Bells & Whistles 2003: Review

St Marys winery in Penola, Australia has fashioned a good blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, and cabernet franc in its 2003 Bells & Whistles.

The wine is a fine blend and a good table wine. It bristles with fruitiness and warm flavors on the dry side of life. The wine has very good color and the nose is excellent right from the bottle.

The wine is a good middle of the road wine. It is very good by itself with cheese and crackers and also stands well on its own with a meaty dish.

Recommendation: A solid wine for something different. At $17 it probably isn't worthy of a standard house table wine---but its versatility bodes well for being in the wine rack for occasions.

Blue Heaven Restaurant Review

Dinner at the Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West was an exciting experience.

Although the address is Thomas Street, the entrance is really around the corner on Petronia Street.

The atmosphere includes dining outside under large palms and in a courtyard setting complete with cats and chickens. It is fun and creative as well as relaxing. There is something for everyone here. I did enjoy watching the chickens run across the roof of the building--how did they get up there?

The food was excellent. The wine list is extensive and has something for everyone. The menu is not inexpensive--if you are looking for entrees in the less than $20 range--go elsewhere. But if you enjoy good moderately prices food--eat here. I had the scallops and they were fantastic. The portions are large and filling-so you won't leave hungry.

One of the specialties seems to be the Key Lime Pie which comes piled with a mountain of meringue. Not my idea of the perfect Key Lime pie--but a very interesting version which is something to admire--how high the meringue is piled.

Recommendation: Go there. Enjoy the dinner and the experience. Plan to spend some time to experience everything the Blue Heaven has to offer.

Wow am I getting sunburned

Two days and just a short time in the water and I have managed to get sunburned--even though I was applying sunscreen.

But it was all worth it. Snorkeling two days in a row in two different places! Wow.
Today was great tough. We rented and Scott captained a 43 foot sailboat and we took off on our own only with a GPS and some vague directions to a reef. It all worked.

Of course the day began by getting rear ended by a local. Ugh! All because a bicyclist was riding in the middle of my lane, towards me, and I had to stop in order to avoid making him a hood ornament. Fortunately, our vehicle only have a few scratches--the other car though, the whole grille is gone.

But the boat was fabulous. The sailing was all the fun. We tied up at the reef and swam about 300 feet out to the reef for snorkeling--but the visibility was not all that great--call it 18-20 feet. The visibility affected the fish too--at one point Chris and I swam up on and surprised a barracuda. We were all surprised--the fish too. I didn't get a good picture of him before he swam off.

I am learning how to use my underwater camera, too. Like make sure all the water is off the lens before shooting pictures on land--or above the water. Of course, it didn't help that I was treading water while shooting.

A Day in the Dry Tortugas

OK--what a fabulous day! And I got to use my Father's Day present for real, too! And this was just snorkeling, I wasn't even diving.

We took a fast catamaran down to the Dry Tortugas some 70 miles away from Key West. The trip took two hours and fifteen minutes each way.

The tour of Fort Jefferson was fabulous, but the snorkeling was even more awesome. We saw one seemingly sea of small fish which undulated in the current and through which tarpon and other fish swam. They were beautiful to look at and enjoy.

The sights were just beautiful.

It was some of the best two hours of snorkeling that I have enjoyed. I would go back in an instant!

History, snorkeling--who could ask for more?

Jose's Cantina, Key West: Review

Based upon a recommendation from Urbanspoon, we sallied out to Jose's Cantina on White Street for some Cuban food last evening.

And we were not disappointed.

the atmosphere of a small, family friendly place just could not be beat. And the food was magnificent. I had the pepper steak and it was both tender and spiced to perfection. They also make their own sangria--and it is something really special.

The menu has something for everyone. Seafood, non-seafood, whatever you are looking for. And the service was personal and friendly. The atmosphere was family oriented--not an expensive place, but wholesome. You get the sense that the people working there, eat there too!

Recommendation: A definite place to eat and enjoy. Prices are moderate but not inexpensive. Service was good.

Monday Musings - July 20, 2009

1. 40 years ago today man first walked on the Moon. Although I know it is politically incorrect, I sure am glad that he was an American! In fact--forty years later, the only humans to have walked on the Moon were all Americans!

2. Why is it that the slowest car on the road gets in front of you on a two lane road with no passing zones?

3. Some hotels have terrible service, poor maintenance, but a great location and they stay in business. It is all about location, location, location. So I'm saying, don't stay in the Lauderdale Beach Hotel in Lauderdale by the Sea--unless you want an affordable place where you can walk out the door, turn right and be on the beach!

4. Ever notice how traffic signs in unfamiliar places sometimes make no sense?

5. The Fort Lauderdale airport parking situation is the most confusing, counter intuitive situation I have ever had the misfortune of trying to navigate.

