Key Largo, Florida

Hi there - we have been staying in Key Largo and have explored the keys a little, driving south to Marathon one day and Islamorada another, tomorrow we are off to Key West.

Today we spent a great afternoon out on a boat where we got to snorkel and the boys all fished of course. We met Egon when we first arrived and were choosing a site, he lives in PEI and was from Ontario prior to that. He offered to take us out on his boat and today turned out to be the best day to go since we have been here. Great gut, funny and has been coming to Florida since 1963 with his parents. The waters were a bit murky with all the wind, but the water was warm and that gorgeous turquoise colour I love! Despite multiple layers of sunsreen and warnings to the same effect from Egon, we all got a bit too much sun and have various degrees of redness in spots. Yesterday, we went to the Theatre of the Sea in Islamorada. It is mostly rescued marine life there and they do a fantastic job of showing them off! You start at the tropical fish and get a tour with the turtles, then onto the crocs and gators, then a fun parrot show, I did not know parrots have the intellectual capability of a toddler, and can even add and subtract numbers!

Next was a dolphin show, which was amazing! The picture you see is me receiving a juicy, and might I add fishy kiss from the star of the show! Not many were volunteering for the kisses, so I surprised myself and went up, once ion a lifetime, that's what we keep saying! We also enjoyed the sea lion and were surprised by their agility both in and out of the water. You could swim with the rays and dolphins for an additional fee, and we weren't dressed in our suits for that, although the dolphin swim would have been great!

Last night, we got a taste of Key Largo at Christmas with a parade of boats all decked out with lights, music and even some entertainment. Each year has a theme and this year was Hollywood. Very interesting to see how Christmas happens without cold and snow! A bit about the keys, you know where everything is by the mile marker, for example we are at MM101.5, and in Key West is MM0, so we are you guessed it just over 100 miles from Key West. Then you are either O for oceanside or south of the land on the Atlantic, or you are B for bayside, on the Florida Bay, which is the Gulf of Mexico side. We are on the Oceanside. It is very relaxed here, with flip flops the main shoes you need for most occasions. It is noticeably hotter than Melbourne Beach, and the temp was 91 the other day and 87 today, we run the AC most of the time! It is beautiful with the mangroves and iguanas and little geckos everywhere.

Take care

Tabitha