It finally happened – we packed up the RV and left the Keys. Those of you following along on Instagram or Facebook already know this, but we’ve been back on the road and actively traveling for about ten days now. Rather than bore you with the activities of the last two months on Geiger Key, I’ll relay a quick summary and a few photos and call it done. We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary in early April with happy hour…
Our days here on Geiger Key continue to be packed to the gills with activities, which you already may have deduced from the distinct lack of blog posts lately. “How can a ‘retired’ couple with no kids stay so busy?” you might ask. Most days I wonder the same thing. But when we take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on the past couple of months, it’s easy to see what fills our typical days. In the previous…
As much as we both value our personal daily routines, neither of us are rigid taskmasters driven to achieve daunting to-do lists day after day simply for the sake of accomplishment. Although if you ask Ashley, I may act like that on occasion. Nevertheless – when the days with visitors in January outnumbered the days without, we practiced flexibility while still finding time to do those core activities important to each of our lives. Cecil had been stationary for over…
Life continues to roll on here in the Keys this winter, and we certainly can’t complain about the mild weather with all the reports of snow, ice, and frigid temperatures up north. We find our days to be busier in this pseudo-early retirement than when we lived a more traditional lifestyle complete with full-time jobs and a sticks and bricks house. January was the first month since we started this little blog in March 2017 that I didn’t post at…
After cruising through three wineries thanks to Harvest Hosts on our way to Florida, we had two more locations lined up as tentative stops through the Sunshine State before reaching the Keys. Central Florida experienced extended rainstorms shortly before we arrived, eliminating one of our potential stops since it was simply too muddy to park an RV in the grass. Our second choice was located back a long country dirt road, and as I wrote in the last post, we…
The town of Raton in northeastern New Mexico has earned a reputation among travelers as a welcome rest stop during a long journey. As early as the 1700s, semi-nomadic tribes of Apache, Ute, and Comanche moved into the area in search of fertile land for crops and abundant wildlife as food. When the Santa Fe Trail opened in 1821, many Americans moved west following this route that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. The trail became a major…
The big city of Denver slowly receded into the background as we motored south with the intention of returning to New Mexico for the summer months. We chose to drive along 285 to the smaller towns in the mountains south of Denver, rather than making miles over Interstate 25 through Colorado Springs. With reservations in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area outside of Salida, we enjoyed a leisurely drive before stopping in Buena Vista for the afternoon. As we’ve experienced in…
Amidst what has become our typical everyday routine in the Keys this winter, we branched out from the usual fishing (for me), kayaking, paddle boarding, knitting and crocheting (for Ashley), playing music, and normal chores to visit a more tourist-oriented attraction. Despite being one of the most popular destinations in Key West, the Butterfly Conservatory is also a favorite of many locals. Based on numerous recommendations (not to mention a couple of passes from a friend), we decided to finally…
The allure of the open ocean has inspired and tantalized humans throughout history. Explorers set out in search of the unknown across unmapped expanses of sea with only a hunch and a hope of discovering land somewhere along the way. Entire villages and economies were created around fishing with the sea providing – or withholding – sustenance for families and coastal communities. Daring early pioneers braved the seas in handmade boats, from the Maori in New Zealand with their waka…
Even though we’ve been stationary for the past two months, our time in the Keys is fleeting and our days are filled with activity. From mundane tasks like buying groceries, washing dishes, and catching up on a little RV maintenance, to more adventurous options like exploring new places in the Keys and the ever-present chances to fish, we’re never at a loss for something to do. Although life here tends to be laid-back, it’s far from lazy. There’s always a…