold…..morning.  We have our space heater cranking.  It’s 55 this morning.  Brrr!!!!  We took a morning walk around our lake.  I had a TCI appointment for a few hours.  John played some horseshoes.  Then we had a marathon Jokers Game at the clubhouse.

   4   Moving Day!  Yes we are on the move again.  Not far though.  Only 2 sites down.  Our new site is much deeper and very level.  We got all hooked up, moved the cow and got set back up.  Today is a blood drive at the clubhouse, so we headed down there to donate. 

   3   Chilly morning about 53 degrees.  I know, I know 53 is great when you’re in -3 back in Chicago.  But, we are now winter wimps.  We have our windows closed and our little space heater cranking.  It is going to 64 today and will be sunny so it will be nice.  Today is the last regular season week of football.  I need a win in the pool.  I haven’t had one all year.  We hung around the cow and watched football.  Well I wasn’t in the gutter, but close to it in the pool.  I am putting this year’s pool behind me and will try to improve next season. 

   2   This morning was sunny but cool and windy.  We headed to Key West to do some various shopping.  When we got back we found out there was a birthday party for Mark but we didn’t know about it.  So we went over to the clubhouse and Craig was DJing and Eddy, Frisbee, John and I played some horseshoes. 

   1   Happy New Year!!!   Another warm and sunny morning.  We had a good time last night and today I’m having a couch day.  We took a walk around our lake and stopped at the clubhouse.  Craig, Debbie and a few others were there.  Debbie had made pork with sauerkraut so we had a plate and then headed back to the cow.