Missed the Drag Races

 

Cudjoe Key Florida, Venture Out Resort (high 81, low 71)

 

We are settling in here at Venture Out and establishing our routine.  Unfortunately, our routine hasn’t included much boating, due to fairly consistent and gusty winds.

We did get out a few days ago, and Al managed to NOT slip and fall on his butt like he did the last time.  He ended up with a pretty nasty bruise from the previous fall.   I’ll spare you the pictures.   :)

When we leave the marina here, we can either stay on this side of the bridge and go out into the Atlantic, or go under the bridge and go to the “back country” as it’s called.  This time we chose to stay on the Atlantic side, thinking it was calmer.  It started out pretty choppy, but the seas gradually laid down a little.  We went over to an island hoping it would block he wind a little bit.  We saw this in the distance. When I zoomed in with my camera, I saw that it was a sunken yacht.  Recently, there was an article in the local paper talking about the cost of removing these derelict boats that have sunk in the coastal waters.  I think the birds appreciate it though.

 

I managed to hurt my knees a week or so ago.  The only thing I can think of is when we took a power walk one morning and I was wearing little flat Keds instead of a good walking shoe. Soon afterwards, both of my knees were hurting all the time, but got even worse when I did any walking. 

Aspirin and ibuprofen didn’t work, so I tried some Joint Flex, which helped some, but not enough.  Al finally suggested I take some Glucosamine, which helped a lot, as long as I keep taking them.  Anyway, lesson learned.  Don’t take power walks on concrete with bad shoes.  I can’t believe I did that.

 

We talked about going down to Key West the other day for the drag races. I wasn’t sure my knees would handle the walking, and as it turned out the wind and seas were down, so  we went boating instead.  Boating trumps drag races any day.

Now, keep in mind, we’re talking about Key West, and the drag races might be a little different than what you’re used to.  :)

The Key West drag races were between drag queens in heels.  There were different categories depending on the heights of the heels the “girls” were wearing.   Only in Key West!  

Here is a picture I borrowed from the internet. Check out those heels as she is jumping a barricade!  That queen had some pretty muscular legs.

It’s an annual event, maybe we’ll get there next year.

We had a nice day boating, and Al caught a bunch of small fish, so we came home with an empty cooler and left over bait.

There is a nice place by the marina to rinse your boat.  It even has a power washer.  It’s another nice amenity here at Venture Out.  Al is a madman with the power washer, so I walked away for the protection of my camera.

At the fish cleaning station, the pelicans and and gulls wait patiently for any fish scraps from the fishermen.  Al fed his leftover bait to the pelicans and seagulls, and then started rinsing out his cooler.

I noticed this guy watching patiently in the background so I quickly grabbed my camera.

I was able to walk right up to this beautiful and rare Great White Heron.

He squawked at me and seemed upset the free meal was gone and he didn’t get any.  Sorry fella.

He was nice enough to pose for some pictures though.

He looks very similar to the common Great Egret, but the egret has black legs.   You have probably seen plenty of egrets, but maybe not the Great White Heron.

Notice the pale legs of the heron?

 

We spent Easter mostly around the house relaxing.   Today looks like a good day for boating, so I need to get moving to get us some sandwiches made for our lunch.

 

Here are my usual sunrise pictures from the past few days.

I’m trying to find new places to photograph, since I’ve done so many of the tiki hut.

There is no good place we’ve found here in the park to watch the sunset.