Wind Chill--Florida Keys style, we visit animal shelters...and a day of packing ahead (bummer!)

Today is our last day in the Keys. How did a month go by without us noticing? we'll be pondering that question for a while!

Yesterday the weather turned chilly and windy, Florida-style. In fact, the Miami evening news put out a cold alert--48 degrees! To us New Hampshirites, this is too funny!

Noreen and I left the Steve and Bud to do laundry and generally relax while we went off to visit a few of the local animal shelters (there are several). As board members for our SPCA at home, the Concord-Merrimack County SPCA, we were hoping for an interesting afternoon of fact-finding. We did find a wonderful county-funded shelter, the Humane Animal Care Coalition, Inc. (305 451-0088) at MM 106 in Key Largo. But we also  found there are smaller non profit shelters and rescue/adoption operations with indequate funding and facilities and overlapping service areas--confusing and also upsetting to see! 

Meanwhile Bud and Steve were snoozing and reading in loungers--bundled up with blankets against the cool breeze off the water.  Well, cool meaning 68 degrees.

Maggie knows that Noreen has been petting other dogs---how could she!

A rough afternoon for Bud and Maggie!



We finished the day with a wonderful dinner at Snappers--the restuarant (non dog-friendly) not too far from us, oceanside. This was a great decision!  Their fish menu is organized like the ones we encountered a couple of years ago along the coast of Chile. You pick your fish (grouper, tuna, hogfish, etc.) from one list, then you pick how you'd like it cooked from another list (fried, blackened, more complex sauteeing, etc.).  I chose the  grouper, cooked "Dakota" style, with slivered almonds and a champagne butter sauce. It was heaven!

Alas, tomorrow we leave for the Gulf coast of Mississippi!  This means getting our KIA Sorento packed up and saying goodbye to the Keys. We'll head out early in the morning for the first leg--a 8 1/2 drive up to Tallahasse, where we'll overnight and make connections with Bud's brother and sister-in-law, Rich and Dot.  Then Sunday morning we'll make the final 5 1/2 hour drive over to Gulfport.

We're sad to be leaving the Keys--think of all the things we'll miss! The dogs parks and dog-friendly restaurants (I'll do a complete review with links in a day or two). Playing dominoes with Steve and Noreen.  Morning coffee in the hot tub. The sunsets!

Monochrome, but still beautiful!

On the other hand, we love Mississippi's Gulf Coast, have more friends arriving from New Hampshire in a week or so and then (of course) there are the casinos!