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2011 Wrap-Up

12/31/2011

2011-A Year of Transitions

We had decided towards the end of 2010 that we needed to unload Don Milagro.

Cindy's jobs continued not being in Los Angeles and it was getting harder and harder for me to keep it together on the home front.

For the first time in many years the "Annual Milagro New Year's Eve Party" was not going to happen.

We were burned out.

Yosemite was the perfect escape.

Unless Cindy had to fly out on Jan 2 and we had snow in Valencia.

Really?

Car-schooling was to become the norm.

January 18
Jon Danniells house officially on the market, floors just about done(thanks Corey and support crew, Cindy/Skye), tons of work to be done but the light at the end of the tunnel is bright and really close, can almost touch it. Times are a changin'....The road beckons.

Cindy was working on Contagion in San Francisco on her birthday.

Not a bad thing, we drove up to celebrate with her.

I tried to eek out as many parties as I could in the Milagro abode before we sold it or got evicted or.....

An absinthe party brought out friends from so many of our worlds.

Jon Danniells off to the beach for a full moon bonfire, big funBoth from February 17

Jon Danniells will be doing the LA Marathon whether ready or not.February 24

Jon Danniells I'm getting ready for tomorrows Super Spartan Race (8 miles). Forecast looks to be cold and stormy(31-43 degrees and possible hail), the Lake is around 53 degrees(I'm sure we'll end up in there at some point), and the ankle is still tender(will be wearing a brace on it) Why am I doing this?SPARTAN RACE™ | SOCAL Running Club www.spartanrace.comSpartan Race is coming to SOCAL, CA, USA: Come check out this 5K Adventure race, its tougher than a mud run.February 25 at 9:53pm
Jon Danniells Another one for the books, Super Sparta; 1 hr 40 minFebruary 26 at 11:58am

February 26/27--Skye goes on her Overnight Mojave Encampment test

February 27 pick up Skye the Torrance GS center and race her to the Shakespeare group for final run through for performance latter in evening

February 27--Skye performs in Romeo and Juliet and is amazing!!!

February 28--Cindy flies back to Georgia, I start working on the re-shoots for Fast and Furious 5

It's a good thing February was a short month.

At times the house was a construction zone, which didn't keep us from entertaining.

Meanwhile Cindy would be making a regular habit of flying home on weekends, to help pack up, sell and give our stuff away.

She would also fly back to be there for me and a miserable LA Marathon.

And.....

One of the most brutal of Tough Mudders, even for the spectators.

Cindy called her worst day of 2011.

Before leaving LA, Skye would play the role of Juliet

She would wear the dress again at the Renaissance Fair in both Los Angeles and Georgia.

Whale Wars viewing in Santa Monica

Our storage facility would be the bane of my existence.

I have no idea what is there. I do actually, but if the warehouse burned down, what would I miss?

Not Much.

I made so many trips to Sun Valley.

This was one of my last.

We would enjoy Farmer's Markets in San Francisco, Atlanta, Cleavland, Key West, and of course Los Angeles.

Hitting the Venice Farmer's Market before heading across the country.

Skye had a busy year. She took to photography.

Being on the road gave her lots of unique opportunities.

We would continue to hit "high-points" as we went back and forth across the country.

Rising above the rest of Arizona at 12,633 ft, Humprhey's Peak is just outside of Flagstaff. The hike up is just under 5 miles. I figured it would take between 2-3 hours to get up and a couple to get down, maybe 5 hours. It took us 9 hours.

Cindy gets her first high point

It was a year of road trips. Skye and I made 3 journeys from LA to Atlanta, as a family we ventured up to Cleavland and down to Key West, hitting Savannah and Charleston along the way.

Sunday, May 22, 2011 Where in the World is Jon of All Trades I have a new website and a new blog attached to it.
jonofalltrades.net
Please check it out, let me know what think, leave comments.
This blog will be winding down, but please continue to keep up to date with my whereabouts on the new website and blog.
Sorry to be short, but must run and pack up the car.
We're headed to LA and have a long road ahead,
literally.

Signing off
Jon

We fully embraced Atlanta as our new home town, even though we didn't know we'd be staying as long as we did and yet it looks like come March we will be hitting the road and vagabonding once more.

Our new home, for 2011

We became "burners" and met and were taken into a whole new sub-culture with incredible welcomes and hugs.

