Before leaving Key West for the day, we took a short walk by the Key West lighthouse and Ernest Hemingway’s home, enjoying the beautiful flowers along the way. I was delighted to see several groups of baby chickens as we walked as well.

We made one last stop at Smathers Beach, where I ventured into the beautiful, warm water before returning to Cudjoe Key. Back at our cottage, we noticed a set of steps that went into the trees.

A Discovery

When we walked over to explore, we discovered a boardwalk to a dock. It would be a lovely place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. Plenty of fish swam around the dock, and we even spotted a huge, scary-looking jellyfish.

We picked up dinner from Tonio’s Seafood Shack & Tiki Bar on Summerland Key. They had live music, which would have been fun, but the patio was too crowded for our comfort. After enjoying dinner, we spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Lizards Galore

The following morning was a rare treat, with no alarm to wake us up. After breakfast at Galley Grill, we returned to the cottage. Chris came inside and told me to grab the camera. He had spotted an iguana. When I stepped into the screened patio, I saw the iguana on the steps of the house next door.

I was excited, but then Chris said that was not the one he wanted to show me. As we walked around the house, we saw a dozen iguanas running through the yard, heading toward the mangroves. They moved so quickly I wasn’t having much luck in getting any good shots. Then, after they had all disappeared in the brush, the granddaddy of them all came into view. He was huge and majestic, with an orange dewlap, legs, and dorsal crest. He was kind enough to pose for me for a few minutes before making his way into the mangrove.

We took a walk back out to the dock, where we found a yellow-crowned night heron. After watching various fish, we found a younger, smaller, bright green iguana in the undergrowth of trees as we walked back from the dock.

Back at the cabin, we noticed a good-sized lizard had gotten himself trapped inside. Chris was delighted to catch him. He scratched the lizard on the head, and I was thrilled to see the lizard’s reaction. He looked like he enjoyed the attention.

Before heading to dinner in Key West, we walked back to the water. We saw what looked like a couple of predatory fish. The wake they created as they swam was foreboding. However, when they were finally close enough to see, we realized they were much smaller than the wake they created. It was fascinating to watch them swim laps in front of us. Their movement was very sharklike, but I haven’t been able to make an identification.

Sunset Celebration

After a fantastic dinner at Santiago’s Bodega, we went to Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration. The square didn’t appear to be busy, but we knew that was likely to change in the next hour. We walked around for a few minutes looking at the various vendors. We decided to claim our spot by the water before the crowds arrived, enjoying watching the goings-on around us. As it grew closer to sunset, musicians played, magicians, jugglers, and contortionists performed.

The party atmosphere only increased as the sun slowly sank in the sky. Sailboats, party boats, and jet skis raced to the west over the water to get to an unabated view beyond the island offshore. People crowded to the edge of the water to get the best picture. I was glad we had scoped our spot out early. Finally, the sky lit up in a blaze of orange as the big yellow sun sank slowly behind the palm trees on the island.

We left immediately after the sunset, finding an alternate route out of town that minimized the traffic. It was a great find because we saw the most magnificent moonrise before us as we turned a corner. The sky was a midnight blue with a giant, gorgeous, golden full moon hanging amongst the palm trees. I only wish I could have captured what we saw with the camera.

When we arrived at our cottage, we went out to the dock to enjoy the scenery. The moon had risen higher in the sky and, while it was not as spectacular as what we had seen in Key West, it created a beautiful glint on the water. As we stood on the dock, we noticed there were bioluminescent fish swimming below us. It was a glorious way to end a wonderful day.

We packed up in the morning and headed north, stopping for breakfast at Mangrove Mike’s Café. Again, I enjoyed the ride because of the sheer beauty of the water. We worked our way up the east coast of Florida to Merritt Island, where we planned to visit with our good friends, Phil and Jenn. We planned to spend a night with them and then head back home. The visit was so lovely our one night turned into five.