Penny Lane...

Musings from a highway rest stop(s) 2018.  I have a strange fascination with rest stops.  The one stop kind that the real truckers hit up.  While Randy pumps gas, I tear in there to look around.  Here's just some of the things that keep me guessing and coming back.

What is the obsession with peanuts in the south?  I saw boiled peanuts, peanuts in a can (huh?), peanuts in bags-salted and unsalted, and even peanuts in crock pots!  No thanks, I'll stick to Planters-until someone tells me why you would ever boil a peanut.  You can purchase 50 different flavors of pecans-if that's your bag.  I know this because I sampled about 25 of the flavors and purchased 100.00 worth!  Plus a giant bag of oranges  What can I say-they were/are fresh and the dude told me his whole life history.  I am a sucker for a good story as well as a good pecan. You can hardly beat a good story ABOUT a pecan. And can we just talk about the cinnamon rolls that are as big as a Frisbee?  3000 calories in cellophane wrap with no expiration date!  Yep, and covered with-you guessed it-pecans!  There are special bathrooms that you can take a number for and when they announce it, it's your turn to shower if you are feeling sorta funky.  There is a small theater if you have time to catch a movie.  I saw an alarming number of fireworks.  Those thing scare me and I prefer to be viewing them with a real pyro tech.   And I am puzzled as to why anyone would want to use the 'Penny Press.'  Apparently you can pay a buck  to get a penny with a local historical event on it for a souvenir.  Huh?  Not once have I ever seen anyone pressing a penny.  Seems like a waste of space when there could be room for more peanuts.  I saw a chapel where I guess you can go to pray for safe travels or the avoidance of indigestion from all those peanuts.  Alligator heads and rebel flags, rock t-shirts and seashells, saltwater taffy and mirrored beer signs.  Those places have it all.

Why, you ask, do we frequent a rest stop as opposed to say, a regular gas station?   Well, pulling a boat behind a big truck necessitates a large parking lot.  So we wheel in, get gas, hit the rest room, grab a coffee and hit the road.

That's all she wrote till next year.

I may even press a penny.    XOXOX from this weary road warrior

So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish...(yes, that's a song!)

Hello Dolls!  A very tired Jspot comin' at you tonight.  We are packin' up and getting ready to hit the road.  There's so much to get handled before we pull out.  The usual packing (2 months worth!) plus taking care of things that we have procrastinated for 8 weeks.  Tomorrow will find us at Home Depot buying light bulbs, cleaning supplies, and other miscellaneous items.  Randy spent the day washing the boat as well as scuba, snorkeling and fishing gear.  We have purged and reorganized the store room and our closets.   Most of the refridge food is eaten up and the rest will be tossed.  After 20 trips to the truck, we will be ready to load her up, toss in Hazel kitty and bust our move north-via North Carolina.  

It's been a blast.  We have had roughly 2 weeks total where we didn't have guests and now it seems too quiet around here.  I don't think we missed a trick including the Marathon Seafood Festival, Tastefest and Art Fair, Micheal Trixx Magic, and even a flight to Key West for St. Paddy's day.  We have hit Sand Bar Sunday a number of times as well as many 'sunset celebrations.'  I have read at least 10 books enjoying the new furniture out on our lower deck.  I have ate more lobster reubens than I will admit too and almost as much key lime pie.  (I actually prefer Key Lime Cheesecake!)  We have enjoyed many live bands and solo artists beachside.  We bar hopped by boat-more than a few times!  I have taken to sleeping in-something I rarely do at home.  But all good things must come to an end-just when I was (finally!) getting used to the putzy pace of things.  

The beauty of it is this-I'm happy to get here and equally as happy to get back home.  You know me-I'm a 'home slice.'  Make that a Key Lime Cheesecake-a big slice!

Have a lovely week my Darlin's!  xo

Cry Pretty...

After a long day on the high seas spotting sea flap flaps (stingrays), floating potato's (manatees), beach chickens (seagulls),  murder logs (crocs), and slippery tube dudes (sea snakes),  two salty chicks sporting their best messy-hair-don't care (not even a little!), made their way in for a shower and happy hour!  The day was perfect.  Until.

