Upgrades

Last week Suburban Propane came to fill our tank, which is used only for the kitchen stove, and determined it needed replaced.  It’s been pretty rusty looking since we bought the house.  New full tank in place.

New Propane Tank

Also, a new mailbox installed this morning that will keep our mail dry.

New Mailbox

 

Christmas Day with the Dogs

It’s a French Bulldog Christmas again.  Gigi, on the right, is celebrating her 7th Christmas in Key West.  Her first one was while we were staying at Ambrosia on Fleming Street in 2012.  She walked over to check out the house that we would buy four months later.  Tav, on the left, is celebrating her 4th Christmas in Key West.

It’s a rough life for them.

Midday at the Pool
Waiting for Santa by the Tree

House Maintenance, Part 2

A water leak occurred at the master closet door at some point in the past couple of months, and was only being a problem during significant rainfall events.

Repairs began on the roof on December 16th, finding a rusty spot in the valley.  Wire brushed it away and a dime-sized hole was directly above the closet door.  Two layers of bondo filled the hole, application of a sealer, two layers of oil based primer on this spot and some other repaired spots and a coat of metallic roof paint.  The problem is solved with a leak-free roof for Christmas.

A second coat of metallic roof paint will be done in a few days.

The Leaking Hole
All Rust Spots Gone and Sealed with Corraseal
All Repairs Get a Final Primer Coat
After First Coat of Paint

 

 

House Maintenance, Part 1

We found out before arrival last week that the AC unit in the bunk room had a blocked drain sometime in November.  Problem fixed by our property manager, but not until water had run down the wall and caused the paint to peel.  Some scraping and one day later, the wall is back to pre-leak condition.

Before Repair
After Repair

 

Lighted Boat Parade from Hell

The annual lighted boat parade was today, and we watched from the rooftop of the Waterfront Brewery, next to Schooner Wharf.  Parade was about 20 minutes late from the 8:00PM beginning time, and each boat took about 15 minutes to cycle in and out to the front of Schooner Wharf, the parade sponsor, for judging.

After three boats, our crowd had dwindled to about 50% of what had been present at 6:30PM.  We also left.

Our recommendation is to speed it up for next year.  The first three boats.

Back in Key West

Got into town at 3PM today, immediately going to get our new residential parking sticker.  A bit of an ordeal due to trading cars about two months ago and only having a temporary registration card.  Supervisor came to our rescue.  Gumbo limbo tree pics from today.

New Sidewalk, Five Months Later
Gumbo Limbo Tree Doing Well

Gumbo Limbo Tree

Just after Christmas of last year, we contacted the City of Key West to do something about the tree in front of our house.  A main root was going under our porch and had caused floor tiles in the master bath to crack.

It was inspected and approved to cut the root going under the house, while saving the tree.  We never wanted to lose our shade, but also didn’t want further damage.

Pictures from this week.

Before Construction
Removing Concrete
Root Cut, Now Excavating
Ready for New Surface

We will be heading north on Sunday morning, and won’t get to see the finished job until our next visit.

Highlights of Our 20th Trip to Key West

It is time to revise our Recommendations Page.  Little Room Jazz Club has been closed since Irma, and was no longer on the Key West Bar Card for this year.  Also, Irish Kevin’s is no longer on the boycott list, as it has been remodeled and is smoke-free!

Goldman’s Deli, across the road from Home Depot, is now on our list as we have been there four times to eat in June, 2018.

Take a tour of the US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham by going west on Southard Street to the Truman Waterfront.

Do the Oldest House Tour, but don’t believe them saying that they have “the only surviving Cook House in South Florida”, when we have one at 707 Southard St.

Oldest House Cook House – Fake News

June 20, 2018 – West Virginia Day in Key West

The 155th birthday of West Virginia.  Time to celebrate in Key West.

WV Birthday Cake

 

Later in the day at Smokin’ Tuna, Thom Shepherd approaches local celebrities, Dani Hoy and Tiffani Green, to ask for a selfie.

Thom Shepherd scores a Selfie, but no Autographs

 

Later at Rick’s.  Live music with Caffeine Carl, George Chapman and Tiffani Green.

4 Videos coming soon to YouTube.