Day 89 - Wireless

I finally made some time today to familiarize myself with the new wireless microphone kit and video camera I bought in January.

Yeah I know, it took me a while... Sometimes it's just a process that has to happen at its own pace.

But I did some recording for a video I've been working on and I'm quite happy with the results.

Day 88 - A Good Day for Fishing

I wonder how long it would take to get tired of weather and views like this? 

Day 87 - Beach Bums

Today we rode our bikes to Bahia Honda State Park and then just hung around on the beach all day.

I think we could really get used to this lifestyle.

Day 86 - Blue on Black

Today we noticed that we were wearing the same colors so we had to snap a selfie. One on top. One on the bottom.

Here we are on another sunny day in the Florida keys.

Day 85 - Seagrass Fence

Today Phil and I repaired the fence that keeps the seagrass off the beach.

Although in this photo it looks like it will keep it on the beach. This is true - it ain’t goin anywhere now. It will rot and sink in about a week or so and then the beach will be clear and the new seagrass will be on the outside of the fence.

At least that’s the plan anyway...

84 - Yeah Feel ‘ems

It’s no see um season in the Florida Keys - little tiny biting insects you can barely see. But we sure feel them!

Their itch bothers Shannon so much, she’s tried almost everything, finally settling onto this:

A Garlic Poultice. Slice up some fresh garlic and tape it right on a bug bite and Voila - the itch is gone!

Day 83 - Shannon the Snapper Slayer

Not only does she catch the fish, she fillets them too!

Look at that pile of delicious goodness on the upper shelf there...

Day 82 - Kayaking

The day dawned with barely a breath of wind, so Phil said “why don’t you guys take the day off and go paddling?”

So off we went...

Day 81 - The Artist

Shannon's creativity behind the lens gave me my photo for today.

(That's her taking a photo with her iPhone in case you couldn't tell...)

Day 80 - Remodeling

We got our van put back together and it’s soooo nice to have our kitchen again (we were really roughing it for a while there).

It’s not remodeled exactly, it’s repainted - but it feels like a brand new kitchen.

And it looks pretty good too!

Day 79 - Breakfast of Champions

Starting our day off right!

Day 78 - Reel that thing in!

Here’s Snapper-Slayer-Shannon landing yet another one yesterday.

Putting us all to shame. She done real good!

Day 77 - Better Than the Best Day Working

The day dawned with a gorgeous sunrise and very little wind. Off we went in the neighbor’s boat and spent the day catching our limit of Snapper. 

Neither of these fish here were snapper but they were fun to catch and throw back. 

And there are not many dinners as good as fresh caught fish. 

What a great day!

Day 76 - Turquoise

Or is is Aquamarine? Or Teal? Whatever it is, I don't know if I'll ever tire of looking at this tropical ocean water.

Day 75 - Reflecting on the Day’s Work

Big day today. We got most of the house painted, the 2nd coat of teal on the drawers and the 3rd and final coat on our countertop. Tomorrow the reassembly begins.

Day 74 - Whole Lotta Paintin’ Goin’ On

Not only are we painting a house, but we also took advantage of our time here with a garage and a place to put stuff temporarily and decided to do some work on the van. We needed the kitchen cabinet out of the way so we could access the sliding door to try to fix it (and so far no luck with that). Also, with the cabinet and the kitchen countertop outside, it was a good time to put some much needed sealer on the counter top (3 coats, 24 hour cure time, and no breathing fumes with it out of the van) and so that’s progressing nicely. And also, we decided to paint some things, so the drawer fronts all got a new Teal color and our floor is getting its color next.

Day 73 - Coconuts

Those palm trees have coconuts on them!

Day 72 - Van Surgery

Notice anything missing? Our kitchen is gone. Shannon is like “Where my sposed to cook and stuff?”

We were actually trying to kill 2 birds with one stone, but we ended up with only 1 bird. That’s me there finally having access to the rear end of our slider door, trying to fix it but no luck.

The success we had was refinishing our countertop which was also way overdue. So it’s most of the way sanded and will next get 2 or 3 coats of varnish. We’re pretty stoked about that.

Day 71 - Palm Trees

Kind of a nice view after a busy work day. And good news - Shannon actually got started painting today so there’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Day 70 - Workcamping

Ok well no brushes and rollers yet. Hopefully tomorrow. We did a lot more sanding and caulking. This is truly a homegrown workcamping gig.

