NBNC>Florida: January 10 - 26, 2014

With temperatures having been cool and well below normal these past few weeks, the weather has been our deciding factor for our activities here in southern Florida.  Jeans, long-sleeved shirts and jackets have been the wear-of-the-day.  

Our brief sojourns have included  a happen upon of Knaus Berry Farm in Redland, here we found freshly picked strawberries and beets and wonderful baked goods; local restaurants serving Cuban sandwiches; outlet malls with great deals; a movie theatre where we had freshly made popcorn and watched “Lone Survivor”. 

Several Fairfield Harbour RV club members have visited including the Pethybridge’s, Pettigrew’s, Butters’, and Spallanzani’s.  We are neighbors with Darlene and Jack Torbert, also fellow rvers from Fairfield and often meet up for casual cocktails at the end of the day.  Darlene makes a mean bloody mary! Jack has introduced Dave to Dewar’s!

We hosted a gathering of the group when the Spallanzanis’ were in town and joined Diane and Larry on their trek to Key West, where we enjoyed wings and ‘ritas at Jimmy Buffetts on Duval Street, photo ops at the southern most point, and toasted the sunset at Mallory Square.

We have spent each of our Sunday afternoons at Alabama Jack’s, a local bar on Card Sound, just this side of Key Largo, where bikers line up their Harleys, Hondas and Yamahas and the Card Sound Machine band echoes music from our pasts and we find ourselves tapping our feet, keeping time with our fingers and lip-syncing along with the guitarist. Sometimes our words are not the same as his but it doesn’t matter at Jack’s, because everyone else has their own lyrics, too.  The ambiance is a reminder of Florida in the 1950s; some of the regulars have been crossing its threshold since the first conch fritter was served.  It is common to see women in rhinestone-covered headwraps that coordinate with their significant driver, and black is the chosen leathered-gear color.