Back in Fort Lauderdale
The view from Room 212 - Saturday morning
Another view
Another
beautiful, warm day in Key West... and we are leaving. The week here was
very relaxing - especially when the weather warmed! It is easy to see how
people move to Key West after a vacation visit. It is easy to fit in - after
only a week, we know two Oregonians living on a boat and we know that the
doorman at our hotel is married to the waitress at Origami - and easy to
make friends. You can get around on foot or by bicycle - not a hill on the
entire island - food is good, beer is cheap and every shop, restaurant,
marina and hotel has a "Help Wanted" sign in the window. (Not to worry, the
Taylor's will be returning to GW and Oregon - the RV Park here is a dump and
it is SEVENTY dollars a night!)
Dave in the Upper Keys
Added later: WE ARE BACK IN FORT LDLE! We had a nice drive
back up the Florida Keys, stopping for a nice lunch at a Euro-hippie cafe.
I love the names of the keys: Ramrod, Cudjo, No Name, Pigeon, Marathon, Duck
and Little Duck, Conch, Fiesta, Boca Chica, Lignumvitae and of course, Key
Largo, for a little sample. We also stopped so DT could have his photo taken
with a giant lobster. Don't ask me why... but it is a lovely shot, isn't it?
We had a wonderful last-night-together-'til-March-2nd dinner at
Mark's
Las Olas. (NOTE: this restaurant has now closed.) Dave and I had eaten at Mark's last year and we knew
Lisa would love the restaurant. Always rated one of the best restaurants in
Florida - Mark's is the total package: fabulous food, presentation and
decor, an interesting array of stylishly-clad customers (including the
Taylor's!) and an exciting ambience. The menu is different every day and
they have about 40 different items to choose from on the menu! For starters:
Lisa had a seafood mélange, while I tried their Caprese salad with heirloom
tomatoes and a fabulously firm fresh mozzarella. Dave had a Caesar
salad with baby romaine. For the main course, I had another appetizer: a
goat cheese tart baked into a crispy potato packet! Yummers. Lisa had lamb
chops, served with a potato gratin in a veal reduction. Dave had Chilean Sea
Bass, served with a mango salsa. For dessert we shared coconut ice cream. Our meals were divine, the atmosphere charged and the activity in the
open-kitchen was choreographed to perfection - try Mark's Las Olas if you
are in Fort Ldle.