Category: Family

The plan Sunday night was to go to Key West Monday. Didn’t happen. We slept in a bit, then had to wash a few dishes. We were going to have cereal for breakfast, but I didn’t pack it. This despite my insistence that I did pack it when asked during yesterday’s shopping. I paid the dumbass tax of going back to the grocery store before breakfast.

We had promised the girls a morning swim, so we applied sunscreen and made for the pool. By now it was approaching 11:00 and Key West seemed unlikely for the day. We decided to have sandwiches and go to Bahia Honda State Park for an afternoon at the beach.

Went south on US1 and crossed the 7-mile bridge for the first time. The park is really nice. A good time was had by all. The water was still very warm, actually too warm. The beach had a seaweed barrier about 8 to 10 inches deep and 20 feet wide that you had to cross to get to the water. The water was pretty clear and very calm. The kids really enjoyed being able to go so far from shore.

Had a nice chat with an older couple from New Jersey, did a little more swimming, then packed up and made our way back to the condo to get clean.

Dinner at Chappy’s with the highlight being the Tiki Chips. Essentially nachos with crab meat. Still haven’t seen a sunset. Tonight was close, but haze and a few clouds moved in during the last half hour.

We were all stuffed when we left the restaurant. As a side note, I had Key West Sunset Ale for the third night in a row. The beer selection has been limited thus far.

Back to the condo and the girls had a late night swim. All is well.

Okay, now for our first full day in the Keys we’re going to… Uh… Hmm. Well let’s start with breakfast. After a little research with the iPhone, we decided to try the Stuffed Pig. (I’m planning a blog post dedicated to the iPhone as a travel aid. In a word, awesome.) Took a couple of tries to find the place. It looks like nothing from the street, since most of the seating is outdoors in the back. Food was excellent. Blueberry banana pancakes were perfect. We all loved it and I’m sure we’ll be back sometime this week.

After breakfast we did a recon mission to Sombrero Beach. It’s a nice family rec area. Park, shelters, grills, plenty of beach with shade generating palms, and a good swimming area. I think this will be our “day at the beach” spot.

On the same street is Marathon High School, home of the Dolphins. How many high schools are oceanfront?

So now it was time for the grocery chore. We knew we had seen a Publix on the main road so away we went. After a bit of driving and chatting, I realized that I had not only missed the Publix, I had passed the end of the island. Turned around and started paying attention. Found the Publix at our starting point. It’s at the intersection of Sombrero Beach Rd. Doh.

Grocery shopping is a chore at home or on vacation. Let’s just leave it at that. Back to the condo and unloaded.

At this point Maria’s back pain had her in tears. She took some ibuprofen and had a nap. The kids and I had some sandwiches.

Maria recovered somewhat and we all went to the pool. Hot. I’m talking about the water. I had to get out of the pool to cool off. Warmest pool I have ever been in. Walked the twenty feet from the pool to the ocean and guess what. Yep, hot.

We all got cleaned up and when to dinner. Chose the closest option, Island Fish Co. and Tiki Bar. Sat outside and raced the impending rain. Very tasty peel-n-eat shrimp Had to leave a couple of bites of Key lime pie and a little ale, but made it back to the condo dry. Good night.

After a fitful night (AC made it cool, but didn’t affect humidity) we had a better than average “free” breakfast at the hotel. Got back on the road, still I95, around 9:30.

After lunch at a deli, whose name escapes me, in Jupiter; the next item of note was a visit with family. We met up with Maria’s nephew Huck at an ice cream shop in Hollywood. He pulled some slight of hand on Maria and managed to pay. He’s the starving student and much too nice of a guy.

Back on the road for what turned out to be the final stint. Maria took us all the way to Marathon. Still hasn’t quite sunk in that we’re actually in the Keys. Unloaded the car and had a quick peek at the pool and beach. Ocean was amazingly calm. It’s quiet. Too quiet.

We then went on a dinner quest. We aborted our first choice. It was a seafood place (duh, we’re in the Keys) outdoors where you order at the counter and wait for them call your name, then sit where ever you can find. We were hot and tired so we moved on to choice two.

Food and service shifted between great and fair, but we were fed. Unfortunately the sun, heat, fatigue, etc. combined to give me a migraine. Once we were back in the condo, I had some ibuprofen, shower, and then to bed. I was down and that was the end of day two.

In case you couldn’t tell, as the drive wore on, our excitement waned. That was a long car trip, I don’t care who you are.

