When Mr. Darwin was much younger, he visited Anne’s Beach on Islamorada in the Florida Keys, but that was before he had learned to swim and so did not enjoy the water. Since then, Mr. D has become an avid swimmer, at least in fresh water (with a particular affinity for fetching ducks disguised as sticks). What was uncertain was whether he would take to the salty sea on this voyage. Prior to the recent trip to Islamorada, the entire ship’s complement had visited an urban park featuring a large central pond . The park was specifically designed for those of Mr. Darwin’s ilk and he took to the pond immediately, thoroughly enjoying his swim. However, when he emerged from the pond and dried off, an odour emanated from him that distinctly reminded the others of the crew of an aquarium in which turtles had been living for some time and which had not been cleaned for perhaps an even longer time. He was able to freshen up at home with a good shower.
We set off to Islamorada on a Thursday, having learned on our earlier voyage that when traveling to the Keys on a weekend, one encounters a great deal of traffic. We packed our lunch and had a picnic in one of the many picnic shelters along the boardwalk. After watching the amazing kite boarders while having lunch we set off on a hike along the boardwalk, which is along the back of the beach, looking for a good place to settle on the sand. Once settled Mr. Darwin went in for a dip. He seemed to enjoy it very much as you can see in the video below. We all had a good time and enjoyed our outing. Just to be clear, Jose is one of the kite boarders, and the old woman in the baggy flowered shirt, of whom you will catch a glimpse in the video, is most emphatically not our intrepid captain.
Nice to see the Beach. Max had his first bath this weekend. George and Ed didn’t even come into the park it was so full of mud. Chickens It took me longer to clean the bathroom than bathing Max who hated it. So wish we were in the Keys with you but have to admit that it has been the warmest winter that I can remember. Kids are out on the street playing hockey nice to see. Whats with this music just making us more envious you dog.
As soon as I saw the kite boarders going back and forehand jumping, I knew what music i would use; Xavier Cugat’s orchestral version of Brazil. It just works so well with the scene.