We have a wonderful community within walking distance of our house. The best gym experience at X3 ever and I have been in gym's all around the world.

Wonderful farmer's markets and a circus school that made us feel at home and not miss too much the wonderful aerial friends from LA.

We are in our third different residence in Atlanta. This was our first and favorite.

We would march with the Occupy Atlanta folk.

Did I mention we sold our house via a short-sale, got rid of our credit cards, left corporate banking for a credit union through our union and a local bank in Mammoth Lakes?

It was an epic year indeed.

We would celebrate Christmas in Key West with home school ex-pat friends.

Jogging on South Beach after a decade break.

In a few minutes we'll be heading out to :

ART OF SUCH N SUCH NEW YEARS GATHERING 2011-2012

We will ring in the New Year at Barcelona Atlanta one of our favorite restaraunts in Atlanta, literally a stone's throw from the house.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S 2011-2012

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Florida Road Trip--Day 10--Miami to Atlanta

12/31/2011

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South Beach predawn, my favorite time there

Miami --MYami--MINE
Miami was never a place I had wanted to go.
Work landed me here when I was much younger. I would meet one of my dearest friends on True Lies, while I was working here. We would end up working together off and on for the next 18 years, as of now, I would imagine we will work together again. His sons, who were babes when I first met them, would end up staying in our house in LA.

On this latest venture down to Florida, we came of our own accord, not Hollywood sponsored/funded.
On this trip, I would run along South Beach, like I have done so many times over the years.
I would reunion with one of my dearest friends from high-school, who I have not seen in 25 years.

I often say I don't like running, and that is true on so many levels, so much of the time.

But some of my best memories in life are from running.

Running has taken places physically, mentally and emotionally, literally and figuratively, places I could not walk or drive to.

South Beach at its best, for me.

Nothing takes the sting off of a night-long, into the morning club scene fiasco, like a run on the sand before the sun comes out.

That was not the case this time around, but in my youth, on more than one occasion, I would get home from dancing at a nightclub just past 4 or so, change into running attire and take a quick jog before sunrise, shower and be at work by six.
To be young again......or..........
Been there done that, loving the wisdom of my age. And humbly I admit it there is hopefully much to be had on both accounts.

The sun had officially come up in the picture above.
It would continue to hide and play among the clouds for the next hour or so.

Who says youth is wasted on the young

oh yeah silly folk, like George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde

I usually agree, but sometimes.....

I ticketed this hotel through priceline, for a steal, it was a little funky, but so perfectly central.

If I had unlimited resource, of course I would have stayed elsewhere, however ......

It was perfect for us.

This is where I stayed when filming "2 Fast 2 Furious" literally steps from the beach.

Thank you Hollywood.

Ignore the people in the picture, I don't know them but besides that what a great time mark.

Before leaving Miami, we would stop and visit a friend of mine from high school. He was one of a group five friends I had back in that confusing time. I have been fortunate in keeping four of them in my life through the years. Thanks to the internet and facebook I was able to link up with the one pal who did not stay in Cali.

Our families met, and we talked about old times and new.

It was really, really cool.

And then we headed back to Atlanta.

What an amazing trip.

A great way to spend the holidays and end a more tumultuous year than most. And by my standards that means something significant.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 9--Heading Home

12/30/2011

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We didn't take out time on our trip, down.

We were in some of the most amazing places and could barely up for air to enjoy them.

It is so not how we like "vacationing".

Our return home would make the trip down look like leisurely stroll.

We would hit Miami long enough for Skye to get an inkling of what the city's about and for me to briefly see one of my best friends from high school who I haven't seen in 20+ years.

On your mark get set goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cindy and I have ended up in Miami on so many movies.
Each time we think, it will be our last time there, so we always live it up.
It's a much easier city when Hollywood is footing the bill.

That said, we were not going to deny Skye a "South Beach" experience, which for a 13-year old foodie takes on a somewhat different experience.

What made this experience so memorable was that we ended up at a South Beach mecca that neither Cindy or myself had made it to on our many trips down.

Joe's Stone Crab Claws

For 99 years, no visit to Miami has been complete without stopping in at Joe's Stone Crab. From the beginning, it has always been the love of food, family, and friends that has brought in customers and kept them coming.

