Lobster Club 2025

In a previous blog, I mentioned that the shed roof is leaking,  Well it has got even worse. Water pouring in when it rains bad. In an effort to manage it, I did a big shed clean up and moved everything to places where the water does not come in. But I don't know, I think we might need a new shed.  That pains me to say, I love our vintage old shed from the 1950's.

During the clean-up we identified some hurricane shutters that are no longer needed because we have got some new windows and doors on one side of the house that are hurricane strength.  We put these on facebook marketplace and where pleased to get a quick sale.

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The locals specials are in full swing here in Key West.  We have been dining a lot at The Grand Cafe where we have found a new favourite wine.  I am obsessed with their truffle penne.  Or else I am ordering their incredible burger with goats cheese and tomato jam and truffle fries.  Yup I am loving truffle these days.

Lobster Club is back in session!

August of every year, DJ's Clamshack offer their lobster rolls for half price with locals id.  $14 for the best Maine lobster roll, stuffed to bursting, that you have ever tasted in your whole life.  Oh, and the roll is the amazing kind of brioche toast.

Patrick, Bill, Feliz and I call it Lobster Club and we aim to attend every single Thursday in the month. 2/4 completed to date.

 

New sitting area out front!

During the week, I planned this blog and I thought it would just be about our new sitting area!

How cute is this little deck area? It came from our neighbour across the street, they are getting a pool installed (exciting!) and need to clear our their garden.  It is extremely heavy - took 4 men to lift over and we were told it was virtually indestructible. 

 

WeeeeelllllL.  Guess what happened on Sunday morning.  Patrick was taking down some coconuts and a bunch of them fell and busted the indestructible deck!  Which by the way, is a quintessentially Key West problem if you ever heard one, right

The culprits

So I think everyone knows that I love a project! And a reason to get my electric drill out.

I shored up the deck with some extra wood at the top and some rocks underneath

And sccrewed it all back together with extra long and strong screws.

Delighted we have it fixed and looking forward to mornings outside dirnking coffee and evening drinks chatting to people as they walk by

Island Life

Friday night we met up for a (good) sushi date.  We have not had GOOD sushi for ages so when Patrick suggested we go to our favourite restaurant Origami, I didn't have to be asked twice.

It was a nice evening so we sat outside.  Plus I had forgot a cardigan/sweater so I didn't fancy sitting in AC for too long.  We reviewed the menu for a little bit - deciding on some new bits and pieces - drinks in hand and order in we sat back and relaxed.  And then, suddenly, the restaurant and indeed the whole island was pitched into blackness!  This sometimes happens - end of the line and all that.  But it had been a while since it happened in then evening time imo.  Ha! Of course our immediate concern was our food but jeez we got so lucky, it must have been just ready when the power went off because it arrived at our table a minute or two later.  We ate it, and enjoyed it, by the light from our bike lights which we had removed and brought in my purse.  How funny is that :)

Just as we got the bill the power came back on which was good because it was getting a bit complicated as they had to write down card and phone numbers etc etc.

Next day I found out the power was out all the way up to Big Pine.  It appears a turkey buzzard attacked a line and electrocuted itself.  Poor bird :(

Photo above was taken after power came back :)

These are the days

Fabulous few days out on the water...

The crab traps are down since Thursday.  Lovely conditions out there and we were delighted with our "line" of traps.  We then had a lovely picnic dinner of prosecco and sushi while drifting around and admiring the sea and the sky.

Since then we have been out three times.  ZERO fish to be caught but very beautiful.  And hey a bad day on the water, sure beats a day in the office!

 

"Everything Breaks" Part ??? - Outdoor Shower

I posted yesterday how our outdoor shower had stopped working (insides just totally seized up). That's Key West for you!  It is the salt in the air, everything breaks much faster than you would expect.

I ordered a fancy new one on Amazon but during installation realised that the problem was much bigger than I thought.  The connection to the waterline seems to have become disconnected/broken.  At this point I came to the conclusion that it was time to call the plumber.

Okay so he had to tear through some of the wall - which I was prepared for.  But didn't he do as neat a job as possible?

I could never have managed to work out how to fix and then buy all the parts and put it together - correctly with a PROPER seal so as they don't leak!!  Not only does the plumber have the knowledge, he also has all the equipment; there was a strong smell of the glue/sealant he used.

So happy with this new and improved shower!  I need to patch up the hole left behind - am figuring out how best to manage, maybe some tiles would work??

Ps. Side note: Have I ever mentioned that having a shower outdoors is definitely one of my joys of life?

