Trying to Reason with Tropical Storm Season

The drive from Orlando to Key West takes about 7 hours. Using the Florida Turnpike, it was a fairly easy drive until we approached Miami where the traffic became pretty competitive. I continued with my luck of taking Penny’s wheel just as the skies opened and poured rain. I did notice that whatever the posted speed limit, most of the drivers were at least 15 miles an hour over that and many were well into the reckless driving range, so I wasn’t inclined to join in. Once we got onto Rte 1, the traffic cleared out and the drive was beautiful.

Just a few notes about driving Penny. Bob is a true car enthusiast. He can tell you from looking at a headlight the year, make and model of a car. He knows if the bolts are factory originals. He has spent hours learning all the tricks, bells and whistles that Penny possesses and revels in using all her fancy skills. To me, a car means one thing. Freedom. As long as I have a car that runs, I can be Someplace Else. I don’t have to be Someplace Else. But I can be. I’m sure I drive Bob crazy when, even if my car has to be in the shop for a day or two, I rent a replacement. Even if I don’t really have to go anywhere. But I need to know I can. So, it isn’t so much which car to me, just that I have mobility.

I have mentioned that I was initially a little intimidated by driving Penny. It is evident that she has lots of power. I am a cautious driver. I don’t have the need to get in front of the car in front of me. And people do have a habit of driving alongside of Penny, either to take a good look at her, or to see if whoever driving is willing to have a little race. But to my surprise, I love driving Penny. Even in the rain. Even surrounded by idiots seemingly trying to kill me. Why? Have you seen the movie Avatar? In that movie, the Na’vi link to their banshees and become one with them. And I know this sounds weird, but I drive Penny barefoot. And when my foot touches her pedals and my hands are on her wheel, we bond. That’s right. Bond. I barely have to think about what I want her to do. A slight correction to the right. Slow the engine a little to stay safely behind the car ahead of me—no need to use the brakes on an interstate. Now just a little faster. Whoops—watch out for that chunk of tire over there. I am comfortable wrapped in the seat; the airflow is just right. I am always too hot and Bob is always too cold, but Penny handles that just fine. And the fourteen speakers mean I can join Bonnie Raitt in singing “Angel from Montgomery” and I can only hear Bonnie! Since my singing voice is a cross between Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin with a bad cold, that is a real win!

We arrived without incident at the Ocean’s Edge Resort and Marina in Key West. Actually, Stock Island, which is about 2 ½ miles from Key West. Ocean’s Edge has three condo buildings and six pools and is a marina with many very nice ships slipped on their docks. They have a shuttle to Key West every hour. Our friends from work, Tim and Cindy, had arrived a day ahead of us on the ferry from Naples, where they live. That evening, we had reservations for dinner and then to see the Randy Roberts cabaret show at the La Te Da in Key West. We learned about this show from our friends Joe and Meril, as Meril has known Randy since childhood. The Randy Roberts show is a live multi-media tribute to numerous world-class performers, and he has competed to strong reviews on America’s Got Talent. During our show, we were treated to Bette Midler and Cher among others. Randy singled out Bob for special attention, much to the delight of Tim, Cindy and me, and of course, Bob! Randy is a very talented performer, and when he realized we were friends of Meril, shared with the audience that Meril was his first love in kindergarten, but that she eventually wrote him a letter saying, ‘Dear Randy, I don’t love you anymore, Love, Meril.’ Which sounds just like Meril, who is kind to a fault. It was clear that he had studied the women for his impressions closely, but I was most impressed with a number called ‘A Little More Mascara’ in which he applied the makeup turning him from a good-looking guy to a knock out woman, while singing that song. And finally, he sang a number from Phantom in his own voice, showing his remarkable talent as either a man or a woman. Great show and we were really glad we went.

Next day, we went into Key West with the intent to do some sightseeing in town. We had a great breakfast at a restaurant that served Key Lime Pancakes, and we rode around on the Key West Conch Train. We visited the Truman White House and took the tour, and intended to go see Hemingway’s house and the six-toed cats, but the sun was brutal, and I think it was smarter that we called a Lyft to get back to the hotel pool. That evening, we went out for dinner and then splurged on a desert restaurant called Better Than Sex. We didn’t have reservations, but we were lucky and were able to get a table. We each ordered a desert, and while I’m not sure it was better than sex, it sure was right up there. While we were at dinner, we were accosted by several tourists who must have also been at the Randy Roberts show the evening before, as they were calling out to Bob who became somewhat of a celebrity during the show.

The next day we were supposed to go to the Dry Tortugas. This is a National Park about 70 miles off the Coast of Key West. You can get there two ways: A ferry or a Seaplane. As I am about a 50/50 risk of seasickness, I first hoped for the plane, but it was sold out, so we bought the ferry tickets as did Tim and Cindy. I was looking forward to the snorkeling, which is supposed to be really good there as it is so remote. And then along came Fred. A projected tropical storm headed right for Key West.

Now we live in Virginia, right on the Chesapeake Bay, so marine storms are really not unknown to us. If we’d had a rental car, we probably wouldn’t have let Fred bother us much. It looked like the Dry Tortugas day would be affected only on way back and even then, the ferry captain didn’t think there was any risk. But Key West is 43 bridges away from the mainland, and most of those bridges are mere feet away from the ocean. And because we live near the bay, we know a good bit about storm surge. In fact, with a tropical storm it is pretty typical for our home to be an island for a few days as water backs up behind us. We didn’t want Penny to get into trouble. We have a very long trip ahead of us in another week, and something happening to her would be a disaster. With heavy hearts, we decided to leave Key West a day early and head home, foregoing the Dry Tortugas altogether. They will have to remain on the bucket list for a while.

We definitely recommend the Ocean’s Edge Resort and Marina. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, and actually removed our final day’s stay even though their policy indicated we hadn’t given proper notice. In addition, Kevin and Patrick were helpful in keeping an eye on Penny and shuttling us around the island.

The best thing about getting home early is that we were able to attend a surprise wedding party for our friends George and Angelo. The surprise was actually from Angelo to George who has had a bit of a rough year. They are great guys, and George (Dr. George) was hands down the best boss I’ve ever had, and a terrific friend. So, losing out on one thing opened up the opportunity for another, and isn’t that the way it usually works if you just stay open to the positive?