Apparently we've had more than a dozen incomplete trips down here.

After our dinner, it would be hard to argue.

Cindy and I dropped Skye off and headed towards another landmark.

This one being one that both of us had enjoyed in the past, together and on our own.

I don't know if it was a sign of getting older or us being burnt out or that the Delano no longer was "cool" but the place that was beyond hip in past years seemed behind the curve to say the least.

Still beautiful, just not as cool as we remember.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 8--Key West

12/30/2011

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No Rest for the Weary

And with this above quote, I will take the importunity to meander.

While my posts might seem spontaneous, I am constantly researching and fact-checking, even such common place phrases as the one above.

And when I do, sometimes I find interesting things. Like today, a random Google search found, Michaelann Land, an interesting diversion to say the least.

Back to Key West

Like so often, I had packed as if I was on a 6 month sabbatical as opposed to the mad dash that we were in the midst of.
We had our yoga mats, juggling stuff, hula hoops, swim-goggles, beach towels and on and on. Most important, I had attached our bike rack with our three bikes upon it and we had yet to take them down, much less use them.

In my fantasy vacation, we would take regular bike rides, getting a bit of exercise and getting to know the lay of the land.
I was bound and determined to use the bikes at least once on our trip. As fate would have it, my wheels needed some air and the really good pump that I had lugged with us from L.A. decided to die this morning. How does a bike pump brake anyway?

There was enough air in the tires to go for a leisure ride so off we headed of to Pepe's for breakfast. It felt like we were running behind, even while in a laid back town like Key West.

We had a "real" breakfast, meaning not over-the-top extravagant or laced with libations and not costing an arm and a leg.

The vibe and atmosphere was good and old school Key West.

The day before on the way to see out ex-pat friends, we came across an organic food shop that claimed to have a farmer's market of sorts on Monday.

It wasn't anything like even the smallest of farmer's markets I'd come across.

The "organic" veggies and stuff were brought in from sources in Miami, which had been outsourced before that. The only "local" product was sea sponges and sea salt, from Florida Keys Sea Salt.

Being a salt connoisseur, I purchased a few of there salts and listened intently as they described the process of getting the salt to its table-ready state. I left with Summer Solstice batch, a trace mineral batch and a buttonwood smoked variety.

We headed across the island to their beaches, which they are not known for.

The water was choppy the beaches not pretty compared to what we'd seen and would be seeing in South Beach and the water not warm enough to be inviting.

It's crazy how quickly one gets spoiled.

A week before I was dying to see any stretch of water, now I was berating Key West's beaches.

We did find a wonderful garden with sculptures and shade and quiet.

One of the funny ironies to the trip in general is how we generally avoid peak season areas, generally having the luxury of getting there in the off-season.

This time we needed a break and wanted to see the water and sun and were willing to suffer the crowds.

I had been to the Southernmost point in the US before when there was no one there. Today however there was actually a line to take pictures.

That was something we could skip.

We biked around the island, hitting up such things as the "Little White House"

We ditched the bikes.

It was getting to be a pain locking them up every five minutes.

Our hotel was really walking distance to just about everything.

We headed back to the Hemingway house, which as I remembered was overly touristy and much about the famed 6-toe Hemingway cat.

Skye took lots of pictures of them, but couldn't find one with 6 toes...

I found another "local" food item.

I was surprised by how little "water" there was in such a big container.

And then we were back to Mallory Square to see the sunset.

Skye had yet to be part of that great Key West tradition. And as I posted on fb ....Minutes away from another brilliant sunset at Mallory Square, yes it's touristy, but there are fun street performers and mother nature puts on a pretty good show as well

going

gone

As Skye has gotten more and more into photography it has been great for me.
I am not a "photo" kind of person, and have for better or for worse often relied on my eyes to take in an experience as opposed to trying to capture its essence in a momentary picture.

It also has been wonderful to see another viewpoint, quite literally.

Being the pirate and outlaw I fancy myself I had every intention on breaking this law most immediately, which I did, along with several hundred other "outlaws" and 'pirates".

This very overdressed and fancy "pirate" had been cited earlier putting money in a parking meter, a very non-pirate sort of activity.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 7--Christmas Day--Key West

12/30/2011

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And The Stockings Weren't Hung

It was a bittersweet day, years ago, when Skye realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that Santa did not exist. On one hand, the charade was over, I could stop selling Skye on this bizarre, happy-jolly-fat-guy-flying-reindeer hoax. On the other hand, my little girl was growing up and letting go of one more story of fantasy and magic, of suspension of "reality".

