What a year! We started 2020 like so many hearing mixed messages about the growing threat of a virus that was starting to make its way around the world. At the very beginning of the year we continued with a few short trips and then ventured over to the other side of world for what we hoped would be an amazing trip to the South Pacific.
Our starting point was visiting a friend in Perth, Australia. From there, we planned on taking a trip to Bali, Indonesia and finally a cruise around the South Pacific. Well, as you can imagine, that did not happen. By March the virus had begun its stranglehold on the world causing many countries to start closing their borders.
We all agreed not to go to Bali for fear that we would not be able to get back into Australia. Then we learned that our cruise had been canceled and immediately made arrangements to return to the U.S. As I mentioned in the blog I wrote about our stay in Australia, as we settled in for the flight home we learned that we were on the last American Airlines plane out of Australia before their lockdown. We were so glad we were on our way home.
As soon as we arrived home we settled in for a two-week self-confinement. Once out from total confinement we found ourselves with lots of time on our hands. For the last several years we had been on a roller coaster ride of traveling that left little time to catch up on all manner of things so we launched into dusting off our to-do list and set to work.
Every closet and drawer was cleaned out and reorganized, every room was given a thorough going over, we had a new driveway done, we had our kitchen countertops sanded and polished to a nice new shine, we had roller drawers installed in all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and, I finally got caught up on posting
I woke up one day in August, looked at Randy and said, “Traveling to and from my grocery store, pharmacy and local restaurants for take-out has lost its luster. Let’s take a road trip”.
After a little discussion we decided to take a trip to a little, quaint community among the many keys on the Gulf Coast of Florida called Cedar Key.
With mask and hand sanitizer in hand, we were off. It just felt so good to be away from the community for the day. The ride was quiet and uneventful under a partly cloudy sky.
We arrived in this small village, found a parking place by a little park. There were a few people sitting here and there around the park just enjoying being outside. As we walked along we saw a couple of families on the beach enjoying the water. We walked along the small street looking for an outside restaurant to perhaps get some Gulf seafood. We came across a restaurant that looked interesting and made a note to return to grab a bite to eat.
We passed a few hotels, shops, restaurants, and a boat ramp and eventually found ourselves walking out onto the fishing pier. The view from the pier was lovely. The Gulf was somewhat choppy but there were a few people in boats out in the gulf enjoying the day.
We stood on the pier enjoying for quite a while taking in the and enjoying the view. We made our way back to Duncan’s on the Gulf for lunch. There is an upstairs and downstairs. We decided to stay downstairs because that is where the open deck seating was located. “Perfect”, I thought.
We took out seats on the deck with a wonderful view and a gentle, cool breeze. I cannot express fully how wonderful it was to be, once again, in a restaurant. Oh my, I was a happy woman.
We learned that Duncan’s is known for its, “Traditional South Florida’ fresh Seafood cooking”. So, we both ordered the fried Gulf shrimp basket. What a treat. The shrimp were wonderfully tender, the tail shells had been removed and the coating light and tasty and the fries were really good too. It felt so good to sit out in the fresh air, eat a delicious meal and watch the people on the fishing pier reel in their catches. Watching the fishermen and women made for fun entertainment. One fisherman brought in a long bundle of seaweed. I thought that was too funny!
We lingered a little while after we finished our lunch and then it was time to make the return trip home. Today was a very nice indeed!
Enjoy,
Mary
The Delicious Divas 
It was in fact a very enjoyable day on the Gulf of Mexico. Also delicious tender shrimp. Nice to be away from the house on a road trip.
Sounds great to be able to leisurely take a trip and enjoy a meal out and not order a take out and eat at home or in the car in the parking lot. Life in VA, is the same as you stated about routines, but the dining is a little more restricted. Good to hear from you.
Hi, John–We were a little worried when we ventured out but with masks and sitting outside we felt comfortable and we kept our distance from others walking around. It felt good. Good to hear from you too. Stay safe, stay healthy.
I used to go there in 1964 from the U of Fla. Only one hotel then, the Sea Island, with a British bartender. Went back again with my first wife in 1969. It was once a large seaport town in the 1800s. The cedar trees were needed for pencils. Most everybody used pencils then. A huge hurricane wiped out that industry and most of the town around 1890. It’s the only town in Fla. with the look of a northeast fishing villiage.
Hi, Jim–what a nice back story about Cedar Key. The first time we visited a museum there that told all about the cedar trees and pencils. One of these days I would like to go back for the seafood festival. The shrimp was just wonderful!
Hi Mary,
Went to Cedar Key the first time with a group from the Villages for the seafood festival. It was great. The second time was with the Corvette club………a long ride but enjoyable.
Hi, Sal–Definitely worth the ride. Glad you had an opportunity to go there. Mary
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