Spent an hour Friday morning packing the car. Managed not to obstruct the driver’s view out the back, but just barely. CK would be mocking me mercilessly after he put four adults, four kids, and their shoebox of luggage for a week into his minivan with room to spare.

We hit the road around 11:00 after a stop at the bank for some cash and at Bruegger’s for a bagel filled send off. Maria took the first stint and the girls settled in with their DVDs. An hour (well, maybe less) we passed Benson and expressed our sympathy for Kent. He has to make that drive everyday.

Moments later we merged onto I95 and the long stretch had begun. We were immediatly hit with the visual overload of I95’s collection of billboards. It wasn’t long until I spotted the first of the legendary South of the Border series. My personal favorite: Weather forecast, chili today, hot tamale.

When we hit the state line, we had to stop. We did need gas, but more importantly the kids needed the experience. They’ll need material for future stories afterall. By the way, Maewyn was particularly excited about the display of the Great White Shark (third largest ever caught) in the Myrtle Beach gift shop. Also, I don’t recall ever encountering urinals in individual private stalls with doors.

Back to the road and I took over driving. This stint was uneventful and we stopped for lunch at Zaxby’s. The girls had never been there and were skeptical, but they actually admitted to liking it. Two items to note. First, they had a poster of the 1994 NASCAR pole winners on the wall. I have no explanation as there were no other race related items to be seen. Second, the Men’s room had better tile, trim, and fixtures than half the houses in the Parade of Homes. Again, no explanation.

As a side note, I want to be clear that I’m not obsessed with public restrooms.

On we go for another segment till we stopped for a snack. Nothing special other than some dispute about one of the gas pumps that didn’t interest me enough to eavesdrop. Back on the road till dinner near the Florida line.

We picked Sonny’s Bar-B-Que since we don’t have them in NC and because they’re an Indycar sponser. Food was okay, about a B- if I’m generous.

However on the way in I met a little boy who sent me back to about third grade. He was on a bench with his grandmother and he had both arms in casts. He had a fall on the playground and had broken his wrists. That was me in the summer of 1970. Details were similar and I had both arms in casts and slings. FYI, you can’t zip your pants when you’re 8 years old and both arms are in casts.

Back to the highway for as long as we can go. That put us in St. Augustine. Found a nice hotel, hauled in half the stuff from the car, and that was the end of day one.

We’re back home safely. The time in Oak Ridge had a few interesting highlights. As usual, a big positive was our meal at Big Ed’s Pizza. This Oak Ridge landmark is our favorite pizza anywhere and we always look forward to it. The kids are old enough to enjoy the food, but they don’t really get the whole Big Ed’s experience. It will come in time.

For the category of “you might be in Oak Ridge”…

We had to go to the Staples to make some photocopies. This Staples is in a small shopping area made up of separate buildings placed somewhat haphazardly. As we’re leaving the store I notice a line of cars to my left, but I can’t see what they are waiting for. My first thought was that they were in line at a bank’s drive-thru teller. As I get farther out in the parking lot I can see the object of their desire. It is a drive-thru window, but not a bank. They are in line for the Discount Tobacco store. Get your carton of smokes from the comfort of the driver’s seat. I guess they didn’t get the memo from the Surgeon General. Or maybe they figure the radioactive material dumped all over the county makes the health risk from smoking inconsequential.

I’ve got a photo of Maria in front of the Nail Salon/Tanning Bed/Post Office. I can’t make this any funnier. It’s good on it’s own.

My 5-year old’s most talked about Christmas present is the dog that poops. Namely, Barbie and Tanner the dog that poops. I’m not making this up. You feed the dog treats that look like chocolate tic tacs, then push down on his tail to induce digestion, and little plastic covered iron dog turds fall out. Barbie has a pooper scooper (with a magnet) to handle the cleanup. The dog poop is dropped into the waste can which is attached to the snack bin (don’t try this at home) and the cycle starts over. This had to have been an SNL parody at some point. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Woke up to a migraine. Got up for about 30 minutes then I was back down until 1:30 in the afternoon. Managed to drink some tea, chew a half-dozen grape kids Tylenol, and get a shower. Followed that up with some saltines and I’m now vertical. Ugh. Luckily the kids have some family here to take up my slack.

Our Christmas Eve dinner consisted of Nabs, chocolate muffins, and Chex Mix. All eaten in the minivan at 70 mph.

The Hunt brothers at lunch.