For Part 2 (the patching) please click HERE

Candid photography

 

So this is a fun photograph! 

One evening last week, we nipped across to our local Brady's pub, formerly Sally O'Brien's and formerly Shanna Key for a very quick dinner and drink.  Am happy to report that there has been a return to form and it is just as good, if not better, than old Shanna Key.  Yay!

While there we met Josh and Jenny.  We have been saying for a while that we must get together with them and Feliz & Bill for a little bite to eat and drinks.  Well literally the day before Josh, Bill and Patrick had been texting and talking about what we could do.  The suggestions that J&B were throwing out just didn't suit Patrick for one reason or another. So Josh, who is an awful slagger (Bill too), takes this incongnito photo of us and sends it to Bill and Patrick saying "thought this guy doesn't go out, huh?"

Ha!

They say a picture paints a thousand words.  But in this case, I don't think so.  This picture does not show how happy we are that Brady's is BACK.  And that we are here and ordering some nice munchies.  And that we have our favourite server with us taking our order.

But still. I do love a candid photograph that immortalizes a moment in time forever.  I do think that digital photography has ruined spontaneity and we have become a society where it is just too easy to "delete" in order to obtain perfection. There is beauty in the "What Is" - perfect or not.

Sunday Chores

We got up on Sunday morning with the whole day stretched ahead of us with no plans whatsoever. Namely no boat plans because of the weather.  So that had us a bit rankled!

We both started poking around the house and garden and actually we ended up getting a nice few tasks done.  Which meant that we felt we very justified in going for a nice Happy Hour that evening to the Southernmost Beach Cafe.

Who wants to read all about the chores we did?! Well, it's coming at ya!

Patrick went up on the roof (eek) to get a good angle at a clump of coconuts that have been needing cutting down for a while now.  He got a great haul and shared them out amongst the neighbours which was nice! While up there he also did some other tree trimming and now there are 4 bins of yard waste to be collected on Wednesday with the garbage collection!

While he was doing that I watered some of our plants.  I am not a great gardener and I am struggling to identify whether a plant or tree needs watering every day (a little) or watering once a week (a lot).

While out in the yard, we talked about one little trouble spot where we have been trying out different bushes and trees to get more privacy from a big house overlooking us.  We have finally decided to change tack and try a "sail".   We nipped in the car to Home Depot to see if they had what we wanted - they didn't - so then I found one online which looks like it might work so that was ordered.

On the subject of the car we also did some work on it! Our neighbour across the street had a spare shade/bimini top for his jeep and he gave it to us.  Looks pretty cool eh?! Plus also we checked and the freedom panels fit on too - right over the shade.

I did a ton of housework - I cleaned the kitchen, and I also cleaned both bedrooms.  The second bedroom (Buddy's room lol!) was strangely messy...I suppose related to it being tax time and we had pulled out some boxes for paperwork etc.

Finally, Patrick asked me to help him choose and order a gift for his dad's birthday.  We got a fabulous bottle of wine.  Delighted with that.  Not so delighted that I had to use the LCBO website to order.  Paaaaaaainful.  Canada has a lot of rules around alcohol regulation, bought to mind my visit to Sweden back in December 2004 when I first got an insight into State regulation and State off-licences.

Sister Season Fund Casino Night 2023

The Sister Season casino night is always a good evening.  It was held in the Marriott Beachside Resort, in their big function room.  Dinner was chicken caesar salad, prime rib with a cool little MASH POTATO bar with a variety of toppings and gravy.  Food was really good this year I have to say.

The gaming is managed by a company who come down from Miami.  The majority of their croupiers spent years working on cruise ships so they know what they are doing - and are helpful to novices like me lol.  There is also a Silent Auction and a Big Draw.

And there is a photo booth!  Which the photo above is from.  Funny story about my hair... It is a  miracle it looks anyway normal in the pics.  Patrick drove to the event....and it was a very breezy evening...and our jeep has no doors or roof....so as you can imagine that is a bit of a recipe for some crazy hair - even on a regular day I always tie my hair up in a tight bun.

To avoid arriving at the event looking like Bridget Jones I wrapped a blouse around my hair and tied it under my chin like a head scarf in 1970s Ireland.  It looked ridiculous during the drive but hey, my hair style survived!

 

Eats

The eateaning continues in Key West.

