Revisiting America

How can the weather get better than this?  The skies are absolutely the bluest, the few wispy clouds the whitest, the water, mixtures of green and blue, so clear, the temperature 60 in the morning and now at 3:30 p.m. only 70.  It's almost perfect.  Great for my morning walks and getting out any time of day without getting hot.  February is surely the ideal time to be in Key West!
These last two days have been so lazy for us.  Getting reservations for the next two months has taken Janie's time, but we are booked for South Carolina in March, and North Carolina in April.
Our neighbor is the office manager for a magazine, "The FISHMONSTER", the Fishing, Diving, and Boating Magazine of the Florida Keys, so we plan to visit with her tomorrow and talk to several of the charter boat captains.  It's only the second issue of the magazine but from all accounts, well received and a much needed source of information.  Also, Janie has made contact with Mel Fisher's son and we hope to interview him in the next several days.  We will at least visit the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum if we aren't able to see the son.
Sunday, we visited St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Key West.  Again, a beautiful old church,
begun in 1831 at the request of the City Council in a petition to The Right Reverend Benjamin T. Onderdonk, The Bishop of New York, to send a priest and establish a parish.  The first service was held on Christmas Day, 1832, and on that day the congregation signed the "Act of Association" of the Episcopal congregation in Key West to be called St. Paul's Church.  It was a very different experience.
I'm sure very worshipful for those accustomed to the Book of Common Prayer and the Hymnal.  Even following the program it was difficult to keep up with everything, which book to use, when to sit or stand, so I remained seated, listened carefully and enjoyed the service.
We had a very definite reason for attending this church.  As we parked at a Publix store in Key West
Saturday afternoon, someone tapped on the car window.  A man introduced himself to us, Dave Norwood from Jackson, Alabama.  He said it was the first time in the twelve years he has been here that he has seen a Washington County car tag, and had to know who we were.  He invited us to church on Sunday and said we would enjoy the wonderful organ music, which we did.  The organist gives a free concert each day at noon and we will go hear him again.  Amazing the things we have encountered.
Janie calls them "serendipities", so for lack of a better word, they are.
We have visitors coming this weekend- looking forward to seeing them and doing some of the things we have planned to do, but waiting on them rather than doing them twice. 
OH MY!  "Iggy"has been hidden until yesterday, and then has been " bobbing" almost non-stop for the two days.  There is another "iggy" in the picture that Janie has named "Sugar" since we're on Sugarloaf Key,  and they seem to be chasing one another and bobbing a lot, and I know I became irritated today while sunning because Iggy kept coming closer to me and bobbing.  The last I saw of him ( I guess Iggy's a "he") he climbed the tree right by the steps I have to use to get in the house.  Well, I am blogging, so I got in the house safely.  They are the strangest and really the ugliest creatures I've ever seen, but, God did make them, so, there must be a reason for them being here.  I guess I'm the one invading their territory.
For all of those of you that know some of my family, I must announce that Jeremy and April Beech have a baby girl, Lillian Paige, born Friday, February, 11, 2011.  I keep reminding my grandchildren that I'm not old enough to be a great grandmother, but, how wonderful the baby is here, and both mother and father, two big brothers and baby are doing great.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
God Bless!
Lou








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