We would keep up with the traditions of sneaking the presents under the tree after she went to bed on Christmas Eve and of course, my favorite, of over-stuffing the stockings so that they are heaped up and over, spilling out silly little trinkets.

facebook posts follow:

Jon Danniells There are a lot of roosters wishing everyone a merry Christmas here in Key West, they started spreading holiday cheer at around 6:30 am.

I roll out of bed to be a good Santa/dad and wrap some gifts and of course stuff the stockings.

Jon Danniells
A miscommunication amongst Santas had me back on Duvall street this morning

Cindy said she was buying Skye some stocking stuff, so I went a little light on my shopping. Cindy and my stockings were both pretty hefty, Skye's on the other hand was less than limp. I even tried putting her single serving cereal and a banana to act as stufing, but obviously more was needed.

Not only would that qualify for being a bad Santa, it still didn't give the red sock substantial enough girth.

The people out on Duval street at 7 a.m. consisted of people who had yet to make it home, people who were on the way home after making it some where other than home a mere hours before and a collection of runners, many looking like AA types who had replaced one addiction for another, albeit a much healthier one.

Thank goodness for Shorty's. Not only were they open but they had an incredible selection of stocking-stuffer worthy fare, from Key West souvenirs to yummy chocolates and treats.

The manager who had already chided me the evening before for my late Christmas shopping was incredulous that I was still finishing up my Santa duties.

Cindy and I would be back to Shorty's within the next hour or so for orange juice to make mimosas.

"You again?"

"You're my new favorite place in Key West"
I would answer.

Truth in Advertising

Probably more than the weekend was lost.

My kind of stockings, note the piece of plastic bag securing the center stocking, the other two are leaning, a good thing because as great as the Sloppy Joe's stocking was for funny irony it didn't have anything to hang from. I guess they know their clientele.

The row of candies are chocolate alligators.

We brought the little metal gold tree from Atlanta. Unfortunately, the base broke in transit.

The ashtray Jerry-rig is priceless, outclassing my paper bag wrapping/card lazy-masquerading as "green" and resourceful concoction laid nest to it.

Thank goodness Skye is a sound sleeper. In a lot of ways, doing the "traditional" Christmas would have been easier, but so less memorable. Skye is saying this is her best Christmas yet.

The bar just got raised.

After opening presents, making one more trip to Shorty's and relaxing for all of a minute or so we were literally running to make it to our Christmas brunch reservations.

What Blue Heaven had going for it in atmosphere, Azur made up in its cuisine and service.

I had the "Yellowtail Snapper Benedict
the freshest of sauteed yellowtail snapper
on grilled ciabatta bread with sauteed spinach and caper Hollandaise"

Skye, "Carbonara Breakfast, deconstructed
Pasta tossed with crispy pancetta, onions, mushrooms, cream and Parmesan-Reggiano cheese topped with two poached eggs"

And Cindy, she decided to go healthy with the Insalata Dentice
Pan-seared yellowtail snapper filet over fresh baby arugula with applewood smoked bacon, lump crab meat, and marinated tomatoes in champagne vinaigrette .

Our walk home
yielded the typical Key West diversions

We were to meet up with friends later, the home-school family, I mentioned before.

They lived just 2 miles away, so I saw this as a great oppurtunity to walk a few of those calories off.

I also thought it would be smart to bring hula hoops and juggling scarves and such.

Of course, along the way we would come across....

The Green Scene and....

caption....please help

I tend to err on the side of disregard when it comes to photos shared on my blog and facebook. It is a unique and undefined etiquite as to what is "public domain" and who is a "public figure" when Andy Warhol's "15 minute of fame" got reduced to 15 seconds and yet became incredibly, for better and/or worse so much more universal.

We had a wonderful time with our ex-pat hosts from L.A., chatting, and hanging out, gossiping and eating too many sweets and such.

They even indulged my Laker Christmas game tragedy.

It was a most wonderful Christmas.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 6-Christmas Eve

12/29/2011

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A Very Tropical Noel

We all slept in, even me, finally rolling out to brunch just a shade south of 1 p.m. Cindy found a place with incredible atmosphere, Blue Heaven.