We nipped out for a small happy hour/appetizers yesterday evening.  We had originally planned on going to Salute on the beach but boy, was there a HUGE queue when we arrived.  So instead we cycled along South Street thinking we might go to the Southernmost Mansion or Southernmost Resort Cafe.  We do love the Southernmost Mansion but on reviewing the menu outside it was mainly pizza, so the cafe won out.

I got buffalo chicken wings and I have to say, they were really good.  Luscious and juicy and just right spicy.

Patrick had the grilled octopus which he said was delicious - small but quality.

Alonzo's on Saturday evening!  Oysters, ahoy!

Baked Oysters and Connecticut Blue Point oysters on the half shell.  Mahi Mahi fish bites too.

The wine in the pic should be called "So-so".  It was fine.  I do like the company's ethics/values, though: Drink For A Cause | Sozo Wine

This was Friday's night dinner!!!!  A Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza from Chicago.  What a treat.  I never blogged about our lovely Valentine's dinner this year btw.  It was essentially this, with better wine, and Cupcake Sushi for dessert.  Mmmm.

Hope you enjoyed this post and the food pics, friends!

Cudjoe Sales Fisherman's Warehouse

Talk about bad luck! For the first time ever in three years we decided to leave our rods overnight on the boat last weekend.  And guess what, the normally really safe and secure, yacht club had a break in that night.  Rods taken from our boat plus a number of other boats had some missing items too (fancy coolers and the like).  Luckily our garmin/sat nav was not taken.

So this Saturday, we went out to Cudjoe Sales and Patrick bought us nice Penn fishing rods.

Our two trolling rods (big and heavy) are on the left and the two new Penn rods on the right.

Because I am a big spender I bought:

1. A whistle which is a piece of safety kit you are required to have onboard. (We have an air horn at the moment which satisfies the requirement but no harm having more items for catching attention - we also have flares onboard).

The whistle cost the grand sum of $1.99

2. A decal/fish measure.  Cost $8.99

Boat life

I had to go into work for a few hours today on the weekend.  I thought I would be in and out, but (won't bore you with the details) because of technology issues that affected a guest, ending up having to stay longer.  This was along with having to go in yesterday too, to take care of a few things in the office.

So when I came out today and got on my bike my mind slightly felt down and I was reminded of times back in Dublin when I would have also worked on Saturday's and Sunday's.  But as I cycled along Eaton Street, up Palm Avenue, and stopped at the top of the hill overlooking Garrison Bight it reminded me just how different my life is now. A flavour of my weekend (in between the stints of work) is below.

On Saturday we went out for a wonderful fishing trip, further than we had ever gone before.  Patrick went out with his friend recently who showed him this spot and how to use his Garmin to get there.  And he did it!  It was very exciting to be so far away from land and in an area I had not fished before.  Between us we caught two nice porgy and Patrick landed a BIG plump lane snapper.  And I hooked a starfish!!!!  Pulled up my line and there was a beautiful starfish hanging like a christmas tree decoration.  This photo was an attempt to capture it but instead it caught the moment it fell off my hook....if you look really closely you can see one of it's arms in the bottom left hand side of the photo! My face shows my feelings about not getting the photo lol.

And guess what we are for dinner that night instead of take out?! Fresh fish!!!!

 

Then today, the weather was SO BAD this morning that really it was an unexpected bonus that we got out this afternoon.  I cycled in to work, stayed for the few hours and then headed to the yacht club where I met Patrick.  We zipped out to the crab traps and pulled up this haul of 7 good size stone crab claws.  Delighted!

This is our docking spot.  Note the hose pipe connected to the engine.  We are flushing it out with freshwater to get rid the salty sea water and clean out any dirt etc.  It was really nice in the yacht club and we took our time hosing and scrubbing the boat and with the engine flushing.  Case in point: see how relaxed and smiley Patrick looks :)

 Long story short, let that be the last negative thought to go through my head for some time yet!

Bits and pieces

Poor little Ozzie.  His mom is in hospital and he needs someone to temporarily take care of him.  Look at those sad little eyes.  I totally wanted to bring him home with me.

My bike cupholder arrived. 

I won't lie, it is a little bigger and more cartoonlike than I was expecting.  Ha!

Went to the salon/spa. Got dinner and bubbly and a swag bag.  They were doing some kind of promotion day and I guess I got lucky!

 

Easter Sunday dinner (very little photos!)

 We decided that we would like to do Easter Sunday just ourselves (even though we got a lovely invitation from friends, and thank you for that).  Maybe it is a little bit of Catholic throwback?? Easter is always a big calendar day in Ireland, second to Christmas, and equally in Canada it was always a big deal for Patrick.  It felt like a day for family this year.

