Florida Day Two - Exploring Key West

This morning we woke up bright and early (7am! On vacation!) and drove over to Fort Zachary Taylor in the hope of some snorkeling. Unfortunately our hopes were soon dashed. The park opened at 8am but the snorkeling shack didn't open until 10. Even if that hadn't been too late for us the beach conditions were not great. There were a lot of waves this morning and the water was so cloudy we couldn't see more than a foot or two anyway. 

The view as we drive

Fort Zachary Taylor beach

James and the boys play in the water

James and the boys splashed around in the waves for a bit as we hunted for a calmer place to swim. But the beach was pretty terrible. There was some soft sand up above the water line that had clearly been brought in but the water and about four feet of beach leading to it was covered in a ton of very sharp and painful rocks and shells. After only a short time in the water the boys started begging to go back to the pool. So we hobbled back up the beach to the soft sand, past the sunbathers and yoga class, and back to the car. My impression of Key West so far is that it isn't for us. It seems to cater to people who like to drink (lots and lots of bars) and people who like to look at, but not interact with, the scenery. If sitting on the beach with a beer is appealing, this place would be heaven. 

At the beach

Beach boys

We didn't want the morning to be a complete bust though so before we left the park we stopped at the old fort. That was pretty cool and we all had a great time exploring the battlements. The boys found a huge cannon, a jail, and the latrine, all of which were exciting. At the end we came to a room lined with benches and the boys declared that Daddy and I should pretend to get married again. Christian pronounced "You may kiss the bride" and immediately regretted it when James and I took him up on it.

Fort Zachary Taylor

Jon holds up a cannon

Me and my boys

Christian marries us

Will's selfie

Will reads about the fort

On the way out of the fort we came across a white heron who was hunting for a small lizard to eat. There are lizards all over the place and the boys are always on the lookout for them. The heron too was beautiful and so close to us! Sadly though he got spooked and fluttered away before we could watch him eat.

Christian wants to be fired out of a cannon

Christian and I lock the the others in

Will's reaction to being locked in

Watching the 

Once back at the hotel James took the boys down to the pool. The pool is beautiful but a little stressful since they have a lot of rules and the other condos are very close. So it is hard to let the kids be kids. After that we all relaxed for a bit. Camille painted, the boys watched a show, and James and I took a little nap. Soon though we were up and out again on our way to lunch. We stopped at a crepe place which had decent but overpriced food. We had fun playing 20 questions though while we waited.

Key West neighborhood

Beautiful flowers

Christian's picture of palm trees

These chickens were everywhere (Christian's picture)

After lunch we went back to Key West and drove around. We found a neighborhood with some pretty flowers and stopped to take some pictures. And then we went off to a little bookstore. After that we went off to a little garden by the ocean. The garden was beautiful and full of lizards (Christian said he saw another iguana) and butterflies. We had a really pleasant time here among the flowers and shade. On the way out we stopped at the playground but the boys were too hot to play.

Our family at the Garden

Christian tests out the cactus

Ocean view from the garden

Christian enjoys his seat

Butterfly garden

Me and my oldest boys

When we go to playgrounds we make sure to match the color scheme.

After our little drives around town we found ourselves back at Mallory Square to watch the sun setting over the ocean. We were early so we did a little shopping and then grabbed a couple of drinks while we waited. Christian had been asking for a coconut to drink all day and James got the boys one to share. They all tried it but Christian was particularly thrilled.

Enjoying the coconut

Our family at Mallory Square

Waiting for the sunset

Jon made me post his picture of me trying the coconut

The sunset was beautiful and lots of people turned up to watch it. Jon stole my camera and then James' and he took some great pictures of the sunset and the boats on the water. 

Enjoying drinks and the view

My little photographer. Just like his daddy.

Sunset at Key West (by Jon)

Jon took pictures of everyone!

Camera face off

Another beautiful sunset shot from Jon

Jon even got one of me and James.
He was disappointed that I wouldn't make weird faces for him.

Jon's picture of Grandma

I love my goofy boy!