Day 69 - Sanding and Caulking

This is our friend’s house and the subject today of much sanding and caulking. All prep work to make the job of painting go a lot smoother. Hopefully tomorrow the brushes and rollers can come out.

Day 68 - Breezy

It’s been really breezy for the last 2 days and will be for 5 more according to the forecast. Those crab pot floats hanging from the cabana might give you an idea just how strong this wind is.

Day 67 - Do Overs

Well if you saw the post from a couple days ago about a U-turn, here's where we ended up. We're back in the Keys again. My old high school friend Marli invited us back to stay for a while. 

We weren't sure we were really finished with the Keys last week when we left anyway so this is good. We have some fishing to do, some biking to do, and totally need to reshoot that photo of the "southernmost point in the US" because we're really not happy with the one we got the first time. 

 Oh and maybe we need to dip into that warm salt water again too.

Day 66 - Curbside Pickup

We were busy today. Very very busy. A lot of driving around looking for decent internet and never really finding it. A lot of driving the long way around to avoid toll roads (and not always avoiding them). When dinner time came around neither of us was really up for cooking so we ordered out from a popular restaurant. I’m not gonna say which restaurant though (that would be a shameless plug) so it will just have to suffice that it was Italian, and it was really good. Mmmmmmmm!!! Gotta love Curbside Pickup!

Day 65 - Hum Drum

Yes even in van life we have hum drum moments. We still have chores to do. Garbage needs to be taken out. Jugs need to be filled. Other jugs need to be emptied. We still have to brush our teeth. There’s not always something exciting to photograph. 

 But when I’m out of ideas for my daily photo, Shannon really steps and makes my day!

Day 64 - About Face!

We flipped a U-ey today. 

We're heading back somewhere we've just been. Can you guess where?? 

Day 63 - Neighborhood Trails

We’re staying at a Boondockers Welcome site for a few days. It’s a home in a neighborhood near Vero Beach, FL and it’s surrounded by 160 acres of forest with some walking trails.

Looks more like a jungle to us.

We went out on a short hike today and almost got lost. 

Day 62 - Pest Control

We saw this car on the road today. 

A cute little thing with mouse ears, a skinny tail and “Oy! ‘E’s got teeth!”

Day 61 - Florida Sunset

We saw a nice looking sunset from Stuart, FL this evening.

A nice cap to a day that included another stroll on the beach.

It’s difficult for us northwesterners to wrap our head around wading barefoot through the surf in early March, but there we were.

Day 60 - Northbound

We regretfully said goodbye to the Keys today and headed north. Mostly just because that’s the only direction you can drive from the Keys.

And drive we did. It was a driving day, which if you’re not thinking about it, the photos just don’t happen.

Luckily I stepped outside to get a couple of snaps at our lunch spot - a fishing parking lot right next to one of the many bridges (causeways?) in the Keys.

So although this was not our last view of the beautiful expanses of water along the Keys, it is our last photo. (Note: if you squint your eyes a bit, you might not notice the power lines so much...)

I would love to go back sometime when Covid is a thing of the past, when we can really do more in Key West without cringing at the crowds. And when it’s not peak season and we have more time to enjoy the many activities the Keys have to offer.

Day 59 - Key West Sunset

We spent most of today getting sunburned at Key West while swimming a bit more in the ocean, this time at Smathers Beach.

And after a great lunch and stroll through town with Marli and Phil, we went back to the beach for the sunset.

Oh and finally, on our 3rd attempt to get a selfie at the “Southernmost Point of the USA” marker, we persevered and waited in line and got this photo. 

I just wish I would have handed my phone to one of the other tourists there and ended up with a better photo. But oh well - we social distanced this one.

Day 58 - Summertime in February

We made it to the Florida Keys today, and it feels like summer!

We walked barefoot in the surf for a while and even went swimming.

And the best part - that water wasn’t “just bearable” - it was warm! ( which maybe to a lot of people isn’t saying much but to me it’s huge because I’ve never swam in a warm ocean before - even in Hawaii and even in Mexico the “tropical” ocean was very chilly.

So. Yeah. Big day today.

Day 57 - Goat Farm

We stayed at a Harvest Host again last night, this time it was a goat farm.

Day 56 - Yellow Blossom Trees

We’ve been seeing these brilliant yellow trees blossoming all over the place today.

Anyone know what they are?

They’re gorgeous!

Day 55 - Golf Carts

We drove through a part of Florida where golf carts have their own road! And they're everywhere - you even see them in parking lots like this. I think there are some golfers around here...