This wasn't immediately evident as we went inside the building, ignoring the sign that clearly stated the entrance was around the corner.

We sat down in an almost empty room with a few guys at a bar watching football, not American football, what we in the States call soccer.

The hostess very politely informed us that we might want to sit outside, around the corner, like the sign said.

So much better.

Not only was the weather perfect, the shade dappled and live music in the background, but we were joined by......

chicks, chickens and roosters.

The roosters started up their own version of Dueling Banjos.

The brunch cocktails left a little to be desired, the food was only a bit above average, but again I must reiterate about the amazing atmosophere and vibe, and there was also the amazing desert, Key Lime pie with an over-the-top merenque.

Relaxing, No Seriously This Time

One of our favorite home-school families had relocated to Key West, so Skye would get to be with friends at Christmas after all, how crazy is that?

So she went to the movies and Cindy and I went back to just relax at The Banyan.

We were able to emerge from our respite in time to make it to Mallory Square and one of those magical Key West sunsets.

going,

Gone!

It was funny how many people were trying to catpure the moment with their cameras and/or phone, myself obviously included.

There were several really good street performers, working the crowds and trashing their voices, all the while doing some amazing tricks and stunts.

And then there was this guy.

We headed off to find some stocking stuffers on Duval Street and its tributaries. Right about this time was when Cindy informed me that we only had 2 stockings. And just like that, I was on the hunt to find a Christmas stocking, which I thought would be easy, but was anything but.

Actually I saw a stocking in the first store I walked into, but it was a bland, just regular sort of stocking so I kept going looking for something special.

But the clock was ticking and Skye was being dropped off along and we were meeting one of my favorite park-day compadres for dinner, so I retraced my steps trying to find that first store, which convieniantly and ironically enough was right across from our dinner rendevous.

Again might be better to refer to one of my fb comments,
Jon Danniells Also the family agreed not to get each other presents and now we're off to go shopping among a bunch of drunk tourists on one of the tackiest streets in the lower 48 because of course we're not going to not give each other presents

This photo-op was just a tip of the iceberg as to the non-traditional Christmas sightings of the night.

Our Christmas gifts would end up being determined by what was open.

I did find a more unique stocking, one with Sloppy Joe's Key West embroidered on it.

A lot of Key Lime tasties, pirate themes and Hemingway/Papa sort of stuff would find their way into our stockings and under our "tree".

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Florida Road Trip-- Day 5 Pt 2- Key West

12/29/2011

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Relaxing in Key West......Sort of

We pulled into Key West after dark and easily found our hotel. It may have been over a decade since we'd been there, and while much had changed, even more remained the same, especially the geography.

Everything revolves around Duval Street and US 1 (Truman Ave).

We were on a street that ran parallel to Duval and a block and a half from where US 1 starts, Mile Marker 0.

18 years earlier, I had been in the Keys working on True Lies for around two months. Cindy was there for around a month. I had driven up and down US 1 dozens upon dozens of times, at every time of day. I still keep in touch with several dear friends I met on that movie.

As we were busily unloading the car, the Banyan Tree started peppering us with what exactly I did not know.

Because it was evening and the first lobe landed with a squishy splat sound, I assumed we were under attack by some sort of giant tropical bird roosting above.

Crazed and not wanting to suffer a humiliating blow, I barked at Cindy and Skye commands as to how to best unload the car, "safely"

And thus began our "relaxing" stay in Key West.

beautiful and impressive by day, by night host to terror and attack from above

A Facebook Post is Worth a Thousand Words

It may me easier and more accurate to reprint and interpret my fb posts from that evening, than try to recollect and reconstruct the night from my memory alone, several days removed.

Jon Danniells
In Key West, unwinding after 4 full days of road trip adventures
Like · · December 23 at 7:40pm via mobile

After surviving the banyan onslaught and securing parking, we grabbed Skye and strolled down Duval Street. It was still early, although the craziness that is Duval Street was already in full swing.

