I love all of you who follow us and write - we are still here - enjoying our holiday in the Pocono's. Heading to Cleveland tomorrow to spend New Years with our friends in Medina. Will post when we get home. Love and Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS DINNER

Jack and I are leaving for the Holidays but I HAD to have a Christmas dinner. We called it a simple Tuscan supper. Dakota greeted everyone at the door including her best friend Ranger. We toasted with Pomegranate Cosmopolitans (pomegranate juice is VERY good for you, you know!), ate salad, butternut squash ravioli with walnut sauce, delicious Rosemary and Olive Oil bread brought by Cathy - very Artisanal, with ridges made by her rising pans!!, and peppermint chocolate cake made by Alina. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the cake, Alina!) Cathy also brought home made dog biscuits! WOW! Wonderful food, the best friends, great conversation and Merry Christmas!!

CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE

It's an annual event - always in Florida Bay off Key Largo. We had prime seats on the point at Sundowner's Restaurant - with the judges! It was cool and breezy but the wind had shifted from the North to the East so we were snug and cozy. AND - there was a full moon! The theme was GROOVIN' IN THE 60'S and the boater's were very clever. The first picture is of the boat that won first prize using the Laugh-In theme. The sailfish is chasing dolphin (mahi-mahi) and the sailboat with the peace sign is our friend Capt. Alan on Sinbad, a Morgan 41. Enjoy!

BEAUTIFUL DAKOTA KATE

She's still naughty but she does look gorgeous in her Christmas scarf!

LET THE PARTIES BEGIN!

We attended our first (of many more to come) Holiday parties last night. Lasagne, salad, garlic bread, Key lime pie.......maybe I should have titled this - Let the diet begin!

CAPT. JACK AND THE GIRLS!

On another perfect Florida Keys day, Jack took my friend Lisa and me to lunch (and a rum runner!) at Lorelei and then to the annual art show there. Lunch was great, the art show fun, the company - SUPERB!

BIRDS!

We had a wonderful day Saturday,birding back country in the shallow water skiff. It was one of those special, flat-calm days. The white pelicans are back!! We also spotted many osprey nests with both Mom and Dad close by, scolding if we poled in too close! . Did you know they mate for life and come back to the same nest every year? If it is a small nest they are newlyweds! If the nest is large - and they get large! - they are old married folks like us! Sadly, we only saw one roseate spoonbill back by the Bob Keys where we used to see hundreds. I hear they have now chosen to winter further North in Florida as our enviornment for them has deteriorated so much. We also went to our favorite rookery - it's a secret place - and watched as at least 6 Great White Herons built their nests. We think one already has eggs in it! The egrets were there, too, in full mating colors! And the cormorants, and the ibis and the snowy egrets.....what a fun time! Thanks, Jack - for going birding with me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MINA!!

Yesterday I drove to Homestead to decorate Jack's Mom's apartment for Christmas. We had such a good time. I have the world's BEST mother-in-law!

JINGLE BELLS!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......we had decided not to get a Christmas tree this year as we will be gone for the Holidays, but.....I couldn't resist decorating a little bit.....and once you open the boxes....well.....other than the ornament boxes, EVERYTHING is out!

SUNSET

Almost daily we head out on the back-country skiff to enjoy sunset on Florida Bay. This is a picture of my Dad as we head down the canal to end our day with the colors of sunset!

Oh-Oh, Gobble, Gobble II

Both my friend Alina and I ate Thanksgiving dinner out and we discovered we didn't like not having leftovers! So, we deep-fried a turkey on Sunday - yummy turkey sandwiches today! Capt. Alan and my Dad were there with us - and Alina's Mother, Josephine - somehow I missed getting a picture of her.