Palm Trees & Tropical Tantrums

As is unofficial tradition we ventured south for a weeklong laze in the balmy Florida Keys. “We” includes Mom, Dad, Me, Brett, Carolyn, David, Jordan, Margie, Alston, Kate, and for three rough days, Ellen. 

We start our venture with the important note that we only drove six hours the first day, spending the night in Titusville, Florida and because hotel rooms were inordinately pricy that Friday, we only got one room so Dad and Brett shared a bed that night and watching them squirm about it was the greatest thing. Though they pretended to be disgusted, they both tell the story frequently and with gusto.

Carolyn and David were already at our rental home when we arrived. We did things differently this time and instead of renting a place in our usual spot, we upgraded ourselves to a nicer house on a larger Key and while we enjoyed and partook in the many amenities it provided, we came to the conclusion that you don’t come to the keys to live the high life. We missed the old ramshackle, hippie-style beach trip. Jordan, Margie, Alston, and Kate made their way to the house by midnight and we all woke up the next day ready for laughs and snacks.

Highlights of our Keys venture include feeding big iguanas, enjoying poolside meals, beach visits, Carolyn’s Mick Jagger impression, fishing trips, snorkeling treks, tarpon feeding, book reading, a quick jaunt to the Hemmingway House, multiple family meals, and a standup paddle board with no rudder. Towards the end of our stay, Ellen and her black cloud arrived and I was extra put out about it. You know my stance on travelling with Ellen so it's my fault for having optimistic expectations. She duped me this time because she had a “Keys Countdown” and was so excited about all the upcoming Keys things so I was certain she would really live up her three days. But no.

One evening Brett carried a stubborn Ellen out of bed, through the house, down the stairs and across the patio to a lounge chair where the rest of us were sitting and chatting. Ellen acted as deadweight and even held on to door frames and railings to make our hero’s attempt even more exhausting. She sat for an agreed upon twenty minutes and then went back upstairs and sat in bed. Though things like this make up the large percentage of my Ellen memories for this trip, I’m probably not being entirely fair and will therefore concede that she had about two good hours each day.