Rarely do we even turn on our tube while on vaycay, but a quick scan revealed that we had launched missiles in Syria.  You all know that this old mermaid is the most apolitical person ever but the images shown were shocking.  How anyone can comprehend the gassing of innocents?  I hate war and still maintain that a sit down conversation with options and consequences would be better served than hideous violence.  But that's just me and I know I do not fully understand or even know all the facts.  I pray for all of those suffering under such tyranny.

One thing I do know for sure, and feel very strongly about sharing is this.  My therapist has taught me the danger of viewing theses scenes over and over-as the news channels insist on doing.  She says that our brains are not set up to process these horrific images and can do lasting mental damage.  After 9-11, post traumatic stress disorders and depression rose, in part due to the inundating images. It's a new syndrome-thanks to news channels and social media.

So while I want to learn and be informed, I will not expose myself to the endless rerun of images that is shown with the information.  Please consider this danger.

We all need all of our strength to survive these times.  Have a great week filled with discovery, wonder and compassion.   Peace, Dolls.   XO

Raining in Kyoto...

My nephew has purchased a condo in Slovenia and I scored an invite to join my extended family for vacation.  Slovenia?  I had to look at a map to see where it was even located.  My sister and brother in law's children are travelers and adventurers for sure.  I admit to being interested in the visit but it falls too soon after my Keys holiday.  This same nephew hosted my wonderful time in Dubai.  Eric has always had the wanderlust and I used to get updates from all over the world as he enjoyed traveling.  He speaks 6 (I think) languages and uses his worldly charm to make up for the rest.

I have great interest in learning about other parts of the world and consider myself a sort of 'culture vulture' soaking up the differences and commonality of life.  However, being a staid homebody, I prefer to read or watch travel shows to do this.  Like most people, I love the adventure but had the trip.  Familiarity and comfort top most things for me these days.  And short flights....

I also have this odd thing where I like to imagine living wherever I visit.  Maybe a tall house on the hill in San Francisco..no matter that it is uber expensive.  A beach house on the Outer Banks?  Love it, but too isolated for me long term.  Costa Rica?  Easily 6 months out of the year.   Boston is a strong possibility.   Abu Dhabi?  Too culturally different.  Cape Cod or Maine?  Nah...  Downtown Detroit?  Not yet, but maybe someday. Colorado?  Too late to be a ski bum.  I haven't yet visited Paris, but picture myself with a neck scarf and beret sipping coffee at a café and enjoying a deep chat about art and literature.  Ahhhh, someday mes amis.  Gotta work on my accent!

Summing up this musing-I love to dream and there is no better place for it than the sultry, lazy days here in the Keys.
But like little Dorothy, I contend, 'there's no place like home.'   XO

Call out My Name...

Imagine my surprise when Dayna texted me to wish me a Happy Mermaid Day.  Of course there is a 'day' for that I love that she thought of me!  

I have always had the fondness for mermaidia-even before we were unindated with merchandise proclaiming the pop culture icon they have become.  With the combination of beauty, mystery, legend, and romance it's easy for me to indulge in the allure of escapism that their images provide.  And it seems that the world kind of agrees.  I have been gifted with everything from t-shirts to socks, pictures, cards, art, mugs, books and jewelry depicting mermaids.  I even have a large, vintage water feature mermaid in my front yard!  It's fun and I love it.

Back in, say, 1998 I met the artist, Wyland and admired his 'Mermaid' piece.  Years later, it hung in my living room and is now here in the Keys where she seems to be at home.  Last week at an art fair, I got to meet Wyland (again!) and tell him that I bought the piece.  He was gracious and sweet.  And I have been treated to seeing manatees in our harbor that legend says may actually have been mistaken for mermaids.  

I think tonight I may shellabrate with a Mermaid Martini and maybe take a shell-fie or two-not!  

Have mer-fectly great week, stay saucy and be mermazing.  I am fin-ah-lee done with this tail-I think I hear my shellphone ringing.  Love and best fishes from this old mermaid wannabe chick. xo