We had a lovely day pottering around the house, I cleaned and it made things feel so much nicer, and we did a bit out in the garden as well.  Early afternoon I went downtown on my bike just for the spin and while there I decided I would get us a nice appetizer/starter for dinner. 

I went into Faustos and got some lovely pate (or pork, chicken liver and truffle mousse as they call it) and some classic Carr's crackers.

When Patrick saw it he decided to put a bottle of prosecco on ice for dinner which was a good idea and indeed very nice!

My Easter crockery which I use all year round got an appropriate season use today lol!

Look.at.that.lusciousness

No more photos :(

No photo of the main which was a fab seafood pasta (shrimp and lobster). Accompanied by the crisp chilled prosecco. 

And a sharing dessert of Cadburys chocolate egg!

A really, lovely Easter Sunday

A great start to the year!

 It feels like since we came back from Miami we have just been celebrating or having a lovely time - whether with friends (OUTDOORS to stay covid safe) or our own eating out or eating at home.  It is like...things were good before that trip, but they are even better now.

New Years eve:

I worked until 3pm when Patrick collected me which was a nice treat.  Easy to throw the bike in the back of the jeep when the roof is off.  Later that afternoon/early evening we had a few drinks and a bottle of bubbly (prosecco) with our neighbours out the front of our house until about 8pm. We then had takeout of awful dirty sweet fire chipotle chicken wings which were fabulous! Toasted happy new year and were in bed asleep by 10.30pm lol (I was in work next morning at 7am fyi)

Half Shell Raw Bar:

Happy hour.  We were sat at the bar for the first time in forever.  While there was a big (nice) space between us and others at the bar which was good for covid safety, it still just felt nice and almost normal.

Saturday evening in our friend's house:

Yesterday we visited with G&K for drinks and dinner. We bought a bottle of bubbly (cava) and dinner was an amazing home made in the crock pot bbq pulled pork and divine mac and cheese. We ate outdoors.

Sunday on the baby boat:

Mixed it up and went out this afternoon rather than our usual Sunday morning trip.  Caught some throwbacks - an exotic looking (and foul tasting lol!) porkfish, and a big (but not big enough) mutton snapper.  And then caught some keepers of lovely porgy (aka "Sea bream" in Ireland). And three crab legs to add to our stockpile. 

Normally Patrick pulls the one crab claw off the crabs.  (Did you know? You take one, they grow it back. You don't take two as it leaves them defenceless).  Today I took over that task. It is hard! They are TOUGH! You need to be so careful you don't have your fingers near their pincers and then you really need to push/pull with all your strength to get the arm off cleanly.

Back to work tomorrow for this lad!  But I think he will tell you himself that he had a good break, and this was a great ending to his Christmas vacation

Another great day out on the Salty Goat fishing boat

I wish I could report to you that this is a fish that I caught.  Alas no, this was Dan's (pictured) haul.  Isn't that amazing. It's a mutton snapper and I estimate it was around 25lbs.  What a beauty.  Well done Dan!

I am happy to report though that I had an incredibly enjoyable, and successful day.  I caught 35 fish! 35!!!  And lucky I did because including myself I had 4 people scheduled to call for dinner that night.  Imagine the embarrassment if I hadn't been able to serve fish that I had caught myself after inviting and promising a seafood supper!!

It was a most enjoyable evening of succulent fresh fish, with key lime pie for dessert, washed down with a  lovely bottle of sparkling Spanish cava.  

And a beautiful sunset of pink and blue hues to finish it all off perfectly.  Life is good.

New dress. Who dis?

I'm not much of a shopper.  Honestly, I really am not.  Like to be honest, shopping actually bores me.  But I guess I wouldn't be my mother's daughter if I didn't enjoy finding a bargain.

This morning I plotted out a nice little sojourn for myself in New Town.  The plan was I would have a lovely cycle over and then go for a coffee and bacon in Denny's, and enjoy that while reading my New Yorker. Signing up for that subscription this year was one of my best decisions ever! That is to say, amongst a few other good decisions ;)

While there I figured I would nip into a store (similar to TJ Maxx - or TK Maxx as it is called in Ireland) and buy a yoga mat as I want to restart bikram classes soon.  I got one for $9 which I was very happy about.  And I also spotted this cute little dress which I quickly tried on and quickly bought.

Doesn't it sit well?

It's a pretty casual dress (and very comfortable!) but tonight I will dress it up a little, with this (Banana Republic) jewelry as I am going out for dinner.  

Yay Alonzos!