6. Key West is a hopping town on a Saturday night!

7. Nothing lowers blood pressure and stress levels faster than a walk on the beach in the morning.

8. Little known fact: there are a lot of roosters (as in male chickens) in Key West. They all seem to have an intuitive grasp of dawn. And many of them live right outside the condo we rented. Alarms clocks are, therefore, unnecessary.

9. Chris likes cats. She wants to adopt one in the neighborhood. Meaning she wants to bring another stray home.

Sights on the Beach to Avoid--2009

OK--here it is again this year. Some incredible sights we saw on the beach which we definitely need to avoid. Like the one here--I agree with Michael--they should not sell bikinis in sizes greater than 16. This was something special. We really could not believe this.

But for the women in the crowd--there was George of the Jungle. Who let this guy on the beach? Unbelievable. I don't even want to speculate as to what he is trying to show off. Ugh! Get a life.

OK--for beach wear--modesty is important and be aware of your personal limitations.

Florida Vacation 2009 Day 3: Jupiter

A beautiful day to begin day 3 on the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. We walked in the morning and the bright warm sunlight to begin the day 3. The water was clear--you could see all the way to the bottom even with the water up to your neck.

It was fun to watch the smallish fish congregate around my legs and occasionally bump into me. A certain member of the team doesn't like this feeling and won't stay in the water when the fish show up.

Today was also the day we chose to visit friends--Fran and Mary, in Jupiter. It was an hour long drive made longer by a detour to repair a bad rim on one of my tires. Yes--my rim was corroded and not sealing against the valve stem--so the tire was losing air. At one point it looked as if we needed a replacement rim--but the Firestone dealer did a masterful job filing off the burr and not toasting the existing rim. So we were back on the road after a while.

Upon arriving in Jupiter we went to our favorite beach on Jupiter Island and did some snorkeling. It was the best snorkeling in this area in about three years. The water again was very clear and warm. I believe it is because there have not been any hurricanes yet this season. the big sighting of the day was a good sized barracuda. But the amount of life present was reassuring after two years of decline. There was an abundance of urchins and I even saw a lobster. I was looking for sharks--but didn't find one.

After some quality time on the beach, we cleaned up and went off to a new restaurant: Guanabanas Restaurant and Island Bar. What a great place. I highly recommend it. It is truly a tropical paradise and the place was fantastic. They have carved a tropical island right in Jupiter. I have never seen a restaurant motif like this before--heavy tropical.

Our drive back to Fort Lauderdale seemed endless with the storms, accidents, and traffic. I-95 north was closed at one place for a fatality accident. Thankfully, we were headed south, but the rubberneckers still created a 5-mile long traffic jam.

Back at the hotel we relaxed and then went out for a walk and wound up in the middle of a street concert. The music was a mixture of jazz and some blues and was very nicely performed. A huge thunderstorm was developing though and the lightning was fabulous. Chris took her camera and tried to get some pictures of light show--with some success.

So now we're sitting in the hotel catching up on the blogging and getting ready for our exciting trek to Key West tomorrow with Pennie and Scott.

Florida Vacation Day 1 and 2

Wow--we have been having some fun already on our vacation.

We departed early on Wednesday to drive to South Florida--a good decision because we were through even Richmond before the morning rush hour. That meant--no driving problems in Virginia!

The drive was uneventful--well at least until we got to the vicinity of Cocoa Beach and realized that the space shuttle was going to launch within an hour. So we detoured! And what a great decision that was. It was cool to see all of the people who still line the causeways to watch launches. And not just Americans. But it was great with people lining the road on both sides to get a view of the launch. There was a great atmosphere as we listened to the radio from one car of the countdown and the excitement built as we all realized that today was the day and we were going to actually see a launch!

All in all we were delayed about two hours in getting to Fort Lauderdale--but it was well worth it.

Day 2 was a very relaxing day which included a long morning on the beach--we are in a hotel right on the beach! The water is warm and clear and we are having a great time. We did some exploring of the area and found a Bubba Gump Shrimp where we ultimately ate dinner.

And day three is at hand--what new excitement in in store?

Pool SCUBA

You learn a lot about things when you get a chance to examine them closely.

Take my pool, for example.

It is really tough to examine the pool on a normal day. The water gets in the way.

So on Saturday, when I was checking out my scuba gear, I did some inspection of the pool. I would like to say it was fun--but what I discovered is an aging pool that has seen a lot of fun. There are cracks developing which may, sometime in the future need to be addressed.

But that said--it was fun playing with the tools on the bottom.

And of course, my new, improved, good to 200 feet below surface camera. I will never go that far down, so it really isn't a problem.

I got used to the camera and some of the new gear I've acquired, so I should feel really comfortable in the water. I am so looking forward to the next two weeks of snorkeling and diving, and of course the sitting on the beach doing nothing.