WEEK 1 - The Keys

Sometimes you can be having so much fun it's hard to stop what you're doing to journal. Harold and Kristen invited us to come with them to Marathon, FL, for 2 weeks in July. I looked forward to going to spending time with the kids, relaxing, enjoying tourist sites, fresh seafood, etc. It turned out I left with Harold and 2 of the grandchildren, the boat, tons of provisions, etc. to set up the house, etc., and Kristen would follow several days later - then RV would come pick me up into the second week. If you weren't on the fishing team, there was a giant pool, books from the best sellers list, and side trips for whoever might be interested.

I won't go into a lot of detail, but there were up to 23 (adults and children) staying in this huge house throughout the 2 weeks - and we all had a great time. The boats would leave early in the a.m. to go out about 30 miles to fish for mahi. Some days were better than others, but we never did without delicious, fresh mahi, yellow fin tuna, and snapper, (if they stayed closer to land). We went out to local seafood restaurants frequently; however, I think most will agree the best meals were the ones we planned ourselves. Several evenings we took the cleaned mahi fillets to "Chilly Willie's" to prepare blackened mahi for us with 2 sides - only $8.95.

When you are getting to know your way around the Keys you notice green and white signs called mile markers (MM), often referred to as mile posts, beginning with Mile Marker 126, just south of Florida City and ending with Mile Marker Zero in Key West. When asking for directions in the Keys, your answer will likely be, just before or just beyond a mile marker number.