We showed Skye a few landmarks before returning her to the hotel room, so that Cindy and I could reminisce,

- Jon Danniells Having a martini at the hotel we stayed at for several weeks while shooting True Lies, around 18 years agoLike · · December 23 at 9:25pm via mobile
  - - Jon Danniells Actually, exactly 18 years ago, we flew home on Dec. 23
    - December 23 at 9:41pm · Like
    The hotel was a Holiday Inn when we stayed there, but the bar was pretty much the same. It was a trip to be there with Cindy, so many years later.

Jon Danniells was at Sloppy Joe's Bar Key West
.Like · · Tag Friends · December 23 at 10:50pm via mobile

We were at the less touristy, authentic Sloppy Joe's, the one where Ernest Hemingway actually did go to almost religiously.

Even though we'd been up early and several days into a pretty exhausting vacation, the memories and excitement of Key West buoyed us on for a few more hours, but like in Vegas, "what happens in Key West, stays in Key West".

So I'll leave it with that tease, your imaginations will doubtless be much more colorful than what I might add.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 4

12/27/2011

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Everglades to Key West

We would depart from the Ivey House in much the same manner that we arrived, racing to get to a tour of the Everglades.

Today's adventure would be a polar opposite to the previous evening's kayak tour on just about every level.

The Ten Thousand Island Cruise

"The ten thousand island tour goes through the saltwater portion of the Everglades, the tour is fully narrated by a park trained naturalist as we weave through one of the worlds largest mangrove forest. Often seen are manatee’s, bald eagles, ospreys, roseate spoonbills, and the dolphins love to jump and play in the wake of the boat."

Although we were enchanted by dolphins and pelicans, we would not see manatee’s, bald eagles, ospreys, or roseate spoonbills,

We were the only people on the 9:30 am trip and where on the trip the evening before this lent itself to a more unique and intimate experience, today it highlighted how manufactured and routine our excursion, in reality, was. It felt like the boat may have well have been on rails and the guides narrative prerecorded.

That being said, it's hard to screw up the splendor that mother nature provides, in spite of our ill-founded attempts.

**side-note--If I'm sounding a bit bitter it's because I just spent an hour rewriting the above text because by some misstep of my fingers, the previous attempt was lost, left to float adrift in the tubes of the internet.

That sign marks the boundary of the Everglades National Park. One thing that struck me about the park was how amorphous the borders of the park were and all that that may entail.

Manatee Alert

Not.

The guide did mention the chance of us seeing a manatee in these waters were slim and if we did it would only be its head coming up for air for a moment. So as he put it, be on the look out for a floating coconut that disappears. If you see that, you might have seen the head of a manatee.

This guy had an agenda. Point out a few birds on the way out to where the dolphins were most likely to be. Try to entice them to play in the wake of the boat and then head on back to the visitors center.

Still like I mentioned before it is hard to spoil the wonder that is the Everglades and it was interesting to see the not-so-typical side of the park.

The part that was more salt-water than fresh.

We were out where the Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico meet.

The beach of that little island all by its lonesome would hold a lovely treasure.

The American White Pelican

These were giant birds, there wingspan being the second largest in North America, being edged out by the California Condor by mere inches.

The bird's head stands at about five foot which is hard to conceive without much to give its size scale.

Dolphins and Mermaids

It is impossible to capture the magic that is a dolphin.

They are ephemeral beings akin to mermaids, who, by the way are also hard to photo.

Our guide did manage to drop down right in the middle of a group of frolicking dolphins.

It was the closest I'd been to so many dolphins in the wild for so long with such a good view. It was amazing regardless of the blatant tourist play.

The guide tried to get them to follow and couple did for a bit but they were having more fun doing their own thing.

Skye attempted to video them, but like I said.....

not a gator, but definitely gets an A for effort

Our National Geographic Day

Or.....Dad, I need to get a really great picture of an alligator.

After we finished the "cruise" we set out for the Keys, our final leg on the road trip to the Southern-est bit of land in the US. We would be driving through the Everglades for the first chunck of the journey and surely would see a gator or two.

While we saw many a big lizard as we sped through the Everglades and lands adjacent, we were looking for one where we could pull off and take some time getting pictures without being overly concerned about getting run over by the vehicles that tended to be traveling at speeds in the just sub-70 zone. I am not exaggerating that given my tendency to hyperbole.

So we ended up pulling off at several camp grounds and picnic stops, looking for a gator.

It's hard to tell from this picture but this bird was fishing underwater. It was crystal clear and he/she caught several fish so it was pretty beautiful to watch.

