Alabama Jack's

Haven't been here in a while! Haven't been anywhere! Too busy working at work and working at home! Finally, on the Sunday following July 4th, I was able to convince my darling husband to drive down to the Keys for lunch. It was a brutally bright south Florida summer day, and, while he was skeptical about how much actual "fun" this would be, he agreed we needed to get out for a bit.

We decided we'd take Card Sound Road, thinking the traffic might be a little less than that along U.S.1. And, we were right. There wasn't much traffic.

I asked dh what he thought about having lunch at Alabama Jack's. We stopped there to eat on our way home from Key West a few years back, but he didn't seem to recall. I couldn't remember exactly where it was.  I knew which side of the road it was on and that it was near the toll both. When we caught site of the toll booth, I don't think either one of us saw anything else.

He paid the toll and we found ourselves on a steep bridge. Coming down on the other side of that bridge was a "thrill ride." Such a great view! (Poor dh.) We rode for a while longer, on the lookout for Alabama Jack's. We rode. And, we rode. And, then, we hit U.S.1. Somehow we had missed it, so we made a U-turn and headed north.

On the return to the toll booth, we noticed it didn't say "Monroe County" as on the southbound side. Instead, it said, "Come Again." We paid the dollar toll and as we exited the other side, we saw it. On the left. We had gone right past it, in the blink of any eye. In our haste to get there, we had missed it.

Alabama Jack's.

It's a weathered restaurant floating on two barges in an old fishing community. It has an interesting history, too. Today, the regulars include motorcyclists, local residents and the upscale crowd from nearby Ocean Reef Club who come not only for the food but to admire the abundance of tropical birds and fish in the nearby mangroves. Dinner has to be early here; Jack's closes by 7 PM, when the mosquitoes start biting.

We were so lucky! We arrived shortly after 12:30 and there were a few people, all seated along the water. For just a second or two we were bummed that all the good seats were taken, then our waitress offered us a waterside table tucked back behind the bar.  The breeze off the water pushed the summer heat and the bugs away and my darling husband was happy. Oh, yes! Can you say "heavenly?"

Calories be damned—the conch fritters are an unusual, mountainous freeform creation of fried, loaded-with-flavor perfection. The crab cakes, made from local blue crabs, earn hallelujahs, too. And, the conch salad is as good as any you'll find in the Bahamas. We shared a seafood platter and I'm here to tell you, there is no better food anywhere in the four counties from Key West to Palm Beach. Given cold beer to wash it down, we couldn't ask for anything more!

It is so totally worth the drive!

As we headed north on Card Sound Road for the return trip home I spotted a mangrove nursery. I had read about these, but I had never seen one. People generally don't know how important mangrove forests are so I hope they will click here and watch for two minutes to see what I mean. My poor husband was startled when I yelled for him to stop the car and back up! Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road at that particular moment. He did back up and I did leap out with my camera. The roadway is narrow and the shoulders narrower. We got honked at and yelled at by tourists in a rush to leave the Keys, but it was so worth it to get this picture! Thanks to my darling husband for participating in that madness! And, for the wonderful lunch!

L.A. Trip Part 5

Malibu.

It consists of a 21-mile strip of prime Pacific coastline. Located in Los Angles County, California, it is known for its many celebrity residents.

(southern view, from where we were ...)

We drove through Topanga Canyon to get to Malibu and I heartily recommend making the trip by car.

It is a stunning scenic ride!

The shoreline where we were was different from the vast expanses of beach I saw along the Washington coast line. The beach was peppered with cliffs and large rocks and that made for dramatic ocean shots. The climate is said to be "mediterranean like." I thought it was breathtaking and beautiful.

Richard and Cliff and I spent about two hours walking along the beach and climbing the cliffs. I shot a lot of photos of them being goofy and took pictures of the flora and fauna. There are more photos on my flickr sight, here, if you want to see ...

No clue with this flower is, but it made a great picture!

When we had tired of the beach, we began discussing food. And, wine. We found a little restaurant that was across the road from the ocean and we were able to sit out on the deck and watch the ocean and the traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway. There was a gigantic flower pot at the SW corner of the deck and while we sipped our wine, I spotted a hummingbird feeding on the blue flowers. Lucky me! I got this shot!

Between the gift dolls and the dolls I purchased at the convention, it was clear what I had to do. I shipped my clothes home and packed the loot in my suitcase for the journey back to Florida. Do I have my priorities straight, or what!?

I highly recommend Virgin America airlines for nonstop service to/from Fort Lauderdale-Los Angles. Loved the flight crew, and all the other folks I met along the way!

I hope to return to California soon, with my darling husband in tow. We've talked about doing the wine tour for years, so, who knows? If not this year, definitely next!

L.A. Trip Part 2

While attending the Integrity Toys Convention in Los Angeles, I had the chance to connect with an old friend who has been living there for several years. She and her boyfriend came by the hotel on Saturday, the last day of the convention, and picked me up to take me for lunch on Rodeo Drive.

