Dave and I ventured way down south to Key West. This is a place where we don't belong. We are both too shy, too reserved, and too quiet to get into the uh, atmosphere of the place. And I am not referring to the gay population in any way. That was not an issue. Also, the drag queens were the most well dressed and classiest gals around, honestly... I guess it was the other tourists and maybe just the tension between everyone? The homeless haggling and harassing the tourists? The drunken men leering and screaming at every woman and basically just anything that walked by? Men screaming at other men for who knows why? Incessant and overbearing use of laughably quiet and weak scooter horns, that, when used in great numbers, added up to a loud and large amount of super annoying? The heat? The screaming? The complete lack of courtesy, decency, attention to sanitary regulations? I guess my inner princess just came out... I was not the happiest. But, Dave, let's be honest... We had some great moments, some good laughs, but we will never go back there. Amelia Island is our place. I am glad we went because I have never seen any part of southern Florida. It was a whole other state down there. Also, I got pretty sick the day before we left and was really sick by the end of the two days... My chin, jaw and neck were swelling from the bad tonsillitis I had. Plus, I had laryngitis and there was no way Dave could hear me over the masses of jackasses and morons assembled on packs of scooters that they not only did not know how to operate, they either chose, or were simply too drunk to follow the rules of the road. Our beaches are way, way more beautiful here. Give me our 72 miles of beaches anyway. I thought parasailing would be just slightly terrifying, but in a good way? No. It was beautiful and serene. I was like, how much would it cost for them to just drive around to let us take a catnap? Because this far above the Gulf of Mexico? ONLY quiet place in Key West. Certainly got no rest at the Bed and Breakfast, which had lovely staff, but apparently was booked solid by a randy group of elderlies that spent the first night cavorting in the hall and on the balcony, drunk and LOUD after a family wedding, and the next night, LOUD again, but this time some couple must have gotten into Viagra or something even better, or worse, depends on whose angle you're looking from!! I had to listen for FORTY minutes to some ridiculous circus performance. I mean, I thought by the time you were that old you might be secure enough not to have to try to disassemble the walls of an old mansion in a quest to prove you've still got it. And the only thing I could think, is maybe they both suffer from hearing loss, so they just don't realize how embarrassed they should be.
AND THEN THERE WERE THE BIRDS. Now, I have a puzzling bird phobia. I love birds; I think they are beautiful. Jon and I have discussed joining a bird watching group together. I have two pet finches in a cage in my house-- I love them. One of my tattoos is of birds. However, sometimes, if a feather enters my presence, I may flip out. Or if a seagull, or a blackbird, or a flock of either comes around, I might just completely lose the ability to compose myself like a normal person. I HATE feather pillows; goose down comforters-- I am allergic; get a little wheezy, but also I think I mostly get a little crazy and become convinced that my throat has tiny down feathers stuck in it and I CAN'T BREATHE! So yeah, Jamie's crazy. But in Key West... these ROOSTERS roam everywhere. And I hate roosters because in my experience they are usually combative and there was a reason my Uncle Jim had to carry a stick with him to beat off potential rooster attacks when we went on walks! He was not an irrational or a violent man. But the worst part of it was the horrid pigeons everywhere. Everywhere you try and eat it is outside; it is a bar; and likely there are freaking birds running around everywhere. At one restaurant where the food was excellent, I ruined everyone's fun by having a small panic attack and the manager had to come out and say, "Come on, ABBY. Let's go INSIDE." And the freaking rooster follows him inside. ?? Uh, this is not normal. Inside is the kitchen. Why is the rooster answering to her name and going inside to the kitchen? ALSO! PEOPLE! I was freaking out because of the PIGEONS! The rooster was obviously being occupied by all the morons that were feeding it and talking to it like it was a dog. Speaking of which, I met a dog named Luna at a normal place the night before.

 This is Luna. She is a Boston terrier. I think I want one of her someday. She had a lot of character and was very calm. She used her eyes and her ears to manipulate me. I gave her most of my bacon... If she had wanted my wallet, I would have given it to her. I think I am going to paint a picture of this beautiful girl. She was such a good, good doggy.

 The thing that made me laugh the most was this tiny dog with the Big Girls Give Good Luvin' sign. I mean there is a lot going on around that tiny dog, with its costume, etc...

 Here is another street dog. Dave took this from the pedicab.

 At the Hemingway House. I loved the gardens and the grounds surrounding the house the most; and of course all of the cats. Liz Taylor jumped in my lap! I was so happy. You aren't allowed to pick any of the cats up but she jumped in my lap so it was okay.

Well, there are a lot more pics to upload... not just from this trip but from uh... the whole past year??? And a lot to catch up on. We move in nine days... craziness. Only a few miles down the street and it is definitely a positive move for us. I am happy. Mimosa has been good to us; or at least, she hasn't been terrible to us :) well, she has certainly taught us a lot!!! But after ten years in one spot, it is time to move on. I am kind of looking forward to just the change in space and layout and getting rid of stuff; and I like when the move is happening: right after school got out. So HOPEFULLY I will be starting a teaching job in AUGUST and the move will be well behind me.