Beautiful sunset colors (also by Jon)

When the sun finally sank it was time for dinner and we walked down the street to a Cuban restaurant that James and his family had been to 15 years before. The atmosphere was fun and our waiter was excellent. The food was as good as I expected but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. I don't think Key West is a food place though. So far we haven't been to a place I'd want to go back to. But tomorrow we have a really long drive so I am off to bed. Goodnight!

Jon reading at the bookstore

Christian joins in

Reading is contagious

The Cuban restaurant

Waiting for dinner

Florida Day One - Key West

Tonight I am sitting by a pool in Key West watching my boys swim. It is only 6 but we have the large pool to ourselves. The kids are ecstatic, they've been waiting all day for this!

But I should start at the beginning. Yesterday was a long day, we left the house at five and a, flew to Ft Lauderdale, and drove down to Key West. There were a few delays on the way so we didn't get in until 10pm but it was a pleasant day and the kids were really good. Despite the long day traveling and late night, all the boys woke up early this morning. Still we had a rather relaxed morning. We are staying in a beautiful condo on Stock Island so we drove into Key West to do some sightseeing. 

Our first stop was the Key West Conch Train. It isn't actually a train but is a driving tour of the area. We passed by Hemingway's house, President Truman's Little White House, and a number of other historical sites. We saw beautiful trees and flowers, interesting houses, and lots and lots of chickens. For some reason the island is full of wild chickens. They wander the streets and crow early and often. 

The Conch Train

James and the boys on the "train"

The driver of the "train" told stories and made terrible jokes along the way. He was working for a tough crowd though because the most he got was a snicker or two. One that stood out was when he was talking about the poor condition of the Key West roads and the rather bumpy ride they produced. They were trying to find some to blame but it wasn't the politician's fault, it wasn't the city's fault, it wasn't the tourist's fault, and it wasn't the weather's fault. It was the asphalt. 

Me and Camille on the Conch train

The Southernmost point of the US

The whole Conch Train tour was 90 minutes long but after the first 45 minutes we decided to get out early and grab some lunch. We wandered for a while and while there were a lot of places open, most of them weren't really kid friendly. Key West seems to have a lot of bars. We did finally find a outside cafe were we had a mediocre meal. There were flocks of pigeons wandering under the tables (or maybe one flock split up? How many pigeons are in a flock?) and Christian was quite taken with them. He was both fascinated and freaked out as they searched round our table for food. The biggest excitement though came at the end of the meal when Christian spotted a huge lizard rushing through the restaurant. We followed it and found an iguana (at least that's what I think it is) up in a nearby tree. 

Lunch at the cafe

Playing hangman with Jonny

They found a lizard!

Christian's Iguana

After lunch we did a little shopping. James got some new shoes, Grandma bought the boys shirts, and we got a couple other small things as well. After that we went down to the little Aquarium in Mallory Square. James' family used to come down to Key West all the time when he was little and apparently the aquarium hasn't changed at all since then. We didn't spend a whole lot of time here, but the boys had fun feeding the fish and exploring. 

The boys in front of the aquarium

The Key West Aquarium

James and Christian say hi to the turtle

The turtle

Feeding the fish

The touch tank

Jon at the touch tank

Looking for the gator

 We ended the day early, grabbing some ice cream and leaving town right ahead of a parade of racing boats. On the way out we drove by James' grandparent's old house. They had moved out over 20 years ago but James and Camille have very found memories of the place. Camille got out and started taking pictures of the house and the yard. James and I were mortified but Camille got to talk to an old neighbor she remembered and had a friendly chat with the current owner of the house. 

Tired boys enjoy their ice cream

Christian loves his smoothie

Once we came home the boys regained their energy and excitedly got ready for the pool. Now I'm sitting in the warm evening watching them swim and splash. All too soon it will be time for dinner and then bed. Tomorrow is our last day here and we hope to go snorkeling and catch the sunset. But now it is time to drag some wet and happy boys out of the pool. Goodnight!

Enjoying the pool

James didn't want his picture taken