Skye had planned to run over the hill by that chain link enclosure, not so sure where the alligator was.

I fortunately but a stop to that misadventure.

We were safely across the river these photo-ops.

I thought these were Caiman, silly papa those are down in Central and South America. These were baby alligators, how cute.

Cindy literally couldn't believe her eyes when she spotted this unfortunate alligator being feasted on by a horde of vultures.

She assumed it was a tire or something, silly Cindy

The trees were full of vultures hoping to get a turn.

What our guide had told us the other night was that the hide was to thick for the vultures beaks so they typically only had one entry point.

Hence the many birds waiting for there chance to get a bite.

Out of the Glades onto the Bridges

After many Discovery Channel moments, we were finally able to get on the road and focus on getting to Key West before sunset.

As picturesque as the journey was, because we were heading directly into the sun, any photo record of this leg is pretty much a solarized silhouette at best.

Skye did manage to snap this pic, which is at least humorous.

We had worked down in the Keys on True Lies, 18 years ago and one of the roadside joints that we often frequented was a seafood place called Monty's.

Cindy was able to find their website and rough location on Summerland Key.

The website might have survived on the internet, but the actual restaurant had long since passed. Instead we stumbled upon the Wharf Bar and Grill, much to our good fortune.

In an area with a dearth for local and organic foods, we lucked into finding one right down the way from where Monty's used to be. So we ended up having a wonderfully fresh and delicious meal while being snacked upon by the local fauna(mosquitoes and no-see-ums)

There was also an incredible iguana who spent a good amount of time posing for us, managing to capture the last rays of sun.

Once again we made it to one of our destinations famous for their Sunsets in the dark.

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Florida Road Trip-Day 3--P.M.

12/26/2011

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Welcome to the Everglades

After doing the "scenic" route the day before with mixed results we decided to simply blast through the short 3 hour leg from Siesta Key to the Everglades so that we might actually be able to see something before the sunset.

We had lunch at a place that seemed to specialize in seafood. It was a super touristy joint where pretty much everything got fried.

We ordered frog legs. I couldn't resist. They were unlike any frog legs I'd ever seen.

Cindy couldn't eat them because she thought they looked like little human legs.

I set a really bad example by not only playing with my food, but making some horrific Dr. Moreau inspired creature of soft-shelled crab and the aforementioned frog legs. I called it Crabenfrog.

After finishing our grease-laden "meal" we were off to check in to our historic lodge.

The Ivey House

Making reservations at the last minute for popular vacation spots at peak season, while spontaneous and exhilarating can prove to be quite challenging.

Besides simply finding vacancies, the next task is finding one's with no minimum stay. Which is how we ended up in the Ivey House, specifically the "historic" lodge.

"The Ivey House Lodge is a remodeled boarding house built circa 1928, which was originally operated by Mr. & Mrs. Ivey to house the workers constructing the Tamiami Trail."

But I'm jumping ahead of myself.

As we were checking in, we inquired about the kayak tour, something Skye had already told me she definitely would not do. Who could blame her for not wanting to paddle around next to alligators that could make a meal of you with a flick of their nose or swipe of their tail.

If we hurried there was still one tour we could make, the "Sunset" paddle with Everglades Eco-adventures, where you end up kayaking through mangrove, alligator infested waters at night.

Skye was not so pleased. As a compromise, we got a tandem kayak which worked out great, because she was able to concentrate on her photography.

Paddle Into the Twilight (Evenings)
We piled into a van with the kayaks in tow and were off. We had a wonderful guide who proceeded to go through the do's and don'ts, what to expect, etc. etc.

By the time we were getting ready to "put in", we realized, intellectually at least that the gators were the least of our concerns. Flying fish, hordes of spiders, fire ants and .....

Before we even stepped into our crafts, we spotted an alligator.
But like I said we had other worries.

The Everglades are not so quiet. For instance there was the loud splash sounds of the "flying" fish; the mullets that would jump out of the water. These were big fish that apparently could hit you in the head or land in you boat and basically wreak all sorts of havoc.

And they were hopping aplenty.

We would go through several of these tunnels through the mangrove stands.