Rodeo Drive was swamped with people. I'm sure a lot of them, like me, were tourists. It's for sure the shutterbugs were out in full force! The weather was fantastic! 80 degrees, sun shining, very low humidity (which I am not used to!) and my friend, Libby, and her boyfriend, Phil, provided me with nonstop entertainment!  We walked the street, segueing into shops here and there, admiring the window displays of Chanel and Badgley Mischka and the many beautiful people moving along the street in their designer duds and sky high heels.

I insisted on going into the Ralph Lauren store. I love Ralph Lauren's clothes. I have quite a few pieces in my wardrobe and I have long admired the classic style of his designs, whether it is a dress or sweater or handbag. Every single thing has class and never goes out of style. I was taking pictures inside the store when Libby said, "They don't like that." So, I snapped a couple more shots and quietly exited.

As we completed our walk along Rodeo Drive (it's only a few blocks) and began discussing where we would have lunch, Libby said they had one more place to take me, and that it was off the beaten path. They had saved the best for last! Seriously!

Edelweiss Chocolate Factory is a tiny little store front and holds all manner of surprises, not the least of which was that THIS was wear the famous "I Love Lucy" episode in the chocolate factory was filmed!

The lovely woman in attendance graciously allowed us into the back of the store to see the conveyor belt that Lucy and Ethel worked on and I have to tell you, it is so much smaller than what we saw on the little black and white screens of our TVs!

The shop has had two owners, and Shirley Jones (of "Partridge Family" fame) is the current owner. It seems that the local folks are eager to preserve the little candy shop hidden away there off of Rodeo Drive and I can understand why! It certainly does have historic significance! At least for those of us of "a certain age!"

The front of the store is filled with candy in jars, candy in boxes, candy in glass cases ... candy everywhere! It is truly a delightful place to visit and I would later learn that some L.A. folks don't even know this place exists. We were told that Tom Cruise and Jay Leno are regular customers, so, clearly the celebrities know where the really great candy stores are!
Of course, I purchased chocolates for my darling husband!

After leaving the candy store, we found a lovely little restaurant and had a delightful lunch on the street where we could watch all the action. People watching is one of my favorite pastimes, and Rodeo Drive is great place to do that!

Libby had told Phil about my photographic adventures with Danbo, and when he asked if I had brought Danbo along, I said, "Of course! I never go anywhere without my little man!" He played with Danbo for a bit and managed to set up a shot for me. He did a terrific job, as you can see! Yes, it was truly a lovely way to spend an afternoon with friends! Thanks, guys!!

Southwest Coast of Florida

My darling husband was in the mood to get away a couple of weekends ago, so we took a ride across Alligator Alley to the southwest coast of Florida for an overnight adventure. We made our way to Naples and, with the help of my smart phone running the Android system, we found very nice accommodations at the Bayfront Inn on 5th Avenue for $105 for the night. As you can see, our room was very nice and quite spacious for the price!

The view from our window (below) was even more amazing because we could open the windows! That's unheard of in Fort Lauderdale where spring break college students have been known to leap out of hotel windows to their death. It was quite hot and muggy, though, so the windows didn't stay open very long!

Once we got settled in, we went off in search of food. As it was dinner time, my dh opted for European  cuisine at this little bistro just off one of Naples' major roads. The service was excellent and the food was to die for!

After dinner, we decided we needed to somehow work off the calories and it was decided that the beach would be the best place to do that. How we wound up on Vanderbilt Beach, I couldn't say, but what a treasure the place was! Easy access and free parking! A short walk to the beach which was peopled but not crowded. We had brought our portable chairs, so we set up camp along the water's edge and awaited the sunset.

I noticed that were huge patches of shells that had come in on the tide and started wandering along the beach, taking pictures. The rusty beer bottle cap caught my eye (above) as did the tiny shell in a shell (below). Mother Nature sure does have a sense of humor!

The sunset was absolutely spectacular! I took a bunch of pictures and the best of my sunset photos are on my flickr page, here, if you're interested. We had the best seats in the house and the price was right! AND, WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Sunday morning we ventured into downtown Naples looking for breakfast and stumbled across a lovely little sidewalk cafe, Altin's Cafe & Grill. I adored the umbrellas that shaded the tables set up on the sidewalk. Each one was handpainted on the underside where patrons could enjoy their beauty and no two were alike! It made for a charming breakfast!

After breakfast, we did an exploratory ride around Naples and discovered old neighborhoods with beautifully kept homes close to the beach and a park where a church service was being held outdoors. Across the street from the park was this unusual wall of glass that reflected the light and colors around us. Naturally, I couldn't resist the urge to leap out of the car to capture a few shots of it!

We left Naples and drove south to Marco Island and then picked up the Tamiami Trail to head back east. Here are some of the images I captured along the way! I hope you enjoy them!

There were a lot of "puddles" along the roadside, a result of the thunderstorms from the day before. What really caught my attention was the dragonflies ... they were everywhere! I even zoomed in on a couple of them (below) because it fascinates me how they balance on the very tip-top of a cattail.

And, of course, no road trip is complete without capturing the image of a wildflower or two! Mother Nature was at her best on this particular day ... she filled the Tamiami Trail with dots of pink to cheer up the cattails and the dragonflies! She knows how to get my attention!!!