Vignettes

It has been a busy winter so far with plenty of visitors. Doug (left) with his partner Brian came for a weekend of fun in Key West from their home in San Diego where they work in the burgeoning electronics industry. We met Doug a dozen years ago sailing in Mexico. He is an accomplished mechanic and kept his Alden 32 motorsailer going despite numerous mechanical failures, with good cheer and a great sense of humor.My wife and I turned left at the Panama Canal to cruise the Western Caribbean, while Doug turned right from Acapulco and crossed the South Pacific in a cloud of adventures and wild times. I remember particularly one story where he left an anchorage for a day sail and outside the reef conditions were such that he couldn't get back inside and was forced to sail downwind in increasingly strong winds so that he was obliged to embark, unprepared on a week long unexpected sail to the next secure anchorage. Doug tells a great story.

The recent fullish moon left a nice golden imprint across the salt ponds across from our house. This is I fear the only mediocre picture I got of the event. It really was lovely though.Speaking of lovely here is my Bonneville at my preferred downtown free motorcycle parking spot on Eaton at Duval.As of this writing I have nearly 48,000 trouble free miles on my 2007 Hinckley Bonneville. The modern Triumph is a wonder to behold and ride. I am going to have more to say when I cross the 50,000 mile mark in a month or two.

Eye candy up next. A windy afternoon at the Key West Bight, known to tourists as the Historic Seaport.I took this picture when cousin Kirk was in town with Jay from Seattle. It was cold and windy even by the Pacific Northwesterner's standards. My preferred standards are tropical with palms:North Roosevelt Boulevard, including bicycles, electric cars and scooters for rent. What better way to get around Key West in a busy January?

On the last morning young Kristi was training with me on night shift she asked facetiously if I would walk her out to her car, a gesture of consideration after several weeks of knocking her into shape to be the excellent Channel One operator she is bound to become. We left the building together and spotted this, in the lobby:Kristi drew close to me, a startled look in her eyes; the "walk me to my car, old man" joke suddenly became real. I picked up the lobby phone and spoke to John my counterpart on the day shift that had just taken over in Dispatch. Kristi and I strolled past the man, sound asleep on the floor of the Police Station lobby. He must have arrived within minutes as the day shift dispatchers hadn't seen him and he was unavoidable.Before I said goodbye to Kristi members of the day shift came out to reclaim the police lobby:It happens all the time in Key West and yet I cannot conceive of drinking so very much that I just pass out in a heap there where I am walking. They were still busy talking to him after I pulled my helmet on and rode off. A great start to the day for the incoming shift, and I was glad to be home and in bed half an hour later as the sun came up.

And speaking of out of town visitors on binges here we have one last picture of Therese, now safely back at work at the United Nations in the Hague potting decorative plants around my home.An avid gardener she enjoyed buying some decorative plants to supplement our vegetables and then she potted some annuals next to our budding fruit trees.I continue to see the fruits of her labor weeks after she went home and they still look great.It's selfish I suppose but I hope she comes back next year to work her magic once again. Our of town visitors do bring color to life one way or another.