There was definitely a learning curve, and the extra big tandem, well had an extra-big learning curve.

having a guide was more than essential

Not for the Arachnophobe

There is no way to show the numbers of spiders we encountered. Literally hundreds, no more like thousands. I would end up wearing a web wig, getting bitten a couple of times and trying, with no avail to avoid the hordes.

This is the best shot we could get. Those little specks are all spiders and this is a very spread out grouping, imagine those dots times ten and you would have a more accurate idea of the what was waiting for us in the tunnels.

Well worth the paddle.

The trip was less than half-way over and it had already qualified as amazing several times over. .

Skye had gotten over her nervousness withing minutes of being on the water and was sort of wishing she was in her own kayak.

But again, being in the tandem allowed her to focus on her photography and boy were there a lot of photo-ops.

The Everglades at Night

Cindy heads into the tunnel on the way back.

After this one we would be completely dependent on the lights from our head-lamps. It was a new moon, so even darker than usual.

One major drawback to the headlamps, bugs are attracted to the light.

And there were a lot of bugs. At one point it looked like fog was coming off the surface of the water.

We did turn off the lights at one point and the stars, absolutely incredible. And the sounds of the Everglade, magically.

The lights didn't stay off long. We had to keep our eyes out for gators, or rather gators eyes, which we did find. They glowed a fiery orange. The looked like dragons. It was a little unsettling. But again bigger concerns as one mullet jumped over the front of our kayak and moments later another one hit the back of our craft, hard.

And don't forget the swarms of bugs, that were making breathing difficult. I choked on more than a few as we quickened our pace home.

An unforgettable experience.

All of that paddling and excitement stoked our appetite.

The Camellia Street Grill hit the spot; surprisingly fresh and good food and wonderful mojitos.

Funky and fun, kind of like the place we were staying in.

Actually the Ivey House was wonderful. We just were so tired from the trip and the room was definitely small and we've gotten spoiled with always having our own bathroom. It's almost a given you'll have your own bathroom these days when you travel, but it's really a recent indulgence.

I kind of was into it, as a novelty. Luckily before that novelty could wear off we were back on the road.

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Florida Road Trip--Day 3, AM

12/25/2011

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Siesta Key, "America's #1 Beach"*

Today was our "easy" day, only 2 1/2 hours of driving.

That said we also had to sight-see the Everglades in the afternoon because we wouldn't have much time the following morning on our last leg down through the Keys.

*as decided by Dr. Beach just named Siesta Key Beach as the #1 beach in the United States for 2011. Stephen P. Leatherman, director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research, also known as Dr. Beach,
Read more: http://www.sarasotafl.org/siesta-key/#ixzz1hYMt2la4

I went for a "real" barefoot run.

Seriously, if you are ever going to run without shoes, this would be the place.

The sand was like powder sugar and the weather was perfect.

Still most everyone I encountered had shoes on, whether they were running or not.

Out of the 50 or so people whose paths I crossed only 1 was without shoes, another several did take off their shoes and carry them, everyone else was totally shoe bound.

What an opportunity missed to connect with the earth.

the sun came out with a vengence

birds of a feather......

I of course overdid it with the whole natural running thing.

I went for over an hour, much of it in deep sand.

Actually I "thought" too much. My left foot, the "weaker" of the pair and one that was not recently twisted, landed efficiently on its own accord in the middle of my foot. When I worked to land my right foot correctly, I landed too much on the ball and toes. I ended up with a blood blister on one toe and two huge blisters on the ball and big toe.

That's what I get for "over-thinking" things that at one point in my life were, well just natural.

It must have been pretty early for Cindy when I showed her this picture upon my return from my run.

"Oh my goosh, is that a real, what's going on with that turtle"

After realizing it was a sand castle turtle, her excuse was, "It is named Turtle Beach, after all"

After grabbing some breakfast burritos from a hot dog cart vendor and a quick walk down the beach, we were back on the road heading for the Everglades.

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2011 Wrap-Up

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S 2011-2012

Florida Road Trip--Day 10--Miami to Atlanta

Florida Road Trip--Day 9--Heading Home

Florida Road Trip--Day 8--Key West

Florida Road Trip--Day 7--Christmas Day--Key West

Florida Road Trip--Day 6-Christmas Eve

Florida Road Trip-- Day 5 Pt 2- Key West

Florida Road Trip--Day 4

Florida Road Trip-Day 3--P.M.

Florida Road Trip--Day 3, AM

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